Touchdown Wire's summer NFL power rankings

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The NFL has put out estimates and statements with varying degrees of optimism regarding an on-time start to the 2020 season in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. We don’t yet know how it will all shake out — hopefully with thoughts leaning in the direction of safety and responsibility above all — but whenever the season does get going, here’s how all 32 teams rank in terms of overall quality, and potential to excel. Here are Touchdown Wire’s summer NFL power rankings.

32. Cincinnati Bengals

(USA Today)

The Bengals finished 2-14 in 2019, which gave them the first overall pick in 2020 and the right to select LSU’s Joe Burrow, who appears to have every attribute necessary for NFL success at the quarterback position. And the team did improve in free agency to a point, with the additions of former Vikings cornerbacks Trae Waynes and Mackenzie Alexander. The offensive line will get a bump with the addition of 2019 first-round left tackle Jonah Williams, who missed his entire rookie season due to a torn labrum. Now, if the Bengals are to get out of the NFL’s basement, it’ll be up to defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo to put together a series of packages for a squad that looked far too disjointed most of the time.

31. Washington Redskins

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The Redskins (change the name, guys) are certainly hoping that second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins can build on a December that saw him throw five touchdown passes to just one interception after looking pretty shaky earlier in his inaugural campaign. Haskins will have the benefit of receiver Terry McLaurin, another member of Washington’s 2019 rookie class, who has the potential to be one of the NFL’s top receivers. On defense, Ron Rivera’s squad has five first-round picks on its defensive line, including second overall pick Chase Young, but the secondary is very thin, and that could be the things that stops this team in its tracks in 2020.

30. New York Jets

Jamal Adams New York Jets (Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports)

Safety Jamal Adams is most likely the Jets’ best player, and it’s a problem when your best player is desperate to be traded. This speaks to a dysfunction that head coach Adam Gase has instilled, and that general manager Joe Douglas is trying to overcome. The Jets have a growing franchise quarterback in Sam Darnold, the receiver combination of Breshad Perriman and Denzel Mims could make some noise, and rookie left tackle Mekhi Becton looks like a star if he can get his pass sets in order, but this has been one of the least-talented rosters over the last few seasons, and it’s looking like it’s going to take a few more years — and possibly another head coach — to balance that out.

29. Jacksonville Jaguars

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If you go back and look at the Jaguars defense that played the Patriots to a draw in the first half of the 2017 AFC Championship game, it’s both a tribute to what the franchise built to that point, and a scathing indictment of what’s happened since. Jalen Ramsey, A.J. Bouye, Calais Campbell, Malik Jackson… most of the big talent on that defense is gone, and the replacements haven’t quite lived up. Oh, and there’s the matter of edge-rusher Yannick Ngakoue, the best player left on that defense, wanting to be traded. The Jaguars have a possible star quarterback in Gardner Minshew, and a breakout star in receiver D.J. Chark, but the organization is now finding out that you can’t take elite talent for granted. Cornerback C.J. Henderson and EDGE defender K’Lavon Chaisson, the team’s top two draft picks, will help over time.

28. Carolina Panthers

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Change has come to the Panthers, as both the quarterback and head coach that captained the team since 2011 — Cam Newton and Ron Rivera — were both cashiered. Now, it’s up to Teddy Bridgewater and Matt Rhule to bring the franchise back to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Bridgewater is capable of doing that when he’s healthy, and Christian McCaffrey may be the most valuable running back in the NFL. First-round defensive tackle Derrick Brown will help what was the league’s worst run defense last season, but the Panthers are not quite where they need to be overall to compete in what will be a brutally competitive NFC South just yet.

