Complete power rankings and record predictions for 2020 NFL season

Michael Nania ranks every team at every position to put together his 2020 NFL power rankings and record predictions. Do you feel that feeling in the air? That, my friends, is the feeling of football. It's finally here. You've probably read plenty of power rankings and record predictions by now, but these are juuuuust a bit different. Rather than arbitrarily stack everybody up, I ranked all 32 units at every position and put together my overall rankings according to each team's composite performance across the board. A few things to know: The position rankings are heavily influenced by advanced statistics and things I have seen on film, but ultimately are my personal opinion and not based on a particular formula or rules. The only position group that I did not personally rank is special teams. All 32 special teams units are ranked according to each team's special teams DVOA over the past three seasons with 50% weight to 2019, 33% to 2018, and 17% to 2017. A team's final, overall score is calculated as follows: 47.5% from its offensive ranking, 47.5% from its defensive ranking, and 5% from its special teams ranking. All offensive and defensive positions are valued equally except for QB, OL, RB, and TE. QB and OL receive a value boost. A team's QB ranking receives a 50% boost while OL (as a unit) receives a 25% boost (the value of QB goes without saying, while the offensive line group features more players on the field than any other unit). RB and TE are devalued. RB takes a 50% cut in value while TE takes a 25% slice (each position usually only has one player on the field compared to other groups that usually have multiple. Additionally, in my opinion, RB is the least valuable position on offense or defense due to its reliance on the OL.) The projected win totals are based on a team's overall score versus league average. All projections add up to 256, the number of wins handed out per season. Let's dive in! First, I'll rank all 32 teams from worst-to-best. After that, you will see all of the data nicely laid out in one table, color-coded and all. 32. Carolina Panthers (3.6 projected wins) Offense rank: 27th (QB #28, RB #2, WR #23, TE #32, OL #22) Defense rank: 32nd (S #32, CB #32, LB #24, IDL #23, EDGE #29) Special teams rank: 16th Keep pounding! For Trevor Lawrence. I think Matt Rhule will be a great NFL head coach - he was one of my favorite candidates for the Jets' vacancy in 2019 - but the Panthers need to give him a free pass this year. There isn't a single position on this roster that is close to average save for running back, where Christian McCaffrey is arguably the best talent in the league thanks to his abilities in the passing game (I have another team's RB position at #1 thanks to their one-two punch). The defense looks even more awful than the unit that ranked 26th in DVOA a season ago. McCaffrey fantasy owners like myself have to love the Teddy Bridgewater addition. Over his five starts in 2019, Teddy Bridgewater threw 28.5% of his pass attempts to running backs, even higher than McCaffrey's whopping 22.4% target share in 2019. 31. Jacksonville Jaguars (4.4 projected wins) Offense rank: 32nd (QB #26, RB #32, WR #27, TE #28, OL #25) Defense rank: 31st (S #27, CB #27, LB #11, IDL #25, EDGE #24) Special teams rank: 6th The Joe Schobert/Myles Jack linebacker duo has potential that intrigues me, but otherwise, the Jaguars are right there with the Panthers in the battle for "worst team on paper." They do have some upside at EDGE, with Josh Allen entering his second year alongside 2020 first-round pick K'Lavon Chaisson. 30. Miami Dolphins (4.8 projected wins) Offense rank: 30th (QB #24, RB #24, WR #21, TE #24, OL #28) Defense rank: 30th (S #30, CB #4, LB #27, IDL #29, EDGE #21) Special teams rank: 18th Miami is on the right track, but even after an overachieving 2019 season and a bevy of free agent additions in 2020, their roster still has a ways to go. Their biggest strength is easily cornerback, where the Byron Jones/Xavien Howard duo has the potential to be the league's best. 29. Washington Football Team (5.3 projected wins) Offense rank: 31st (QB #27, RB #31, WR #29, TE #31, OL #19) Defense rank: 26th (S #13, CB #24, LB #28, IDL #19, EDGE #11) Special teams rank: 8th Ron Rivera is the type of coach who can turn an organization around, but like Rhule, his team needs to cut him some slack. Washington is far too thin on the offensive side of the ball for anything substantial to be expected of them. The defense has an outside chance at respectability, though. Chase Young, Ryan Kerrigan, and Matt Ioannidis lead a pass-rush that has a very high ceiling. 