16. Las Vegas Raiders
(7-9. Previous week 16)
They now are officially the Las Vegas Raiders and no longer are Oakland’s franchise. Will things be better in Las Vegas? That remains to be seen. The defensive line should be better with the arrival of veteran position coach Rod Marinelli. But the bigger questions are on offense. The Raiders have a solid running back in Josh Jacobs. But like any team coached by Jon Gruden, there are questions at quarterback. Derek Carr is the incumbent, but there have been rumblings Gruden isn’t sold on him. That’s not surprising because the last quarterback Gruden was sold on was Rich Gannon.
15. Dallas Cowboys
(8-8. Previous ranking: 15)
Head coach Jason Garrett was fired because he failed to achieve playoff success despite having enormous offensive talent. Mike McCarthy was hired to replace him because the former Green Bay coach has won a Super Bowl. McCarthy had a tumultuous relationship with Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers even though the two had plenty of success together. McCarthy needs to establish a good vibe with Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott to succeed. Oh by the way, forget the talk about Prescott becoming a free agent. There’s no way the Cowboys let him walk.
14. Pittsburgh Steelers
(8-8. Last rank: 14)
No coach got more out of less than Mike Tomlin. The Steelers parted ways with Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell — two very good players who came with lots of headaches. But the big blow came early in the season when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was lost to a season-ending elbow injury. Shuffling between Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges, Tomlin managed to scrape together a .500 season. But things should get much better next season. Roethlisberger is expected to be back. Put him behind center, and the Steelers are a playoff team.
13. Los Angeles Rams
(9-7. Last rank: 13)
The Rams went from the Super Bowl to missing the playoffs. You shouldn’t put too much blame on quarterback Jared Goff and a talented group of receivers. They did their jobs within the confines of coach Sean McVay’s offense. The passing game isn’t supposed to carry the offense for the Rams. The running game is — and that was and is a huge problem. Running back Todd Gurley used to be the focal point of the offense. He’s not anymore. Gurley has a chronic knee condition and can’t carry the load he once did. It’s time for the Rams to find a new running back.
12. Philadelphia Eagles
(9-7. Last rank: 12)
The Eagles won the NFC East almost by default. A talented Dallas team choked, and the Giants and Redskins were never factors. In a divisional playoff loss to Seattle, quarterback Carson Wentz suffered a concussion early in the game, and 40-year-old Josh McCown had to play much of the game with a torn hamstring. But Philadelphia’s future is bright — if Wentz can stay healthy. He’ll also benefit from the return of deep threat DeSean Jackson, who missed much of the season with a torn abdominal muscle.
11. Minnesota Vikings
(10-6. Last rank: 9)
The Vikings did what many thought was impossible. They went into the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and beat the Saints in the wild-card round. Minnesota wasn’t able to beat San Francisco in the divisional round, but the season was an overall success. After a rocky start by quarterback Kirk Cousins, he found his game and got the offense clicking. The Vikings should be strong again next season, but the loss of offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski to Cleveland could create uncertainty on that side of the ball.
10: Houston Texans
(10-6. Last rank: 10)
Houston coach Bill O’Brien is becoming the next Andy Reid. He’s shown he can win lots of games, but he has trouble winning the big ones despite a roster that includes stars such as quarterback Deshaun Watson, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and defensive end J.J. Watt. O’Brien is now also the general manager, so all fingers will be pointed at him. Houston fans and ownership want to start winning big. If O’Brien continues to come up short of the Super Bowl, patience is going to wear thin. That may already be the case after the Texans blew a 24-0 lead to Kansas City in the divisional round.
9. Tennessee Titans
(9-7. Last rank 11)
No team improved more in the second half of the season than the Titans. They surprised oddsmakers by winning on the road in the playoffs against the Patriots and Ravens. The defense was good all along, but it was the offense that pushed the Titans into the playoffs. Running back Derrick Henry was almost unstoppable down the stretch, and Ryan Tannehill showed he can be a franchise quarterback after supplanting Marcus Mariota. Assuming the Titans can re-sign Henry and Tannehill, who are both free agents, they’ll be a trendy Super Bowl pick next season.