16. Pittsburgh Steelers
I will admit, I’m extremely skeptical that the Steelers’ marriage with Aaron Rodgers – the only Aaron Rodgers marriage we know about – is going to work out this season. This is supposed to be the swan song for Rodgers in the NFL, and something about it just feels off. We saw Rodgers playing well late last season for the Jets, but he’s once again got completely new surroundings. I believe in the inevitability of Mike Tomlin, however, so I would have to guess that nine wins for this team is probably the floor…right? The question is, what is the ceiling?
15. Los Angeles Chargers
This offseason has been rather terrible for the Chargers. It’s been a mixed bag in terms of guys coming and going, especially because Chargers fans were all clamoring for Keenan Allen’s return to Los Angeles. With that said, the injury to Rashawn Slater at left tackle threw a wrench in the Chargers’ offensive plans, and the situation with Najee Harris has been very concerning. Saying goodbye to Joey Bosa might have been addition by subtraction, but the ceiling for this team’s pass rush didn’t get any higher with the moves they made.
14. Houston Texans
The more I have thought about the Houston Texans last season, the less I’m feeling them as a top-10 team this coming year. CJ Stroud has a revamped offensive line in front of him, but the Texans made so many changes there that it’s hard to imagine they have fixed everything overnight. The addition of Nick Chubb might be a fortuitous one for this team as Joe Mixon’s injury seems to be more serious than anyone expected. With concerns on the offensive line, it might be the defense carrying this team in 2025.
13. Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings won 14 games last year with Sam Darnold at the quarterback position, and I think that pretty much shocked everyone. Now, we’re really going to see Kevin O’Connell’s Coach of the Year credentials put to the test, as he’s no longer working with a reclamation project but his own first-round pick. JJ McCarthy is coming off of a major injury and has inherited a team that won 14 games last season. The pressure is going to be off the charts for the young quarterback, but it’s nothing he’s not already used to. McCarthy has ice in his veins. It might take him some time, but he should be operating the Minnesota offense at a high level by midseason, if not sooner.