The NFL offseason is often a time of hope, when teams acquire talent in the trade market, free agency and the draft. But sometimes it’s not so hopeful. Free agency becomes more about the departures than the arrivals. Trades seem lopsided — and not in favor of your team. And to make things worse, the NFL schedule release brings a sobering reminder of how many good teams are in the league. That’s the case for many of the teams on this list.
Maybe they lost a handful of players in free agency. Maybe they lost the Super Bowl. Maybe they just have one of the NFL’s hardest schedules. Maybe they’re dealing with all of the above. But they seem to be on pace for a very rough year in 2020. These five teams are likely to regress in the upcoming season.
1. New England Patriots
Tom Brady is gone. Rob Gronkowski came out of retirement — to join Brady with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And then there’s the matter of managing the NFL’s most challenging schedule, according to CBS. Belichick was bound to regress without Brady. But this schedule may make that regression pronounced.
2. Buffalo Bills
Having Josh Allen in the playoffs was a wild ride, but I’m not sure it comes together again in 2020. The AFC East had a very easy schedule in 2019. That’s largely how the Bills took such a major step forward. But they seem bound for regression, with the AFC East set to have games against the absurdly talented NFC West. Expectations will plummet after the AFC East realizes it’s an inferior division.
3. San Francisco 49ers
A Super Bowl loss can be brutal for the psyche of a franchise. But the 49ers’ schedule isn’t going to make life easier. We mentioned the rigors of the NFC West. Well, the 49ers are in that division. And their out-of-conference games aren’t pretty either. Just look at this four-week stretch for San Francisco: a cross-country trip to play the Patriots, a trip to play the Seahawks and the 12th man, a trip to Green Bay and then another road trip to New Orleans.
No, thank you.
#49ers' hell stretch:
* Week 7 at NE (longest trip in US they can make)
* Week 8 at SEA
* Week 9 vs. GB (Thurs game/short week)
* Week 10 at NO
All four opponents made playoffs in 2019.— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) May 7, 2020
The 49ers will finish their season at Dallas, at Arizona and vs. the Seahawks. There’s no rest.
4. Minnesota Vikings
What if they started 0-4?
It’s not probable. But it’s possible. The Vikings have the Packers in Week 1 at home (but will there be a home field advantage if stadiums are empty) and then Minnesota is at Indianapolis, vs. Tennessee and at Houston. If the AFC South improved — like it looks like it did — then perhaps the Vikings will have a rough start to their season. To make things worse, they’ll see the Saints, Buccaneers, Cowboys and Seahawks later in the season.
5. New Orleans Saints
Just look at Weeks 10 through 16.
Make-or-break stretch for the Saints has to be Weeks 10-16:
• 49ERS (13-3)
• FALCONS (archrival)
• At Broncos (1-5 all-time in DEN)
• At Falcons (archrival)
• At Eagles (4-9 all-time in PHI)
• CHIEFS (12-4, SB champs)
• VIKINGS (10-6)— Jeff Duncan (@JeffDuncan_) May 8, 2020
How are the Saints feeling? Not great, Bob.
Brady joined the NFC South, and the Saints get to see him in Week 1. They’ve also got the Packers in Week 3. This is not a pretty schedule. The Saints are going to have to fight for their playoff birth, and if their record isn’t pretty at the end of the season, it may not indicate they’re a bad team.
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