27. New York Giants

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The Giants came into the 2020 draft with a desperate need to protect Daniel Jones’ blind side, and they addressed that very well by selecting Georgia tackle Andrew Thomas with the fourth overall pick. Big Blue then stole Alabama safety Xavier McKinney, whose versatility will show up right away, in the second round. Signing former Panthers cornerback James Bradberry will help what may have been the NFL’s worst cornerback group after the team released Janoris Jenkins, and Jones is starting to look like a franchise quarterback, so there are reasons to be encouraged about the team’s future. Pass rush is still a problem, and Jones’ receivers are underwhelming, so the hope will be that the offense can be run around Saquon Barkley for the time being.

26. Detroit Lions

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Head coach Matt Patricia’s strategy of late has mirrored what most former Bill Belichick assistants have done — get rid of your best players who talk too much, and fill the roster with as many Patriots castoffs as possible. Trading safety Quandre Diggs halfway through the 2019 season, and cornerback Darius Slay in the 2020 offseason, filled the first part of the paradigm. End Trey Flowers, linebacker Jamie Collins, and safety Duron Harmon fill the second part. It’s an iffy strategy that leaves Detroit’s defense in the lurch to a point, and the only way the Lions will ascend their 3-12-1 record in 2020 is for Matthew Stafford to return from his injury-shortened 2019 season and play at the career peak he was before a back injury limited him to just eight games.

25. Miami Dolphins

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Since we’re all about making fun of former Bill Belichick assistants in the back half of these particular power rankings, it’s important to note that former Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores engineered quite the turnaround in his first season as the Dolphins’ head coach. Miami started the season 0-7 in an obvious Tankapalooza with perhaps the league’s least-talented roster, but ended the 2019 campaign at 5-11, as Flores’ players showed belief in how he was running things. Now, with the additions of Tua Tagovailoa in the draft, and a massive free-agency haul that included ends Emmanuel Ogbah and Shaq Lawson, and cornerback Byron Jones, the Dolphins might just be sneaky contenders sooner than later.

24. Los Angeles Rams

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The Rams team that lost Super Bowl LIII to the Patriots at the end of the 2018 season seems very much in the rear-view mirror. Running back Todd Gurley and receiver Brandin Cooks are off to other teams, leaving catastrophic cap hits in their wake. Jared Goff and Aaron Donald combine for 2020 cap hits of more than $50 million, and while Donald has proven unquestionably that he’s worth whatever you pay him, Goff has not. Add in the lack of high draft picks as an inevitable price of the team’s win-now philosophy a couple years back, and the reckoning begins now. There’s still enough talent on the roster and in the coaching staff to make the Rams league-average if everything breaks right, but if it doesn’t, last season’s 9-7 record may seem like a relatively pleasant memory.

23. Atlanta Falcons

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2019 was a tale of two seasons for Dan Quinn’s Falcons, who started 1-7 as their defense fell apart. The rebound to a final record of 7-9 had a lot to do with the coaching acumen of assistant head coach & secondary coach Raheem Morris, who was given more responsibility as the season wore on, and eventually was given the defensive coordinator role for 2020 and beyond. Atlanta went from 28th to 17th in Defensive DVOA with Morris more involved, and when you add in cornerback A.J. Terrell and defensive lineman Marlon Davidson, the Falcons’ first two draft picks, there could be a defensive resurgence that brings the team back into contention.

22. Houston Texans

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Speaking of former Belichick assistants… well, there’s whatever the heck Texans head coach and ostensible general manager Bill O’Brien has done to his roster in the last year or so. Those #FreeDeshaun hashtags that popped up when O’Brien traded DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals aren’t going away anytime soon, and while Watson remains an estimable talent, there’s only so much he can do with an offense leaking talent. Running back David Johnson, who came over in the Hopkins trade, would be a valuable addition if this was 2016, which it isn’t. The receiver trio of Brandin Cooks, Randall Cobb, and Kenny Stills is decent enough, and Will Fuller will add a deep threat when healthy. But the defense has questions from the front to the secondary, and with O’Brien in charge, it’s easy to see a possible perch off the cliff after the Texans’ disastrous faceplant against the Chiefs in the 2019 playoffs.

