NFL Playoff Odds for Every Team at the Start of July

The NFL season hasn't started yet, so what better time to look at the playoff picture? Time flies, after all. Soon we will be eating Thanksgiving dinner, watching football while fighting off turkey-induced naps. 

Let's assign some postseason odds for each team, based on offseason moves and strength of schedule, according to ESPN.com. That SOS will mostly be based off results from the 2014 season, but we'll obviously take offseason improvements into account.

Arizona Cardinals

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Defense is the name of the game in Arizona. It's that pesky offense that has been an issue for the Cardinals.

Quarterback Carson Palmer was supposed to be the answer to the offensive woes, but injuries have derailed that plan thus far. Can he make it all the way back from a torn ACL and stay upright for the entire 2015 season?

That will be the biggest question in the desert this year, and the answer will make or break Arizona's season.

Granted, the Cardinals got off to a hot enough start last season to coast into a playoff spot after losing Palmer, and a strong defense helped them get there.

That was a defense helmed by Todd Bowles, who flew the coop to join the New York Jets as their new head coach. Can former outside linebackers coach James Bettcher pick up where his predecessor left off?

As for Arizona's playoff odds, the NFC West is as treacherous as ever. Sure, the San Francisco 49ers seem to be in free fall after a tough offseason, but the Seattle Seahawks are still title favorites and the St. Louis Rams have a dangerous defense themselves. 

Playoff Odds: 6-1

Atlanta Falcons

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New coaching staff, same old Falcons?

Atlanta has experienced an Icarusian fall to the depths of the NFL after a near-Super Bowl run in 2012. Injuries have played their part, but head coach Mike Smith was given the ax after the past two abysmal seasons.

Can Seattle import Dan Quinn turn things around quickly?

If he and defensive coordinator Richard Smith can put their stamp on that unit early, the Falcons might surprise. But it may take a little longer than one offseason to turn things around.

The Falcons do benefit from playing in a woeful division, one that was won by a Carolina Panthers team featuring a losing record a year ago. 

Playoff Odds: 12-1

Baltimore Ravens

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It seems the Baltimore Ravens do just fine in the face of perennial attrition. Why should they let a few more key losses get in the way of another playoff run?

The Ravens lost a few quality starters yet again—namely defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, outside linebacker Pernell McPhee and wide receiver Torrey Smith—but they have been through this rodeo before. 

Head coach John Harbaugh is a force to be reckoned with in the AFC North, and there is little reason to believe the Ravens won't be knocking on playoffs' door once again in 2015.

Playoff Odds: 4-1

Buffalo Bills

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The buzz in Buffalo is building to a roar.

Season tickets have sold in record numbers this offseason, according to BuffaloBills.com, and for good reason—the Bills may have solved their head coaching issues.

Rex Ryan came up from New York after being unceremoniously dumped by the Jets, and the blustery coach has gotten to work building hype around his team. He's already predicted a playoff berth, per Darryl Slater of NJ.com, for a team with the longest postseason drought in the NFL.

He already had a pretty good roster heading into the new gig, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Buffalo boasted the No. 4 defense in the league last season, posting the most sacks along the way. Ryan and his staff could mold that unit into an elite one in no time.

The Bills aggressively improved the offense on paper, too, trading for running back LeSean McCoy and adding tight end Charles Clay and receiver Percy Harvin via free agency. It's that pesky quarterback situation that might cause trouble on the road to the postseason.

Not to mention the likelihood that the AFC East is the toughest division in the NFL, with the reigning Super Bowl champs and two other drastically improving teams with which to contend.

Playoff Odds: 8-1

Carolina Panthers

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That Coach of the Year award Ron Rivera won in 2013 has lost a bit of sheen. But who else could have piloted his team to a division crown with a losing record? Besides Pete Carroll, at any rate.

The Panthers certainly lucked out to be playing in such a putrid division last season, one that has presumably improved at least a bit in 2015. Hopefully the Panthers have, too.

On paper, that seems to be the case, even if it wasn't a dramatic improvement. 

Better yet, none of their rivals have gotten particularly better, either. Any team can turn things around unexpectedly—just look at the Dallas Cowboys last season—but the NFC South might just be another slog left up for grabs.

Playoff Odds: 8-1

Chicago Bears

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The NFC North is treacherous, no place for toothless Bears. 

Chicago's downfall has been swift and merciless. A once-proud defense turned to ash in the hands of exiled head coach Marc Trestman.

Good thing the Bears brought in a head coach with a playoff pedigree to right the ship, right?

John Fox has his faults, but he has done a nice job of making the postseason throughout his coaching career. He brought Vic Fangio—the architect of that dominant San Francisco 49ers defense in recent years—along with him to fix that side of the ball.

The Bears still have volatile quarterback Jay Cutler under center, and it'll be tough to overcome some personnel issues. 

Even if play improves, Chicago simply has a brutal schedule. The Bears drew mostly the AFC and NFC West outside of a tough division. Washington and Oakland are the only two "easy" opponents, and we don't know how good those teams might prove to be this season.

Playoff Odds: 20-1

Cincinnati Bengals

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Andy Dalton is still the quarterback in Cincinnati, so the Bengals are going to make the playoffs. That's how this works, right?

The Red Rifle hasn't missed a postseason since entering the league, but he hasn't exactly been Peyton Manning out there. Dalton has done a nice job of not screwing up, but the Bengals have been perennial playoff contenders on the wings of strong play around him on both sides of the ball.

