Fifth Down

Yesterday I ranked the teams for the first time. Today I give you my top 10 predictions for this season including all rounds of the post season. Here we go.

10. The Saints get the number 1 pick.

Name one thing you like about the Saints going into this season. I’ll wait. They are starting Spencer Rattler at quarterback. Their best offensive player is a 30 year old running back who beats up dudes with his friends. Their top two receivers are both injury prone. And their defense is all older than their running back. Add in a new head coach that really only had great success as an offensive coordinator for a team that had the best running back and offensive line in the league, two great receivers and an unstoppable play. I’m guessing he will miss them more than the Eagles miss him.

9. The Broncos don’t lose in September.

While I have given the Broncos a hard time for only beating one team with a winning record last year, they obviously have a good roster and a likely hall of fame coach. So they don’t suck. And the NFL hooked them up with a good first month of games. The start off at home against a rookie quarterback making his first NFL start. Then in week 2 they head to Indy to face Daniel Jones. They stay on the road in week 3 but not really because they play the Chargers which will basically be a home game away from home. And then wrap up the month at home on Monday night in a revenge game against the Bengals who barely beat them last year and are historically bad in September. All of this adds up to the Broncos being 4-0 and my wife being very happy during her birthday month. Sadly, things will not go quite as well after that.

8. Aiden Hutchinson wins comeback player of the year.

Hutchinson is by far the best player on the Lions defense. He got hurt early last year. He will be awesome and I am sure dominate once again. He’ll be in the running for defensive player of the year but ultimately they will give him this reward so they can give the defensive player of the year to someone else.

7. Micah Parsons wins defensive player of the year.

After a slow start due to his back issues, Micah goes on a tear the second half of the season helping to lead the Packers to their first division title since Aaron Rodgers was somewhat normal.

6. Christian McCaffrey wins offensive player of the year.

McCaffrey stays healthy and has over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and is a big reason the 49ers are in the playoffs again. I have him on one of my fantasy teams…so please stay healthy! Please!

5. Joe Burrow wins MVP.

The only way the Bengals make the playoffs is if Macauley Culkin plays lights out like he did last year. If he pulls that off and they make the playoffs, he will be MVP.

4. The Chiefs start 3-3 but still win the division.

The Chiefs have a tough first 6 games and won’t have Rashee Rice as well as they will be breaking in some young and new players in the secondary. So they start out 3-3 to the delight of all the haters and all the click bait media people who said the Chiefs weren’t going to be good say I told you so. Meanwhile they also crown the Chargers and Broncos the new champs of the west. Then the Chiefs go 9-2 to finish the year, win the division and those same media idiots say the Chiefs are the most dangerous team in the playoffs.

3. Most divisional winners repeat.

There used to be a lot of changes when it came to who made the playoffs from year to year. But each year that seems to be less than less true. I think 7 of the divisional winners win again this year and all of them will make the playoffs assuming Matt Stafford’s back holds up.

2. Final Playoff predictions and seeding

AFC

1. Bills
2. Ravens
3. Chiefs
4. Texans
5. Broncos
6. Bengals
7. Patriots

NFC

1. Eagles
2. Packers
3. Bucs
4. Rams
5. Lions
6. Commanders
7. 49ers

Wild Card Round:

Ravens take care of the Patriots with ease. Broncos upset the Texans. The Chiefs beat the Bengals but people still talk about that one time that Burrow was 3-0 against Mahomes.

Packers finally beat the 49ers in the playoffs to the delight of my son. Baker and the Bucs beat the Commanders this time. Sadly, Jared Goff crumbles in the playoffs again and the Rams get the win.

Divisional Round:

Chiefs go to Baltimore and win a close one. The Bills crush the Broncos but after the game, Sean Payton says he felt real good about their match up in the next round if they had won.

Eagles beat the Rams again. Packers defeat the Bucs in close one. Micah Parsons sacks Baker to seal the deal. Jerry Jones says good for Micah but can he stop the run?

Championship week:

Sean McDermott said that no one would go to 4 super bowls in a row but all that stands between the Chiefs doing it his Bills who are 0-4 against the Chiefs in the playoffs. No one can lose to the same team in the playoffs 5 times in a row, right? Right? The Bills finally get over the hump as Josh Allen finally comes through with the ball in his hands at the end of the game. Collin Cowherd immediately picks the Chargers to win the AFC West in 2026.

Eagles host the Packers in an epic battle. My son is on the edge of his seat. My daughter doesn’t really care that much but as somewhat of an Eagles fan she hopes the Eagles win so she can kick Walker while he is down. The Eagles tush push their way to victory. My son is upset, my daughter sarcastically says good game. Nick Sirianni heads to the locker room and Erin Andrews says you have to stay out for the ceremony. Nick says “is that tonight? We won’t be out there for that.”

1. Super Bowl Prediction

The Eagles have a chance to repeat. The Bills finally got over the hump and beat the Chiefs. So what happens next, well they do the most Bills thing ever and become the first team to be 0-5 in Super Bowls. Josh Allen finds solace with his hot actress wife. Dion Dawkins says the game would have been more competitive if we would have showed up to play…and the Eagles had stayed home. Most of the Eagles celebrate. Jalen Hurts puts on a blindfold so he can’t see any of it. Nick Siranni skips out on the ceremony again saying he is focused on the 2026 season and goes and gets in a fight with Dawson Knox. Then he yells at Bills fans. Then he yells at Eagles fans. After making a huge scene he brings his cute kid to the press conference and the media weep.

Eagles 38 Bills 20

The journey starts tonight! Let’s do this.

And so it begins. After a long wait, Football is back and will be here for the next 5 and half months. I’ve spent the last 6 and half months trying to forget how last season ended. And finally we can start a new season and watch football that is hopefully less painful. Every week, I rank all 32 teams from worst to best and it starts today. Let’s get the party started!

Trying to decide who they will draft with the first pick in the 2026 draft: Saints

Any team that is starting Spencer Rattler has basically given up.

Down to 3 quarterbacks that no one else wants instead of 4: Browns

The Browns are rolling with Joe Flacco which is good for my Shane Falco jokes but not good for the Browns hopes this season.

Young quarterbacked teams that are hard to believe in: Panthers, Bears, Titans

These teams could be good but I’m not buying it…yet.

Dallas without the D: Cowboys

The Cowboys are not good and they are especially not good on defense.

Quarterbacked teams of players who we know who they are and don’t believe in: Jaguars, Jets, Colts, Cardinals

I think all of these teams can be competitive but I’m not buying any of their quarterbacks can lead them to any major success.

Good teams with questions at quarterback: Steelers, Giants, Falcons, Vikings, Seahawks, Dolphins, Patriots

All these teams could make the playoffs but it will depend if their quarterback can do enough, stay healthy or in Sam Darnold’s case not play like they did every year of their career besides last year.

Will probably be better…but also raiders gonna raider: Raiders

Geno and Pete Carroll definitely make them better but they are still the Raiders.

If they can stop anyone, they will be good: Bengals

Self explanatory.

If they can stay healthy, they will be good: 49ers

Self explanatory.

If they can block someone, they will be good: Texans

Self explanatory.

Got blown out in the wild card round but for some reason they are contenders now: Chargers and Broncos

The Chiefs now suck because they got blown out in the Super Bowl. But the two teams that are supposed to beat the Chiefs to win the AFC west got blown out in the wild card round. Oh and they won a combined 4 games against teams with a winning record last year. But hey, maybe they will be better.

If Matt Stafford’s back doesn’t go out, the will be good: Rams

Self explanatory.

Time to get to the next level: Packers, Bucs, Commanders

All these teams are good and made moves this offseason to make a run. It’s time to see if their bets paid off.

Super Bowl or bust: Lions, Bills, Ravens

This has got to be their year, right…right???

AFC Playoff champions: Chiefs

The Chiefs have won their division 9 years in a row and gone to 7 straight AFC championship games and have never lost an AFC playoff game in regulation during that stretch. I’m not putting teams that they always beat ahead of them just because they got their butt kicked in the Super Bowl.

The Champs: Eagles

The Eagles were the best team in the league last year and on paper they are the best team this year. So they keep the title until proven otherwise.

Tune in tomorrow for my top 10 predictions for the season.