21. Denver Broncos

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If Drew Lock falls short in his first season as Denver’s starting quarterback, it won’t be for lack of targets. Last season, Courtland Sutton proved to be a great high-volume receiver, and John Elway added Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy, the best route-runner in this draft class, and Penn State’s KJ Hamler, who could be an estimable slot target. Tight end Noah Fant can also contribute to what has become one of the league’s best young receiver groups — at least on paper. Now, it’s up to Lock to curtail his rogue tendencies, add a reliable short and intermediate passing game to his deep-ball heroics, and perhaps the Broncos can have their first above-average quarterback since Peyton Manning retired.

20. Cleveland Browns

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From the “Here We Go Again” Department: The Browns are loaded enough to make a serious claim for contention in the AFC! Well, the same could have been said in 2019, and it didn’t work out to the tune of a 6-10 record after the team brought up so much hope with a strong finish in 2018. New head coach Kevin Stefanski brings a high play-action offense from his days in Minnesota, which should help Baker Mayfield. Nick Chubb might just be the best running back in football, and the combination of Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, and tight ends Austin Hooper and David Njoku? That’s enough talent to put any defense on edge. Factor in an above-average defense with two great cornerbacks in Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams, not to mention second-round safety Grant Delpit from LSU, and if the Browns can’t compete under Stefanski, one has to wonder what’s in the waters of the Cuyahoga River.

19. Chicago Bears

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Saying that your football team has everything required to compete except for a quarterback you can trust is like saying that your primed Indy car has everything required to win races except an engine. That’s exactly where the Bears are with Mitchell Trubisky, which is why they (checks notes) acquired Nick Foles from the Jaguars for a fourth-round pick in March. So, perhaps head coach Matt Nagy can Frankenstein something together from two iffy quarterbacks? Who knows. If someone is able to rise out of that “competition,” there’s still a great defense, David Montgomery is a running back on the rise, and Lord knows Allen Robinson deserves better quarterbacks than he’s had through his career with the Bears and Jaguars. If not, expect a middling result, and perhaps the end of what might have been a contending window sacrificed at the altar of mis-evaluation at the game’s most important position.

18. Las Vegas Raiders

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Jon Gruden is entering his third year back in the league as a head coach, and the former host of “Gruden’s QB Camp” may finally have the perfect set of targets for Derek Carr, his feelings about Carr on a long-term basis notwithstanding. Grabbing Alabama speed receiver Henry Ruggs III in the first round to add to Tyrell Williams, Hunter Renfew, and prolific tight end Darren Waller makes this the most complete passing game Gruden’s had in a long time. But if the Raiders are to compile a winning record for the first time in Gruden’s new tenure, it’s the defense — fortified wisely by the draft and free agency over the last two years by general manager Mike Mayock — that will finally have to turn a dividend.

17. New England Patriots

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It’s been one of the NFL’s primary questions over the last two decades: Who’s really responsible for the Patriots’ radical success: Bill Belichick or Tom Brady? We’re about to find out. The Patriots managed a 12-4 mark in 2019 despite a highly limited passing game because Belichick and his staff had the NFL’s best defenses, and perhaps one of the greatest secondaries in NFL history. That defense is back for the most part, but putting Jarrett Stidham — whose primary play in 2019 was a pick-six by Jets safety Jamal Adams — is a highly questionable move, even for someone of Belichick’s undeniable football genius. Perhaps a veteran like Cam Newton (whose schematic history actually merges quite well with what the Patriots do) could augment the quarterback room; or maybe Stidham will advance as a player as the team believes is possible. If not, this is a team that will have to make chicken salad out of something else on offense, and Brady is in Tampa with all the chicken salad.

16. Philadelphia Eagles

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Last season, the Eagles somehow won nine games and the NFC East despite an injury-ravaged receiver group that gave Carson Wentz very little to work with when the playoffs came around. The hope is that the return of DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery, along with tight ends Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert and first-round receiver Jalen Reagor from TCU, will give Wentz a compensatory wealth of targets. If that’s the case, aligning that with an above-average defense fortified with the presence of ex-Lions cornerback Darius Slay makes this a formidable team. Certainly, you’d expect injury luck to err on the positive side for the Eagles this time around.