28. Cincinnati Bengals (5.7 projected wins) Offense rank: 29th (QB #29, RB #12, WR #9, TE #30, OL #32) Defense rank: 27th (S #28, CB #29, LB #26, IDL #4, EDGE #14) Special teams rank: 4th Cincinnati has some nice weapons for Joe Burrow in A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd, and Joe Mixon, but their offensive line looks no better than the unit that I had ranked as the league's 30th-best in 2019. The Bengals' 2019 first-round pick (11th overall), Jonah Williams, will start at left tackle after missing his entire rookie season. They'll need him to get off the ground quickly to help keep Burrow's career from starting off on the wrong foot. 27. Los Angeles Chargers (6.4 projected wins) Offense rank: 26th (QB #31, RB #9, WR #12, TE #9, OL #29) Defense rank: 17th (S #31, CB #2, LB #22, IDL #28, EDGE #3) Special teams rank: 32nd This roster has an odd makeup. Los Angeles is absolutely stacked at a few spots, but atrocious in others. The Chargers are loaded at the skill positions (Keenan Allen, Austin Ekeler, Hunter Henry, Williams), but the offensive line looks lackluster even with the addition of stud right tackle Bryan Bulaga. Tyrod Taylor has proven to be only a fringe-level starter, a checkdown king with very limited explosiveness. Defensively, the Chargers have an outstanding cornerback trio with Casey Hayward, Chris Harris, and Desmond King, but they took a major blow at safety with Derwin James' season-ending injury. It could have been the best secondary in football, but safety is a major weakness now. Upfront, Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram form an elite edge duo, but the interior defensive line is one of the league's least intimidating. 26. New England Patriots (6.9 projected wins) Offense rank: 25th (QB #23, RB #23, WR #28, TE #29, OL #3) Defense rank: 25th (S #7, CB #1, LB #31, IDL #24, EDGE #31) Special teams rank: 9th New England will likely exceed this projection because Bill Belichick is just that good, but this will be the biggest test of the Hoodie's career. This roster is weak. The Patriots obviously lost their somewhat well-known quarterback, but they also lost playmaking linebacker Jamie Collins to the Lions via free agency and had the following starters opt out of the season; Dont'a Hightower (LB), Patrick Chung (S), and Marcus Cannon (RT), all three of which are solid-to-great players. The offensive line should be great and the secondary remains excellent with Stephon Gilmore, Jason McCourty, Devin McCourty, and J.C. Jackson, but upfront, the Patriots are very thin. Belichick's legacy is already cemented - struggling with this roster will not put an asterisk on the six-time Super Bowl champ's career - but if he can win with this group, it will be another feather in his cap. 25. Chicago Bears (7.0 projected wins) Offense rank: 28th (QB #32, RB #19, WR #19, TE #18, OL #24) Defense rank: 7th (S #14, CB #25, LB #5, IDL #17, EDGE #5) Special teams rank: 19th Chicago's defense could be solid anchored by two great linebacker duos; Khalil Mack/Robert Quinn on the edge and Roquan Smith/Danny Trevathan off the ball. Eddie Jackson offers big-time upside at safety, although he had a down 2019 season. Offensively, the Bears do not have much hope. The hopelessly inaccurate Mitchell Trubisky remains the starting quarterback after beating out Nick Foles (not a great look for the former Super Bowl MVP). Allen Robinson is fantastic, but Chicago lacks a second threat in the passing game. 24. Las Vegas Raiders (7.1 projected wins) Offense rank: 13th (QB #18, RB #7, WR #26, TE #4, OL #11) Defense rank: 29th (S #25, CB #31, LB #12, IDL #13, EDGE #25) Special teams rank: 25th The Raiders offense was surprisingly good last year, ranking ninth in DVOA. I don't see another top-10 finish, but they should