The 2014 NFL season is finally over, and we have a new Super Bowl champion in the New England Patriots. While the memories of the season that was are still fresh, it’s time to take a quick look at the upcoming 2015 season.
Will the Patriots once again reign supreme? Can the Seahawks recover? Or will a new challenger rise up to Super Bowl 50? Read on as we give you five things to look out for in the 2015 NFL season.
For a complete recap of Super Bowl XLIX, click here, or read on for more on the season to come.
[sc:Football ]2015 NFL Season Preview
Darrelle Revis Stays with the Patriots
[sc:NFL240banner ]The New England Patriots (+700) are one of the favorites to win Super Bowl 50 and rightfully so. Tom Brady dismantled the league’s best defense with some beautiful, clutch football. He finished with 328 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. Brady now holds the record for most touchdown passes in the Super Bowl (13).
The Super Bowl-winning offense will be intact with the unstoppable force that is Rob Gronkowski and ever reliable receivers Brandon LaFell and Julian Edelman. Still, the Pats would not be as successful if not for their talent on the other side of the ball.
The key for the 2015 Pats season would be Darrelle Revis’ return. With a Super Bowl under New England’s belt, the best shutdown cornerback in the league may decide to settle with the Pats for less money than he’d make elsewhere. Expect Revis back in New England.
The Steelers and Ravens Represent AFC North in the Playoffs Again
Expect the Pittsburgh Steelers (+2,800) and the Baltimore Ravens (+2,800) in a tight race for the AFC North title once again in 2015, with both making the playoffs.
Pittsburgh will be powered by an excellent trio on offense. Ben Roethlisberger finished first in the NFL with 4,952 yards passing and had 32 touchdowns, running back Le’Veon Bell was behind only Dallas’ Murray with 1,361 rushing yards and eight scores, and Antonio Brown led the league with 1,698 yards receiving and 13 touchdowns. The three make up league’s third-best offense which averaged 387 total yards per game.
Meanwhile, Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco had the most productive season of his career. He set career-highs of 3,986 yards passing and 27 touchdown passes. Part of Flacco’s success is a strong running game to lean on with Justin Forsett and his league-leading 5.4 yards per carry in the regular season.
While Flacco and Forsett do their thing on offense, Elvis Dumervil (17 sacks) has been busy on the other side of the ball. Dumervil led the Ravens to the second-best pass rush in the league with 49 sacks in the regular season.
The Dallas Cowboys Let Go of DeMarco Murray, Keep Dez Bryant
DeMarco Murray played all 16 games of the regular season for the first time in his career this season. He also recorded career-highs of 392 carries and 1,845 yards, both tops in the NFL. Still, running backs who’ve had 370 or more carries in a season have historically had a steep decline in the seasons following the mega workload. The Dallas Cowboys could afford Murray, but may not choose to invest too much on a running back they’ve just finished wearing into the ground.
Given Dallas’ excellent offensive line, they may not need Murray in their backfield to run the ball effectively. They have a viable option in second-year running back Joseph Randle. Randle managed 6.7 yards per carry and three touchdowns on 51 attempts in the regular season, tearing off runs of 38, 40 and 65 yards.
The Cowboys may also be able to snatch a quality running back, such as Melvin Gordon, in the upcoming draft. Gordon led the NCAA with 2,587 yards rushing and 29 scores last year.
If Murray walks (or should we say, runs), Dallas will have enough space to keep Dez Bryant as a weapon for Tony Romo. Bryant was one of the best receivers of the 2014-2015 NFL season, finishing with 1,320 yards and a league-leading 16 touchdowns.
The Seattle Seahawks Remain a Force in the NFC
Nice try, Seahawks.
It’s back to the drawing board for Seattle after a gut-wrenching 28-24 loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX. However, they’ll enter the 2015 season with their roster mostly intact. One of the key free agents-to-be in Marshawn Lynch was offered a monster contract extension before the Super Bowl.
Considering the Seahawks will also maintain most of their core defensive players as well, they may be up for another dominant run in the NFC. With the Arizona Cardinals’ starting quarterback Carson Palmer returning from yet another ACL reconstruction and the San Francisco 49ers amidst a coaching change, not much stands between the Seahawks and another NFC West title.
As it stands, the Seahawks are the odds-on favorite to win Super Bowl 50 at +550.
The Green Bay Packers Make the NFC Championship Game
The Green Bay Packers (+750) are sitting pretty this offseason. There’s no free agent larger than wide receiver Randall Cobb for the Packers to re-sign. They have just enough cap space to sign him up, together with fellow free agents-to-be right tackle Bryan Bulaga and cornerback Tramon Williams.
Cobb is an important cog in the Aaron Rodgers-powered passing game of the Packers. He finished the season with 1,287 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns as the 1B option next to Jordy Nelson. With Cobb returning, then the Packers offense will still be a handful for opposing teams next season. They have the reigning MVP in quarterback Aaron Rodgers, excellent playmakers in Nelson and the aforementioned Cobb, and an exceptional running back in Eddie Lacy.
Expect the Packers to be in the forefront of the NFC title race next season.
Writer’s Prediction
The Packers were an onside kick recovery away from a trip to Super Bowl XLIX. Expect Green Bay to iron out their kinks and win Super Bowl 50 next season. Create a betting account and get your picks in early for another amazing season in the NFL.
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