It’s a big week here at Fifth Down as the season finally kicks off. Today we cover my predictions for the East. Tomorrow is my first official rankings of the year. Thursday is my top 10 predictions for the season including my official playoff and Super Bowl picks and finally on Friday we have our first 5 for Friday of the season. Let’s do this thing!

NFC East

First Place: Philadelphia Eagles (13-4)

Every part of me wanted to pick someone besides the Eagles to win this division. But not for the reason you might think. Sure the Eagles gave my Chiefs a forgettable beat down in the Super Bowl which could obviously lead to some hurt feelings and perhaps lead to me picking a different team. But I am above such childish behavior. You might think that I wanted to pick against them because Eagles fans tend to be obnoxious and annoying. But that’s not it either. Maybe you think I hate Bradley Cooper. But nothing could be farther from the truth. I’m a Bradley Cooper fan. So why do I want to pick against the Eagles so bad? It’s simple. No one has one this division two years in a row in the last 20 years and I think that is hilarious. I also hardly ever pick against streaks. And this is a streak of all streaks. But I am not an emotional predictor. My predictions are based in logic. The Eagles defense is awesome. They have the best offensive line and running back in the league. They have a top 2 or 3 duo at wide receiver. Their tight end is solid and their quarterback is very good and tends to play his best football in the biggest moments. Oh, and they also have a play that no one can stop even if it does have a stupid name. All of those facts have me picking the Eagles to break the 20 year streak. Ironically enough, the last team to win back to back divisional titles was the Eagles led by Andy Reid.

Second Place: Washington Commanders (11-6)

While I do like the Commanders, I am nervous about them. Jayden could have a sophomore slump and he seems like he is an injury waiting to happen. They had kind of a bumpy pre season with Scary Terry holding out and the trade of Brian Robinson Jr. But they are really good team with a very talented quarterback. They got better on paper at the offensive line and on defense. Jayden is fun to watch and plays big in big games. Their schedule will be much harder since they won’t be playing a last place schedule. But I think they will rise above it and still make the playoffs. I’m not sure how Deebo will work out but I like their young running backs and they have Zach Ertz at tight end who I like. All and all they are just a very solid team with a very talented quarterback. I wouldn’t be shocked if they win the division and I’ll be cheering for that because that is one funny streak.

Third Place: New York Giants (8-9)

The Giants seem to be in great spirits. I’m not exactly sure why. But it makes me want to pick them 3rd so I did. They have a talented front four on defense and some fun young weapons on offense. But they have a hit and miss coach and Russell Wilson starting at quarterback. Nothing against Russ but I think we are all just waiting for the day that Jaxson Dart takes over. First off all, he has an awesome football name. Also, he literally throws darts on the field. He looked great in the preseason. I think they are making the right decision to wait to play him. Give him a year to watch and learn and then add a few more weapons in the off season and look out, the Giants could be real contenders. The question is will they win enough this year for their coach to be around to see it?

Fourth Place: Dallas Cowboys (6-11)

Dallas is a dumpster fire led by Geriatric Jones. That guy is old and it is showing. The guy needs to hand over the reins but that would mean he would actually want to win which I am convinced he actually doesn’t care about. He only cares about getting attention for himself. And the media is happy to oblige. He got his money’s worth with the Micah Parsons saga. My favorite part was after the trade when he acted like he planned it all along. The only thing he planned was to get a bunch of attention from it. Anyway, the defense was bad with Micah and will be awful without him. But hey, it should be a good fantasy year for Dak and the Dallas receivers because they are going to be throwing a lot because they are going to be behind…a lot.

AFC East

First Place: Buffalo Bills (13-4)

This one’s pretty simple. The rest of the east isn’t very good. The Bills are good. The Bills also get to play the NFC South which besides the Bucs, isn’t very good. Bottom line, the Bills have lots of winnable games and they are good anyway. So the odds are definitely in their favor. They have the best coach in the division. By far the best quarterback in the division. Their defense is good against everyone but the Ravens and Chiefs. Their receivers are young and hopefully will be better this year. They have solid running backs and a very good offensive line. All in all, they are a real good football team that just can’t seem to get over the hump but will continue to dominate the division. Will they finally get to the Super Bowl? You’ll have to tune in on Thursday for my predictions to find out.

Second Place: New England Patriots (10-7)

My surprise pick isn’t that surprising as many other people are picking them to make the playoffs too. But my reasoning is solid. First, they got a massive upgrade at head coach. Secondly, although Josh McDaniels is arguably the worst head coach of my lifetime, he is also an excellent offensive coordinator that helped Tom Brady rise to stardom and more recently helped Mac Jones of all people have a pro bowl season. I am banking on him being able to help Drake Maye since he is way more talented than Jones was. They got better weapons and their defense will improve under Vrabel. And they play a last place schedule which is the 3rd easiest in the league. Put all that together, and you got 9-10 wins and a shot at a wild card.

Third Place: Miami Dolphins (8-9)

I’m not sure what to do with the Dolphins. I feel like they will either be a playoff team or a complete disaster. So I’m splitting the difference by making them go 8-9. I don’t have any more faith in their defense than I did a year ago. Tyreek is a head case who said he wanted to leave and everyone is saying they have moved forward…sort of. Tua always get hurt and without Tua they are a bad team. Devon Achane already has an injury. And I think the fun of having a video game like coach has played out. Still, they do have some talent. Their division isn’t that good besides the Bills and they play the AFC south. So I would not be shocked if the switch places with the Patriots. I also wouldn’t be shocked if the wheels fall off and they go 4-13.

Fourth Place: New York Jets (6-11)

I like Aaron Glenn. He might be the right guy for the Jets if the owner stays out of the way and actually lets him build something. But I don’t like this Jets team. The defense should be solid but the offense is murky at best. Breece Hall who was awesome a couple of years ago is now supposed to split carries for some reason. I can’t name one of their receivers after Garrett Wilson. Who knows who is playing tight end for them. And Justin Fields isn’t good at throwing the football. He is good at running but always gets hurt. So I think they will play hard and be competitive at times but ultimately finish last this year and hopefully Glenn gets a few years to fix things before the owner meddles in and screws everything up again.

Tune in tomorrow for my first official rankings headed into week 1!

I’m a little behind with back to school stuff and a work trip so this week I’m playing catch up with my Pre Season rankings. Today we cover the South starting with the AFC South. Let’s dive in.

AFC South

First Place: Houston Texans (11-6)

The Texans had a rough go of it last year with a ton of injuries and a terrible offensive line. I’d like to say this year is off to a better start, but they traded away their best offensive lineman and their starting running back is out indefinitely. Still despite their issues last year they still won the division and a playoff game. I don’t love their offensive personnel but I do think they have the best Quarterback in the division and Nico Collins is real good. Their defense is quite good and they have a good coach. At the end of the day I have the Texans first because I believe in the other teams less. When I don’t think there is a big gap in teams, I go with the best QB and Coach combo and that is clearly the Texans.

Second Place: Indianapolis Colts (9-8)

I like a lot of things about the Colts. Jonathan Taylor is real good. They have solid receivers and an awesome new rookie tight end. Their O-Line is pretty good and I think their defense will be improved under the tutelage of their new coordinator Lou Anuramo. Lou took the blame for a terrible Bengals defense that was decimated by the Bengals being cheap and not paying good defensive players. I also like their head coach and think he is doing a good job. The issue here is at quarterback. Anthony Richardson has been a bust so they have handed over the job to Daniel Jones. I think Jones will make them more competitive than Richardson does but he doesn’t have the upside to lead this team to the playoffs. Think the Giants a couple of years ago without the playoff appearance.

Third Place: Jacksonville Jaguars (8-9)

I am done believing in Trevor Lawrence and the Jags. Maybe the new coach will turn them around but I am skeptical. Despite Trevor’s great hair, it has not helped him play any better and last year he added injury to his issues. They went all in on Travis Hunter which feels more gimmicky than a team trying to win. I don’t think they will be awful but my guess is they will have an up and down season. Brian Thomas Jr is real good and their other skill guys are pretty good so they should be able to put up some points. But the defense has a lot of holes and I am done buying into the Golden Locks. So they will probably win the division since I have given up on them.

