Rams
Jared Goff is hard to judge after 2018. He played out of his mind and frankly like a top ten QB in the first three months of the season, kind of fell off in December, had a great NFC Championship game and then was completely flustered by Bill Belichick in the Super Bowl. Goff could be awesome in 2019 or be the middling passer we saw the second half of last year. It’s up in the air. I don’t necessarily like his chances of being the guy we saw carve Minnesota up again. I see him finishing somewhere in the middle of the pack as far as QB’s are concerned.
He has some decent talent around him. Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp all return. McVay will need to do some scheming but my confidence in him unlike Goff is through the roof. This on paper looks like one of the best WR groups in the league. Though they do lack depth in my opinion. I don’t buy Josh Reynolds, and don’t like the Tight End room.
Todd Gurley is a massive question mark for this team and CJ Anderson is gone. Gurley was one of the most dominant players in the NFL until his injury. He then completely disappeared. If Gurley doesn’t show up the offense could be a complete disaster. He is one of the most important names to watch in 2019 his year literally could make or break this team in my opinion. Malcom Brown is good insurance but he isn’t Gurley.
The defense still looks awesome. Any defense lead by Aaron Donald is going to look awesome. Michael Brockers continues to be an underrated star along side Donald in LA. The linebacking core retains difference maker Dante Fowler Jr. Clay Matthews is a nice piece but I’m not sure he can be a 3 down player anymore. Micha Kiser needs to step up for this linebacking core to come together and work out. The Secondary remains stacked. Marcus Peters needs to bounce back in 2019 after having a down year but if he does alongside Aquib Talib and newly added Safety Eric Weddle this defense could do amazing things.
In a division that I think is due for a down year, the Rams seem like the logical candidate to repeat again. Don’t be surprised if they struggle early though.
Record prediction: 9-7
Seahawks
Russell Wilson is simply in a terrible situation. He is an extremely talented top tier QB who puts up awesome numbers with very little around him every year. This year though the supporting cast may be the weakest it’s ever been in my opinion. I am never going to doubt Russell Wilson but I don’t see him being able to drag this lackluster offense into the playoffs. Wilson has one of his most daunting challenges ahead of him in 2019.
The wide receiving core is the worst it’s been for Wilson. His number one target Doug Baldwin is gone. I cannot overstate how massive of a loss he is for this offense. Everything in the passing game went through Baldwin. Without him the number one receiver is DK Metcalf a guy who got so many different reviews coming out of college I find it impossible to have an opinion on him until I see him play. He is an unknown though and overall that is a negative in the grand scheme of things. Tyler Lockett is one of the more underrated receivers in the league he will need to step up big time if this offense wants to have any hope of being a threat in the air. Behind Lockett it’s thin David Moore was too inconsistent last year and Jaron Brown is an unknown, he’s never been this big a part of the offense before. This room just has a ton of questions in it and I view that as a major weakness for the Seahawks going into 2019.
Chris Carson finally broke out. He will need to stay healthy in 2019 but if he can he is the best offensive weapon the Seahawks have outside of Wilson. Rashaad Penny needs to stay healthy. If he can though he is massively talented and has super high upside. Pair that with Alabama back Bo Scarbrough and the Seahawks may have one of the deepest backfields in the conference. This is the redeeming quality of the offense. The run game.
Let’s start with the good of the defense. The linebacking core and secondary are absolutely stacked. Bobby Wagner and KJ Wright are two of the best in the game right now. If Mychal Kendricks can stay out of jail, people forget he’s an inside trader, this could be the most talented linebacking core in the entire NFC. Yes even rivaling the Bears. The secondary is also solid if Bradley McDougald can step up it the legion of boom part 2 could be upon us. The problem with the defense is the defensive line. This team lost it’s best pass rusher in Frank Clark. I don’t buy Poona Ford and I think this line is going to have real problems getting to the passer without Clark drawing double teams it’s going to be harder for Jarran Reed in 2019.
It’s probably wrong to doubt Seattle at this point but there has to be a down year. There just has to be. This is it. This is the down year. This team will still be fun to watch though.
Record prediction: 8-8
Cardinals
I believe Kyler Murray is one of the most interesting names to watch in 2019. The Cardinals wagered their entire franchise plan on him and traded Josh Rosen. He has tremendous pressure. He is a guy who some say could be one of the most talented arms in the league with the ability to scramble as well. I cannot wait to see him in the pre season. He is the most sure bet week one starter of any QB we have seen over the past four years. He’ll be playing behind a slightly improved offensive line that provided the worst protection in the league last year. Though I like what this team did in the off season but adding Marcus Gilbert. JR Sweezy isn’t anything to get excited over but he was a key player in Seattle. If you haven’t noticed by now I don’t really focus on O lines unless the team changes a lot in free agency. This is one of those lines.
