The Good

For the most part, the Buffalo Bills roster heading into the 2023-2024 season looks the same. They did lose a key defensive piece in Tremaine Edmunds but were able to bring in Leonard Floyd in free agency. Floyd will help solidify the Bills defense as he finished the last three seasons with at least 9 sacks. Pairing him with the likes of Von Miller, Ed Oliver and Shaq Lawson will give the Bills an elite pass rush. The only real weakness as of now on this defense is at the middle linebacker spot where the Bills will rely on journeyman A.J. Klein.

On the offensive side of the ball, it’s all about Josh Allen. After a rough rookie campaign, Allen has shown he belongs in the elite tier of NFL quarterbacks. Allen has thrown for 4,000+ yards and 35+ touchdowns in the last three seasons and continues to impress with his arm. Allen finished first in total air yards last season with 2,837. The only real concern right now with Allen is the risk of injury. To combat that he has recently stated that he wants to become more of a pocket passer going forward. If the Bills want to win a Super Bowl they have to have Josh Allen healthy and he is starting to realize that.

The Bad

As I eluded to before there are off-the-field distractions that many haunt the Bills going forward. In the blowout loss against the Bengals Stefon Diggs was not happy and let his frustrations be known. This was not the first time Diggs was seen on the sidelines arguing with teammates and it’s something to watch closely. Diggs was also notably absent from the first day of OTA’s which head coach Sean McDermott admitted was concerning. There seems to be some tension behind the scenes between Diggs and the Bills. If they can’t figure out a resolution it could end up derailing their season.

The Prediction

Although the Buffalo Bills will still be in the hunt for the playoffs, I expect them to take a step back next season. The AFC East will be the best division in football and the Bills have the 4th toughest schedule in 2023. According to Vegas, the current projected win total for Buffalo is 10.5 and I think that is spot on. I have the Bills finishing slightly over that with 11 wins. They will once again be in the playoffs but can they finally make a run?

2023 Record: 11-6

The post Buffalo Bills Record Prediction for 2023 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears had a decision to make this offseason. They could keep the #1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and draft a quarterback or they could trade the pick and stick with Justin Fields. After much speculation the Bears decided to stick with Fields and in return received a nice trade package. They now have extra picks to build for the future and D.J. Moore who was included in the deal.

I expect Justin Fields to continue his rise and carry the Bears to the playoffs. D.J. Moore will give Fields a much needed receiving weapon and tight end Cole Kmet will take another step forward. The Bears defense should also improve as they added stud linebacker Tremaine Edmunds in free agency. Look for the Bears to grab one of the NFC Wild Card spots next year.

Las Vegas Raiders

In 2022, the Raiders finished with a record of 6-11. When you look back at their year they had several close losses including two overtime defeats. It’s clear they were a better team than their record indicated, they just need to learn how to finish games. With Derek Carr now in New Orleans, Las Vegas will look to Jimmy Garoppolo to help them take the next step.

Garoppolo may not be the most talented quarterback in the league but he is a winner. With a career record of 40-17, he has shown when healthy he can lead a team to the playoffs. Running back Josh Jacobs should have another monster year and he recently landed at #2 in our best running backs in 2023 list. If the defense can show improvement, I expect the Raiders to finish 2nd in the AFC West.

New Orleans Saints

Going into the 2023 season one thing is clear, the NFC South is the worst division in the NFL. Three of the four teams are in rebuilding mode and now is the time for the Saints to capitalize. New Orleans wasted little time in grabbing Derek Carr when he became available this offseason. Carr should elevate this offense which hopes to have Michael Thomas back healthy. The pieces are there for the Saints to make a run and they look like the clear leaders of the division.

The post 3 Surprise NFL Playoff Teams in 2023 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

IDP scoring can vary greatly from league to league but for these rankings, we used the standard IDP format. Before you look at our top 50 IDP player rankings let’s point out some players to watch.

IDP Players to Watch

Bobby Okereke (New York Giants – LB) | The New York Giants had an impressive free agency period and they topped it off with the signing of Bobby Okereke. The former Indianapolis Colts linebacker finished 2022 with 151 combined tackles including 6 TFLs. Expect similar numbers from Okereke next season along with an uptick in sacks.

Tremaine Edmunds (Chicago Bears – LB) | Another new face in a new place, Tremaine Edmunds was one of the best defensive players available this offseason. He ended up signing on with the Chicago Bears and should immediately elevate their defense. Edmunds had 102 combined tackles, 6 TFLs and 1 sack for the Bills last season in only 13 games. If Edmunds can stay healthy for the Bears, he could end up finishing in the top 10 overall.