Fourth Place: Tennessee Titans (7-10)

I think the Titans will be much improved and will get better as the year goes on. I think Cam Ward will be good but they will have some growing pains along the way. It will be an up and down season but it will give them hope going into next year. And hey 7 wins is a pretty big improvement over last year. I just don’t think they have enough on either side of the ball yet to truly compete. But they finish the year against the Saints and Jaguars so that should give them some hope going into next year.

NFC South

First Place: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-6)

Three teams have won their division 4 or more years in a row. The Chiefs are at 9 in a row, the Bills are at 5 in a row and then the Bucs are at 4. Yet every year they get doubted. But people forget they got the Bake Show. I love Baker. And I think he is much better than people give him credit for. Their receivers are a little banged up but that happened last year and Baker still threw the ball all over the yard. They have good running backs and I think their defense will be improved. When push comes to shove I go with the known commodity over speculation that teams will be better like the Falcons and Panthers. So give me the Bake show for 5 in a row.

Second Place: Atlanta Falcons (9-8)

I think the Falcons will be a solid team and in the playoff hunt. I like their coach and they have one of the best running backs in the league and a great receiver in Drake London and another solid receiver in Mooney. They also have a solid in real life Tight end who every fantasy football owner hates, Kyle Pitts. Pennix is still unproven but played well last year. However, him playing well didn’t equal wins. The defense is improved on paper due to the draft but I still think it is pretty shaky. Ultimately they just have to many unknowns for me to confidently pick them to win their division or make the playoffs. So they will be a pretty good but not good enough team.

Third Place: Carolina Panthers (7-10)

The Panthers are basically the Falcons with less talent on offense and a little more talent on defense. They improved a lot the second half of last year but I don’t think they made any massive moves to move them up the list. The Panthers do have an easier schedule than the other two teams. So I think that will help them. Bryce Young got better but he still isn’t great. And they are still the Panthers and are perennial losers so I expect them to be more competitive through out the season this year but end up with a similar record.

Fourth Place: New Orleans Saints (3-14)

Any team that is starting Spencer Rattler is not going to do well. They have a first year head coach with a bad quarterback, an old defense and a so so offensive roster. Not exactly a strong resume. This team hasn’t been good for a while and probably won’t be good for a while longer. In good news they could win something significant. The first pick in next year’s draft.

At the Campbell house, every Sunday is an event as we and by we I mean me and sometimes my family watches every NFL game. We also watch Monday night football. And of course Thursday night football. My daughter doesn’t particularly like football so we decided it would be fun to create a top 10 list of things she looks forward to when it comes to football season. Without further ado, let’s dive in.

10. Playing card and board games with Dad during the games

Her chances of winning are drastically improved due to my lack of paying attention to what we are playing.

9. When we watch college football on Saturdays, too.

Just kidding, she hates that.

8. Our family backyard football challenge

We have a net to throw footballs at. We take turns throwing all our footballs at the net and try to beat our family score at halftime and in between games. Apparently she would rather play football than watch it. I know, weird, right.

7. The Eagles being good.

Even though she isn’t a big football fan, she has a team mostly because we all have a team. She picked hers as they were winning the Super Bowl against the Patriots a few years back. She picked a good team and is definitely one of the nicer Eagles fans I know.

6. Asking about the same things every football game of the season because she still doesn’t understand.

Football can be a complicated and confusing game especially when you only slightly care about it.

5. Fantasy Football

She won our family fantasy league the first year of its existence back in 2021 and has been competitive every year. She thinks the draft and preparation is fun.

4. Sunday snacks

Typically we do something fun food wise each Sunday. So that gives her something to look forward to assuming we make time in between games to make something.

3. When Mom says “lets turn this off and take a break from Football for a little bit.”

Finally, she has an ally.

2. When Aunt Ruth comes over on Sundays.

Ruth also doesn’t care about football so usually they hang out and bake something and do artistic stuff and chit chat. Which is much more enjoyable for both of them than actually watching football.

1. The season being over.

Her favorite part is the ending. Then she gets 6 months of a football free Campbell house. Well, actually it is more like 3 because by late May or Early June I am already talking about the upcoming season.

Last week we covered the West of both conferences. Now we move to the North. We start with the NFC this round. Let’s dive in.

NFC North

First Place: Green Bay Packers (12-5)

Since Aaron Rodgers left, the Packers have made the playoffs in back to back years both times as a wild card. Last year they sort of limped in. Jordan Love was hurt off and on all of last year. Their receivers also had some issues with drops. And by issues with drops I mean they dropped a lot of passes. I mean a lot. But they still made the playoffs despite two teams in their division winning 14 or more games. Jordan Jacobs was awesome last year and their defense was very solid most of the year. They are well coached and are still a very young team. This is the year they make the leap and put it all together and win the division. The receivers are talented and they added another great young talent. They have a great head coach. And I think Love’s struggles had more to do with injuries and drops than him actually being bad. If I am wrong about that, then the Packers will obviously not win the division. But I think I am right. And hopefully I am so my son will be upset less during the season this year.

Second Place: Detroit Lions (11-6)

I think the Lions are great and have a very talented team. They can’t be less healthy on defense than they were last year so that should help. They have incredible weapons with two great running backs, two really good receivers and a very solid tight end. But I have two major concerns with the Lions. The first concern is that they lost both coordinators. Do I think the Lions can overcome that? Of course. I just think it might take a little time. I think the Lions will be a super bowl contender by the end of the season but I think there will be bumps along the way. And one of the reasons I think that is concern number 2, which is a very difficult schedule. They are at the Ravens, Bengals, Chiefs, Commanders, Eagles and Rams. That is a brutal road schedule. And Goff is historically better inside than outside and that is a lot of outside. So I give the Packers a slight edge against them for the divisional crown.

Third Place: Minnesota Vikings (9-8)

The Vikings won 14 games last year with Sam Darnold last so I could be undervaluing them here. But I just think there are too many things in their way this year. The schedule has some challenges. They basically have a rookie quarterback. Their second best receiver is going to miss 3 games due to suspension. They have a great coach who is a quarterback whisperer but even this is a challenge for him. The defense is still very solid and I think they will be competitive. But they won a lot of close games and I think some of those games go the other way this year. I still think they will be very competitive and will be a team everyone says is better than their record even though that really isn’t a thing.

Fourth Place: Chicago Bears (6-11)

The Bears made a lot of moves this offseason. They got a new coach. They revamped their offensive line. They got more weapons on offense. They got more guys to help the defense. They also get to play a last place team schedule. All the stars are aligned for this team to make a leap and get into the playoff conversation. So why do I have them only winning 6 games? The answer is simple, Caleb Williams. Last year I had them as a sleeper pick and had them sneaking into the playoffs. They were my biggest whiff in my predictions. There were a lot of reasons why but one of them was the performance of Caleb Williams. Caleb did not play well and I haven’t seen much since the end of the last season to give me any confidence going into this year. Also, while Ben Johnson was a great offensive coordinator there is no guarantee that he will be a good head coach. So while there is a lot to like about the Bears, there is just too much I don’t feel good about to have them anywhere besides 4th in this very difficult and competitive division.

AFC North

First Place: Baltimore Ravens (13-4)

The Ravens are a great regular season team and this year should be no different. The schedule has some challenges but isn’t brutal. They play the NFC North which is a challenge but they also get the AFC East and besides the Bills, there isn’t much scary there. The defense got way better as the season went on last year. And they added a lot of great players to that defense. They didn’t change much offensively but I don’t know that they needed to. They have a great running quarterback who has gotten better at throwing. They have a great running back and good enough receivers and tight ends and to me they are clearly the best team in the division. I’ll be shocked if anyone but the Ravens win this division assuming Lamar stays healthy.

Second Place: Cincinnati Bengals (10-7)

The Bengals were amazing on offense most of last year. They were also terrible on defense most of last year. I don’t think much is going to be different this year. But I think the Bengals have a better record mostly because the beginning of their schedule is pretty easy and they are typically terrible at the beginning of the year. Zach Taylor has decided to do things differently to avoid the start being crappy again. Starting with the Browns and Jags should help. If they are 0-2 after those two games then all bets are off and we can assume they will miss the playoffs again. But I think they are just too good offensively. Their coach needs to win and make the playoffs. And as bad as their defense was last year, they still won 9 games and almost made the playoffs. I think they win one more game this year and get in.