The receiving core seems like a good place to talk about Kliff Kingsbury. On paper is there anything that gets me excited? No. However I feel that every one of the wide receivers on this roster is Kingsbury’s type of wide out. That is really exciting to me. I think Kingsbury is going to totally transform this offense. I think the NFL will eventually adapt but I see this team getting out to a really hot start in 2019. The three receiver’s I’m most excited about are Andy Isabella, a total speedster who is one of this drafts diamonds in the rough. Christian Kirk, a guy who I believe will develop into a productive starter in 2019 and Hakeem Butler the big target out of Iowa State. KeeSean Johnson there sixth round pick even gets the juices flowing a bit for me. That’s not to mention that they still have Larry Fitzgerald, and though he is no longer a super star he is a crucial part of this offense and team.
Will the offensive line help David Johnson? Because he was hurt by them big time last year. Johnson should have been better than he was and he hasn’t been the same guy since his last injury but he was hurt by a bad o line last year. No other way to put it. Chase Edmonds however did rather well behind the line. He’s in no danger of taking Johnson’s job but if both guys can get going it’s an exciting back field.
Chandler Jones is a super star. He is. He isn’t given any respect because he’s on the cardinals but he has consistently put together 15 plus sack seasons these last few years and often leads the league. He is a top ten defensive player. He has little to no help on the defensive line though. The linebacking core is actually pretty good. They added Terell Suggs. I really like Haason Reddick and Jordan Hicks is a good player coming over from Philly. This group doesn’t rival anyone but it’s not a liability. The secondary is also much improved with the addition of Robert Alford and DJ Swearinger help this team out. Plus Patrick Peterson and Budda Baker who are two absolute studs from last years struggling D.
The point is this. The team is not going to be worse than last year. They will most definitely be better. They aren’t a playoff team but I think they should be a lot of fun to watch. I am incredibly in on this Cardinals team. They may just be my game pass priority in the NFC for the first month when I believe the offense will set the NFL on fire.
Record Prediction: 8-8
Niners
I am concerned about Jimmy Garoppolo. If you have been following me or this blog for a while you know I was swept away by Jimmy G mania. However, I am willing to admit when I am wrong. Over the six or so starts Jimmy G had last year I was entirely un impressed by his performance. He turned the ball over too much. Took to many unnecessary sacks, which eventually led to his terrible knee injury, and had an absolutely abysmal completion percentage at 59 percent. This is the prove-it year for Jimmy G. I don’t know if he’ll be worth the contract he’s currently on. He may just be another middling starter produced by the Belichick system. If he struggles Nick Mullens was decent for this team last year, it would not shock me if they went to him if they are struggling in late October.
The Wide Receiving core for the Niners just has a lot of questions. Dante Pettis has received insane amounts of hype this offseason. I need to see it again though, he showed flashes last year but I want to see him this year before I make a judgment on him. Marquise Goodwin according to Kyle Shanahan is going to take a back seat for a while after his leg injury which leads me to believe Deebo Samuel may be the number two receiver on this team. We will see how that works out. However luckily for the Niners, they have one of the best tight ends in the game, in my opinion not the best that still belongs to Travis Kelce, to help carry the load.
The Niners backfield is the most exciting part of there offense in my opinion. If Jerrick McKinnon can return to good health they are three deep at the starting RB position. Something only about four teams in the NFL can say. Matt Brieda is a rising star, if he can stay healthy he could be the number one back in this offense, Tevin Coleman reunites with Shanahan after having his best years with his former coach in Atlanta. The backfield truly could be something special in 2019.
The Niners defensive line, on paper, might just be the best, youngest, core in the NFL. That said Arik Armstead and Deforest Buckner still have to prove it in my opinion. Buckner had a great year last year but I need to see consistency. I have bought into this line to many times on paper only to be disappointed by it on tape. Though both guys should be helped by proven asset Dee Ford coming off another great season. Plus you add the best player in the draft according to many in Nick Bosa and this defense should truly scare people upfront. If they struggle its nobodies fault but the coaching. I need to see it come together before I get excited and say they have top ten potential though. Adding Kwon Alexander to the linebacking core is one of the best moves any team made this offseason. If Jason Verrett can stay healthy this secondary should also remain great. Richard Sherman was slept on last year despite taking a slight step back.
Someone in this division is going to have to bite the bullet. I think it might be the Niners. That said it also wouldn’t shock me if we see this defense as the best in the league. I cannot buy in until I see it though. I have been burned by this team way to many times to put real faith in them.
Record prediction: 6-10