The NFL will finish the 2020 season.

It seems ridiculous to have to put this in a preview article, but we’ve also never before seen a year like 2020 before. The coronavirus pandemic has affected every aspect of our lives and led to the craziest baseball and basketball seasons ever. The NFL remains determined to start on time, play all 16 regular season games, conduct a full postseason, and do so even if it means playing games without fans in the stands. With all the financial implications at stake, Roger Goodell will make sure the NFL powers through any positive COVID tests. Years from now when we look back on the 2020 NFL season, we’ll see that all 256 regular season games were played and a Super Bowl champion was indeed crowned.

 

They might not be using the term ‘Dream Team’ in Tampa Bay but what else do you call an offensive skill position corps that added Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski in the same offseason plus LeSean McCoy and Leonard Fournette?

 

Brady/Mike Evans/Chris Godwin/Gronk/O.J. Howard/Cameron Brate will keep opposing defensive coordinators up at night. And this team won’t be all offense either. Don’t forget that this defense was first in rushing yards allowed per carry last season and led the NFL in sacks from Week 10 on. This team has Super Bowl aspirations and has every right to feel that way. You’ll see Tampa Bay playing a postseason game for the first time since Jon Gruden was head coach.

 

For the first time since I was in third grade (I’m 30 years old now), Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are on separate teams. After an offseason of touting up 2019 fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham as Brady’s replacement, New England took advantage of the opportunity to sign a former NFL MVP at a league-minimum price. The possibilities in which Josh McDaniels utilizes Cam Newton are endless.

 

Brady is an all-time great, but he never offered the running prowess of Newton. Assuming Newton can return fresh from last year’s season-ending Lisfranc injury, he gives the Patriots a freakishly talented weapon. Newton has served as his own goal line back for years, running in 58 touchdowns from 2011-’18. Don’t expect to see the quick-strike methodical New England offense we’ve seen for two decades with Newton under center.

 

It’s doubtful Newton is the long-term answer in New England given the tread on his tires, but it’s reasonable to expect flashes of the old Supercam in 2020. Newton will start 13 games, account for 22 total touchdowns, and lead four fourth-quarter comebacks.

 

After 14 years of starting every single game for the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, Philip Rivers left for Indianapolis and no one seemed to notice. Rivers is coming off a down year, seeing a 12-year low in touchdown passes (23) and throwing 20 interceptions for the third time in his career. But he can still push the football down the field.

 

Rivers’ 2019 stats – 66.0 completion percentage and 7.8 yards per attempt average – offer belief that he has several years left to play. He’s reunited with his former offensive coordinator in Frank Reich, and he’s playing behind by far the best offensive line of his career. Couple that with a second-round rookie running back in Jonathan Taylor, and a fairly soft opening schedule, and Rivers will have the Colts at 4-0 early on.

 

You’re not wrong if you say the Bosas are the best pass-rushing duo in the NFL and you’re not wrong if you pick the Watts. Rarely, if ever, have we seen a brother tandem of such superstardom caliber at essentially the same position.

 

Projected sacks in 2020:

T.J. Watt: 22.0

Nick Bosa: 13.5

Joey Bosa: 11.5

J.J. Watt: 10.0

 

T.J. Watt’s 22 sacks make him an easy Defensive Player of the Year selection, giving the Watt brothers four such awards in a nine-year span.

 

Quenton Nelson becomes the first player in the history of the National Football League to start his career 3-for-3 in terms of 16-game seasons and First-Team AP All-Pro selections. The closest we’ve seen to this happening at any position is both Barry Sanders and Earl Campbell at 46 games played and three All-Pros.

 

Jason Kelce starts all 16 games and earns his fourth consecutive First-Team AP All-Pro selection. That will make him the eight offensive player in history to pull off that accomplishment (16 starts and an All-Pro) for four consecutive years. Only two (Jerry Rice and Alan Faneca) won a Super Bowl during their run.

 

The best right tackle – and maybe offensive lineman? – in the NFL, Mitchell Schwartz, finally breaks through with that all-elusive Pro Bowl selection. Schwartz has been dominant via PFF’s metrics and the All-Pro voting, but for some reason, can’t catch a break when it comes to Pro Bowl voting.