Third Place: Pittsburgh Steelers (9-8)

The Steelers made the playoffs again last year. And lost in the first round again last year. So they dumped Russ and Justin Fields and got Aaron Rodgers. This of course was after Rodgers spent sometime in the darkness, supposedly got married and didn’t get any better offers, (cough, cough, the Vikings, cough). So now he is all fired up and ready to go. My favorite part of his marriage was the part where he is looking forward to not being in the spotlight. The guy brings more attention to himself than anyone in the league. Anyway, the Steelers basically have the same problems they always have. They have a great defense but a sub par quarterback with one guy to throw to and a questionable run game. All this equals yet another winning but unsuccessful season.

Fourth Place: Cleveland Browns (4-13)

Usually when I make predictions I look at a teams schedule and go throw game by game and make a prediction. I am just throwing out 4 wins for this Cleveland team. It was going to be because they have 4 quarterbacks but then they just signed another one. This team is a hot mess. There most expensive quarterback isn’t even able to play and if he was they wouldn’t want him to based upon how bad he has been. The drafted two quarterbacks and I don’t think they are that excited about either of them. They don’t have great players to throw to either. They do have a pretty good defense. They are like the Steelers only significantly worse. The only bright spot is that Joe Flacco is probably going to start which means lots of Shane Falco references throughout the season. I know you all can’t wait for that.

Football is back! Okay, it’s just the hall of fame game and you won’t know anyone that is playing but hey…football is football. Leading up to the season starting we will have some fun top 10s. We start with the 10 teams who can win the Super Bowl this season in order of the least likely (#10) to most likely (#1). Let’s do this!

Honorable Mention: Broncos, Bucs and Texans

I think all these teams are very solid but they all have some issue that I don’t feel good enough about to put them on the list. I don’t feel great about the Broncos skill guys. They are okay but not great. The Bucs have defensive issues and the Texans O-line is a mess. Can they win a game or two in the playoffs? Sure. But winning 3 or 4 and a championship is a reach.

10. Bengals

I don’t like the Bengals and their defense is still a disaster. But they are so good offensively that if they get in, you never know. They could make a run. Macauley Culkin is a weirdo but the dude can play some quarterback and he has been clutch in the biggest moments. There just haven’t been any moments since 2022.

9. 49ers

I don’t feel great about the 49ers either. Their receiving room is a mess. They lost a lot of good defensive players on a defense that wasn’t all that good to begin with. But they have the easiest schedule in the league and they usually follow an injury filled season with a season that ends in the Super Bowl or at least the Conference Championship game. The problem is that even when they make the Super Bowl, they still lose.

8. Packers

Packers have a solid defense and a talented offense. They just need the offense to actually perform. Josh Jacobs was outstanding last year and Jordan Love was outstanding the year before. If they can put the two together and the receivers actually catch the ball, they got a shot at this thing.

7. Commanders

In theory, the Commanders got better this offseason and they made it to the Conference Championship game last year. All they need is the defense to be better, Terry McLaurin to work out a new deal with the team and Jayden to be equally awesome to last year. No problem.

6. Lions

The Lions D should be better this year since everyone isn’t injured. Although they have already lost one guy for the season. They also lost both coordinators which doesn’t help. It also doesn’t help that Jared Goff hasn’t been exactly clutch in the big moments. But this is a really good team with a really good coach so they will be in the mix. And hey, something has to go right for the Lions at some point, right?

5. Rams

The Rams played the Eagles the toughest out of anyone in the playoffs. They are a little old offensively and a little young defensively. But if they stay healthy I think they got a shot. And they are one of the few teams with a coach and quarterback that has actually won a Super Bowl.

4. Bills

All Josh Allen and the Bills have to do is beat the Chiefs in the playoffs. And surely they can’t lose to them 5 times in a row can they?

3. Ravens

They have arguably the best roster in the AFC. They are often the best team during the regular season. In the playoffs…not so much. But maybe this is the year.

2. Chiefs

A lot of people are saying the Chiefs are done. They’ve been exposed. The refs aren’t going to help them anymore, blah, blah, blah. But the facts are they have been to 7 straight AFC championships and 5 Super Bowls in 6 years and won 3. So them making the Super Bowl and maybe winning it, shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.

1. Eagles

It’s really hard to repeat as Champions. But it does make it easier when you have the best roster in football. They lost some people on defense but are still solid. They have the best running back in the league running behind the best offensive line in the league with 2 elite receivers and a very good quarterback. I think only injuries or Nick Sirianni doing something nutty keeps them from making it to the NFC championship and having a shot at the repeat.

Every year I do my predictions for each division. I usually start in the East and head across the country west. But this year I thought I’d mix it up and go the other way. So this year we kick things off in the west. While I stand by my predictions I have the right to change them based upon injuries or other drastic issues. But I’m right more than I’m wrong on this so go ahead go make your bets at Vegas based upon this. Let’s start with the AFC.

AFC West

First Place: Kansas City Chiefs (12-5)

The Chiefs are being viewed by many based upon the Super Bowl. I get it is the biggest game of the year and it matters but most of these haters are forgetting to bring logic to this thing. The two teams being talked about as taking the AFC West crown both got blown out in the Wild Card round. But nobody is talking about how the formula is out on how to beat the Broncos and Chargers based upon this. The Chiefs have won the division 9 times in a row. They’ve made 7 straight AFC championships and gone to 5 super bowls in the last 6 years. They still have the best coach and quarterback in the league and a great defensive coordinator and defense. I’m not sure why they are all of the sudden going to fall apart. This feels a lot like 2022 when Tyreek got traded and everyone said the Chiefs were done and then Pat had one of the greatest years ever from a quarterback and they won the Super Bowl. I’m not ready to predict that…yet. But I’ll take them to win the division again. I got to see it before I believe it when it comes to someone else winning this division. I don’t think they will win 15 games again this regular season because the schedule is very tough but I think they could actually be better than last year…just with a worse record.

Second Place: Denver Broncos (11-6)

The Broncos have an incredible defense and it somehow got better in the offseason. So they should be able to stop people consistently. The questions are really on the offense. Bo Nix had a good rookie year but you got to beware of the sophomore slump. They don’t have a ton of offensive weapons and despite having a good offensive line they aren’t really good at running the football. A lot of people are higher on the Broncos then perhaps I am. I know they went 10-7 last year but they only won 2 games against teams with winning records, week 3 against the Bucs and then week 18 against the JV Chiefs. But Sean Payton knows how to win football games and the schedule isn’t too daunting. I think what you will see is a week 18 flex of the Chargers @ Broncos game for the last playoff spot. I trust Payton and Bo in that situation at home more than I do Harbaugh and Herbert in a game that matters.

3rd Place: Los Angeles Chargers 9-8

It’s that time of year again. The time of year where the media celebrates the Chargers division championship before any games are played. Harbaugh is even better in year 2, so they say. Justin Herbert is one of the best quarterbacks in the league until the games start. They got Mike Williams back…oh wait, he retired. Look, I don’t think the Chargers will suck. But I am not sure why they are all of the sudden going to over take the Chiefs. Much like the Broncos, they won a whopping 3 games against teams with a winning record. One against the Bengals who were 1 game about .500 and couldn’t stop anyone and the other 2 against the Broncos. I’m not sure exactly what they did to get significantly better. They will have a good defense and maybe their offensive weapons are slightly better but I don’t see that they did anything to make a leap. And more importantly I am still waiting for Justin Herbert to win a game that matters.

4th Place: Oakland Raiders (7-10)

Raiders gonna Raider. They have been a ridiculous bad team the last couple of decades. But it looks like they have made a few good decisions. Pete Carroll is obviously a step up. And Geno Smith is way better than who they have had at Quarterback over the last few years. They have some good young talent. Their defense is still kind of a mess and they need more receivers but they should be significantly better than they have been. I think they will be a challenging team to deal with. Now Pete Carroll said that they plan to win a lot. He even said he has been winning 10 games for 20 years now. Well Pete didn’t win any games last year and 10 games a year for 20 years is a bit of a stretch. But they will be competitive and their schedule is pretty easy so they could make things more interesting in the division. But then again, they are the Raiders so they will probably be terrible.