be solid again. The offensive line is sturdy, while the tight end position is stacked with Darren Waller, Jason Witten, and Fabian Moreau. That unit helps make up for the thin wide receiver position, where Tyrell Williams' season-ending injury hurts badly. Henry Ruggs will need to be on his game quickly, and Hunter Renfrow needs a second-year jump. In the backfield, Derek Carr is coming off of a career season. Josh Jacobs may have been the best rusher in football. I like Las Vegas at the linebacker and interior defensive line positions. Both units have players that are excellent in the passing game; Cory Littleton/Nick Kwiatkowski at linebacker and Maurice Hurst/Maliek Collins/Jonathan Hankins on the line. The secondary and edge rush are problems once again, though. 23. Los Angeles Rams (7.3 projected wins) Offense rank: 21st (QB #14, RB #30, WR #10, TE #8, OL #31) Defense rank: 23rd (S #19, CB #8, LB #32, IDL #2, EDGE #30) Special teams rank: 14th The Rams' biggest issue is their ignorance of the offensive line. They barely made any changes to a unit that destroyed a once-dominant offense last year. L.A. has impressive talent at wide receiver (Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods) and tight end (Tyler Higbee, Gerald Everett), but it is tough to see Jared Goff turning it around if the offensive line has another bad season, which it most likely will. Los Angeles won games on the strength of its ninth-ranked defense (by DVOA). That unit took a hit with the losses of Dante Fowler (EDGE), Cory Littleton (LB), Nickell Robey-Coleman (CB), and coordinator Wade Phillips. Star power remains with Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey, but they alone can't patch up every hole. 22. New York Giants (7.4 projected wins) Offense rank: 19th (QB #25, RB #5, WR #17, TE #11, OL #20) Defense rank: 20th (S #17, CB #23, LB #19, IDL #7, EDGE #23) Special teams rank: 13th With skill position talent (Saquon Barkley, Golden Tate, Darius Slayton, Sterling Shepard) and an improving offensive line featuring top-4 pick Andrew Thomas, the potential is there for the Giants offense to have a productive year if Daniel Jones can improve, but I am personally not high on the Duke product's game. The Giants improved their 28th-ranked defense, but it seems to lack the potential to be much better than mediocre. Free agent pickups James Bradberry (CB) and Blake Martinez (LB) raise the floor, but neither is anything close to elite. The interior defensive line does look fantastic with Leonard Williams, Dexter Lawrence, and Dalvin Tomlinson. They anchored a top-10 unit last year. With a full season of Leo and Lawrence entering his second season, the Giants IDL could push for the top spot. 21. Arizona Cardinals (7.6 projected wins) Offense rank: 15th (QB #19, RB #18, WR #6, TE #15, OL #21) Defense rank: 19th (S #15, CB #13, LB #21, IDL #27, EDGE #12) Special teams rank: 26th Arizona is one of the league's favorite breakout candidates. I think there might be one more step left for them until they jump to elite status, but the potential is definitely there for them to skyrocket straight up to the top this year. There are not many serious holes on this roster. The question for me is whether Arizona can be more than a .500 type of team this year. If they are going to be great, it all comes down to the quarterback position. Can Kyler Murray make a Carson Wentz/Jared Goff type of second-year leap? The pieces are in place for him to do so with the addition of DeAndre Hopkins and a full season of Kenyan Drake, who averaged over 80.0 yards and one TD per game after coming to Arizona last year. 20. New York Jets (7.6 projected wins) Offense rank: 22nd (QB #16, RB #14, WR #30, TE #13, OL #18) Defense rank: 18th (S #12, CB #21, LB #18, IDL #8, EDGE #28) Special teams rank: 2nd Two things stood out from a Jets perspective after scanning every depth chart across the league. Number one, wide receiver is definitely a weakness. Jamison Crowder is a great slot weapon, but the Jets' group on the outside is unquestionably less reliable than almost any other in football. The Jets will need elite receiving performance from Crowder, Le'Veon Bell, and Chris Herndon to mask that position if Breshad Perriman