This is, ostensibly, the year in which the Cleveland Browns are finally going to do it.
The long-beleaguered franchise, only two seasons removed from an 0–16 campaign, has been reinvented over the past year as the unlikely darling of the NFL. After two decades of historic losing, the Browns gained momentum — and national interest — on the merits of a competitive 7–9 effort in 2018 led by a youthful core of quarterback Baker Mayfield, defensive end Myles Garrett, and running back Nick Chubb. The acquisition of transcendent wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. via trade during the 2019 offseason secured Cleveland as this year’s hot pick for a “Cinderella” Super Bowl contender.
The Browns lead a pack of insurgent, young teams looking to establish themselves as legitimate powers in the League. The Baltimore Ravens spent their offseason bolstering an offense led by quarterback Lamar Jackson (whose promising play last year as a rookie forced longtime signal-caller Joe Flacco out of town) and look to challenge the Browns in a wide-open AFC North. Up the coast, the New York Jets, energized by a young QB of their own in Sam Darnold, have added veteran RB Le’Veon Bell and look to have a real shot at the AFC Wild Card. Mitch Trubisky’s Chicago Bears, anchored defensively by pass-rusher Khalil Mack, lead the club of potential breakout squads in the NFC. The San Francisco 49ers, who improved a suspect 2018 defense with the acquisitions of #2 overall pick Nick Bosa and free agent Dee Ford, are worth keeping an eye on as well.
For every David, there must, of course, also be a Goliath. In the 21st-century NFL, there is no greater behemoth than the New England Patriots, who return with an offense centered around veteran QB Tom Brady and wide receivers Julian Edelman and Josh Gordon. Like most defending Super Bowl champions, New England lost its fair share of players in the offseason, most notably TE Rob Gronkowski (to retirement) and DE Trey Flowers (to the Detroit Lions), but the Patriots have also added talent — significantly, Michael Bennett and Antonio Brown — and are legitimate contenders for a repeat title. They will be competing for the AFC crown with the Kansas City Chiefs, who present their own exceptional offensive threat built around quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce, and wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins.
The Los Angeles Rams should remain one of the top dogs in the NFC, along with the New Orleans Saints, whom the Rams narrowly beat out in 2019’s NFC Title Game. The Philadelphia Eagles are perhaps the most intriguing of the NFC’s bully franchises; after a Super Bowl title in 2018 and an uneven but ultimately impressive campaign the season after, they, too, are capable of keeping pace at the top of the conference thanks to the talents of dual-threat QB Carson Wentz.
Week 1 wasn’t kind to all of 2019’s offseason favorites. The Browns’ offense, looking rusty and out-of-sync, was preyed upon by a ballhawking Tennessee defense, and the Bears narrowly lost a defensive grinder at home to the division-rival Packers. The Eagles barely squeaked out a win against a Washington team that probably shouldn’t have been competitive. Nonetheless, plenty of potential was flashed, most especially by the Patriots, who gashed their longtime rival Steelers to the tune of 33–3. However the best matchup was the Saints versus the Texans, who butted heads in a wickedly entertaining barn-burner that came down to a 58-yard field goal as time expired.
Next week’s most exciting matchup? An NFC Championship rematch between the Saints and Rams in LA (4 PM Sunday on FOX).
