My Top Five Sleeper Playoff Berths

Very few people are going to leave out the Patriots, Eagles, and Colts, among other teams, when discussing which teams are going to make the playoffs this year.

Naming the sleeper teams for playoff berths however, can be a little bit trickier. These are my top five sleeper picks for playoff berths:

Chicago Bears

Matt Forte is coming off a huge rookie year for Chicago with 1238 rushing yards yards, 8 rushing touchdowns, 63 receptions, 477 receiving yards, and 4 receiving touchdowns.

As long as he doesn’t suffer the sophomore slump, he is only going to become and even bigger weapon especially in the passing game with Cutler under center.

Speaking of Cutler, Chicago ’s passing game is going to flourish with Cutler leading the team. Cutler is going to want to prove that he can flourish with a new team.

I think he is going to improve from his last season with Denver where he had 4,526 passing yards and 25 touchdowns. I expect Hester and Olsen to become even bigger targets with Cutler at quarterback, and this team is going to score a lot of points.

The defense is still a top-10 unit, and I think they have the best chances of winning the NFC North.

New Orleans Saints

Last year, Drew Brees passed for 5,069 yards, just 15 yards short Dan Marino’s single season passing record.

He knows how to hit all of his receivers, and has even made Reggie Bush a significant threat in the passing attack. The Saints were able to move the ball well and put points on the board, and I believe that they are going to be the same way this year; especially if Bush can recapture the magic of his rookie season, and rush for over 550 yards and gain over 700 passing yards.

The only thing holding the Saints back is their defense. If the defense can prevent games from going into shootouts, the Saints can make their way in the postseason.

Miami Dolphins

I know it’s a stretch to think an 11-5 defending division champion as a sleeper pick for the playoffs, but with the return of Brady, the Dolphins are going to competing for not only a wildcard spot, but to also prove that last year wasn’t a fluke.

Pennington threw for 3,653 yards and 19 touchdowns, and he should still be a threat in the passing game. The Dolphins drafted Pat White and it will be interesting how he performs in the wildcat.

Miami also has a good receiving core with Ted Ginn and Davone Bess. Rookie draft picks Patrick Turner and Brian Hartline will hopefully add more depth to the position.

Anthony Armstrong was also signed from the arena league to play receiver and it will be interesting to see if he can make an impact on the team.

They also have a top ten defense, so even with the NFL’s toughest schedule its easy to see them back in the postseason.

Baltimore Ravens

A team that was in the AFC championship game a sleeper to make the playoffs? Yes, things are going to be much more difficult for Baltimore this year.

Baltimore’s only real options at wide receiver are Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton. Mason should see a stat jump this year as I see him being Flacco’s go to receiver, but I expect Mason to have another 80 reception, 1000 yard year, which just isn’t good enough when the team doesn’t have much at receiver.

If the Ravens do make the playoffs this year, it is going to be because of their defense. Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are returning to lead this ferocious unit into 2009, and they are going to make sure that many of Baltimore’s games are low scoring.

If Baltimore’s running back committee of La’Ron McClain, Willis McGahee, and Ray Rice can once put up some good numbers, and if Joe Flacco make his limited passing attack work, Baltimore will be returning to the postseason.

Baltimore Ravens

A team that was in the AFC championship game a sleeper to make the playoffs? Yes, things are going to be much more difficult for Baltimore this year. Baltimore’s only real options at wide receiver are Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton.

Mason should see a stat jump this year as I see him being Flacco’s go to receiver, but I expect Mason to have another 40 reception, 700 yard year, which just isn’t good enough when the team doesn’t have much at receiver. If the Ravens do make the playoffs this year, it is going to be because of their defense.

Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are returning to lead this ferocious unit into 2009, and they are going to make sure that many of Baltimore’s games are low scoring.

If Baltimore’s running back committee of La’Ron McClain, Willis McGahee, and Ray Rice can once put up some good numbers, and if Joe Flacco make his limited passing attack work, Baltimore will be returning to the postseason.

Green Bay Packers

Green Bay has a good chance at winning their division this year. In his first season as a starter, Aaron Rodgers threw for 4,038 yards and 28 touchdowns Greg Jennings and Donald Driver return and are very serious threats in the passing game.

(Jennings had 1,292 yards and 9 touchdowns, and Driver had 1,012 yards and 5 touchdowns last year.)

Ryan Grant didn’t do as well as people thought he would, but he still was able to get 1,203 yards and 4 touchdowns. I expect the yards to drop slightly but his touchdowns to go up to around 10 this year.

Green Bay’s defense is good but not as good as Chicago’s. Still, if Rodgers can continue getting the ball to Jennings and Driver, and Grant steps up and scores more, Green Bay is definitely in the running for the NFC North crown.