and/or Denzel Mims fail to break out. On the contrary, I am more optimistic about the offensive line than before after looking at the other 31 units. Sure, the Jets have question marks here, but when you scan the league, their group looks relatively decent. Many teams have units that are filled with washed-up veterans, fringe players, low-round picks, and backups. The Jets have a likely stud in Connor McGovern, a potentially average-to-good starter in Greg Van Roten, and a lot of upside in Mekhi Becton and George Fant. Quite a few teams do not have that much intrigue on their offensive line. Give a peek to the O-line depth charts around the league when you can, and I guarantee it will make you feel better about the Jets' group. 19. Houston Texans (7.8 projected wins) Offense rank: 17th (QB #7, RB #17, WR #15, TE #26, OL #26) Defense rank: 20th (S #16, CB #20, LB #13, IDL #31, EDGE #9) Special teams rank: 7th Houston seems poised for a step back. The DeAndre Hopkins trade was hilariously bad. Losing stud defensive tackle D.J. Reader to Cincinnati hurts the interior rush, leaving the defense looking mostly ho-hum outside of J.J. Watt, who has question marks when it comes to health despite his continued dominance. Deshaun Watson is tremendous, though, and we know quarterback play can lift an entire organization. Houston still has a nice wide receiver group with Brandin Cooks, Will Fuller, and Randall Cobb, while David Johnson and Duke Johnson bring upper-echelon receiving ability to the running back position. 18. Detroit Lions (7.9 projected wins) Offense rank: 9th (QB #9, RB #29, WR #8, TE #19, OL #13) Defense rank: 28th (S #26, CB #19, LB #17, IDL #26, EDGE #15) Special teams rank: 10th This Detroit offense can be great if Matthew Stafford stays healthy. I am a big Stafford fan. He is one of the game's most underrated quarterbacks due to Detroit's constant issues in other places, but they have the pieces around him to field a high-scoring attack this year. Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones make up a top-tier wide receiver duo, and the offensive line looks good enough to keep things afloat. Stafford ranked sixth in the NFL with a career-high 106.0 passer rating last season. However, the defense lacks any notable game-changers outside of former Patriots studs Trey Flowers (EDGE) and Jamie Collins (LB). 17. Denver Broncos (8.4 projected wins) Offense rank: 24th (QB #30, RB #11, WR #16, TE #17, OL #15) Defense rank: 2nd (S #3, CB #14, LB #7, IDL #6, EDGE #22) Special teams rank: 30th The Von Miller injury (most likely keeping him out for the entire season) is absolutely devastating for a team that has hopes of jumping to the elite ranks with a sneakily impressive all-around roster. Even without Miller, I still have Denver as the second-ranked defense. Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson form a dominant safety duo. A.J. Bouye and Bryce Callahan have hit high peaks at cornerback. Alexander Johnson is quietly one of the league's best linebackers. Jurell Casey, Mike Purcell, and Shelby Harris make up a great interior. Bradley Chubb is back on the edge after missing most of last season. Denver is similarly loaded on offense. Melvin Gordon and Phillip Lindsay make up a two-headed monster in the backfield. Courtland Sutton is one of the best young stars at wide receiver, and is now joined by 2020 picks Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler. 2019 first-round pick Noah Fant is set up for a breakout and the offensive line should be decent enough. It all comes down to Drew Lock, who took over in Week 13 of last season and led Denver to a 4-1 finish. If Lock can be around average, the Broncos should cruise to a playoff spot. As you can tell by my ranking, I do not think he will, though. But that's just my opinion. The potential is certainly there for Lock to bust out and bring Denver back into the Super Bowl picture. 16. Buffalo Bills (8.4 projected wins) Offense rank: 19th (QB #22, RB #28, WR #7, TE #20, OL #17) Defense rank: 5th (S #4, CB #9, LB #14, IDL #14, EDGE #19) Special teams rank: 27th Buffalo certainly has the best roster in the AFC East and deserves to be considered the division favorite, but I'm not sure they are as flawless of a team as many around the NFL seem to believe. Defensively, the Bills are great, no question. Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer form a top-notch safety duo while Tre'Davious White is about as good as it gets at corner. There is no major hole on the unit and Sean McDermott and his coaching staff do a great job of getting more out of their group than the sum of its parts. However, this defense is not without its flaws. The edge rush, interior defensive line, and linebacker positions are all about average. Buffalo needs a big season from Ed Oliver to anchor the interior rush, while Tremaine Edmunds still has yet to fulfill his potential at linebacker and has been mostly average alongside the unimpressive Matt Milano. The Bills are also set to start Josh Norman at the No. 2 corner spot - Norman leads the NFL with 16 touchdowns allowed since 2018. It's also worth noting that the Bills faced the league's second-easiest schedule of opposing offenses in 2019, according to DVOA. Offensively, the Bills have an outstanding wide receiver trio with Stefon Diggs, John Brown, and Cole Beasley, but they are mediocre otherwise. Josh Allen holds all the cards. If he busts out and becomes an elite quarterback, the Bills should claim the division with ease. If he continues to be the same quarterback he was in 2019 - definitely not awful, but only capable of going as far as his defense and supporting cast take him - the Bills will likely take the inevitable dip that defense-centric teams with supbar quarterback play usually do, like the 2009-10 Jets, 2016 Giants, 2017 Jaguars, and 2018 Bears. I still think the Bills win the division, but only with eight or nine wins and a quick playoff exit. Their roster is playoff-caliber, but not quite elite, and I do not think Allen will become much more than what he was this past season. 15. Minnesota Vikings (8.5 projected wins) Offense rank: 18th (QB #11, RB #10, WR #22, TE #12, OL #27) Defense rank: 8th (S #2, CB #26, LB #2, IDL #32, EDGE #6) Special teams rank: 17th The Minnesota offense will miss Stefon Diggs dearly. A once-elite wide receiver position now looks questionable with Olabisi Johnson as the No. 2 to Adam Thielen. Kirk Cousins has his work cut out for him with the issues at wideout and also on the offensive line. Minnesota is tremendous at safety (Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris), linebacker (Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr), and the edge (Danielle Hunter and newly-acquired Yannick Ngakoue), but cornerback and the interior defensive line are question marks. Hunter will also be missing at least the first three games as he has been placed on injured reserve. 14. Atlanta Falcons (8.5 projected wins) Offense rank: 8th (QB #6, RB #21, WR #4, TE #10, OL #23) Defense rank: 24th (S #22, CB #30, LB #10, IDL #10, EDGE #20) Special teams rank: 21st Atlanta is in good shape offensively. I am higher on Matt Ryan than most and the Julio Jones/Calvin Ridley duo is dominant. At tight end, former Raven Hayden Hurst should break out in a featured role. I have the Falcons defense ranked low, but the unit finished strong over the team's 6-2 finish to 2019 and added some much-needed edge juice in the form of Dante Fowler. A big X-factor for the defense will be the play of rookie cornerback A.J. Terrell, Atlanta's first-round pick at 16th overall. 13. Indianapolis Colts (8.5 projected wins) Offense rank: 15th (QB #20, RB #20, WR #24, TE #21, OL #1) Defense rank: 13th (S #21, CB #22, LB #3, IDL #12, EDGE #17) Special teams rank: 11th The Colts are a well-managed franchise with a balanced roster that does not have any major weaknesses. Indianapolis needs to prove that they can find a facet or two to dominate. Defensively, the potential lies straight up the middle with Darius Leonard and linebacker and newly-acquired DeForest Buckner on the interior, plugging up a weakness at that position. Veteran edge rusher Justin Houston remains a threat on the edge. The secondary is excellent against the run, but young players like Rock Ya-Sin and Kenny Moore need to improve in coverage. Offensively, while the Colts are not great at the skill positions, Philip Rivers does have T.Y. Hilton and arguably the league's best offensive line to work with. That should be plenty for him to recapture his 2018 performance (5th-ranked 105.5 passer rating). If Rivers can get back to peak form, the Colts will be a serious threat. 