15. Arizona Cardinals

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If 2018 was the year of Patrick Mahomes, and 2019 was the year of Lamar Jackson, it could be posited that 2020 will be the year of Kyler Murray. In his rookie season, Murray proved a perfect foil for first-year head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s offensive schemes, especially when Kingsbury started thinking outside his own box. Adding DeAndre Hopkins, as the Cardinals did as the latest team to fleece Bill O’Brien and the Texans, will certainly help, as will the selection of Houston offensive tackle Josh Jones in the third round of the draft — Murray caused a lot of his own league-leading 48 sacks, but an iffy offensive line didn’t help. On defense, first-round linebacker Isaiah Simmons comes in as the most versatile player in his draft class, able to play everywhere from the line of scrimmage to the slot to linebacker to safety. Arizona might not be quite ready to take the NFC West just yet, but this team will be must-see TV all season.

14. Los Angeles Chargers

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The Chargers are heading into their first Philip Rivers-less season since 2004, though given Rivers’ YOLO tendencies in 2019 (he led the league with six interceptions in the last two minutes of his team’s games; Jameis Winston finished second with three), this may be addition by subtraction. New starter Tyrod Taylor is a good enough placeholder in Anthony Lynn’s offense; the two worked well together in Buffalo, and there’s enough skill position talent to make it go. But the real story of this Chargers team is a secondary that may be the NFL’s second-best behind New England’s, with safeties Derwin James and Nasir Adderley, and cornerbacks Chris Harris Jr., Casey Hayward, and the underrated Michael Davis. If Taylor can simply manage the game as Rivers couldn’t last season, the Chargers could be in prime position to come back from 2019’s disappointing 5-11 record.

13. Pittsburgh Steelers

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Last season, with Ben Roethlisberger missing all but 95 snaps with an elbow injury, the Steelers managed an 8-8 record despite the NFL’s worst quarterback situation. How? With a ferocious defense that led the NFL in pressure rate, generating quarterback pressure on 30.5% of its snaps. In addition, only the Patriots picked off more passes than Pittsburgh’s 20, and the early-season trade with the Dolphins for defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick gave the Steelers what they’ve desperately needed since Troy Polamalu’s retirement — a top-ticket free safety who could shut things down in the deep third. One would assume that Roethlisberger, even at age 38 and having threatened retirement multiple times over the last few years, would be able to amass a few more wins with a defense like that, as opposed to whatever it is that Mason Rudolph and Devlin “Duck” Hodges did.

12. Indianapolis Colts

Philip Rivers Colts (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Andrew Luck’s retirement took the NFL and the Colts by surprise before the 2019 season, leaving head coach Frank Reich with backup Jacoby Brissett and his decently efficient, but risk-averse, approach. Indy thought the step up from that was the addition of Philip Rivers, who spent most of 2019 throwing the ball to his opponents at the worst possible times. Reich has worked with Rivers before — he was the Chargers’ quarterback coach in 2013 and the offensive coordinator in 2014 and 2015 — so as much as any coach, he should be able to keep Rivers from his own worst tendencies. With the additions of first-round receiver Michael Pittman and second-round running back Jonathan Taylor, there’s certainly enough talent for Rivers to thrive — general manager Chris Ballard has assembled the kind of roster on both side of the ball that will save Rivers from having to do too much by himself, as Luck was often forced to do.

