Five NFL Teams that Could Surprise People This Season
While most national and international sporting events are on hold – we can still entertain ourselves by postulating what teams could be the stars of the coming NFL season
The Kansas City Chiefs won their first Superbowl in 50 years this past February. The team was led to victory by their former MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes led the Chiefs to overcome a 10 point deficit in the fourth quarter of the game. While the Chiefs are expected to make another strong run for a championship title, there are a few teams that have had their potential flying quietly under the radar. Here are five teams that could surprise people with a strong season this fall:
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons had a worrisome start to their 2019 season. Through their first eight games before their bye week, the team had only won one game. Atlanta had appeared to be heading for a top pick in the draft. Some fans had lost hope on the remainder of the season. However, after the bye week the team came back with a new identity. The Falcons won six of their last eight games including wins against playoff-caliber teams such as the Saints and the 49ers. Atlanta finished their year on an impressive four-game winning streak, leaving their fans with high hopes for the next season. The team followed up their strong end of season performance by adding running back Todd Gurley in the offseason and drafting one of the classes best corners in A.J. Terrell out of Clemson. The Falcons improved on both sides of the ball and are definitely a team to look out for in 2020.
Denver Broncos
Late last season the Broncos handed over their offense to their rookie quarterback Drew Lock. Denver drafted Lock in the second round last year and knew he would eventually take over as the teams starting QB. It wasn’t until Week 13 when Lock finally got his chance as the starter. Lock definitely didn’t disappoint as he performed very well and helped the team win four of their final five games since he took over. Denver continued to support Lock this offseason by adding more weapons on the offensive side of the ball. The team signed running back Melvin Gordon to play alongside running back Phillip Lindsay. The Broncos also added two more weapons on the outside. Denver drafted wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler in the first two rounds. Not only did the team add two fantastic receivers in the draft, but they already have Courtland Sutton who had a breakout season last fall. The team has set Drew Lock up for success after surrounding him with tons of talent. The ceiling is high for the Denver offense in 2020 as they’ll look to compete with the best of the best this year.
New York Giants
The Giants made plenty of big moves this offseason, including major changes to their coaching staff. New York hired former Patriots special teams and wide receivers coach, Joe Judge to be the next head coach of the team. Judge has since come in and made significant changes to the teams coaching staff. He brought in former head coaches such as Jason Garrett and Freddie Kitchens to coach alongside him. Despite the team having a poor performance last season, there were some bright spots that displayed their potential. Last offseason the team drafted quarterback Daniel Jones sixth overall and the pick came with lots of controversies. Jones took over as the starter in the third week of the season replacing the franchise’s great Eli Manning. Jones performed well despite having trouble with turnovers. He displayed flashes of qualities of a franchise leading quarterback. The Giants added some key players in free agency such as cornerback James Bradberry and linebacker Blake Martinez. New York continued their offseason by drafting one of the top offensive tackles in the draft in April. With a revamped defense and offensive line, the Giants will look to surprise people this season.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals made one of the biggest moves this offseason by trading for superstar wide our DeAndre Hopkins. Arizona fans were provided with much hope after watching their number one overall pick last April be named the NFL offensive rookie of the year. Kyler Murray provided a spark to the Cardinals offense that turned him into one of the most electric players in the league. However, the team did not stop after trading for a superstar. They followed it up with a fantastic draft. The team selected do-it-all player Isaiah Simmons from Clemson. Simmons was considered by many the most talented player in the entire draft. Arizona had been lucky enough for Simmons to still be on the board by the eighth overall pick and there was so chance the Cardinals would let him get away. The team also took another top offensive tackle in Josh Jones in the third round of the draft. The Cardinals could quite possibly become a must-watch team this upcoming season.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins struggled badly at the start of last season. It seemed for sure that the team would end up with the first overall pick and likely not win a game all season. However, head coach Brian Flores kept his team fighting as they put on impressive performances against competitive teams late in the year. Despite having such a young and inexperienced roster, Miami was able to win a couple of games including beating their rival Patriots on the road in December. Miami landed arguably the top free agent corner in Byron Jones, giving them possibly the best cornerback duo in the entire league. The Dolphins also drafted what they consider to be their future franchise quarterback in this April’s draft with the fifth overall pick. Dolphins fans are extremely excited about their future as they believe their rebuild has been executed perfectly so far. The Dolphins will definitely be a sleeper team to watch this fall.
Carson Depp is a senior at Darien High School. He became interested in journalism during his junior year. In his free time, he sometimes writes articles...
