1. Philadelphia: The return of quarterback Carson Wentz, who was on his way to the 2017 MVP until his knee injury, keeps the Eagles where they ended last year.
2. Minnesota: Will Kirk Cousins be a huge upgrade over ? Not really, but the Dalvin Cook-led run game and elite defense will lead the way.
3. Jacksonville: Last year’s surprise AFC runner-up added the top free agent available (left guard Andrew Norwell) and has the league’s best secondary.
4. New England: Wash, rinse, repeat. The Patriots will again win the AFC East.
5. Pittsburgh: All of the elite offensive talent (Roethlisberger, Bell, Brown, etc.) return to make new coordinator Randy Fichtner look good. The Steelers will cruise to the AFC North title.
6. Los Angeles Rams: The offseason champions added veterans , , Marcus Peters and . The Rams will take one further step this year by winning a playoff game.
7. New Orleans: The repeat pick in the NFC South was second in yards and was fourth in points per game in 2017. Alvin Kamara will have another huge season.
8. Los Angeles Chargers: Some team has to win the AFC West and we’ll go with the Bolts, who are the only team in the division to return both coordinators (continuity counts).
9. Atlanta: Our first wild card team stayed quiet in free agency but did well in the draft by adding receiver Calvin Ridley, cornerback Isaiah Oliver and nose tackle Deadrin Senat.
10. Green Bay: New Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst spent good money on tight end and defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson. But everything depends on quarterback ’ health.
11. Carolina: Veteran play-caller Norv Turner has resurfaced to rescue a passing game that was 28th in the NFL last year. Our highest-ranked non-playoff team.
12. Miami: The Dolphins haven’t won a playoff game since 1999 when Jimmy Johnson was their coach/personnel chief. They will squeak into the postseason for the second time in three years.
13. Denver: The Broncos will be the sixth seed in the AFC. For all their talk about running the ball, fans should be excited about the passing game.
14. Houston: Quarterback Deshaun Watson was the preseason crush by the national media and rightfully so. But receiver is Watson’s only weapon, which is a problem.
15. San Francisco: The 49ers ended last year with five consecutive wins, which always presents a tricky question about whether that was an aberration or a sign of things to come. We choose the in-between.
16. Washington: The Redskins have not won a playoff game since 2005. A boring team.
17. Detroit: New coach Matt Patricia inherits quarterback , which is good news. The bad news? Patricia will need time to fix a defense that allowed 355.8 yards per game last year.
18. Tennessee: Like Detroit, it is a New England reunion in Nashville, where coach Mike Vrabel joins general manager Jon Robinson. Vrabel arrives with only one year of coordinator experience.
19. Baltimore: The Ravens have finished second in the AFC North for consecutive years but didn’t make the playoffs. Make it three straight years.
20. Dallas: No receiver (released) and tight end (retired to broadcasting) equals trouble for the Cowboys.
21. New York Giants: Tailback Saquon Barkley will be great (w’re predicting 1,200 rushing yards) but the Giants will regret not taking quarterback to start the rebuild clock.
22. Arizona: The Cardinals got old — and bad — in a hurry. They won 10, 11 and 13 games from 2014-16, but seven and eight the last two years. A tough assignment for new coach Steve Wilks.
23. Kansas City: Itap easy to like quarterback Patrick Mahomes, but he will go through a difficult transition.
24. Oakland: The Raiders threw a bunch of darts at the free agent board to fuel a quick turnaround. It won’t work.
25. Seattle: In 10 years, or maybe a week, the Seahawks will look back at their window (2012-16) and lament only one win.
26. Chicago: Matt Nagy replaces John Fox as coach. The last time Fox was replaced, the Broncos won the Super Bowl. The Bears will improve, but not that much.
27. Tampa Bay: The Buccaneers’ three games without quarterback are at New Orleans, vs. Philadelphia and vs. Pittsburgh. Three losses and the season will be over.
28. Buffalo: The Bills overachieved last year, making the playoffs for the first time since 1999. A return to reality occurs this year.
29. Cleveland: The Browns will beat the Jets in a Week 3 Thursday night game.
30. Indianapolis: was cleared to start camp on time after missing all of 2017 (shoulder). He will help, but the Colts remain a long way from competing.
31. : If only star-in-the-making safety Jamal Adams could play receiver or tailback …
32. Cincinnati: With the first pick in the 2019 draft, the Bengals select …