 

Baker Mayfield will not get an extension – Playing for his third full-time head coach and third offensive coordinator in three years, Baker Mayfield hasn’t been done many favors from the coaching staff. He’s surrounded by weapons (OBJ, Jarvis Landry, Nick Chubb, and Kareem Hunt), but he’s been mired by inconsistencies, questions about his work ethic, and interception problems. He’ll put up big-time passing numbers (4,589 yards, 28 touchdowns) with too many turnovers (18 interceptions, nine lost fumbles) and will play out the final year of his contract in 2021 without a deal.

 

Josh Allen will get an extension – Last year’s playoff game gave all the ammunition to both Josh Allen truthers and Josh Allen haters. Allen passed for 264 yards, ran for 92 more, and caught a touchdown on a trick play. He also completed only 52 percent of his passes, took three long sacks, and gave us one of the worst fumbles we’ve ever seen. Fortunately, Allen enters 2020 on a team absolutely stacked on defense with a new playmaking wideout and a solid running back. The organization has to desperately want Allen to be their long-term guy, and after a similar year to 2019, they’ll reward Allen with a long-term contract that includes $92 million guaranteed.

 

Sam Darnold will not get an extension – It’s easy to write off Sam Darnold’s 2019 season due to mononucleosis and even easier to focus on the fact that he won six of eight starts after returning. Still though, we’ve seen two seasons of Darnold and it hasn’t been enough to warrant a long-term extension. His interception rate is too high, he’s never started more than 13 games, and a 6.9 YPA is more like Sam Bradford than Drew Brees. Another mediocre season in 2020 will put Darnold on hot seat entering his contract season.

 

Mitchell Trubisky will leave in free agency after the year – Did you know the Bears once passed on both Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes to draft Mitchell Trubisky? Trubisky is coming off the rockiest year of his three-year NFL stint, and will engage in a camp battle with Nick Foles to be the starter. Trubisky will win the job because GM Ryan Pace desperately wants to show the world that Trubisky is good. Foles will unseat him by midseason though and Trubisky will be backing up somewhere in 2021.

 

Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys are playing chicken with one another, and it’s going to extend into this coming offseason. Once the deadline passed and Dak agreed to a $31.4 million franchise tag, it meant he would have to play another prove-it year with no possibilities of negotiating until after 2020.

 

Quarterbacks of Dak’s ability typically get paid. Quibble with his exact ranking, but he’s in a similar class as Matthew Stafford, Kirk Cousins, Matt Ryan, and Jimmy Garoppolo. All of those quarterbacks have earned nine-figure extensions, even without playoff hardware. Adding CeeDee Lamb to a Dallas offense that led the NFL in total yards a year ago gives Dak everything he needs to cash in next offseason. After another 16-game season, 5,000 passing yards, and a playoff win, Dak resets the quarterback market with a four-year, fully guaranteed deal that includes a record-setting $141 million.

 

Ryan Fitzpatrick – a great bridge QB who will probably fit in Chicago in 2021

Philip Rivers – a borderline Hall of Famer calls it quits after the season

Derek Carr – if Jon Gruden wanted Carr, he wouldn’t have given Marcus Mariota so much money to be the backup

Mitchell Trubisky/Nick Foles – neither is the long-term answer by any stretch

 

It’s still unfathomable that Bill O’Brien traded away DeAndre Hopkins for David Johnson and a second-round pick. Losing a three-time First-Team All-Pro like Hopkins is no easy task to overcome, but history shows that quarterbacks losing their best receiver often fare better than you’d think.

 

When Matthew Stafford lost Calvin Johnson, he saw a decline in his passer rating (97.0 to 93.3) but an uptick in his ANY/A (6.39 to 6.56). Tom Brady won his second MVP award the year after Randy Moss left. Peyton Manning was the league MVP the year after Marvin Harrison retired.

 

Watson’s new $40 million-per-year extension pays him as a perennial MVP candidate, and he will prove it in 2020. Watson’s heroics are enough to overcome a 28th ranked scoring defense, as he accounts for 4,945 total yards and 42 touchdowns, leading Houston to an AFC South title.

 

What Aaron Rodgers was likely hoping for this offseason was the addition of a talented No. 2 wide receiver. What actually happened was Green Bay spending a first-round pick to draft Rodgers’ replacement, Jordan Love, and then picking a bruising 247-pound running back in the second round to double down on their commitment to the running game. If it seems like it’s no longer Rodgers’ team, that’s because it’s trending that way.