NFC West

First Place: Los Angeles Rams (12-5)

Here is what I like about the Rams. I like their coach. I like their young defense. I like their quarterback and skill guys. I like who they are at the end of every season. Here is what I don’t like. Their depth. How they usually start the season. How old some of their key players are. It’s a mixed bag but I’ll still take them to win the division. I think they are the best team in the division with the best coach so I got to pick them. But I am nervous that a couple of injuries could derail things. But I’ll roll with them for now. Also, I think Davante has a great year. Assuming he and Stafford stay healthy.

Second Place: San Francisco 49ers (11-6)

The 49ers are kind of a mess. They had a ton of injuries last year. They lost some good defensive players. All their receivers are injured, disgruntled or in trouble with the law. I think Brock Purdy is pretty good but not great. They are going to be young on defense which could cause problems early. So why do I have them in second place? Well the main reason is the schedule. They have the easiest schedule in the league. When you have an easy schedule and good coaching you typically win a lot of games. Just ask the Chargers of last year. They brought Robert Saleh back and I think he will help the defense improve. Assuming CMC and Kittle stay healthy, this should be a playoff team. And usually the 49ers follow a bad season with a trip to the NFC championship. So I’ll roll with Shanahan and the gang to get things back on track.

Third Place: Arizona Cardinals (9-8)

The big compliment the last couple of years about the Cardinals is they play hard. It’s basically the equivalent to me getting the hustle award in basketball. Hey you’re an average player with minimal talent…but you try real hard. Anyway, there is a lot to like about the Cardinals. There defense is pretty good. They have some good skill guys like McBride, Conner and Harrison Jr. Kyler Murray is fun. The schedule isn’t overly challenging. But it is inevitable that Murray and Conner get injured and their running back depth isn’t great and I don’t know who their back up quarterback is. Ultimately they may have to move on from Murray to finally get their team to the next level. But they should be a fun team this year and I am sure they will hustle…I mean play hard.

Fourth Place: Seattle Seahawks (7-10)

Every offseason a team makes moves that don’t make sense to me. The Seahawks are that team this year. They traded their best receiver. They released their other veteran receiver. They traded their quarterback who was one of 4 guys that threw for over 4,000 yards and a 70% completion ratio. Then they signed the guy right below him in both those categories. The problem is that guy has only been good one time in a system that isn’t yours. And he was terrible down the stretch and you got rid of most of your weapons. Your offensive line is still a struggle and you just added a quarterback who isn’t good under pressure. Sure they still have some nice pieces. But Kenneth Walker will be hurt by week 4 and Smith-Njigba is going to go from always open second option to often double teamed first option. I don’t really trust the coaching staff and I think they got worse talent wise so they will be in the basement.

Tune in Tomorrow for Top 10 Thursday when I cover the top 10 teams that can win the super bowl. And Tune in next week when I breakdown and predict the AFC and NFC North.

We are just 6 weeks away from the NFL Season. Starting next Week, Fifth-Down will be in full effect with our Divisional predictions, more top 10 lists and other shenanigans. But for today I thought since there have been so many bad quarterback rankings this offseason, I would drop an actual accurate one. So here we go, the starting quarterback for every team ranked 1-32 properly and correctly.

1. Patrick Mahomes

We can argue about stats and he had a bad game in the Super Bowl, blah, blah, blah. But the bottom line is anyone you would put in the conversation with him hasn’t really done anything significant to top him. He hasn’t lost to Burrow since the burrowhead comment. He hasn’t lost to Lamar since Tyreek left. And he always loses to Josh in the regular season and then beats him in the playoffs. His stats have been down but that will change this season and then there won’t really be anything to argue about.

2. Josh Allen

If you don’t have Mahomes on your team, you’d pick this guy. The problem with Josh is simple. He can’t beat the Chiefs when it matters. That’s really the only complaint.

3. Lamar Jackson

Some people have Burrow a head of Lamar. That’s dumb. Lamar has multiple MVPs and probably should have had a 3rd last year. His team actually goes to the playoffs regularly and he accomplishes more with less than Burrow does.

4. Joe Burrow

Joe is real good. NFL people think he is amazing. I’m not going to dog him but I will say that we have never seen Joe do anything without elite talent. He went from throwing to Chase and Jefferson in college to throwing to Chase and Higgins in the pros. Tough life.

5. Jalen Hurts

Some people value in season stats. They matter but you know what matters more? Playing big on the biggest stage. Which is what Jalen does. He does what the team asks him to do and if he has to throw a lot he gets it done. Do I think he is as talented as the 4 guys ahead of him? No. And he has a ton of talent around him. But so does Burrow and the results are quite different when it comes to winning.

6. Baker Mayfield

Baker balls out. I’m not sure why people are down on him. I mean the Browns got rid of him but we can all see they are not the best at evaluating quarterbacks. That’s why they have 5 of them right now and none of the 5 would start for any other team in the league besides maybe the Saints. Baker can throw, run and comes through when it matters.

7. Matt Stafford

Matt is old and I worry about him getting injured. But for this year you would take him over pretty much anybody on this list below him.

8. Jared Goff

Jared isn’t exactly clutch and tends to not play his best on the biggest stage. He’s also a lot better indoors than outdoors. But he sure does put up good numbers and win a lot of games. Not sure who else you would put a head of him besides maybe the next guy.

9. Jayden Daniels

There is an argument to put Jayden as high as 4 or 5 after the greatest rookie season ever by a quarterback. But I got to see it again to be sure before I put him up that high. But I’m pretty sure he is the real deal.

10. CJ Stroud

Stroud had a rough go last year at times. But it is hard to play well when no one blocks for you. Just ask Pat after the Super Bowl. But CJ is tough and he has two playoff wins in two years and typically helps his team a lot more than he hurts it so he rounds out the top 10.

11. Justin Herbert

Herbert can be a top 10 quarterback if and when he wins a playoff game.

12. Jordan Love

Love is talented and we saw flashes off and on last year. He was great the second half of the year in 2023. Last year he battled injuries and his receivers dropped the ball a lot. I mean a lot. I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt but he needs to play well all season this year to keep his spot.

13. Dak Prescott

There is a case for Dak to be higher but he is coming off a significant injury and has been in the league long enough to have more success than he has.

14. Brock Purdy

Brock isn’t great but he is better than the rest of unknowns, let downs and question marks that I’m going to list below him.

15. Bo Nix

I’m not sure I believe in Bo yet. He’s like Jayden only not as good. I need to see more before I move him up. But he was pretty good last year.

16. Geno Smith

We know what we have with Geno. He is sort of underrated but not underrated enough to talk a lot about.

17. Kyler Murray

Kyler is a lot of fun to watch play the 10 games a year he plays. But when you are injury prone and really not that good even though you are fun, you sit outside the top 15.

18. Sam Darnold

Ugh. I want to believe Sam is good. I really do. But I don’t think he is.

19. Tua Tagovailoa

Tua could be number 1 on a lot of lists. Most likely to get injured. Most likely to lose a game below freezing. Most likely to rack up yards due to his players taking a 5 yard pass and turning it into 30 yards. And of course hardest quarterback’s name to spell. Unfortunately this is an actual ranking of quarterbacks.

20. Aaron Rodgers

He’s old. He’s weird. He plays for a team that hates offense. What’s not to like?

21. JJ McCarthy

JJ has never played a down. But look what Kevin O’Connell did with Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold. So as long as he isn’t complete garbage, he will do alright.

22. Bryce Young

Young actually showed some promise last year. Do I think he is good? Not really. Do I think everyone else on this list isn’t good…pretty much.

23. Russell Wilson

I mean…he has to be on the list somewhere.

24. Micheal Penix

Penix looked good last year but it was such a small sample that I can’t rank him any higher…yet.

25. Drake Maye

See Michael Penix.

26. Trevor Lawrence

I want Trevor to be good. He is not.

27. Caleb Williams

Some people really like Caleb and want to blame other things for last years failures. I think he just isn’t very good. We will find out who is right starting in about 6 weeks.

28. Cam Ward

Cam is JJ McCarthy without Kevin O’Connell to coach him and worse weapons to throw too.

29. Justin Fields

He’s literally already hurt and it is like day 2 of practice.

30. Colts

When you are deciding between Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson you can’t be ranked higher than 30.