12. Tennessee Titans (8.7 projected wins) Offense rank: 11th (QB #21, RB #4, WR #14, TE #22, OL #7) Defense rank: 12th (S #5, CB #17, LB #16, IDL #18, EDGE #18) Special teams rank: 22nd The Titans are an interesting case study. Teams that do what they just did - 9-7 to AFC Championship, late-season hot streak on the strength of the run game and defense, quarterback becoming elite out of nowhere, shocking playoff run with the quarterback barely throwing any passes - are supposed to collapse back down to Earth the following season. But will this team be different? Tennessee has the coaching staff and offensive line to build sustained success. Their defense, while not elite, is one of only three on my list without a bottom-12 position. Adding Jadeveon Clowney just a few days ago was a big move to boost the team's weak EDGE position. Maybe this offense really is the perfect place for Ryan Tannehill, and he can maintain last season's absurd numbers. Perhaps Derrick Henry really is good enough to replicate what he did last year. The offensive line is great enough for both things to potentially happen. My gut tells me it is obvious that Tennessee will decline, but this team offers legitimate reasons to believe it can stay in the Super Bowl picture that similar teams of the past did not. 11. Seattle Seahawks (8.9 projected wins) Offense rank: 12th (QB #2, RB #15, WR #13, TE #16, OL #30) Defense rank: 8th (S #1, CB #5, LB #9, IDL #21, EDGE #32) Special teams rank: 24th Seattle has a hot-and-cold roster. Offensively, Russell Wilson will have to carry his team yet again as his line looks just as bad as last year's, but the skill positions are all solid. Defensively, the Seahawks have the league's most intimidating safety duo (Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs), a cornerback tandem that dominated the coverage numbers last year (Shaquill Griffin and Quinton Dunbar), and a good veteran linebacker duo (Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright), but the edge rush is non-existent without Jadeveon Clowney. 10. Green Bay Packers (9.5 projected wins) Offense rank: 10th (QB #5, RB #8, WR #20, TE #25, OL #14) Defense rank: 6th (S #9, CB #15, LB #25, IDL #11, EDGE #4) Special teams rank: 20th The top-10 marks the elite tier, and a tightly-bunched one at that. The difference between Green Bay's projection and 11th-ranked Seattle is larger than the difference between Green Bay and the second-ranked team. Green Bay is a strong regression candidate after exceeding their Pythagorean win projection of 9.7 wins last year by 3.3, and the Packers did not do much to fight that with their lack of attention to adding help for Rodgers. 9. Cleveland Browns (9.5 projected wins) Offense rank: 4th (QB #15, RB #1, WR #5, TE #7, OL #9) Defense rank: 15th (S #18, CB #11, LB #30, IDL #16, EDGE #8) Special teams rank: 28th I hopped on the Cleveland bandwagon last year, which obviously did not pan out, but I am back for more. This looks like a championship-caliber roster in my view. Many are down on him, but I am a big believer in Baker Mayfield. His 2019 tape looked a lot better than his numbers. With a substantially improved offensive line, a big addition at tight end in Austin Hooper, and two great duos at wide receiver (Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry) and running back (Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt), he has one of the best supporting casts in the league. Cleveland's defense is less promising, but they are strongest at key positions. Myles Garrett, Olivier Vernon, and Sheldon Richardson lead a high-upside pass-rush, while Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams have an exciting ceiling at cornerback. 