For the third consecutive summer,
The Athletic polled some of the
NFL’s most prominent decision-makers to get a feel for their expectations this season.
Twenty-seven coaches and executives were asked the same seven questions throughout training camp and the preseason. They voted on the condition of anonymity, and some abstained from certain questions.
Name three teams that will surprise in a good way. (21 votes)
| Team | Votes |
|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 7 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 6 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 6 |
| L.A. Chargers | 5 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 5 |
| Chicago Bears | 4 |
| N.Y. Jets | 3 |
| Washington Commanders | 3 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 3 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 3 |
| Bengals, Steelers, Titans, Broncos, Raiders | 2 each |
| Patriots, Dolphins, Browns, Texans, Giants, Eagles, Buccaneers, Rams | 1 each |
The league has spoken, and they love where the
Arizona Cardinals are heading.
They were well coached last year by Jonathan Gannon despite not having a lot of talent, and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing is extremely well regarded around the NFL. General manager Monti Ossenfort has done a good job in the draft, according to rival executives, and he’s building the roster with a clear vision.
“I’ve got a feeling (quarterback) Kyler (Murray) is going to have a bounce-back year,” a head coach said. “I really like their offensive coordinator. I like the scheme they run.”
The drawback? The Cardinals are chasing three very strong teams in the NFC West.
[....]
Name three teams that will surprise in a bad way. (21 votes)
| Team | Votes |
|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 9 |
| Miami Dolphins | 7 |
| Buffalo Bills | 5 |
| N.Y. Jets | 5 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 4 |
| Cleveland Browns | 3 |
| Detroit Lions | 3 |
| Green Bay Packers | 3 |
| N.Y. Giants | 3 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 3 |
| Bengals, Jaguars, Eagles, Vikings, Saints | 2 each |
| Ravens, Texans, Chargers, Bears, Buccaneers, Falcons, Rams, Titans | 1 each |
[....]
It’s always interesting to compare the results of the last two questions of this survey to get an overall feel for teams’ expectations. For example, the Cardinals were a net plus-7 (seven votes in the “good” category, zero in the “bad” category).
The Seahawks (plus-6),
Colts (plus-5), Falcons (plus-5),
Chargers (plus-4), Commanders (plus-3), Bears (plus-3),
Broncos (plus-2),
Raiders (plus-2) and
Titans (plus-1) had the most favorable results and the Cowboys (minus-9), Dolphins (minus-6), Bills (minus-5), Niners (minus-4),
Packers (minus-3), Lions (minus-3),
Saints (minus-2), Jets (minus-2),
Giants (minus-2) and Browns (minus-2) all swung most heavily in the other direction.
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