2018 NFL Season: Ranking Likeliest Worst-to First Teams
By Erik Lambert
One of the most enjoyable things about the 2018 NFL season will be the chance to see at least one team completely turnaround their fortunes.
Few things are better than a worst-to-first story. Ask the Los Angeles Rams. They were the true shocker of the 2017 season and suddenly look like a microwave Super Bowl contender. Thus the question will inevitably come up again this year. Who will be the team that likely takes that giant step from the cellar to the penthouse? There are eight teams around the league who qualify as possibilities. Here’s a ranking from the least likely to the most likely to pull it off and why.
#8: Cleveland Browns
The good news? That wealth of draft picks piled up for this year wasn’t wasted. It looks like the Browns stockpiled some truly intriguing talent on both offense and defense. Their future should be set up well. The bad news? They finished 0-16, sit in a strong division and are run by a head coach who continues to show no signs that he’s up to the task in front of him. In other words, it would be a true football miracle if the Browns somehow won that division.
#7: New York Jets
The Jets had their last big opportunity at the playoffs in 2015. Now they’re clearly a team that’s rebuilding. Everybody hates that word but the good news is it’s coming along faster than usual. They’ve already built a strong foundation on defense. Now they have their quarterback of the future in place with Sam Darnold. There is still work to be done and the New England Patriots are still in the way. Nobody other than them has won the AFC East since 2008. That doesn’t figure to change.