8. Dallas Cowboys (9.6 projected wins) Offense rank: 3rd (QB #10, RB #6, WR #1, TE #23, OL #4) Defense rank: 16th (S #24, CB #18, LB #8, IDL #22, EDGE #13) Special teams rank: 29th The Cowboys have an elite core. They fell short of their Pythagorean projection of 10.7 wins by 2.7 last year. If they perform similarly in 2020, luck should tilt in their favor a bit more. I like Dak Prescott's game more than most. He has taken advantage of his environment and consistently posted top-notch production while leading Dallas to elite offensive output as a team. Prescott now has an absurd wide receiver trio at his disposal with Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and potential first-round steal CeeDee Lamb. 7. San Francisco 49ers (9.6 projected wins) Offense rank: 14th (QB #17, RB #16, WR #32, TE #1, OL #6) Defense rank: 3rd (S #11, CB #3, LB #23, IDL #20, EDGE #1) Special teams rank: 12th San Francisco is sorely lacking at wide receiver, especially with Deebo Samuel's injury, but they have enough to make up for it. George Kittle is, in my opinion, the best tight end in the game with his dual receiving/blocking ability. The 49ers even got Jordan Reed to back him up for a potentially devastating one-two punch if Reed can stay healthy. Upfront, the offensive line remains ready to anchor a great run game. The 49ers decided to trade away DeForest Buckner's impending contract extension in exchange for a first-round pick they used on his replacement, Javon Kinlaw. I'm not too high on trading known commodities for unknown ones, but San Francisco has an environment where Kinlaw can thrive right away. Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead are an unstoppable edge duo. Bosa could be even better in Year 2. 6. Pittsburgh Steelers (9.7 projected wins) Offense rank: 23rd (QB #13, RB #26, WR #25, TE #27, OL #16) Defense rank: 1st (S #8, CB #12, LB #6, IDL #3, EDGE #2) Special teams rank: 16th Pittsburgh ranks this high on the strength of a defense that I see as the league's best by a wide margin. They have elite talent at every position. Offensively, the Steelers will probably be much better than 23rd. I knocked Roethlisberger down a few spots due to his age and questionable durability. If he is his usual self, the offense should be at least average, even if it lacks the offensive line stability and skill position flair that we are used to seeing in Western Pennsylvania. 5. Philadelphia Eagles (9.9 projected wins) Offense rank: 6th (QB #12, RB #27, WR #18, TE #5, OL #2) Defense rank: 23rd (S #23, CB #7, LB #29, IDL #1, EDGE #10) Special teams rank: 15th Philadelphia has constructed a fantastic core. With a healthy Carson Wentz - who I think is a top-10 quarterback, but I slid down a few spots due to his durability - the Eagles should be Super Bowl contenders on a yearly basis. It all starts with the offensive line, which should be great even with elite guard Brandon Brooks out for the season. Defensively, the Eagles could have an otherworldly pass-rush. Fletcher Cox is joined on the inside by Malik Jackson and Javon Hargrave, two extremely productive rushers. On the edge, Philly returns Brandon Graham, Vinny Curry, and Derek Barnett, a trio of efficient pressure-producers who do more than their sack totals suggest. There is no team in the league that has a top-six group of rushers even remotely close to that good. Cornerback was a major weakness for the Eagles last year. Darius Slay fixes that on the outside, while Nickell Robey-Coleman patches up the slot. 4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10.0 projected wins) Offense rank: 4th (QB #8, RB #25, WR #3, TE #6, OL #10) Defense rank: 11th (S #29, CB #16, LB #1, IDL #9, EDGE #16) Special teams rank: 31st The Bucs are locked and loaded. Their defense - sixth in DVOA last season - returns most of its key faces. Shaquil Barrett, Jason Pierre-Paul, Ndamukong Suh, and Vita Vea anchor a dominant run defense and great pass-rush. Lavonte David is probably the best linebacker in the game, and next to him, 2019 first-rounder Devin White is looking for a second-year breakout. Offensively, Tom Brady is entering a warm and cozy situation. The offensive line is very good, while Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, O.J. Howard, and good old Rob Gronkowski give him plenty of weapons. I think this team is much more than just a hype train. They are legitimately impressive across the board, and I expect to see them playing deep into the winter. 