Every NFL offseason, talking heads in the media try to tell us the same teams that were good last year will be good this year.
That’s just not how the NFL works in 2023.
Will the Chiefs be Super Bowl contenders again?
Sure, but there are some teams that will fail to meet expectations, while others will surprise and compete for playoff berths.
We see teams going from worst to first in the NFL virtually every season now.
It just doesn’t take as long to rebuild as it did years ago.
Last season, that team was the Jacksonville Jaguars.
One year after going 3-14 and picking first in the NFL draft, the Jaguars won the AFC South and won a playoff game.
Which teams are likely to go from worst to first this season? Here are two that could go from last place to division winners in 2023.
New York Jets +250 (FanDuel)
The Jets are the most obvious choice for a couple of reasons.
I probably don’t need to tell you the first one: Aaron Rodgers.
The signing of the future Hall of Famer completely changes the Jets’ ceiling from potential playoff team to legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
Even if you’re in the camp that Rodgers is starting to decline, there is no debate that the addition of A-Rod vastly improves an offense that finished 29th in scoring at 17.4 PPG last season.
The other area that benefits from Rodgers is the defense. The Jets finished fourth in total and scoring defense a year ago, despite an offense that scored 12 points or fewer seven times.
How good is this defense going to be now that New York has a quarterback that can sustain drives and give them a rest?
AFC East odds
- Buffalo Bills +130
- New York Jets +250
- Miami Dolphins +290
- New England Patriots +750
Look for the Jets’ top-five unit to be even better in 2023.
The Jets finished in the AFC East basement last year, but remember, this team was in the playoff hunt until a Week 16 loss to Jacksonville, even with well-below-average quarterback play all season.
The AFC East is loaded, but with a dominant defense and much-improved offense, the Jets are worth a shot at +250 to win the division.
New Orleans Saints +135 (FanDuel)
The Saints are the NFC version of the Jets.
New Orleans probably should have won the NFC South last season with a defense that ranked fifth overall and ninth in scoring.
Like New York, though, poor quarterback play sunk the Saints, and they finished tied for last place in the division at 7-10.
NFC South odds
- New Orleans Saints +135
- Atlanta Falcons +230
- Carolina Panthers +370
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers +550
New Orleans enters 2023 with one of the NFC’s top defenses again and an offense that’s looking up after the team added Derek Carr in the offseason.
Opinions about Carr are all over the place but similar to the Jets, there’s no debate that Carr is an upgrade over the likes of Andy Dalton and Taysom Hill.
A big upgrade.
The NFC is a lot weaker than the AFC right now and the NFC South is arguably the worst division in football.
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The Falcons, Panthers, and Bucs all have major question marks on both sides of the ball entering the season.
If Carr can just be average, the Saints should run away with the division.
Getting New Orleans at plus money is too good to pass up.
