Overseasfan":2ji01kj7 said:
What I expect right now is the NFC to be a 4-way competition between the Hawks, Packers, Panthers and Cardinals. I'm not quite sold on the Packers winning the NFC, they are a good team but just not an extremely great team at the moment. Cardinals could do absolutely nothing against us in week 17, then barely beat a gimped Packers team and then lost big time to Carolina. I think while they might improve somewhat defensively, their offense will probably take a hit. I see them as the least likely of these four teams to go the Bowl. Carolina was the top dog last year but the hangover and losing their best defensive back will definitely hurt them. They will be tough to beat but I think these things put us slightly above them at the moment.
In the Bowl we'll then probably face either the Steelers or the Patriots. I feel like we're a bit of a mismatch for their style of play. I have a feeling that our offense can score a lot easier against their defenses than their offenses can against our D.
Barring injury or key players suddenly going into a huge slump I feel like we have a good shot at winning another Superbowl this year.
I agree with you that these are four teams worth keeping an eye on, but I would caution against thinking those are our only threats. There is almost always a surprise contender. In 2012 it was us. In 2013 it was Carolina. In 2014 it was the Cowboys. Last year the Vikings almost knocked us out of the playoffs. Nobody saw that coming before the start of the year.
Dallas is primed for a comeback with Romo presumably healthy and a 4th-place schedule. The Bucs could make a Vikings-like improvement in Winston's 2nd year. The Giants loaded up in free agency and may be a threat.
However, with all that said, I agree with your overall premise. I think we're better than all the other NFC teams and should be the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.