11. Seattle Seahawks

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2019 was supposed to be a rebuilding season for the Seahawks, but Pete Carroll’s squad still managed to go 11-5, making the playoffs for the seventh time in the last eight years. As usual, the internal battle was between Russell Wilson, who carried the offense on his shoulders when he was allowed to, and Pete Carroll, who wants a balanced offense above all, no matter who his quarterback is. Wilson has expressed concerns regarding the limitations of that offense, and he’s got a point. Still, the key for Seattle to advance beyond the divisional round, which they haven’t done since their last Super Bowl season of 2014, is to rejuvenate a defense that featured one of the league’s weakest pass rushes and a secondary in transition. The likelihood of re-signing Jadeveon Clowney is not optimal, so it may be through coverage that Carroll’s defense gets more sacks. Acquiring former Washington cornerback Quinton Dunbar, perhaps the most underrated player at his position in the NFL, for a fifth-round pick in March should help… if Dunbar’s legal issues don’t get in the way.

10. Minnesota Vikings

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Last season, the Vikings went 10-6 and made the playoffs despite an outside cornerback duo in Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes that allowed 10 touchdowns and picked off just one pass. Both are off the roster now, to be replaced by Mike Hughes and first-round pick Jeff Gladney out of TCU. Minnesota went receiver with their other first-round pick, which they acquired by trading Stefon Diggs to the Bills, taking LSU’s Justin Jefferson, an optimal slot target with outside potential. Other than that, this is a loaded roster that will go as far as quarterback Kirk Cousins can take it. That’s a mixed blessing, though the team was confident enough in Cousins’ production to give him a two-year, $66 million contract extension in March.

9. Dallas Cowboys

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The Cowboys are trying to get a long-term deal done with Dak Prescott, and though that hasn’t gone well to date, Jerry Jones and his crew are doing all they can to get Prescott the best group of receivers in the league. Signing Amari Cooper to a five-year, $100 million contract extension in March, and selecting Oklahoma receiver CeeDee Lamb with the 17th overall pick in the draft, were two very smart moves. The third of those triplets, Michael Gallup, would be a No. 1 receiver on many teams. The question is, will new head coach Mike McCarthy expand from the rudimentary playbook concepts that often hindered Aaron Rodgers’ brilliance when McCarthy was Green Bay’s head coach? It’s a question that was often asked of Jason Garrett, McCarthy’s predecessor in Dallas, and you’d like to think the Cowboys are smart enough to avoid throwing Prescott into a different disaster.

8. Tennessee Titans

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After six decent seasons with the Dolphins, Ryan Tannehill did something most quarterbacks don’t do — he got better in his early thirties with a different team. Like, a lot better. Tannehill led the NFL in passer rating, yards per attempt, yards per completion, Adjusted Yards gained per Pass Attempt, Net Adjusted Net Yards per Pass Attempt, and he was the league’s most efficient passer on more different kinds of throws than anyone else. Tannehill got a new four-year, $118 million contract, and justifiably so. Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will get a head coaching gig out of that sooner than later, and justifiably so. The larger question for the team that lost to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game is how the Titans will overcome the retirement of defensive coordinator Dean Pees. If they’re able to do so, a Super Bowl appearance is not out of the question.

7. Green Bay Packers

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The Packers went 13-3 and made it to the NFC Championship game despite a receiver corps that was, outside of Davante Adams, less than complete. Running backs Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams were Aaron Rodgers’ second and third-most found targets, and the fourth guy was now-departed tight end Jimmy Graham. The front office responded to this deficit by signing Devin Funchess to a one-year, $2.5 million deal, and selecting precisely zero wide receivers with their nine draft picks. The Packers did move up in the first round to select Utah State quarterback Jordan Love, which did not make their franchise player very happy — as one might imagine. If the idea is to try and create dynamic tension in the room, this could backfire in a hurry. If Rodgers is able to shake it off and continue his development in head coach Matt LaFleur’s offense, another deep playoff run is not out of the question. But why not fortify one of the best quarterbacks of his generation?

6. Buffalo Bills

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Right now, the Bills are a better version of the Bears in that they have everything required to compete at the highest level, with the exception of a quarterback they can trust. In his second NFL season, Josh Allen was able to put together some decent moments, but the erratic nature of his overall game really showed up in a wild-card loss to the Texans.

