Piece By Adam Van Oort
Going into every NFL season, there’s always talk of which teams may go from worst to first in their respective divisions. I’m going to take the opposite, more pessimistic route, however, and talk about some teams that could go from top to bottom. In my opinion, there are four teams this year that have a legitimate chance to finish last in their division after winning it in 2020-21.
Last year, two teams accomplished, or should I say unaccomplished, this feat. The Eagles went from NFC East champs at 9-7 two years ago to being one of the laughingstocks of the league last season, going 4-11-1 and finishing last in the division. The Niners also went from first in 2019 to worst in 2020, but they at least have an excuse, suffering a catastrophic number of key injuries, not to mention playing in the toughest division in football.
With the amount of parity in the league today, don’t be surprised if we see more teams do what the Eagles and 49ers did last year. Here are the four teams that are most likely to go from first to worst in 2021.
*Note: I did not include the Green Bay Packers in this list, but if Aaron Rodgers ends up leaving, the Packers could very well fall to the cellar of the NFC North (Yes, even below the Lions).
1. Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks are on this list solely due to the fact that the NFC West is going to be brutal this season. Any of the four teams could finish first or last and I wouldn’t be terribly surprised. While Russell Wilson is still the best quarterback in the division, the Seahawks have more holes on their roster than the Cardinals, Rams, and Niners. Even with Jamal Adams, this is a secondary that gave up an atrocious 285 passing yards per game last season, 31st in the league. On offense, I like giving Wilson another weapon in Gerald Everett, but I question if the Seahawks should’ve picked up an offensive lineman in free agency instead, knowing the limited number of draft picks they had and an increased number of elite pass rushers in the division. Knowing Russell Wilson, he’ll put the team on his back and lead them to 10 or 11 wins. However, in a division with very little room for error, the holes on this roster could get exposed.
2. Washington Football Team
I like what Washington has done this offseason on the offensive side of the ball, adding speed threats like Curtis Samuel and Dyami Brown to go alongside Terry McLaurin. The defense is by far the best in the division, finishing top 5 last year in both points allowed and yards allowed, and the offensive line finished 6th according to PFF. So why could this football team (no pun intended) go from first to worst? Ryan Fitzpatrick. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big Fitzmagic fan and the dude is must-watch television, but let’s be honest: he isn’t the most consistent quarterback in the world. We’ve seen him have games where he throws for 400 yards and 3 touchdowns, but we’ve also seen games where he decides to throw it to the other team 4 or 5 times, and for a Washington team that finished with a -4 point differential last year, that could be a recipe for disaster.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
After winning their first 11 games of the 2020 campaign, the Steelers lost four of their last five games and followed that up with a double digit loss in the wild card round against the Browns. This meltdown was a combination of key injuries on defense (Devin Bush, Vince Williams, Bud Dupree), poor offensive line play/running game, and having to rely on 38-year-old Big Ben to throw it 50 times a game. The addition of Najee Harris should improve a rushing attack that finished dead last in football last season, and the defense will still be elite even after losing Dupree and Mike Hilton in free agency. It’s hard to imagine a Mike Tomlin-led Steelers team finishing last in the AFC North, but with the Browns, Ravens, and an up-and-coming Bengals team, it’s certainly not out of the question.
4. New Orleans Saints
The Saints are one of the teams I’m most excited to watch in 2021, but if Sean Payton can’t clean up Jameis Winston’s turnover issues, the Saints could fall to the bottom of the NFC South. With limited cap space, this is a team that wasn’t able to add anyone in free agency and lost key pieces such as Trey Hendrickson, Emmanuel Sanders, Janoris Jenkins, Jared Cook, Kwon Alexander to free agency, and of course Drew Brees to retirement. That said, this is still a solid roster top to bottom, with an offensive line that should keep Winston comfortable in the pocket, two big-time weapons in Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara, and defensive playmakers like Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis, and Marcus Williams. I’d love to see Jameis thrive under Sean Payton, but if he continues to turn the ball over and the losses on the defensive side of the ball become problematic, the Saints could finish last in the NFC South for the first time since 2008.