31. Browns

The good news is they have lots of depth at the position. The bad news is all the depth sucks.

32. Saints

The bad news…they don’t know who their starting quarterback will be for 2025. The good news…they can already start preparing for who they will start in 2026 based upon who they will draft with the first pick.

We are just 10 weeks away from the start of the NFL Season! As we get closer I’ll be breaking down my predictions by division and bringing you other football type shenanigans. But until then, we continue to go position by position of the top 10 of my life time. Today we cover the Tight Ends, probably the easiest list I’ve had to come up with a top 10 but a great challenge of ranking them. Let’s dive in.

On the right track but not there yet: George Kittle

Honorable mention: Todd Christensen, Jeremy Shockey, Steve Jordan, Brent Jones, Jay Novacek, Zach Ertz and Ben Watson

10. Jimmy Graham

Jimmy had a solid career and is 4th all time in tds amongst tight ends. He led the league in tds in 2013 and had double digit touchdowns 4 different times. He was a pro bowler 5 times and was an all pro first team once. He just missed being a part of the Saints Super Bowl team and bounced around the league a bit was a strong contributor for most of his career. He only had two 1,000 yard seasons but is still 8th all time in yards amongst tight ends.

9. Greg Olsen

Olsen was always a solid player and sort of a steady eddy until he had a 3 year run when Cam was the Panthers QB. During that 3 year run, he had a thousand yards each season, made the pro bowl, had 77 or more catches and went to a Super Bowl. Injuries derailed his career but he is still 7th all time in yards and 9th in tds among tight ends. He has also become a very solid announcer minus the time he said the refs shouldn’t call a clear penalty on an Eagles player in the Super Bowl a few years ago.

8. Kellen Winslow

Winslow would probably be higher on older people’s lists. His career was short but impactful. I was 8 when he was retired so that definitely factors in. But I think we all remember the image of him being carried off the field after that extremely long playoff game. He is a 5 time pro bowler and a 3 time first team all pro. He led the league in receptions 2 years in a row. He was a pass catching receiver before it was cool. Plus he went to Mizzou. Had he played now, he’d likely have a thousand yards every year.

7. Ozzie Newsome

Ozzie is probably to me what Kellen was to my older brother. He was “the” tight end of my childhood along with Steve Jordan of the Vikings. I remember Ozzie battling it out in the playoffs with Bernie Kosar and the gang. They always came up just short. He was a 3 time pro bowler and AP 1st team once and 2nd team a few other times. He had a thousand yards twice and to this day is 10th all time in yards and 12th in tds. He never had ridiculous stats but was consistent and turned out to be one of the better player to front office workers of all time.

6. Shannon Sharpe

I’m not gonna spend a lot of time here because I can’t stand Shannon Sharpe. For everything I love about his brother, Sterling there is an equal thing I dislike about him. But he was an 8 time pro bowler and 4 time all pro. He won three super bowls and was the tight end of the 90s. He was a great football player even if he sucks as a person. Enough said.

5. Jason Witten

Choosing the top 5 was easy but picking the order was difficult. There is an argument for these 5 guys to be in all sorts of an order. Witten is 5 for me as I put the other 4 a little ahead of him. Witten is second all time in yards only to Tony G. He is 20th all time among all players. He is 6th all time in TDS. He has over 13,000 yards receiving and over 70 tds. He had over a thousand yards 4 times and was a pro bowler a ridiculous 11 times. His longevity playing 17 seasons definitely helped him but he definitely deserves to be on this list and is deserving of a top 5 ranking.

4. Antonio Gates

Gates was touchdown machine, racking up 116 in his career and leads all tight ends in the category. He is 4th in yards and if it wasn’t for the rise of Gronk and Kelce, he may have gone down in history as the second greatest tight end of all time. He’s an 8 time pro bowler and a 3 time all pro. Playing for the Chargers I got to watch Gates play on tv against the Chiefs a lot. He was often dominant but always relevant. He could score from different places on the field but was one of the most dangerous red zone threats ever. He never had much playoff success which is pretty normal for a Charger but he was a hell of a tight end.

3. Tony Gonzalez

Tony G was the tight end for 17 years. He had less than 800 yards only 4 times in his career. He was a pro bowler a ridiculous 14 times. He was a first team all pro 6 times and a second team all pro another 4 times. He is first in receptions, receiving yards and second in touchdowns. He is 6th all time among all players in receiving yards. He’s 8th all time in touchdowns. And only Jerry Rice and Larry Fitzgerald have more catches than him. And he even played for my beloved Chiefs. So what is he doing all the way down at 3rd? Well you can certainly make an argument for him to be number 1. But I watched him play. And I watched the other 2 play. And I know the rules are different and blah, blah, blah. But he never took over games and especially meaningful games the way the other two did. He is an all time great and deserving of the number 1 spot but he is also a head of both statistically partially because of simply playing longer. I mean he has played nearly a hundred more games than Kelce. He gets points for being healthy and effective for so long but push comes to shove, I’m taking the other two over him. It is also fair to put Tony G above them both because Tony did accomplish a lot with mostly average quarterback play…but I digress.

2. Travis Kelce

Travis has done more for my fandom than anyone not named Patrick Mahomes. He’s been amazing. He was awesome before Pat. But his connection with Pat rivals any connection out there. Travis is the only guy to have a thousand yards 7 years in a row. The only reason he didn’t have 8 in a row is because he unselfishly sat out the last game in order to rest up and be healthy for the playoffs. Speaking of playoffs, Kelce is the all time leader in every playoff category among tight ends. He is first all time among all players all time in receptions and trails only Jerry Rice in yards and touchdowns. He’s 3rd all time among tight ends in receptions and yards and 5th in tds. Among all players he is 14th all time in receptions and 28th in yards. He’s been a pro bowler 10 years in a row. He’s an all pro first team 4 times and 2nd team 3 years in a row. He’s had over 100 receptions 3 times. As awesome as he has been in the regular season he is even better in the playoffs. If you took his playoff stats and averaged them out during a season his line would be 121 catches for over 1400 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has the opportunity to move into the first spot but I want to see how he responds to his very off year last year. He looks like he is back in shape so that should help.

1. Rob Gronkowski

I never pretend to be unbiased but I think I have been pretty fair with these lists. I don’t really like Gronk. I think he is annoying. And I am not sure that he is all there. But he was one hell of a tight end. Gronk was unguardable. The only thing that could stop Gronk was injuries. He has the all time record for touchdowns in a season with 17. He’s 10th in receptions, 6th in yards and 3rd in touchdowns. But he did all that in only 143 games. 127 less games than Tony G. He’s a 5 time pro bowler, 4 times all pro and a touchdown machine. Travis looked stoppable last year and Gronk never looked stoppable, he just got hurt. I think Travis can still pass him. But I think if most of us were building a team for one season, one post season run, or one game we would pick Gronk as our tight end. No matter how annoying we might find him.

We are 11 weeks away from the new NFL Season and to lead up to the action, I’m doing a top 10 list for each position of the best players in my life time. We have done Quarterbacks and Running Backs and now we go to perhaps the toughest position, Wide Receiver. There have been so many good receivers over the years with ridiculous stats and impact on the game. It was a real challenge to narrow it down to 10 but that’s why I get paid the big bucks. Not for writing this blog, but for my real job. Anyway, lets dive in.

On the right track but not in the conversation yet: Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams, Jamar Chase and Justin Jefferson

Honorable Mention: Julio Jones, Steve Smith Sr., Isaac Bruce, Tory Holt, Reggie Wayne, Art Monk, Michael Irvin, Andre Johnson, James Loftin, Andre Reed and Sterling Sharpe.

10. Marvin Harrison

Harrison was a machine from 1999 to 2006. He had over a thousand yards and 10 or more touchdowns every year during that stretch. During that stretch he led the league in receptions twice, yards twice and touchdowns once. He was a pro bowler every year during the stretch and either an all pro first team or second team as well. Harrison was a great route runner and was quick and fast. He does lose points for having a top 5 quarterback throwing to him the majority of the time in Peyton Manning. But not enough points to fall off the list. It also helps that he is 5th all time in receiving TDS with 128.

