Preseason Power Rankings 17-13

By: Lucas Kochevar

17. Philadelphia Eagles
     The Philadelphia Eagles saw their rookie QB, Carson Wentz, grow into a very solid QB that will be their future. The only problem for them was that he had no targets to throw to. This season he has just that with Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith, as I said in my Winners/Losers article. That article can be found of you scroll past the power rankings. The Eagles had some nice moves also as they signed Lagarrete Blount. They will have a solid offense, but they need their QB to lead them in a way Matt Ryan did with his offense this past season. The Eagles may not have an explosive offense right now as Doug Pederson is still making his offense complete around Wentz. The defense is nice for the Eagles as they have good, young LBs, a top-3 DT in Fletcher Cox, and a solid secondary. The Eagles won't do that good this year as they play in one of the toughest divisions and they just are not all the way complete. Watch out next season, as the Eagles will be a threat for the Wild Card.

16. Detroit Lions
       The Lions made the playoffs as the 6th seed and they got beat up by the Seahawks. One positve they had was that Matthew Stafford put up an MVP caliber season and his future looks very bright. The only problem for the Lions this season is that I don't think Stafford will lead them to as many last-minute wins as he did a year ago. They also do not have a run game. The defensive line is slacking outside of Ziggy Ansah. They will have tough year after making the playoffs similar to the Redskins, as they did not make the playoffs only a year after they were . They will be one of the teams competing for the playoffs and the only reason that they will be that close is because Stafford will make them compete. 

15. Houston Texans
        The Texans have made the playoffs the last couple seasons because their defense has carried them. They have not had a franchise QB since Bill O'Brien has arrived there. The fact that he has brought them to the playoffs is actually really impressive. Now they have Deshaun Watson. The problem is that he is still just a rookie. They also lost their top CB AJ Bouye. The secondary is truly lacking and the growth of their QB will be a process. Houston will take a step back as Marcus Mariota is growing into one of my favorite young QBs. I hope that his ACL won't push him back. I also see Andrew Luck coming back strong. Houston will have a year in development as Watson will grow and learn with O'Brien. The best case scenario for the Texans this season is that Watson wins over his locker room and leads the Texans to a Division title. 

14. Indianapolis Colts
       The Colts have been struggling the past couple of years. This year, The Colts, excuse me, Andrew Luck will bounce back and carry the Colts. The Colts have a similar problem to the Lions. They have no RB, besides old Frank Gore, and they have a weak defense. The advantage for the Colts is that they have one of the weakest divisions in football. Andrew Luck will have a spectacular year along with TY Hilton and they will battle with the Titans for the division. I just do not believe in the Colts over the Titans. 

13. New York Giants
     The Giants made the playoffs last year as Landon Collins helped their great defense carry Eli Manning to the playoffs. To me Eli is one of the most overrated QBs of all time. Eli and his offense struggle when OBJ  struggles. The Giants will take a step back this year as the NFC is getting better with the rise of Jameis Winston and other young QBs. The Giants will most likely have a few more losses with the Eagles getting better and the Redskins should give them a good battle. The defense will not be able to carry similar to the way Stafford carried the Lions. The Giants have a solid team but they are not great.