 

Green Bay was 13-3 and in the NFC Championship Game last year, but it’s easy to say they overachieved. The team was 9-1 in one-score games (including the playoffs) and their point differential suggested they should have won just 9.7 games. Having no clear cut No. 2 receiver opposite Davante Adams will frustrate Rodgers, who already hasn’t been a top 10 QB by Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric for four straight years. Green Bay stumbles to an 8-8 record in 2020, missing the playoffs for the third time in four seasons.

 

Minnesota will have no choice but to pay Dalvin Cook now, as the blossoming superstar stays healthy, starts all 16 games, and puts up 1,475 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground. It also makes life abundantly easier for Kirk Cousins – a strong running game is a QB’s best friend.

 

It’s popular to criticize the signing of any running back to an extension, but Christian McCaffrey is a megatalent easily worth the $38 million of guaranteed money. He can run between the tackles, catch passes out of the backfield as well as anyone we’ve seen since LaDainian Tomlinson, and he’s an improving pass blocker. McCaffrey has also never missed a single game due to injury. A 2020 stat projection: 1,312 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns, 111 receptions, 916 receiving yards, 6 touchdowns; 2,238 scrimmage yards, 17 total touchdowns.

 

There’s no conceivable way New Orleans can pay Alvin Kamara in 2021. This organization has the following dollar amounts committed to players: $36 million for Drew Brees, $18 million for both Cameron Jordan and Michael Thomas, $16 million for both Terron Armstead and Taysom Hill, and long-term extensions due for Ryan Ramczyk and Marshon Lattimore. A financially-strapped team recognizes this is their final year to win a Super Bowl before having to make major changes in the offseason. Even with Kamara making his fourth Pro Bowl in as many years and finishing with 1,811 scrimmage yards and 15 total touchdowns, New Orleans bids adieu to Kamara after its playoff run.

 

How’s this for a start to a career? With 138 receptions, 1,611 yards, and 10 touchdowns (from two quarterbacks) in 2020, Michael Thomas will have averaged a 122/1,425/8 statline for his first five seasons. He also sets a single-game record with 22 receptions, doing so on 23 targets.

 

Kyler Murray is a popular preseason MVP pick, and for good reason. Last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year was the second rookie QB ever (Cam Newton) to pass for 3,500 yards and rush for 500 yards in the same season, and he was just gifted with DeAndre Hopkins in the offseason. Murray already gets the benefit of an offense that primarily runs four-wide sets, and two of those will be future Hall of Famers in Hopkins and the savvy Larry Fitzgerald. Murray’s breakout year two will see him pass for 4,500 yards, 31 touchdowns, and add another 578/6 on the ground.

 

After arguably the most blatant self-destructing of a superstar professional athlete many of us have ever seen, Antonio Brown finds himself without a team and facing an eight-game NFL suspension. He’s an amazing talent, but he’s flat out not worth the headache. You’ll hear whispers of him all year and a desperate team may bring him in for a workout, but Brown won’t play in the NFL again.

 

The decline of Earl Thomas from an off-the-field standpoint has been alarming, and when an organization like the Baltimore Ravens releases a Pro Bowl player just one year into a four-year deal, it’s an indictment. Thomas’ former Ravens teammates have stood by the organization for the move, and we’ve now seen two borderline Hall of Fame coaches (Pete Carroll and John Harbaugh) move on from Thomas in the last 18 months. A year off from football will be good for Thomas to rebuild his image.

 

The record for receiving yards by a tight end has seen significant movement in recent years. Tony Gonzalez (1,258 in 2004) broke Todd Christensen’s long-standing TE record, then Rob Gronkowski (1,327) and Jimmy Graham (1,310) both topped him in 2011. Two years ago, both George Kittle (1,377) and Travis Kelce (1,336) topped what Gronk/Graham had done, and now Kittle is about to do it again.

 

The most remarkable aspect of Kittle’s 2018 season was that he did it despite playing with Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard for 13 of 16 games. He’s still getting better as a player and will take advantage of the opportunities aided to him by early season injuries to Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel.

 

For whatever reason, it took all summer for Jadeveon Clowney to sign a new contract. You’d think a 27-year-old former No. 1 overall pick with three Pro Bowls on his resume would have generated more interest, but probably due to asking demands, Clowney settled for a one-year, largely prove-it deal with Tennessee. He has the versatility to stop both the run and rush the passer, and after a strong year, he joins Tampa Bay to play with Tom Brady in 2021.

