Top Storylines That Will Determine Winner Of Each NFL Division for 2023 Season

Much like Miles Morales' character arc in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, what happens when a person's life takes a turn? Is it for the better or does it make everything worse?

Every offseason, NFL general managers essentially weigh the same questions as they adjust their team's rosters based on what they believe is the best path forward. Some experience amazing improvement. Others fail spectacularly.

Too often, organizations get caught in a web of sunk cost and can't see their way toward a fresh direction that will make a significant difference. But there are those willing to be bold and find superior results.

Ultimately, the landscape of professional football shifts, with new squads emerging to overtake previous contenders. In order for that to happen this fall, specific new team-ups must fall into place and provide sensational results.

Among each division, a different turn can create a new friendly neighborhood leader.

AFC East: Is Aaron Rodgers Enough to Push Jets Past Rest of Division?

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New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers

The seemingly endless search to find a franchise quarterback for the New York Jets since Joe Namath left in 1977 has led to Aaron Rodgers. Expectations are enormous with the four-time NFL MVP leading the way.

"Oh, I know he could," Namath told ESPN's Rich Cimini when asked if Rodgers can help Gang Green win a Super Bowl. "Yes, he's capable, absolutely. He can pick that team up. He's one of the best players—one of the greatest players—I've ever seen in my life.

"I've watched him play. I'm a football fan. I've watched him play for the Packers, boy, and I marvel at him. I mean, year in and year out, he continues to make plays."

While the Jets immediately improved after trading for Rodgers, two things must be taken into account.

First, the veteran quarterback turns 40 in December. The Jets simply don't know how long Rodgers will lead their offense. They do know he's set for this season. But an obvious decline in performance can be seen in each of the last two campaigns. His completion percentage, passing yardage, touchdown passes, quarterback rating and QBR progressively decreased.

Second, the AFC East isn't readily available for the taking.

The Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins are coming off playoff years. The Bills are considered a top Super Bowl contender with Josh Allen an MVP candidate and one of the league's deepest rosters. The Dolphins' success hinges on Tua Tagovailoa's health, though the 25-year-old chose a different training regimen this offseason to better protect himself after dealing with concussions last year.

The New England Patriots should be improved as well after replacing the failed experiment of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge designing the offense with Bill O'Brien as play-caller.

Jets fans should be excited, but expectations should also be tempered.

NFC East: Will Eagles Dominance Continue with Two New Coordinators?

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Former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen (left) and quarterback Jalen Hurts

As a sign of the Philadelphia Eagles' recent success, last season's offensive and defensive coordinators are now head coaches with other organizations.

A stabilizing presence at head coach with Nick Sirianni coupled with the culture the Eagles built over time will help offset the losses of Shane Steichen and Jonathan Gannon to the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals, respectively. But a transition will occur with Brian Johnson and Sean Desai taking over those spots.

"Something that we definitely have now is what we had our first year going into it in that we have a little bit of unknown," Sirianni told reporters in February. "Whomever we play in the first game can go and watch some of Sean's stuff from Chicago or even some of the things from Seattle. One thing that we have is some uncertainty again, going into that first game where you hide some things in preseason football.

"Not to give everything away, but what I liked was some of the similarities to things we do, that we've already been doing here on a very successful defense with different coverages, different run blitzes, and things like that."

In Johnson's case, he previously served as the Eagles' quarterbacks coach. He knows the system. He helped in Jalen Hurts' development. However, all play-callers have a different cadence and approach to the position.

Gannon's philosophy centered on dictating where offenses could go with the ball. Desai seems to be more worried about setting the right tone.

"The one thing that we've agreed on and we've talked about as a staff and a group is there's a certain mentality that we want to reflect," Desai said. "I really believe the city's teams got to reflect the city, and we've got some grit, we've got some toughness, we want to be able to impose our will.

"We're not going to take really anything from anybody."

All four NFC East teams finished with a .500 record or better last season. Any regression from the Eagles could very well take them out of the division's pole position.

AFC North: How Will Ravens' New-Look Offense Be Built around QB Lamar Jackson?

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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson

The Baltimore Ravens held steady this offseason, weathered Lamar Jackson's contract squabble and signed their franchise signal-caller to a new five-year, $260 million extension.