The AFC East is ripe for the picking in ways it hasn’t been in two decades if Allen can make inroads in 2020; if not, it’ll be a seriously missed opportunity.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Yes, the additions of Tom Brady and (a hopefully healthy) Rob Gronkowski to a Bucs offense that already has receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and tight ends O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate… well, it’s a big deal. And if Brady is able to align his genius to Bruce Arians’ “no risk-it, no biscuit” playbook, this Buccaneers offense could be uniquely fierce. But the real reason we need to consider Arians’ team as favorites to turn things up in the NFC all season is a defense that, under Todd Bowles, went from dead last in DVOA in 2018 to fifth in 2019, and added deep safety Antoine Winfield Jr. in the draft. The Bucs have just one winning season since 2010, they haven’t made the playoffs since 2007, and they haven’t won a playoff game since the franchise won Super Bowl XXXVII at the end of the 2002 season, but at least some of those negative factors may change very quickly.

4. New Orleans Saints

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Drew Brees signed a two-year, $50 million contract in March which takes him through the 2023 season if he wants to, and has voidable years in 2022 and 2023 if he doesn’t — or if the Saints are ready to move on. They signed Jameis Winston to replace Teddy Bridgewater as Brees’ backup, and the plan still seems to be Operation Taysom Hill when Brees does decide to hang ’em up. In the short term, the Saints, who have undergone more than their share of bizarre postseason heartbreak, are very well set to push beyond that. Two acquisitions makes them stronger, one on each side of the ball — receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who signed a two-year, $16 million deal to bolster a receiver group that had been Michael Thomas and the Pips, and cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who excelled in New Orleans after the Giants released him last December. Jenkins got a new two-year deal of his own to bring in the Saints’ secondary.

3. San Francisco 49ers

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The 49ers recently tore up Kyle Shanahan’s old six-year contract and gave him a new six-year contract that keeps him with the team through 2025 and makes him one of the five highest-paid coaches in the NFL. Hard to argue against it — though Shanahan has taken his share of slings and arrows for San Francisco’s late collapse in Super Bowl LIV, there’s no better offensive play designer in the league, and when you combine that with Robert Saleh’s top-three defense, it’s easy to assume that Shanahan could get a shot at Super Bowl redemption in early 2021. The only thing standing in the way, as has been discussed ad nauseam, is Shanahan’s ability to take quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo beyond his own limitations.

2. Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson John Harbaugh (Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports)

If there’s a team with a deeper roster on both sides of the ball than the Ravens, it’d be hard to find. And if there’s a team better-suited to wind up with the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the 2020 season… well, there’s just one, which is why Baltimore ranks second in these power rankings. The only real question that Jim Harbaugh’s team has at this point is Lamar Jackson’s ability to work his magic in the postseason. The second unanimous MVP in league history crushed his opponents in the regular season, but in two playoff games (and two playoff losses), he’s completed 51.1% of his passes, thrown three touchdown passes and three interceptions, taken 11 sacks and looked overwhelmed against the defenses of the Chargers (in the 2018 postseason) and the Titans (in the 2019 postseason), when he was shown new looks. Given Jackson’s marvelous athletic gifts and the extent to which he’s advanced in a mental sense in the last two years, one can assume these are just growing pains. But the 2020 season (and postseason) will tell us a lot about Jackson’s upward trajectory.

1. Kansas City Chiefs

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If you thought the Chiefs were content with their first Super Bowl win in 50 years, think again. An offense that was already near-unstoppable when Patrick Mahomes is healthy has been rendered that much closer to perfect with the addition of first-round running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire out of LSU, who perfectly fits Andy Reid’s positional paradigm and will give Mahomes the outlet target he didn’t always have in 2019. And under Steve Spagnuolo for a second season in 2020, a defense that started to put things together at the right time last season could move from league-average to formidable. As much as any defending champ, this Chiefs team has what it takes to be the first repeat Super Bowl winner since the 2003-2004 Patriots.