9. Tim Brown

Brown played for the hated Raiders so I got to watch him beat up on my Chiefs twice a year. He came on the scene in 1988 and as a rookie was a pro bowler. Brown gets bonus points for being an exceptional return man too. Injuries slowed him down a little bit early in his career but from 1993 to 2001 he was one of the best receivers in the game. Brown had over a thousand yards every year during that stretch. And unlike Harrison, he did most of his damage with average quarterback play. Brown was also a great return man as I mentioned earlier. He returned 4 kicks for touchdowns in his career and is 6th all time in receiving yards among receivers (7th overall).

8. Mike Evans

Evans is the only active player on my list and perhaps the most controversial. He has never led the league in any major category and one could argue he has never been the best receiver in the league in any given year. But I value consistency. In 11 seasons he has a thousand yards every single year. He joins only Jerry Rice in having that many straight a thousand yard seasons. If he does it again this year, he will be the first player to have a thousand yards in twelve straight seasons. He is the epitome of consistency. And sure he played a couple years with Brady and the last two with Baker but prior to that he played with some real duds. So that makes the feat that much more impressive. He’s a great route runner and wins most 50/50 balls thrown his way. And I am not putting him in here because I am a Mike Evans fan. I’ve never liked the guy ever since he talked smack about Mizzou and Mizzou players back during his college days back at A&M. And I don’t particularly like the Bucs although Baker is hard to cheer against. So the fact that I don’t like Evans makes his accomplishment of making this list even more impressive. But not as impressive as getting a thousand yards 11 seasons in a row. He is also already 9th in receiving tds with 105.

7. Steve Largent

Before there was Jerry Rice, there was Largent. Playing for an up and down Seahawks team without a hall of fame quarterback didn’t stop Largent from holding pretty much every receiving record in the game. During a mostly runnning error from 1978 to 1986, Largent had over a thousand yards a year besides the strike year in 82. He had over 13,000 yards receiving in his career and 100 touchdowns. Many have passed him since he retired in the pass heavy league. But Largent is still number 19 all time in yards and tied for 11th all time with Tim Brown for most receiving tds. And he makes the list for being the clear best receiver in the league during my early childhood.

6. Chris Carter

“All he does is catch touchdowns!” Is what Chris Berman used to say. And Carter did catch a lot of touchdowns. But he also did a lot more than that. Carter’s career got off to a slow start with the Eagles. He was a head case and had some drug problems. He still had 11 touchdowns in 1989. Despite that successful year, Buddy Ryan felt like he needed a change of scenery for his own good and he traded him to the Vikings. Carter started a little slow there but became a full time starter by year 2. From 1993 to 2000 you could make an argument that Carter was the best all around receiver in the league. He wracked up a thousand or more yards every year during that stretch. He had a ridiculous 122 receptions in back to back years. And led the league in touchdowns in 3 of those seasons including 17 in 1995. The Vikings only missed the playoffs one year during that stretch. Carter had over 800 yards and 8 touchdowns during the playoffs during that time despite the Vikings never making it very far. He also mentored this young receiver who turned out pretty good named Randy Moss. Carter is 4th all time in receiving tds with 130.

5. Calvin Johnson

Johnson is only 36th all time in receiving yards but that is just because he pulled a Barry Sanders and retired early. The Lions are so bad that they had not one, but two all time greats retire just so they wouldn’t have to play for them anymore. Johnson was basically unguardable in the league. In just 9 yards Johnson racked up 11,619 yards and 83 touchdowns on 731 receptions. He had over a thousand yards 7 of his 9 seasons and had 12 or more TDs 4 times. In 2011 he had 1,681 yards and 16 touchdowns. He followed that up in 2012 with 122 catches for a ridiculous 1,964 yards. That is a season record and the closest anyone has ever gotten to 2,000 yards receiving. Megatron was a force to be reckoned with. There was no answer for him. In his last season he had 1,214 yards and 9 touchdowns. The only thing that could stop him was the Lions who were so terrible that at age 30 he decided to hang it up just like Barry.

4. Larry Fitzgerald

Larry is second all time in receiving yards and 6th in tds. He finished his career with over 17,000 yards and 121 touchdowns. He had 100 or more catches 5 times in his career. He had over a thousand yards 9 times and led the league in TDS twice. And he did all this playing for the same team. And as an added challenge, that team was the Cardinals. Larry was a big reason the Cardinals ever made the playoffs. In 2008 during their one Super Bowl run, Larry had 30 catches for 546 yards and 7 touchdowns in 4 games! Longevity certainly helped Larry make his way so high on the list but one strength in life is availability and Fitzgerald was available a lot. Larry could run every route and could get open against any coverage. And again, he did all this playing for the Cardinals.

3. Terrell Owens

TO is such a head case that he didn’t even go to his own hall of fame induction. He got traded and released and moved around the league because he was a club house nightmare. But he was a nightmare on the field in a positive way. The guy was a beast on the field. From 2000 to 2004 he didn’t have less than 1100 yards receiving. He finished his 15 year career with 15,934 yards and 153 touchdowns. He is 3rd all time in both yards and tds and 8th in receptions. After a great run with the 49ers he helped lead the Eagles to the Super Bowl where he came back from a severe injury to play in the Super Bowl basically on a broken leg. He caught 9 balls for 122 yards in the game. Due to his beef with Donovan McNabb, he headed to Dallas. He had over a thousand yards and 10 or more touchdowns in all 3 seasons in Dallas. He headed to Buffalo for a year and then spent his final season in Cincinnati where in 14 games he had 983 yards and 9 touchdowns at age 37. I’m pretty sure TO could play right now if he wanted to. The dude is a freak even if he is a complete head case.

2. Randy Moss

Randy is 4th in receiving yards and 2nd in touchdowns despite only being 17th in receptions. That’s how explosive Randy was. He exploded on the scene as a rookie with 1,313 yards and a league leading 17 touchdowns on just 69 catches, winning rookie of the year. His first 6 years in Minnesota were ridiculous. He never had less than 1,200 yards and led the league in tds 3 times. He had some issues in year 7 in Minnesota and then he headed to Oakland were he had one good year and then the following year was a dud. It looked like his career was ending which made him a perfect fit for New England. He had quite the bounce back season on arguably the greatest team ever to not win it all. He had 23 touchdowns on a perfect 16-0 team. The 23 touchdowns is an all time season record. Even the next year with Tom Brady hurt, he still had a thousand yards and 11 tds. When Brady came back the next year he had over 1,200 yards and 13 tds which led the league in tds for the 5th time in his career. Like Owens, Moss would wear out his welcome which led to his exit in New England. He bounced around the rest of 2010 before retiring in 2011. He came out of retirement in 2012 to play for the 49ers. He wasn’t a star but still a contributor to a team that made the Super Bowl. Unfortunately for Moss they fell short and the championship ring eluded him. Moss had his ups and downs but his ups were some of the best receiving years for anyone.

1. Jerry Rice

No surprise here. Rice is the all time leader in yards, tds, and receptions. He’s a 3 time Super Bowl champion and a Super Bowl mvp. He led the league in receiving yards 6 times. He also led the league in TDS 6 times including a then record 22 tds in 1987. He had over a thousand yards 14 times including 11 in a row. At age 40 he had 92 catches for 1,211 yards and 7 tds. He’s the all time post season leader in yards and tds. Only Travis Kelce has more post season receptions. He was an all pro first team 10 times and an offensive player of the year in 1987. He even had 10 rushing tds. He finished his career at age 42 with 1,549 receptions for 22,895 yards and 197 touchdowns. Fitzgerald is second in yards and is over 5,000 yards behind. Larry is also second in receptions and is 100 behind Rice. Showing that Rice didn’t just catch a lot of balls but was explosive as well. And he has 41 more touchdowns than the runner up, Randy Moss in that category. He has the all time record for scrimmage yards and total tds. You can argue about other positions but Jerry Rice is clearly the GOAT receiver.

What did I get right or wrong? Who did I leave off who would be on your list?

Tune in next week when we cover Tight Ends.

We are 12 weeks from the start of the new NFL season so we are filling the gap with a top 10 series based upon who I think are the best players at each position in my lifetime. Last week we did Quarterbacks and I must say besides the 10th spot it was a fairly easy list to come up with. Running backs was a must more difficult list. There is so much to consider but I focused on stats, accolades, winning, versatility, what other players of the time have to say, how they stacked up to their peers at the time and the always important eye test. Let’s dive in.

