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The 2024 NFL regular season is just days away, which means all of the league’s 32 teams are peddling optimism.
However, it’s important to sift through all the sunshine and roses in order to set realistic expectations for the 2024 season. Sure, there are surprises every year in the NFL: the Houston Texans went from drafting second overall in the 2023 NFL Draft to the AFC divisional round, and the Green Bay Packers reached the NFC divisional round in the first season after Aaron Rodgers.
Keeping that in mind, which squads should be viewed as legitimate contenders for the Vince Lombardi Trophy out of the NFC? Which ones are the likely bottom feeders? Which ones are somewhere in the middle? Here’s an educated assessment of the NFC’s 16 teams and where they belong across five tiers.
Tier 1: Real-deal contenders (3)
San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions
The case for the San Francisco 49ers is abundantly clear: they were in overtime of the most recent Super Bowl, needing just one more defensive stop against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the first time since the 1994 season. They didn’t accomplish that task, and win it all, but they return much of the crew that got them there last season. That will remain the case whether or not Brandon Aiyuk is on the team this season. Coach Kyle Shanahan’s offenses in the Bay Area have averaged the most yards per play (5.9) and yards per pass attempt (8.1) among any coach in the Super Bowl era (since 1966), among those who have 100 games under their belt.
NFL offensive leaders/co-leaders in 2023 on 49ers
Brock Purdy
Pass yards/attempt (9.6) and passer rating (113.0)
Christian McCaffrey
Rush yards (1,459) , scrimmage yards (2,023), scrimmage TD (21)
Deebo Samuel
YAC/rec among WR (8.8)
Brandon Aiyuk
Pct of catches to go for a first down or a TD (81.3%)
George Kittle
Yards/catch among TE…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/ranking-2024-nfc-contenders-by-tiers-packers-49ers-lions-zeroing-in-on-vince-lombardi-trophy-this-season/
Author : Garrett Podell
Publish date : 2024-09-01 14:52:13
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