 

One of the greatest comeback stories of all-time only gets better with each rep Alex Smith takes in practice – and this is with him not even having seen the field yet. The former No. 1 overall pick is on his third team and trying to rehab what almost certainly looked like a career-ending knee injury. Not many people return from a compound knee break that required 17 surgeries and almost cost Smith his life. But Smith has faced adversity his entire career and even with him only seeing a few snaps in mop-up duty, the football writers will recognize that and reward him accordingly.

 

The Jaguars admitted their mistake with Nick Foles, which means they’re entering 2020 with Gardner Minshew as their QB1. Minshew was a pleasant surprise as a rookie, but he’s not enough to overcome a roster full of deficiencies at nearly every position. 

 

The organization moved on from Leonard Fournette. They traded away Yannick Ngakoue, who wanted to get out of Jacksonville so badly that he took a paycut to play elsewhere. Jalen Ramsey is gone. Dante Fowler is gone. There’s almost no resemblance of the 2017 team that came within a few minutes of a Super Bowl appearance. This team is an easy bet to finish with four or fewer wins, which puts them in prime position to draft Trevor Lawrence.

 

Kyler Murray: The league’s next great QB takes that next step to becoming a perennial MVP candidate in 2020.

Devin Bush: Tampa Bay’s flashy linebacker Devin Bush was all over the field in 2019, recording four fumble recoveries, an interception, three forced fumbles, and two defensive touchdowns. Beyond that great pass rush, he’ll be even better this year.

A.J. Brown/D.K. Metcalf/Terry McLaurin: It’s hard to believe none of these three receivers made the Pro Bowl in their rookie year, considering they were all immediate impact players. All three will earn Pro Bowl recognition in 2020.

 

By midseason, 37-year-old Frank Gore is stealing significant snaps from former All-Pro back Le’Veon Bell. Gore is a coach’s dream in the sense that he is a veteran who always knows exactly where to line up, while the feud between Bell and head coach Adam Gase never seems to go away. Gore puts up his NFL-record 15th consecutive season of 150+ carries, finishing with 685 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

 

Everyone had to know Rob Gronkowski wasn’t really retired after 2018, and it took Tom Brady leaving New England for Tampa Bay for Gronk to join him. When we last saw Gronk two years ago, he hauled in the game-sealing catch in a Super Bowl win. He also missed three games due to injury and wasn’t the same dominant force we had seen in the past. Now Gronk is back, well-rested, and gets a fresh start. He’s Brady’s go-to player on third downs and at the red zone. It’s reasonable to think Gronk will struggle with injuries, but when he plays, he’s still very valuable.

 

The Steelers have quietly built one of the toughest defenses in the NFL. T.J. Watt is looking to be a perennial sack monster, while Minkah Fitzpatrick completely transformed the secondary upon his arrival early last year. The front seven alone has Watt, Cameron Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, Devin Bush, and Bud Dupree, while the secondary includes Fitzpatrick, Terrell Edmunds, and underrated veteran corners Joe Haden and Steven Nelson. The Steelers were fifth in both points and yards allowed last year, but after Fitzpatrick joined the team in Week 3, these were their ranks: third in points and yards, second in passer rating, and first in interceptions, takeaways, and sacks. The 2020 unit will be even better, carrying the team

 

Offensive tackles of Jack Conklin’s status don’t usually hit the open free agent market. The 26-year-old is a former first-round pick and All-Pro who helped Derrick Henry win the NFL’s rushing crown a year ago. By paying both Henry and quarterback Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee had to make some hard choices, and letting Conklin go was one of them. He will be an unsung savior in Cleveland, taking over a depleted spot filled by Chris Hubbard a year ago.

 

The Eagles made a major mistake in letting vocal defensive captain Malcolm Jenkins leave, and the three-time Pro Bowler reunited with the New Orleans Saints on a four-year, $32 million deal. Jenkins has amazing durability (96 consecutive starts), positional versatility where he can line up anywhere from linebacker to slot cornerback to wide corner to safety, and he’s a playmaker who has scored seven defensive touchdowns in his career. He’s simply a better player than he was the first time he was on the Saints.

 

One of the most questionable free agent signings was Detroit giving $45 million to a lineman who started just four games the last two years. Vaitai did replace Jason Peters as the starting left tackle for the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles that won the Super Bowl, but he ranked just 130th out of 150 qualifying offensive linemen via PFF that year. For Vaitai to now be one of the highest-paid tackles in the league seems like a stretch.

