The NFC is stacked with incredible teams, with a handful of teams that have an argument to be a favorite for the Super Bowl. The NFC has the reigning super bowl champions, the reigning MVP, and the greatest player of all time, all playing in the conference.
Last season, the NFC saw a down-to-the-wire playoff fight, specifically in the wild card and in the NFC West. This season should be no different, and maybe even more of a competitive battle going into the last weeks of the season. However, when the dust settles, these should be the seven teams that are playing in the playoffs.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were so close to not being considered a playoff team. However, that was for the few months that Tom Brady was tired. Now that Brady is back they should be right in the mix for Super Bowl favorites.
The Buccaneers have a great front seven. The secondary can still be a tad shaky, but with the elite offense that the Buccaneers have with Tom Brady at quarterback and wide receivers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and bringing in Julio Jones and Russell Gage, The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are once again beginning to look like an NFL super team. Unless something drastic happens, expect the Buccaneers to be a playoff team easily.
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams or the reigning defending Super Bowl champions, and there is no reason why they should be considered a non-playoff team. In fact, the Rams should probably be considered one of the favorites, considering they have not lost a ton of pieces.
In fact, the Rams have replaced the likes of Odell Beckham Jr. with Allen Robinson and although they lost edge rusher Von Miller, which will be a huge loss, they added linebacker Bobby Wagner to their team. As long as the Rams don’t face a Super Bowl slump, they should be a top contender to repeat.
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers once again have back-to-back MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers. With Rodgers, the Packers should be playoff contenders alone. However, they will be facing an uphill battle this season without star wide receiver Davante Adams who they traded to the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason.
The Packers did a great job at drafting, with rookie Romeo Doubs looking like he can be a star in the making. However, there is just no replacing Adams’ production and it will hurt Green Bay, but with a solid team all around like the Packers are, with Rodgers playing lights out, they can beat anyone.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles will be the surprise team, that was not a division winner last season, that will be this season. The Eagles have had one of the best off-seasons in all of the NFL. First, the Eagles traded to get AJ Brown, who will be an incredible change to an offense that really relied on running the ball. Also, Philadelphia added Hassan Reddick to their defense in free agency.
The Eagles also had one of the best drafts as a whole, drafting Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean oh, two of the best players on a legendary Georgia Bulldogs defensive team, that propelled them to win the national championship.
Dallas Cowboys
Like the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cowboys will benefit from playing a weaker division. The Cowboys should have no problems going up against the likes of the New York Giants and Washington Commanders, and in a race for a wild-card spot that will be down to the wire, those easier games will prove vital.
The Cowboys have lost some serious pieces like Amari Cooper and Randy Gregory, but there is no reason why a team that has the likes of Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons, and CeeDee Lamb on their team shouldn’t be playoff contenders.
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers shocked many teams, when they went from wildcard, all the way into the NFC championship game. The 49ers lost to the eventual Super bowl-winning Los Angeles Rams, And there’s no shame in that.
However, the biggest talking point for the 49ers was their decision to go away from Jimmy Garoppolo, likely trading him at some point this season, and rolling with young promising quarterback Trey Lance. Much of their season will rely on Lance’s ability to carry a team throughout the year. Lance can easily take this team out of the playoff contenders, if he’s making too many rookie mistakes, or can propel them to the Super Bowl and was the missing piece all along.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints are one of the biggest possible hit-or-miss teams of the NFL year. The Saints get the last spot in the playoffs, due to what they did in the offseason, and a very important player returning. The Saints had a great off-season, getting the likes of Chris Olave in the draft while signing elite safety Tyrann Mathieu and wide receiver Jarvis Landry in free agency. However, the biggest change will be getting Pro Bowl wide receiver Michael Thomas back, who missed all of last.
The Saints were a good team last year, but it felt like they needed a couple of extra pieces to make their offense tick. Now with Thomas and Landry fully fit and as long as running back Alvin Kamara doesn’t face suspension, this will be a tough team to shut out of the playoffs.