Along the way, the organization, specifically head coach John Harbaugh, realized changes were necessary, with Greg Roman stepping down as offensive coordinator after four seasons.

"It's kind of unspoken about because (Jackson) was hindered in the system he was in," former Ravens offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. said on NFL Live (h/t Heavy's Josh Reed). "He has an incredible feel for the pass game. And you look at his numbers and what he's able to do, especially in between the numbers. On this level in tight windows, it's very very difficult."

Todd Monken steps in after directing the back-to-back national championship-winning Georgia Bulldogs offense.

"I think the sky is the limit for what their offense can be," Brown Jr. said. "I'll be interested to see how they put it together (and) how everything will work but I do feel like it will be positive in the run game just with the way that things will be spread out."

Brown suggested the Ravens will spread the formation more and rely heavily on 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end and three wide receivers) to create more space for an already dynamic ground game, while also providing a competent NFL-caliber aerial attack for Jackson to thrive.

Ironically, Brown is now with the AFC North's reigning champs, the Cincinnati Bengals. However, a fully realized Jackson may be the world's most difficult individual to defend.

Both the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers are ready to make a run, but Jackson and the Ravens clicking on all cylinders are the most likely to dethrone Joe Burrow and Co.

NFC North: Can Vikings Maintain After Deep Offseason Cuts?

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Former Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook (left) and quarterback Kirk Cousins (right)

The reigning NFC North winners—the Minnesota Vikings—are in the middle of a soft reset.

Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions have yet to prove they're postseason-worthy. The Green Bay Packers are transitioning away from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love as their starting quarterback. And the Chicago Bears are finally trying to build around Justin Fields.

The Viking easily captured the division crown by four games. Yet the team looks drastically different today than it did last year, with multiple veterans being shown the door.

General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah either released, traded or didn't re-sign running Dalvin Cook, wide receiver Adam Thielen, defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, edge-defender Za'Darius Smith, linebacker Eric Kendricks and cornerbacks Chandon Sullivan and Patrick Peterson.

Among those listed, the Vikings lost their leading rusher, second-leading receiver, leading tackler, a 10-sack pass-rusher, co-leader in interceptions and starting nickel corner. Even so, Minnesota is expected to compete for another division title, which remains quite possible.

The offense still features an experienced and productive quarterback in Kirk Cousins. Wide receiver Justin Jefferson is the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year. The Vikings re-signed running back Alexander Mattison to a two-year, $7 million contract with the expectation of him taking on a bigger role. Mattison may not be Cook, but he should be more than capable as the lead ball-carrier. Last year's starting offensive line remains intact. The free-agent signings of Marcus Davenport and Byron Murphy Jr. should help offset the loses of Smith and Peterson/Sullivan, respectively.

The Vikings aren't in a bad position. They're just different compared to last season. While, the Lions' continued improvement under head coach Dan Campbell does make them a threat, these two setups may portend a pair of NFC North teams making the 2023 postseason.

AFC South: Which Young QB Will Outshine the Rest?

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Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence

Every fan of the four AFC South squads might as well cue up Bon Jovi's Blaze of Glory on Spotify, because the division is now dominated by young guns at quarterback.

Obviously, the Jacksonville Jaguars are the reigning division champs, with the emerging Trevor Lawrence as the headliner. Lawrence already showed tremendous improvement between his first and second seasons. Granted, the quarterback didn't need to deal with Urban Meyer as his head coach in Year 2. But the 2021 first overall draft pick is still learning and getting comfortable with the professional game.

"To have the same staff, to have a lot of the same players, to have that carryover, and the system [being the same], that feels good having that and being able to focus on little parts of my game instead of just making sure I got the installs and know the plan coming into practice," Lawrence told reporters during organized team activities. "Not having that stress of just learning the playbook, I can just really focus on my game and my mechanics."

Conversely, both the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts will have rookies leading the way. The Texans' C.J. Stroud and Colts' Anthony Richardson sit at different points in their development, though both could create drastic impacts. Even so, each will experience his fair share of ups and downs.

The Titans are the wild card. Clearly, the organization is in the midst of a rebuild, but Ryan Tannehill remains. On the other hand, new general manager Ran Carthon traded up in this year's second round to select Will Levis. The rookie already turned 24, and he should see the field as the team transitions.