3. Kansas City Chiefs (10.0 projected wins) Offense rank: 2nd (QB #1, RB #22, WR #11, TE #2, OL #12) Defense rank: 22nd (S #10, CB #28, LB #20, IDL #6, EDGE #26) Special teams rank: 1st Kansas City's defense might be shaky, but who cares? As long as Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are together, this team will be at the forefront of the AFC. With Chris Jones, Tyrann Mathieu, and Frank Clark, there is enough talent to keep it from being destructively bad. Over Kansas City's nine-game win streak to close the season, it was actually pretty good. The offense is without a weakness. Wide receiver is deep and explosive, Travis Kelce remains, and the offensive line is plenty solid even if not elite. I did rank KC's running back group at #22, but only due to the fact that we haven't seen rookie starter Clyde Edwards-Helaire yet. The rookie out of LSU is a perfect fit for this team with his versatile receiving ability and should have a big year. He could easily be a top-10 producer at the position this year. Being the league's most consistently productive team on special teams (four straight seasons in the top-four) doesn't hurt, either. 2. Baltimore Ravens (10.0 projected wins) Offense rank: 6th (QB #4, RB #13, WR #31, TE #3, OL #8) Defense rank: 12th (S #20, CB #6, LB #15, IDL #5, EDGE #27) Special teams rank: 3rd Baltimore's offensive line took a hit with the retirement of Marshal Yanda, and the wide receiver group still looks lackluster, but the offense should remain elite even if it is not as dominant as last year. The Ravens have built a system that is perfect for Lamar Jackson's strengths to shine. More than enough key pieces are back for Jackson to continue thriving. Defensively, the Ravens did lose Earl Thomas, but they made a major boost to their pass-rush with the addition of Calais Campbell. Cornerback is an elite strength with Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters. 1. New Orleans Saints (12.1 projected wins) Offense rank: 1st (QB #3, RB #3, WR #2, TE #14, OL #5) Defense rank: 3rd (S #6, CB #10, LB #4, IDL #30, EDGE #7) Special teams rank: 5th New Orleans is far-and-away the best team in football. This arguably was the case over the last two seasons as well. The Saints just have not been able to seal the deal in tightly-contested playoff games. There's very little not to like about this squad. Offensively, it has an all-time great quarterback in Drew Brees coupled with a coach in Sean Payton that he has dominated with for years. The skill position group is the league's best, starring Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, and Jared Cook, and newly-added Emmanuel Sanders. The offensive lin, led by stud tackles Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk, is elite. Defensively, the secondary is awesome. Former Saint Malcolm Jenkins is back from Philadelphia, joining Marcus Williams. Marshon Lattimore and Janoris Jenkins man the outside at cornerback. Cameron Jordan is a beast, and Marcus Davenport supplements him to form an elite edge duo. Former Jet Demario Davis has blossomed into an elite linebacker. Complete Rankings Here is everything laid out. Note that teams can be tied in the overall offensive or defensive rankings. Season Predictions Here are my personal record predictions for the league, independent of the win projections above. NFC North Green Bay: 10-6 Detroit: 9-7 Minnesota: 8-8 Chicago: 4-12 NFC South New Orleans: 12-4 Tampa Bay: 11-5 Atlanta: 8-8 Carolina: 3-13 NFC East Dallas: 13-3 Philadelphia: 11-5 NY Giants: 7-9 Washington: 4-12 NFC West Seattle: 10-6 San Francisco: 9-7 Arizona: 8-8 LA Rams: 5-11 NFC Playoffs: 1. Dallas (Bye), 2. New Orleans, 3. Seattle, 4. Green Bay, 5. Tampa Bay, 6. Philadelphia, 7. Detroit NFC Championship: New Orleans over Dallas AFC North Pittsburgh: 12-4 Baltimore: 11-5 Cleveland: 10-6 Cincinnati: 3-13 AFC South Indianapolis: 11-5 Tennessee: 8-8 Houston: 6-10 Jacksonville: 2-14 AFC East Buffalo: 9-7 NY Jets: 8-8 New England: 6-10 Miami: 5-11 AFC West Kansas City: 13-3 Denver: 9-7 Las Vegas: 6-10 LA Chargers: 4-12 AFC Playoffs: 1. Kansas City (Bye), 2. Pittsburgh, 3. Indianapolis, 4. Buffalo, 5. Baltimore, 6. Cleveland, 7. Denver AFC Championship: Kansas City over Baltimore Super LV: New Orleans over Kansas City How do you see the 2020 season panning out?