Early 2020 Power Rankiings
PostPosted:3 years 2 months ago
NFC West looking tough:
https://theathletic.com/2374670/2021/02 ... uper-bowl/
NFL Power Rankings: Which teams are best positioned to win the next Super Bowl?
By Sheil Kapadia Feb 10, 2021
Welcome to the first version of The Athletic’s offseason power rankings. Here we rank the teams based on their chances of competing for next year’s Super Bowl. We’ll revisit these in May after the major offseason moves are complete.
...
6. San Francisco 49ers
As of this writing, it’s unclear whether they’ll stick with Jimmy Garoppolo or look elsewhere at quarterback. What they can’t do is lean on Garoppolo as the starter without a better backup plan. Garoppolo has started 25 of a possible 48 games in the last three seasons. San Francisco may have to pay big money to keep left tackle Trent Williams, and the 49ers are likely to experience significant turnover on defense, given that Richard Sherman, Jason Verrett, K’Wuan Williams and Jaquiski Tartt are all pending free agents. To make matters more challenging, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh left to coach the Jets. The defense might not be as good, but if they can get consistent quarterback play in Kyle Shanahan’s scheme, this team has a high ceiling.
7. Los Angeles Rams
They swung for the fences with their trade for Matthew Stafford. We can debate whether that was a wise move, but count me among those who believe it raised the Rams’ ceiling to Super Bowl contender. Given their cap situation, they are unlikely to be major players in free agency. And they’ve traded away picks in the first, third, fourth and fifth rounds of the draft. Los Angeles lost defensive coordinator Brandon Staley and could lose key free agents like edge rusher Leonard Floyd and safety John Johnson. But they still have Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey — two Hall of Fame-caliber players who are in their primes. If Sean McVay was right about the quarterback situation, this team could produce a top-five offense and get to the Super Bowl. The Rams just don’t have much margin for error, given their limited resources.
8. Seattle Seahawks
Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll give them a high floor, but there aren’t a lot of obvious avenues by which the Seahawks can dramatically improve their roster. They’re without a first-round pick, given the Jamal Adams trade. And they have to make decisions on key free agents like linebacker K.J. Wright, cornerback Shaquill Griffin and running back Chris Carson. It’s also unclear what Carroll’s decision to fire Brian Schottenheimer and hire Shane Waldron means for the direction of the offense. The Seahawks will be in the playoff mix, but they have not advanced past the divisional round since 2014 and have just one playoff win in the last four years.
https://theathletic.com/2374670/2021/02 ... uper-bowl/
NFL Power Rankings: Which teams are best positioned to win the next Super Bowl?
By Sheil Kapadia Feb 10, 2021
Welcome to the first version of The Athletic’s offseason power rankings. Here we rank the teams based on their chances of competing for next year’s Super Bowl. We’ll revisit these in May after the major offseason moves are complete.
...
6. San Francisco 49ers
As of this writing, it’s unclear whether they’ll stick with Jimmy Garoppolo or look elsewhere at quarterback. What they can’t do is lean on Garoppolo as the starter without a better backup plan. Garoppolo has started 25 of a possible 48 games in the last three seasons. San Francisco may have to pay big money to keep left tackle Trent Williams, and the 49ers are likely to experience significant turnover on defense, given that Richard Sherman, Jason Verrett, K’Wuan Williams and Jaquiski Tartt are all pending free agents. To make matters more challenging, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh left to coach the Jets. The defense might not be as good, but if they can get consistent quarterback play in Kyle Shanahan’s scheme, this team has a high ceiling.
7. Los Angeles Rams
They swung for the fences with their trade for Matthew Stafford. We can debate whether that was a wise move, but count me among those who believe it raised the Rams’ ceiling to Super Bowl contender. Given their cap situation, they are unlikely to be major players in free agency. And they’ve traded away picks in the first, third, fourth and fifth rounds of the draft. Los Angeles lost defensive coordinator Brandon Staley and could lose key free agents like edge rusher Leonard Floyd and safety John Johnson. But they still have Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey — two Hall of Fame-caliber players who are in their primes. If Sean McVay was right about the quarterback situation, this team could produce a top-five offense and get to the Super Bowl. The Rams just don’t have much margin for error, given their limited resources.
8. Seattle Seahawks
Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll give them a high floor, but there aren’t a lot of obvious avenues by which the Seahawks can dramatically improve their roster. They’re without a first-round pick, given the Jamal Adams trade. And they have to make decisions on key free agents like linebacker K.J. Wright, cornerback Shaquill Griffin and running back Chris Carson. It’s also unclear what Carroll’s decision to fire Brian Schottenheimer and hire Shane Waldron means for the direction of the offense. The Seahawks will be in the playoff mix, but they have not advanced past the divisional round since 2014 and have just one playoff win in the last four years.