Now that the 2018 NFL regular season comes to a close, it’s time to examine which teams helped define this year. Not all franchises were equal, (as you may have guessed) but all had an impact one way or another on how this season shaped up. This list will break down the teams around the league that surpassed expectations and which teams failed to live up to the hype.
Top 5 Overachieving Teams
Honorable Mention: Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks entered this season in what many felt was going to be the start of a minor rebuild. After losing defensive icon Richard Sherman to the division rival 49ers in the offseason and starting the regular season 0-2, the Seahawks were reeling early. Veteran head coach Pete Carroll quickly turned things around and helped the Seahawks boast the leagues most dangerous rushing attack (Led NFL in team rushing yards). Seattle went from being dead in the water to clinching a playoff berth with their 38-31 win over the red-hot Kansas City Chiefs in primetime last week. That leads me to #5…
#5: Kansas City Chiefs
MVP front-runner Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs offense have been one of the big stories this year. After winning the AFC West in back-to-back seasons, the Chiefs had high hopes coming into the 2018 campaign. However, I don’t think anyone saw what Patrick Mahomes would bring to the already talented Chiefs offense. Kansas City dominated Oakland in the final week of the regular season (as they have to most of their opponents this year), ending up with a 12-4 record. This locks up their 3rd straight division title and the #1 seed in the AFC, ensuring the road to the Super Bowl runs through Arrowhead Stadium.
#4: Indianapolis Colts
After ending the 2017 season 4-12 and not knowing the status of Andrew Luck‘s future in the NFL, Colt’s fans had plenty to worry about this year. Things got even worse when the team started out the season 1-5. From that point on, Indianapolis is 9-1 and star quarterback Andrew Luck is back to his old self. Luck finished the season 2nd in passing touchdowns and 5th in passing yards. The Colts are one of the hottest teams heading into the postseason.
#3: Cleveland Browns
The arrival of Baker Mayfield may finally be the answer to Cleveland’s long and painful problem at the quarterback position. Likely taking home the “Rookie of the Year” award, Baker broke Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson‘s record of 26 touchdown passes as a rookie, throwing for 27. Over the previous two seasons, the Browns were 1-31. They finished the 2018 season 7-8-1. For the first time in nearly two decades, Cleveland’s future is looking bright.
#2: Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys fans were down in the dumps after watching the division rival Philadelphia Eagles win their first Super Bowl last season. Heading into this year the Cowboys were without a #1 wide receiver and lacked much of a passing game. After finding themselves 3-4 and 29th in the league in passing yards, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys sent a 1st round pick to the Raiders for star wide receiver Amari Cooper. Since then the Cowboys are 7-2, NFC East champions, and will be hosting a playoff game. Life is good in Dallas.
#1: Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are easily this year’s most surprising team. Finishing the year 12-4 and NFC North champions, the Bears dominated offenses all year long. After acquiring monster pass rusher linebacker Khalil Mack from Oakland, the Bears went on to rank 1st in points against (17.7), interceptions (27), rush yards per game (80), opponent passer rating (72.9), and defensive touchdowns (6). The Bears had not had a winning season since 2012. Bears first-year head coach Matt Nagy is the likely man to claim the 2018 “Coach of the Year Award”, and rightly so. Chicago finished the season winning 9 of their last 10 games and are looking primed to make a playoff run.
Top 5 Underachieving Teams
Honorable Mention: Arizona Cardinals
After starting out the season with a failed Sam Bradford experiment, the Arizona Cardinals couldn’t ever turn it around. Arizona ended the year with a league-worst 3-13 record where rookie quarterback Josh Rosen struggled heavily (11 TDs, 14 INTs). The Cardinals abysmal offense ranked dead last in the NFL in points per game scoring only 14.1 on average. The defense wasn’t much better as they allowed the 7th most points per game at 26.6. Arizona will be picking #1 in the 2019 NFL Draft.
#5: Carolina Panthers
Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers were on top of the world early in the season as Cam was in all of the MVP talks and the Panthers were off to a 6-2 start. Carolina then was rolled 52-21 in Pittsburgh on Thursday Night Football which was the start of a 7 game losing streak. To make things worse, Newton was shut down near the end of the season due to a shoulder injury. Carolina finished the 2018 campaign 7-9, missing the playoffs.
#4: Oakland Raiders
The return of legendary coach/broadcaster Jon Gruden to Oaklands coaching staff, followed by the many promises to get the Raiders franchise turned around fast gave hope to Raider Nation heading into this year. Gruden’s plans were quickly unveiled as “long-term” after trading away franchise cornerstones Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper. The Raiders fell flat on their face finishing the year 4-12 and dead last in points allowed (467, 29.2 per game). On the bright side, Gruden has plenty of draft picks including three first rounders in the upcoming NFL Draft. He will need to nail these picks or else Raider fans may be in for a long decade.
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#3: Jacksonville Jaguars
Coming off an AFC Championship game appearance and some questionable comments by star cornerback Jalen Ramsey, the Jaguars looked ready to take the league by storm this season. That didn’t happen. Jacksonville fell to a division-worst 5-11 record and failed to make the playoffs. The Jags lost 9 of 10 games from October through mid-December. With no answer at the quarterback position, the Jags future is not looking as bright as many thought it would be at this point in time. What looked like the start of something special last year in Jacksonville, ended up being too good to be true.
#2: Green Bay Packers
The 2018 season for Green Bay is one to forget for Packer fans. Many experts had the Packers pegged to win the NFC North for the 6th time in 9 years. Instead, they went 1-7 on the road, fired head coach Mike McCarthy mid-season, and finished with a 6-9-1 record. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers could only muster up one win against division opponents accounting for a 1-4-1 record against the Bears, Lions, and Vikings. The Pack will look to hit the reset button heading into next year.
#1: Pittsburgh Steelers
This 2018 Steelers team is the most talented football team to miss the playoffs in recent memory. Maybe, ever. The Le’Veon Bell drama was a huge distraction for the team all season long, as well as blowups from Antonio Brown, and friction between Big Ben and head coach Mike Tomlin. Despite all of this, the Steelers were off to a 7-2-1 record. Pittsburgh ended the season 2-4, finishing up 9-6-1 and in 2nd place in the AFC North, missing the playoffs. Ben Roethlisberger led the NFL in passing yards (5,129), Antonio Brown led the league in receiving touchdowns (15), and the defense tied the Chiefs for most sacks in football (52). Yet, somehow, this team still failed to even reach the wild-card round. The Steelers blew games to Oakland (4-12) and Denver (6-10) and had kicking issues all year long (7 Missed FGs, 5 Missed XPs). 2018 seems to be a wasted year for Steeler Nation.
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