24. Arizona Cardinals
(5-10-1. Last week: 24)
All in all, the season was a relative success for the Cardinals. Arizona started the season looking like one of the league’s worst teams. But rookie NFL head coach Kliff Kingsbury got steady improvement from his roster as the season went on. More importantly, rookie quarterback Kyler Murray got better as time went on. Murray isn’t a finished product by any means, but he showed signs he was worthy of the No. 1 overall draft pick. Kingsbury and the front office need to continue to improve Murray’s supporting cast in the offseason, but the Cardinals probably are at least a couple years from competing with Seattle and San Francisco in the NFC West.
23. New York Jets
(7-9. Last week: 23)
The Jets got off to a slow start with new coach Adam Gase. Quarterback Sam Darnold’s bout with mononucleosis played a big role in the early struggles, as he missed four games. But the Jets eventually turned things around and turned in a respectable first season for Gase. The coach came with a reputation of being a quarterback guru. Once Darnold got healthy, Gase showed what he can do with a quarterback. Darnold still is far from elite, but he’s solid. The Jets need to address their defense heavily in the offseason if they’re going to gain any ground on New England and Buffalo in the AFC East.
22. Atlanta Falcons
(7-9. Last week: 22)
After a 1-7 start, coach Dan Quinn appeared to be on his way out. There was even speculation Quinn wouldn’t last the whole season. But the Falcons regrouped during their bye week and started winning. That prompted owner Arthur Blank to decide to keep Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff for 2020. They obviously have offensive talent with quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones. But defense was a problem, even though that’s Quinn’s area of expertise. Part of the package in keeping Quinn is that Raheem Morris will be the defensive coordinator in 2020. Morris flopped as a head coach, but he was too young at that time. He’s had a chance to mature and should make the defense better.
21. Cleveland Browns
(6-10. Last week: 21)
In the offseason, a lot of people expected big things from the Browns. After all, they appeared to have hit the jackpot with quarterback Baker Mayfield, who set an NFL record for touchdown passes by a rookie (27) last season. The Browns traded for Odell Beckham Jr. to give Mayfield a big-time receiving threat. But things didn’t work out as planned. Mayfield didn’t progress, and Beckham played much of the season with a foot injury. On Sunday night, owner Jimmy Haslam fired rookie coach Freddie Kitchens, who made questionable decisions and had trouble managing the clock. Now, the Browns are looking for a head coach for the seventh time since 2009.
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(7-9. Last week: 17)
Jameis Winston made history Sunday by becoming the first Tampa Bay quarterback to throw for 5,000 yards in a season. But there’s always a flip side with Winston. He ended up leading the league in interceptions with 30, including a pick-six in overtime against the Falcons. That’s why Tampa Bay enters the offseason having to make a crucial decision about the franchise’s future. Will Winston be back for a sixth year? Probably so. Coach Bruce Arians isn’t the type to give up on a talent like Winston. But the Bucs would be foolish to sign Winston to a hefty long-term contract. More than likely, they’ll put the franchisee tag on him. That would give Arians one more year to try to clean up Winston’s mistakes.
19. Indianapolis Colts
(7-9. Last week: 19)
The Colts ended their season with a 38-20 loss to Jacksonville. A 7-9 season might not seem bad considering this team lost quarterback Andrew Luck to an unexpected retirement in the preseason. But hopes got high when replacement Jacoby Brissett got off to a good start — that ultimately didn’t last. All too often, Brissett played like he did Sunday (12 for 25, 162 passing yards, no TDs, no interceptions). Brissett doesn’t lose games, but he doesn’t win them. The Colts need to do a hard evaluation of Brissett in the offseason. They may have to go outside and find a more prolific quarterback, because Brissett too often has looked like the backup he was before Luck retired.
18. Denver Broncos
(7-9. Last week: 20)
The Broncos finished their season on the upswing with a one-point win against Oakland. Count this season as a positive for the Broncos under first-year coach Vic Fangio. He’s a defensive guru, and he’ll have that side of the ball in good shape with another offseason. Fangio just needs an offense to go with it. It looks like he might have found a solid quarterback in rookie Drew Lock, who won’t be Peyton Manning but can be efficient and take care of the ball. That’s all the Broncos need to be a playoff contender next year
17. Chicago Bears
(8-8. Last week: 18)
The Bears finished the season with a two-point win against Minnesota. That wasn’t as good as it might sound when you consider that the Vikings, who already had clinched a playoff spot, sat most of their starters. An 8-8 season might be respectable for a lot of teams, but the Bears went 12-4 last year and expectations were high. Put the blame on the offense. Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky regressed from last year and may have cost the Bears a playoff berth. The Bears have a good defense. They need to sit down this offseason, take a long look at Trubisky and decide if he can make this team a winner. If not, someone like Teddy Bridgewater could be a nice alternative.