Derwin James (Los Angeles Chargers – S) | Derwin James has been one of the best defensive players in the league since he was drafted by the Chargers. When healthy, the star safety stuffs the stat sheet and can be seen making plays all over the field. He finished 2022 with 115 combined tackles, 2 INTs and 4 sacks. If James can play in all 17 games expect another big output from him.

The post 2023 IDP Rankings appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Chicago Bears: How Big Is The Jump Of Justin Fields This Season?

The Chicago Bears killed the offseason. Fresh off a regular season where Justin Fields looked electric, the future seemed bright for the Bears. They traded the top overall pick for multiple picks and D.J. Moore. They signed big names on defense such as Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards. Their offense was reloaded with the signings of D’Onta Foreman and Robert Tonyan. All these transactions positively impacted the offense and defense. Giving Fields all these weapons will make the Bears look much improved and will be a stepping stone for the future.

Detroit Lions: Are The Lions The Best Team In The Division?

After all the jokes and miserable seasons, the Detroit Lions may be the best team in the NFC North. The Bears and the Packers still have their young QBs so a rough road is expected. The Vikings are dealing away key players left and right. That leaves the Lions. They ended the season winning eight of their last ten games. Jared Goff is probably the most competent QB in the division and HC Dan Campbell is making them believe. They improved their team by signing David Montgomery and C.J. Gardner-Johnson and drafted a strong group that can make an impact. Now might be the time Lions fans. The 2023 season could be a special one.

Green Bay Packers: Will Jordan Love Be The Future Of The Packers?

The Aaron Rodgers era is over and the Packers move on to their next QB. It was amazing luck that they went from a Hall of Fame QB to another Hall of Fame QB. Now, all eyes are on Jordan Love. He signed a one-year extension worth up to $22.5 M. The Packers did add some help by drafting three offensive weapons with their first four picks of the draft. He’ll still have Aaron Jones and Christian Watson to aid him. If Aaron and the Packers felt he was ready, they wouldn’t have traded away Rodgers. Love hopes to show the promise scouts saw him when he was drafted.

Minnesota Vikings: Is A Rebuild On The Way?

The Minnesota Vikings were disappointed with the way they finished their season. A sad loss in the Wild Card round to the Giants may have shown that Minnesota’s regular season may have been just a fluke. Now, there are a lot of questions, especially with the recent moves of the front office. They released Adam Thielen, Eric Kendricks and traded Za’Darius Smith. All three are high-level players for the Vikings last year. There are rumors that Dalvin Cook will be waived if no one will trade for him. Amidst all the chaos, it feels like a shakeup is on the way and more names will be on the move in the future.

The post NFC North: Biggest Question to be Answered Per Team appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Las Vegas Raiders

One of the biggest moves of the day was the Raiders signing quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. This move made sense for a bunch of reasons. The obvious one is the connection with head coach Josh McDainels. On top of that the Raiders offense is full of weapons. Josh Jacobs is coming back on the franchise tag. You have one of the best receivers in the game in Davante Adams and if Darren Waller is healthy watch out. The Raiders also made another sneaky good move this morning acquiring former Patriots stand out Jakobi Meyers. Adams, Meyers and Hunter Renfrow on paper can be one of the best wide receiver groups in the league.

Chicago Bears

The Bears are having an excellent offseason. Not only did they get a haul of picks for the #1 pick in this year’s draft they also acquired stud WR D.J. Moore in the deal. On Monday the Bears worked to sure up one of their biggest weaknesses by acquiring two stud linebackers. Tremaine Edmunds was arguably the best linebacker available and he signed a 4 year deal with Chicago. They also signed LB T.J. Edwards who was a solid piece for the Eagles defense last year. I still expect the Bears to pick up some offensive lineman in the coming weeks.

Atlanta Falcons

Another team that impressed on day 1 of NFL free agency was the Falcons. Early in the day they acquired TE Jonnu Smith from the Patriots while only giving up a 7th round pick. I am really intrigued on how Smith will fit with Kyle Pitts and expect the duo to work well together. Later in the day the Falcons signed former Bengals S Jessie Bates. Bates is underrated in my opinion. He is an excellent safety whom is great against the run. The Falcons were not done as early this morning they picked up QB Taylor Heinicke on a 2 year deal. Heinicke showed in Washington he is an excellent back up that can be called upon if needed to win big games.

The post Winners From Day 1 of NFL Free Agency appeared first on Pro Football Mania.