Four teams lost in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, but only one is set up best for success next season. The 2019 NFL Offseason begins for Seattle, Chicago, Baltimore, and Houston. Who is better off?
After an exciting opening weekend to the NFL postseason, which wildcard loser is in the best shape heading into NFL offseason 2019 and next season? We have four choices, each with exciting quarterbacks and coaches of note. Their defenses aren’t half bad either. Yet all lost and must now look towards the NFL offseason 2019, so who is set up best for success?
Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate NFL Offseason 2019 in today’s NFL Sports Debate.
Is it the Houston Texans?
They won an incredibly competitive division and have building blocks on both sides of the ball. However, the offensive line is a mess, and the defense got shredded by Marlon Mack.
Is it the Seattle Seahawks?
They avoided an expected down year to get back into the playoffs and still have Russell Wilson to lean on. But they are continually surrounding Wilson with fewer and fewer difference makers.
Is it the Baltimore Ravens?
They uncorked their likely quarterback of the future, stemming what could have been an awkward transition out of the old system. Through that switch, they still managed to win the AFC North and host a playoff game. And yet, Baltimore looked the shakiest of any playoff team this year. Before a late comeback attempt, the Ravens were actually in negative passing yards for much of their game and people wondered if Joe Flacco was going to get another chance.
Is it the Chicago Bears?
If not for Cody Parkey hitting the upright and the crossbar on his last-second field goal attempt, Chicago would have advanced. The Bears won the vicious NFC North and formed the best defense in the league. But the offense was a problem in the postseason game, especially on the ground. And will this defense be a perennial leader or remind us of the Jacksonville Jaguars one year later?
Todd Salem:
In my mind, a team being set up for 2019 is all about having the building blocks in place. That includes quarterback, head coach, front office, and a handful of other blue chip players. Everything else turns over too much to rely on. So who is in the best shape of this group? I know it seems ridiculous, but isn’t it Seattle still? The Seahawks were arguably the worst playoff team in the league depending on who you asked, but with Wilson and Pete Carroll, they also have the best leadership pair of this quartet of teams.
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The cap has forced them to jettison a number of their best players over the past few years, but that issue is cyclical. If they come out the other end, another contender can be built around Wilson’s $25 million cap hit and likely extension. With Chris Carson and Tyler Lockett as complementary pieces on offense and Bobby Wagner still headlining the defense, there is scaffolding in place.
None of these other teams have that guaranteed star at quarterback, nor at head coach. That may be simplified math, but the blueprint in Seattle is superior to that of Houston, Baltimore, or Chicago. And if the rest of their rosters were that much better, they wouldn’t have lost in the first round of the playoffs!
Dan Salem:
A great quarterback and head coach are certainly the blue prints for sustained NFL success, so where does this leave our four Wildcard Playoff losers heading into the NFL offseason 2019? Below are the quarterback and coaching pairs for all four teams. Beside each name are a few superlatives. “SB” is for a Super Bowl win, “star” is for a player/coach that everyone agrees is next level, “up” is for a player/coach heavily trending up. Let’s see how each team scores.
Seattle Seahawks: Pete Carroll (SB) – Russell Wilson (SB)(star)
Chicago Bears: Matt Nagy (star)(up) – Mitch Trubisky (up)
Baltimore Ravens: John Harbaugh (SB) – Lamar Jackson (up)
Houston Texans: Bill O’Brien (up) – Deshaun Watson (star)(up)
Its no surprise that the two young coaches are both trending up, while the two older coaches have Super Bowl titles on their resumes. Of the four coaches, only Nagy is truly being considered a star for how he turned the Bears around and went “worst to first” this past season.
I personally give Nagy the edge in the coaching department, yet its hard to argue with how Carroll has kept the Seahawks on top through a gutting of his roster. Harbaugh and O’Brien did more with less this year, but neither makes me go ‘wow’ you’re awesome.
Only one quarterback holds a ring, while three are trending up. This is not a knock on Wilson, who is fully cemented as a star player and has no higher to climb. He also has the Super Bowl ring and obviously holds the edge among these four quarterbacks. Watson has the potential to reach Wilson’s level and is the only other ‘star’ on this list right now. Jackson is a true wildcard with a solid rookie year to lean on, while Trubisky keeps getting better and runs a consistently successful offense.
Its unfair to ignore the rest of the team, but all four of these wildcard losers had a very good defense in 2018. All four need another blue chip talent on offense to compliment their quarterback. Let’s keep it simple and come to a verdict solely based on coach and quarterback. The Houston Texans are set up best for the 2019 NFL offseason and next season.
Watson erased all questions about his abilities in year two, successfully returning from injury as well. Houston rebounded from a dismal September to dominate an extremely competitive division. Wilson and Carroll of the Seahawks might have a higher pedigree, but their upside and ceiling are lower going forward. I trust Watson to return a winner and win the AFC South once again.