On the right track but not in the conversation yet: Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey

Honorable Mention: Tony Dorsett, Marcus Allen, Terrell Davis, Jerome Bettis, Curtis Martin, Edgerrin James, Frank Gore and John Riggins

10. Thurman Thomas

The Thurmanator played ball with Barry Sanders at Oklahoma State and got drafted by the Bills where he helped them lose 4 super bowls in a row. Thurman was an excellent runner with power and speed and was exceptional catching the ball out of the back field. He led the league in total scrimmage yards from 89-92. These are mostly the same years that Barry and Emmitt are playing. He rushed for over a thousand yards 8 years in a row and had over 500 yards receiving 5 years in a row. And he was the MVP in 1991. Some will likely argue he doesn’t deserve to be on this list but if you watched him play, you know he was great. He was just overshadowed by two even greater running backs during the same time period.

9. Earl Campbell

Earl almost didn’t make the list, not because he wasn’t great, but because I don’t remember him all that well. What I do remember is the video of him running and people trying to tackle him and them literally ripping his jersey off and him still going. The dude was a beast and darn near unstoppable at times. The way he ran shortened his career but if he was on the field, he was great. He won MVP the year I was born when he ran for 1,697 yards and 19 touchdowns. The next year he just missed running for two thousand yards when he finished with 1,934 yards in just 15 games. His time in the league was short but when he played he was great. He rushed for over a thousand yards 5 years in his first 6 and was offensive rookie of the year and finished no lower than second in the MVP voting his first 3 years. As a bonus, we have the same last name.

8. Derrick Henry

After a little bit of a slow start his first couple of seasons, Henry has been the most dominant running back of his era and it isn’t particularly close. In the last 7 seasons, he has ran for over a thousand yards 6 times and the one year he didn’t he only played 8 games because of injury and he still ran for 937 yards! He ran for over 2,000 yards in 2020. And last year everyone said he was washed and all he did was run for nearly 2,000 yards again and 16 touchdowns. Much like Mahomes in the last list, he still has time to move up or down this list. But for now he is at 8.

7. Adrian Peterson

AP bounced around a lot the second half of his lengthy career but during the majority of his time in Minnesota he was dominant. He rushed for over a thousand yards 7 of his first 9 seasons and 970 yards in 12 games in one of the other years. During that same stretch he never had less than 10 rushing touchdowns. The one year he didn’t rush for a lot of yards was because he was hurt and only played 1 game. He led the league in rushing 3 times including rushing for over 2,000 yards in 2012 and winning the league MVP. Injuries plagued him the second half of his career but he still managed to rush for over a thousand yards at the age of 33. He was also above average catching the ball out of the backfield. He is 5th all time in rushing yards.

6. LaDanian Tomlinson

LT was special. He rushed for over a thousand yards his first 8 seasons. In 2006 he ran for over 1,800 yards and a ridiculous 28 touchdowns. In a 4 year stretch he rushed for 17, 18, 28, and 15 touchdowns. He never had less that 10 rushing touchdowns in his first 9 seasons. He was the MVP in 2006 when he had 31 total TDs. He was a solid receiver who racked up yards that way as well. And he could even throw. For his career, he was a ridiculous 8 of 12 for 143 yards and 7 touchdowns! There is definitely an argument to put him higher, but I just couldn’t quite do it based upon the my top 5 guys.

5.Marshall Faulk

Perhaps the greatest dual threat running back of all time, Faulk could do it all. He was good in Indy, so good in fact that they couldn’t afford him anymore. His last year with the Colts he ran for 1,319 yards and had 908 yards in the air. Then the next year in St. Louis (back when they had a team), he ran for over 1,300 yards again and had over a thousand yards receiving. During his first 3 years in St. Louis, he was offensive player of the year 3 times, MVP once and finished second in MVP voting the other two years. He also won a super bowl. The two years he finished second, it was only to his own quarterback. In 2000 he had 26 total tds and in 2001 he had 21. He rushed for over a thousand yards 7 times and was still a big time contributor until his last year in 2005.

4. Emmitt Smith

Emmitt is challenging to judge. Statistically he is arguably the best ever. He is the all time rushing leader. He led the league in rushing 4 times. He ran for over a thousand yards 11 years in a row. He won 3 super bowls in 4 years. He was the MVP in 1993. He rushed for 21 and 25 tds in back to back seasons. He is the all time leader in attempts, yards, rushing tds and total touches. So why is he only 4th? He ran behind arguably the greatest offensive lines of all time on one of the greatest dynasties of all time with a hall of fame receiver and quarterback, a great tight end and one of the greatest fullbacks of all time. He wasn’t fancy. He was just ridiculously good. But when you have all that talent around you plus the eye test of the 3 guys a head of him, I just couldn’t rank him any higher than 4.

3. Eric Dickerson

Many of you will probably think I have Dickerson too high. But he and Dan Marino were who got me interested in football. He was such a force and seemed like a unicorn that no one compared to. There were other greats before him and after him but to me his first four years in the league can match up to any player ever. During that stretch, he ran for over 1,800 yards 3 times and ran for over 2,000 yards once. He led the league in scrimmage yards 3 out of four times and never had fewer than 11 rushing touchdowns. He was quick, powerful and he wore those awesome goggles. What more could you ask for? During that same stretch he was second in MVP voting 3 times, All pro 3 times (5 times total) and offensive rookie of the year. Even when he left the Rams to head to the Colts he broke a thousand yards 3 times including rushing for 1,659 yards in his first full season there. Injuries began to take a toll after that as he only played one more full season. But from 1983 to 1989 his lowest rushing total was 1,234 and he had 11 or more rushing TDs 5 times. The guy was a machine. And again…the goggles!

2. Walter Payton

Sweetness was a force to be reckoned with. Many of us remember him playing for one of the greatest teams ever, the 85 Bears. But that is not the team he joined way back in 1975. The Bears were a perennial loser and only made the playoffs twice in Walter’s first 9 seasons. Payton literally dragged his team to the playoffs in 1977 when he ran for 1,852 yards, 14 TDs and had 2,121 yards from scrimmage and 16 total TDs. He won the MVP that year and was pretty much their only offensive weapon for the better part of a decade. Walter could do it all, run, catch and throw. He threw 6 touchdowns during his career. He would run by you, around you and through you. Even when his team was good, they still had average quarterback play and relied heavily on him. He was a 9 time pro bowler, 5 time first team all pro, Offensive player of the year and MVP. From 1976 to 1986 there was only one year that he didn’t rush for over a thousand yards and that was the strike year. He also played in every game possible during that stretch, proving to be one of the most durable players at his position despite being a physical runner. And he is a super bowl champion. All of that puts him at number 2 on the list and it turns out he was a pretty good guy too. So good that an annual award is named after him.

1. Barry Sanders

I firmly believe the only people who don’t think he is number one have never watched him play. Barry only played 10 years in the league and is still 4th in all time rushing yards. He ran for 1,300 yards or more in every season but one. In that season he only played 11 games and he still ran for 1,115 yards. He is one touchdown away from 100 which puts him at averaging 9.9 tds a year. He was an all pro first team 6 times and the other 4 years he was second team all pro. He was a pro bowler every year. He led the league in rushing 4 times. He had over 2,000 yards in 1997. He was offensive rookie of the year, offensive player of the year twice and MVP once. He averaged a ridiculous 5 yards a carry. In his last season he played all 16 games, ran for 1,491 yards, had 289 yards receiving and showed no signs of slowing down. Then I bought tickets to see him play in Minnesota and he retired. He played for the Lions so I don’t blame him. But if he had played half as well for another 2 or 3 years he would hold every rushing record possible. He was only 30 when he retired. He averaged 1,527 yards a season! That’s ridiculous. It’s arguably the greatest statistical 10 year period for any athlete in any team sport. On top of that he was the most amazing runner I have ever seen play. He would make 4 guys miss before he got back to the line of scrimmage. That’s how good he was and how bad the lions were. You may have issues with other parts of my list, but Barry is the Goat…no question.

Let me know what I got right, wrong or who would be on your list. And tune in next week when I cover the top 10 Receivers of my life time.