[ad_1]
The 2020 NFL season has been full of surprises, including teams that have risen to the top of the NFL (see Tampa Bay Buccaneers under Tom Brady). And there were plenty more who fell from the upper echelon of the league to the bottom of the pit. The Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans led the group which experienced a major free fall in 2020 and now face quarterback uncertainty with their franchise callers.
The teams listed below likely won’t have the Eagles and Texans quarterback issues, but they will have questions to answer regarding their lineups. Here are the five teams that are set to take a big step back in 2021 (you can check out our list of five teams set to make a major leap here). Remember, this is far too early a prediction, so much can change throughout the offseason.
The Steelers started the season winning their first 11 games, then went into a free fall losing four of their last five playoff games. Then they were demolished in the wild card round by the Cleveland Browns, a team they beat 38-7 in Week 6. When Cleveland and the Baltimore Ravens thrived in December, Pittsburgh played its worst. football when all of its hidden problems in the perfect start have arisen. live.
Pittsburgh couldn’t execute the ball effectively and its receivers were passing at an alarming rate. It was a problem all season, not just in December and January. The Steelers didn’t even try to throw the ball at the end of last season, or throw the ball deep because Ben Roethlisberger was 38 and had just had elbow surgery. Let’s not forget that Roethlisberger has lost his mobility and is relegated to the rank of pocket quarterback. Roethlisberger returns at 39, and the Steelers still can’t run the ball – not to mention that JuJu Smith-Schuster will likely leave in free agency and Pittsburgh is set to exceed the $ 30 million salary cap.
Roethlisberger must restructure his contract and the Steelers must find a way to improve that roster to give their franchise quarterback one last chance at a Super Bowl. Here’s the problem: Baltimore and Cleveland are in the AFC North and only getting better and Pittsburgh is playing a first-place schedule. The Steelers appear destined for third place in AFC North and a rebuild from 2022.
Fancy even more NFL coverage focused on previews, recaps, news and analysis? Listen below and subscribe to the Pick Six podcast for a daily dose of everything you need to keep up with professional football.
If Drew Brees decides to retire, the Saints are bound to dive into the standings – it doesn’t matter who Sean Payton uses in the quarterback. Payton seems obsessed with giving Taysom Hill the opportunity to be the starting quarterback for a full season, which would result in a significant drop in offense.
Payton chose Hill over Jameis Winston this year and has a good sample size of the Saints’ offense under Hill, who completed 71.9% of his passes for 834 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions while rushing 39 times for 209 yards (5.36 yards per carry) with four touchdowns in four games. Hill recorded a 96.9 passer rating in his four starts as the Saints went 3-1 during that span. The Saints lost to the Eagles 4-11-1 as Hill struggled, while beating the Denver Broncos (who lacked a quarterback due to COVID-19 issues) and the Falcons on two occasions (who were a bottom-five team in the league).
Winston will provide big play potential for a much-needed offense (7.5 yards per attempt by Brees was the lowest since 2014), but can he avoid the turnovers that have plagued him in five seasons at Tampa Bay? The Saints are still set to compete for a playoff berth in 2021, but asking the franchise to win more than 12 games next season is a monumental task (especially with a first-place schedule and the Buccaneers in their division). They will also play NFC West and AFC East next season.
A 9-7 record might be enough to get the Saints into the playoffs, but they won’t be a Super Bowl contender like in the past.
The Seahawks are already playing in a busy NFC West (which got even better when the Los Angeles Rams acquired Matthew Stafford), so the odds of repeating themselves are slim – the San Francisco 49ers should be back to their ways. full strength in 2021 after dealing with so many injuries and the Arizona Cardinals are still a growing team. Then there’s the Russell Wilson saga, which seems to be gaining momentum. If Wilson is to get out of Seattle – and get his wish – the Seahawks will suffer a major fall to the bottom of the division.
Seattle needs to improve their offensive line in order to keep Wilson happy, which is a problem, considering the Seahawks have only drafted three offensive linemen in the past four seasons – and only one is a contributor. Seattle tries to recruit offensive free agent linemen every year, but none of them succeed and Wilson continues to be sacked. Part of that is on Wilson, as he’s still on the run and trying to extend the game long before it develops.
The Seahawks will be competitive as long as Wilson is their quarterback, but a lack of space and Jamal Adams’ draft picks will significantly reduce their chances of improving their roster. If Wilson leaves, that team is heading for the last spot in the NFC West in 2021.
The Bears were a playoff team last year, which sounds crazy when you think about it. Their quarterback situation was a mess with Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles – neither are certain of returning to Chicago – and Allen Robinson, the Bears’ top wide receiver, is on the verge of enter free agency.
Not only do the Bears lack offensive weapons in the passing game, their offensive line has been a problem all season and seemed to worsen as the year progresses. Chicago also invested a lot of money in the pass rush and received little return (their 22.4% pressure rating ranked 21st in the NFL). Robert Quinn had two sacks in 15 games last season and it would cost the Bears $ 23.9 million just to get rid of him – so they’re stuck with that contract. They’re also breaking the $ 6 million cap, so free will appears out of the equation (unless they skip Kyle Fuller and Akiem Hicks, which wouldn’t be wise).
If the Bears trade for Carson Wentz, will they really be much better? Wentz is coming off the worst season of his career, which was in part due to offensive line issues at Philadelphia which took a toll on his confidence. These problems would likely reappear in Chicago.
The Bears look set to miss the playoffs next season – and could find their way down the NFC unless the defense wears them.
Is a team that finished with their first loss record since 2000 really in free fall? Unless the Patriots get a quarterback, this situation could get worse. New England could acquire one of the best quarterbacks in the free agency market and compete for the AFC East title again, but if the Patriots bring Cam Newton back they will still be third behind the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins in the division. – even with the eight players who chose not to participate in the 2020 season returning in 2021.
The Bills are a contender for the AFC, while the rising Dolphins will improve further with every draft pick at their disposal. The AFC actually had a 10-6 team that missed the playoffs last year, so what would you think the Patriots will have a rebound season with the offensive staff they have? Tom Brady is not coming back.
Granted, the Patriots have a cap of $ 62 million to improve on this roster, so they’ll have the money to compete with any team in free agency and improve the badly needed pass catchers, they could also. improve on a passing rush that finished 25th in quarterback knockdown percentage (8.7% and had just 24 sacks next season). The Patriots may be better, but are they going to be better than the Bills and Dolphins?
If New England hits the quarterbacks market in the next couple of months, the Patriots could actually be worse than 7-9. Again, this is a “very early” prediction for a reason.
[ad_2]
Source link