Even before a single snap of the NFL season is played, there are expectations for each team, some being much higher than others. There are always sure bets to make the playoffs and sure bets of teams that are predicted to flounder.
Then the season actually begins and a lot of that goes out the window. Every year there are teams that far exceed the expectations set in the offseason and teams that fall flat of how fans and media believed they would do.
With training camp around the corner and the 2024 season under three months away, we asked a panel of our CBS Sports NFL writers: Shanna McCarriston, Cody Benjamin, Tyler Sullivan, Garrett Podell, Bryan DeArdo and Jordan Dajani to give their predictions for which teams will surprise people with how well they perform and which will surprise people with how they struggle.
Here is a look at who we think will exceed expectations and who will underperform, along with the team’s record last year and their biggest gains and losses this offseason:
Teams that will exceed expectations
McCarriston — Chargers: Maybe I haven’t learned my lesson from the past, but I am once again counting on the Chargers to do something with their talented, well-paid quarterback. They finally have a competent head coach in Jim Harbaugh and while he may not have made as many big splashes as expected this offseason, I can see him leading the Chargers to a winning record and dare I say, possibly a playoff bid.
They fired Brandon Staley late in the 2023 season and replaced him with a proven winner. The Chargers have had high expectations in the past and failed to meet them, but I believe this will be the year they are a team that gives their opponents a bigger challenge and certainly will rack up more wins than last year.
Their offensive losses will take some time to adjust to, but saving money to lose aging players can help them in the end. Keeping defensive end Joey Bosa…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/predicting-which-nfl-teams-will-exceed-expectations-underperform-in-2024/
Author : Shanna McCarriston
Publish date : 2024-07-08 23:45:25
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