NFC South: Is Derek Carr the Answer for Saints in Uncertain Division?

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New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr

Of the NFL's eight divisions, the NFC South is easily the most wide open this year.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers captured last season's division crown with an embarrassing 8-9 record. They did that with Tom Brady leading the way. But Tom Terrific finally walked away from the game for good this offseason.

No NFC South squad is truly settled at quarterback.

Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask will compete to follow in Brady's footsteps. The Atlanta Falcons hope Desmond Ridder, whom the team drafted in last year's third round, can take advantage of the opportunity and talent around him to possibly become a long-term starter. The Carolina Panthers did trade up to select Bryce Young with this year's No. 1 overall draft pick, yet he's still going to be a rookie in need of an adjustment period.

The New Orleans Saints took a different path. They chose to get ahead of the market and agreed to a four-year, $150 million deal with Derek Carr before the new league year officially opened for business.

Carr started 91 consecutive games for the Raiders organization before being benched last season.

"I think quarterback is the most important position on the field," Saints head coach Dennis Allen told reporters, "and when you have a highly skilled player, a highly intelligent player, a guy that works the way Derek does, a guy that has the type of leadership qualities that Derek has, that's going to filter throughout the whole football team—players and coaches—and I think that gives you a lot of confidence going into the season."

The Saints feature a veteran group ready to win now. Carr's addition provides instant credibility. His presence may be enough to push New Orleans back into the division lead.

AFC West: Will Sean Payton Make Huge Difference for Broncos?

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Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton

Does everyone remember how the AFC West was being discussed at this same point last year?

The battle for division supremacy between the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos should have been a murderer's row after each organization made headline-stealing moves during the offseason.

Instead, the Chiefs rather easily claimed a seventh straight division crown on their way to another Super Bowl victory. However, potential for regression exists after a long postseason run, JuJu Smith-Schuster's departure and two new starting offensive tackles.

The Broncos, meanwhile, have the most ground the gain after finishing 5-12. The trade for Russell Wilson looks like the wort in NFL history based on short-term returns. Although, Sean Payton's acquisition gives the franchise a much-needed boost after Nathaniel Hackett clearly looked out of place as a head coach.

Payton's primary objective is getting the most out of Wilson after his terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad season. The potential Hall of Fame head coach is experienced enough to build around the veteran's skill set, implement specific run-pass options and concentrate on the vertical passing game.

The Broncos have significant talent at the skill positions for Wilson to regain form when targeting the likes of Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick and this year's top draft selection, Marvin Mims Jr.

Kansas City is rightly the AFC West favorites until they're knocked off the mountaintop. The Chargers are the closest to doing so. The Raiders are still in a transitory phase. But the biggest leap among this group should come from the Broncos after being stabilized by Payton.

NFC West: Will 49ers' Brock Purdy Pick Up Where QB Left off Before Elbow Injury?

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy

The San Francisco saw a glimpse of their future only to have it taken away when quarterback Brock Purdy suffered a torn UCL in his throwing elbow during a playoff to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Prior to the injury, Purdy unexpectedly emerged as a potential franchise quarterback. The 2022 draft class' Mr. Irrelevant only received an opportunity because of previous injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. Yet, the Niners saw what they needed to see in eight starts.

Three months ago, Niners general manager John Lynch said that Purdy "earned the right" to start after throwing for 13 touchdowns and four interceptions as a rookie. But the injury threw a monkey-wrench into the team's plans since he'll miss a significant amount of reps during his first full offseason as a professional.

"We're hoping for Week 1 and we feel pretty optimistic about that," head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters in late May. "That's what we're hoping for. ... Usually you've got to come back before that to make that goal and that's kind of the goal we're hoping for and don't have any reason to think different."

Most recently, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that Purdy is currently in Jacksonville with personal quarterback coach Will Hewlett and orthopedic specialist Tom Gormely to continue with his throwing sessions.

The 49ers feature the league's top-ranked defense. Kyle Shanahan's offensive scheme is counted among the league's best. A healthy Purdy can finally push San Francisco from the team with three NFC Championship Game appearances in the last four years to a true Super Bowl contender.

Elsewhere in the NFC West, the Seattle Seahawks and a healthy Los Angeles Rams can compete. The Arizona Cardinals cannot. The Niners are a cut above with a healthy roster.