 

Don’t be fooled by Blake Martinez’s gaudy tackle totals. He was credited with 155 per Pro Football Reference last year, but he missed over 10 percent of his tackle attempts, graded poorly via PFF as a run defender, and was frequently exposed when asked to cover running backs or tight ends. A $10 million annual salary is too much for a linebacker of Martinez’s skillset on a team that isn’t expected to contend in 2020.

 

For the first time in over two decades, an Andy Reid-coached team selected a running back in the first round. If Reid can get All-Pro production out of Brian Westbrook (third round) and LeSean McCoy (second round) and Kareem Hunt (third round), what can he do with a multidimensional threat like Clyde Edwards-Helaire? CEH gets even more of an opportunity to handle the load with Super Bowl hero Damien Williams having opted out due to COVID-19 reasons. It’s not unreasonable to see CEH total 300 touches (250 rushes/50 receptions) with 1,600 or more yards from scrimmage. After all, this is an offense with Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce. CEH makes it even more of a mismatch nightmare for defenses.

 

We seem to see a ‘franchise’ edge rusher in every draft anymore. Jadeveon Clowney, Myles Garrett, Joey Bosa, Nick Bosa, and Chase Young are all freakish athletes who went in the top three overall picks. Young won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as college football’s most outstanding defensive player last year, registering 16.5 sacks. He joins a Washington team that has six other first-round picks in the front seven (Ryan Kerrigan, Da’Ron Payne, Jonathan Allen, Montez Sweat, Reuben Foster, and Thomas Davis). Young will make an immediate impact, picking up nine sacks and four forced fumbles.

 

You can take your pick between Dan Quinn and Matt Patricia. The fact that Patricia did great things with Matthew Stafford last year (before Stafford got hurt) suggests Patricia may keep his job longer. Dan Quinn has nowhere else to look for the blame. He fired all three coordinators after the 2018 season and went from 7-9 to… 7-9. After a 2-4 start to this coming season, he’ll be replaced with offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter.

 

Tyrod Taylor is a fine bridge quarterback, but the Los Angeles Chargers just spent the sixth overall pick on a rookie signal-caller. Justin Herbert will be starting by October. Others to lose their starting jobs in 2020: Mitchell Trubisky and Ryan Fitzpatrick.

 

Quarterbacks who throw for 5,000 yards don’t usually have to take backup roles, but quarterbacks who throw for 5,000 yards don’t usually add 30 interceptions with it. The natural skills of Winston are obvious, and that’s why Sean Payton offered a deal to Winston to come in and learn from Brees. Given Brees’ advanced age, it’s easy to see him missing some time with injuries. Winston will average 329 passing yards in his four starts, throwing 11 touchdowns to a respectable five interceptions.

 

Offseason reports about Joe Judge are curious to say the least. He initially refused to say any of his player’s names out loud. He removed player names from the back of the jerseys. He’s making his players run laps for mistakes. The Belichickian principles are clearly there and evident, but Judge just doesn’t have the resume of the six-time champion coach he learned under. Judge is either going to be a genius or a complete failure, and it’s easier to bet on the latter of the two.

 

New England’s reign of AFC East dominance ends at the hands of Sean McDermott’s Buffalo Bills, a team that will sport a ball control offense and a top-three defense to 11 wins. Baltimore cruises to a 14-2 record behind the reigning league MVP and the deepest roster in the NFL. A three-team race between Houston/Indianapolis/Tennessee goes to the club with the best quarterback. Kansas City wins an easy 12 games and leads the league in points scored.

 

An interesting quarterback situation in New England makes for a lot of 17-14 wins, but Bill Belichick is smart and savvy enough to get to nine wins and a playoff berth. Pittsburgh’s elite defense leads the NFL in sacks and passer rating allowed, finishing with 12 wins. Indianapolis starts strong and fades but still manages to sneak into the playoffs as an expanded team.

 

A plethora of injuries to Philadelphia are enough for Dallas’ high-powered offense to win the NFC East at nine victories. Problems in Green Bay give an explosive Minnesota offense 10 wins and a division title. New Orleans works it out with Alvin Kamara and cruises to 13 wins and home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. Seattle wins the toughest division in football with 10 wins behind typical Russell Wilson heroics.

 

Tampa Bay added Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, but also brings back a defense that led the NFL in rushing yards per carry allowed in 2019 and was first in sacks over the second half. Bruce Arians gets 11 wins and a playoff spot. San Francisco’s mild Super Bowl hangover still sees nine wins behind Jimmy Garoppolo and George Kittle. Carson Wentz and the Eagles earn their fourth consecutive playoff berth, grabbing the seventh postseason spot.

