We’re a little over a week away from the start of the 2020 NFL season, and holy moly, did the season sneak up on us or what?!?! We’re still not sure how much of a season we’re going to get – obviously, the hope is for a full run with 100% healthy covid-free players and coaches. Maybe that’s a pipe dream, but hey – so far, so good.
So, today, I’ll be continuing my 2020 preview series, and looking at five teams that I think could emerge as legitimate championship contenders as the season goes on.
Everyone seems to be talking about the sexy teams right now – the new-look Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Tom Brady, the Indianapolis Colts with Philip Rivers. Or, they’re talking about the heavyweights – the Baltimore Ravens, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers, or of course, the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
But, lest we forget, the 49ers weren’t exactly preseason darlings a year ago. There’s always one or two teams that rise up out of nowhere and go on a run for the ages. These are my picks for who belongs in that class this year.
NFL Dark Horses for 2020
Arizona Cardinals
Is Kyler Murray going to be the next young quarterback to break out a la Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson?
That’s one of the big questions heading into the season for the Cardinals. Unfortunately for them, there are a couple of even bigger questions – namely, what kind of offensive line are they going to trot out in 2020? This offense is LOADED with weapons – from Kenyan Drake, Larry Fitzgerald, and Christian Kirk to the newly acquired DeAndre Hopkins, who happens to be one of the best wide receivers in football. But, if that offensive line fails to progress, it might not mean much and the reigning Rookie of the Year (even though AJ Brown should’ve won…) will be scrambling for his life.
On defense, the Cardinals do have some talent – Chandler Jones, Patrick Peterson, and Budda Baker come to mind. And, the Cardinals lucked into drafting Isaiah Simmons, who figures to be one of the more versatile defenders in the league. There’s no doubt that the pieces are there for the Cards to make some noise.
It might seem crazy to put them in the conversation considering how stupid competitive the NFC West is, but don’t be surprised to see the 49ers regress a bit or the Rams continue their Jekyll and Hyde act. Plus, don’t forget that the Cardinals actually beat the Seahawks in 2019. They may have only won five games in 2019, but they played some really good teams competitively (Ravens, 49ers, Steelers, Rams). They aren’t too far away.
Atlanta Falcons
Here we go again – only setting myself up for disappointment. I think this is the third year in a row I’ve ranked the Falcons on this list. For all the talk about the Broncos and Jets and the way those teams closed out 2019, people don’t seem to appreciate how dramatically the Falcons shifted gears halfway through the season – after starting 1-7, they finished 6-2, including wins over the Saints and the 49ers.
Sure, Dan Quinn is invariably on the hot seat. There’s no escaping that. You don’t crash as hard as you did in that Super Bowl and make it too much longer on that reputation alone, and it certainly feels like if he doesn’t get it done this year, time may be up. Luckily, the pieces are in place for this team to make another legendary run.
As long as Matt Ryan is standing, he’s going to be one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Julio Jones is the best receiver in the league. They’ve invested heavily in the offensive line, and they just landed Todd Gurley. This should, to no one’s surprise, once again be one of the best offenses in the league.
Raheem Morris was promoted to defensive coordinator, and that’s a good thing. He’s been with the organization since he was fired as the head coach of the Bucs, and has the experience at the job and talent on the field to really make an improvement in 2020. Deion Jones is one of if not the best cover linebacker in the NFL. There’s a lot of potential from that unit, and if it can even remotely catch up to the offense, the Falcons will make some noise in 2020.
Buffalo Bills
Not only do I think the Bills could be a dark horse contender for a surprise championship run, I think they will emerge as a contender. Yep – they’re my official ‘surprise team’ in the AFC for 2020. I love the composition of that team, and I love the head coach, Sean McDermott, more than anything. That dude has won with underwhelming rosters since arriving in Buffalo, and he’s one of the most underrated coaches in the league.
That defense is undoubtedly the strength of this team, and when you look at the roster, name after name after name pops up. Hell, Matt Milano and Tremaine Edmunds are two of the very best at their positions. Tre’Davious White – also one of the best in the league at his position. At every level of that defense, the Bills have guys that can make plays and make stops.
It’s the quarterback position that raises questions for the Bills. Can Josh Allen become the franchise quarterback they drafted him to be? He’s proven to be a gutsy guy that can make plays with a big arm and his legs. But, some of his decision-making…well, let’s put it nicely…has been questionable. To be fair, it’s not like he’s had a plethora of weapons at his disposal. That changes this year as the Bills shelled out the capital to get Stefon Diggs. There are no more excuses for Allen after this.
They were pretty close to getting McDermott his first playoff win after the 2019 season, losing to the Texans 22-19 in overtime. But, if Allen takes the next step at quarterback, this team could go a whole lot further.
Detroit Lions
Alright, we talked about my surprise team in the AFC – let’s talk about my surprise team in the NFC. Matt Patricia is kind of a polarizing guy among NFL fans – some say he should’ve been fired at the end of last season. Others say give him a pass. I’m in camp with the latter. Perennially underrated quarterback Matthew Stafford was on a tear in 2019 before he went down with a back injury, emerging as one of the league’s MVP candidates. People lose sight of that, and just how competitive the Lions were with some of the NFL’s elite.
They bolstered their run game in drafting talented RB D’Andre Swift, who now shares a backfield with the capable Kerryon Johnson, to make quite the 1-2 punch. The receivers are good. Taylor Decker is one of the most overlooked offensive linemen in the league – the question mark is whether or not that line, as a whole, can play well enough to allow the Lions offense to do what it wants. But, Darrell Bevell has some tools at his disposal.
The secondary should be the strength of the defense, and there are some question marks up front for sure. But, all in all, this is a talented roster. If it can finally sync up with the vision of its head coach, it should surprise some people in 2020.
Las Vegas Raiders
I swore I wasn’t going to do it….that I wouldn’t get caught up in Jon Gruden and think he could be successful again in the NFL. But, damn it – here we are. I’m convinced.
This Raiders team surprised early on in 2019, starting 6-4 and looking like a viable wild card contender before a disastrous four-game losing streak effectively ending their season. Josh Jacobs looked like a stud, and a definite Rookie of the Year contender, and they had one of the most surprisingly good offensive lines in the league. Leap ahead a year, and suddenly this wide receiver group is LOADED with talent after the drafting of Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards.
Though Cory Littleton certainly looks like a promising cornerstone type of piece on defense, there’s still plenty of work to do. If this team wants to hang with the high-powered AFC West, Paul Guenther has his work cut out for him. Still, with this offense,
What do you think, SoBros Nation? Who are your dark horses for 2020? Hit the comments section. Let’s gooooo!
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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