 

2) Kansas City over 7) Indianapolis: No first round bye for the second-best team this year means Kansas City rolls over Indianapolis, 38-20.

3) Buffalo over 6) New England: This would be the greatest win for the Buffalo Bills in over two decades.

5) Pittsburgh over 4) Houston: A suffocating defense makes life difficult for Deshaun Watson, who endures eight sacks.

 

2) Minnesota over 7) Philadelphia: Carson Wentz starts and finishes a playoff game for the first time in his career, but Minnesota’s superior roster gives the Vikings a win.

3) Seattle over 6) San Francisco: An NFC West heavyweight fight and Richard Sherman revenge game goes Russell Wilson’s way, with Wilson making enough plays to win in overtime.

5) Tampa Bay over 4) Dallas: For the first time in his career, Tom Brady plays a road playoff game in the wild card round, but his two touchdown passes are enough to move past Dallas.

 

1) Baltimore over 5) Pittsburgh: One of the greatest rivals in the NFL sees a defensive duel. When Calais Campbell strip sacks Ben Roethlisberger with the game on the line, Baltimore holds on for a 13-10 victory.

2) Kansas City over 3) Buffalo: Buffalo’s stingy defense gets its toughest test yet with all-world quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes throws for three touchdowns in a 31-21 win.

 

1) New Orleans over 5) Tampa Bay: Drew Brees vs. Tom Brady in the playoffs? Sign me up. Brees throws three touchdowns to Brady’s two and New Orleans wins, 28-17.

3) Seattle over 2) Minnesota:  As the NFL world finally starts to recognize that Kirk Cousins is a good quarterback, Russell Wilson proves he’s a better quarterback and leads fourth quarter heroics for a narrow victory.

 

The two most talented teams in the NFL meet in the AFC Championship Game. With Lamar Jackson having gotten over the playoff wall the previous week, he solidifies himself as an all-time talent by passing for two touchdowns and running for two more against an underrated Kansas City defense. Baltimore wins, 34-28.

 

New Orleans’ 2017 draft class cements itself as one of the greatest by any team in league history. Ryan Ramczyk opens up holes for Alvin Kamara (166 total yards, two touchdowns), Marshon Lattimore records two interceptions, and New Orleans wins a close one, 24-20.

 

The age-old debate of whether running quarterbacks can win a Super Bowl probably shouldn’t exist considering the 1994 San Francisco 49ers won with Steve Young and the 2013 Seattle Seahawks won with Russell Wilson. But Lamar Jackson puts up an all-time performance, passing for 213 yards and a score, rushing for 116 yards and two scores, and leading Baltimore to a 34-31 shootout win over New Orleans.

 

If Russell Wilson retired now, he’d likely be a first-ballot Hall of Famer despite never having received an MVP vote or been named First-Team AP All-Pro. After 2020, neither of those will be true anymore. Behind a perennially poor offensive line, Wilson will start all 16 games for the ninth straight year, put up 4,189 passing yards and 30 touchdowns, rush for 647 yards and five more touchdowns, and lead an absurd seven fourth-quarter comebacks.

 

Deshaun Watson doesn’t miss a beat without DeAndre Hopkins and proves he’s worth every penny of his new contract extension. Patrick Mahomes sees a spike in his interceptions, but still passes for 5,000 yards and 38 touchdowns. Lamar Jackson misses two games due to injury and sees an inevitable drop in his touchdown rate (9.0% in 2019 to 6.5% in 2020) but still accounts for 34 total scores. And Dak Prescott posts his first 5,000-yard campaign in a contract year.

 

QB: Russell Wilson

RB: Christian McCaffrey

WR: Julio Jones/Michael Thomas

TE: George Kittle

FLEX: Saquon Barkley

LT:  Ronnie Stanley

LG: Quenton Nelson

C: Jason Kelce

RG: Zack Martin

RT: Ryan Ramczyk

 

EDGE: Chandler Jones

EDGE: T.J. Watt

Interior DL: Aaron Donald

Interior DL: DeForest Buckner

LB: Bobby Wagner

LB: Darius Leonard

LB: Lavonte David

CB: Stephon Gilmore

CB: Jalen Ramsey

S: Minkah Fitzpatrick

S: Jamal Adams

DB: Tyrann Mathieu

 

K: Justin Tucker

P: Johnny Hekker