They've done it in a tough AFC North over the years, too, so it's not like the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers are scaring them away. 

Playoff Odds: 4-1

Cleveland Browns

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Despite another spectacular implosion in Cleveland last season, the Browns actually finished with a surprisingly respectable record. 

They were actually in the playoff hunt at one point with a 7-4 record before the meltdown to end the season. Could head coach Mike Pettine lead his team to a surprise playoff berth?

Probably not.

The Browns were paper tigers last season, and that became obvious when the going got tough. Cleveland had one of the easiest schedules in the league, including games against the woeful NFC South. This year the Browns get the AFC and NFC West to go along with the much-improved New York Jets.

We haven't seen much roster improvement in Cleveland, where 35-year-old journeyman quarterback Josh McCown has the staring job on lockdown over the maligned Johnny Manziel.

Playoff Odds: 25-1

Dallas Cowboys

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The Dallas Cowboys went from overrated pariahs to Super Bowl contenders in a hurry last year.

Head coach Jason Garrett jumped off the hot seat and into the playoff fire, narrowly missing out on a NFC Championship Game berth thanks in large part to some controversial officiating. Was it a fluke, or have the Cowboys finally arrived this decade?

Unfortunately for Dallas fans, the former is probably true, and it doesn't have much to do with Garrett's coaching ability.

The Cowboys bled talent this offseason thanks to a tough cap situation, including reigning rushing champion DeMarco Murray. Another nice draft will mitigate those losses, but we may see some regression in Dallas this season by virtue of attrition.

Fortunately, Dallas has a relatively light schedule if last year's records are any indication. 

Playoff Odds: 4-1

Denver Broncos

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Good thing Peyton Manning is still around.

Despite offseason retirement speculation and trade rumors, per Denver radio personality Benjamin Allbright, the future Hall of Famer will return for another year—perhaps his last. The Broncos haven't gotten any worse on paper save for a couple of theoretical downgrades at receiver and tight end.

Then again, Manning once turned Austin Collie into a star.

Outside his lost 2011 season, Manning hasn't missed the playoffs since 2001. There is zero reason to think the Broncos will miss the playoffs as long as he stays healthy.

Playoff Odds: 1-2

Detroit Lions

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The Lions were a nice surprise last season during head coach Jim Caldwell's first campaign in Detroit.

Led by the stingiest run defense in the league, Detroit nearly took the division from the Green Bay, losing the NFC North to the division-rival Packers in a head-to-head matchup at the end of the year. 

Is a return to the playoffs in the cards for Caldwell, or were the Lions a mirage last season? According to receiver Golden Tate, they are poised to take things to the next level, per Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press:

"

I think it's time for us to consistently, year in and year out, win ballgames. I think we have the personnel. I think we have the coach, the coaching staff. I think we have a heck of a fan base.

It's time. We're trying to shake 'the same old Lions.' We're trying to become — I thought we were good — I think we're trying to become elite now. I think we're trying to compete with the Packers and give them a run for their money and take over our division year in and year out.

"

The trouble is the Lions got to the brink of a division championship on the wings of that defense, one that has taken some major personnel hits this offseason. Losing Ndamukong Suh was the biggest of them all, but letting Nick Fairley and C.J. Mosley walk too may have softened up the middle of the league's best run defense.

Still, the potential for another playoff run is certainly there.

Playoff Odds: 6-1

Green Bay Packers

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Aaron Rodgers. 'Nuff said?

Perhaps, but it isn't quite that simple. 

Rodgers may be a perennial MVP candidate when healthy, but he hasn't had quite the postseason run we've seen from the likes of Peyton Manning.

However, it's difficult to see Green Bay missing out on a playoff berth if Rodgers is fully healthy. Heck, he dragged the Packers to a division crown on one leg last year.

If there is any real concern in Green Bay, it's on defense. That unit lost two starting-caliber cornerbacks and three inside linebackers this offseason, and the only move to replace any of them was drafting a free safety in the first round.

Playoff Odds: 1-1

Houston Texans

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How often does a player legitimately deserve an MVP award while playing for a team that misses the playoffs?

That was certainly the case with J.J. Watt last year, who had a monstrous season for a mediocre team. There is no doubt the big defensive end is the most dominant defender in the league, but it didn't do the Texans much good from a team-record perspective.

Much of that had to do with subpar quarterback play, something Houston hasn't exactly fixed from a personnel standpoint. The Texans will feature a quarterback battle between Cleveland castoff Brian Hoyer and fellow former New England Patriot Ryan Mallett for the starting job.

Of course, that defense could go from good to great if everyone can stay healthy. And it will help that the Texans have drawn one of the easiest schedules in the league—their strength of schedule based on combined 2014 winning percentage is tied for second-best at .417.

Houston will likely be duking it out with a host of teams for one of two wild-card spots, though—the Indianapolis Colts have the AFC South on lock down.

Playoff Odds: 8-1

Indianapolis Colts

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Why do the Colts have the division on lockdown? Two reasons: Andrew Luck and an inexplicably easy schedule.

Indianapolis is tied with division rival Houston for the second-easiest strength of schedule, based on 2014 results. Of course, those must always be taken with a grain of salt—the landscape is constantly shifting in the NFL, and we don't know which teams might emerge from the dregs.

The AFC East will be no cakewalk this season, and the trio of teams behind the New England Patriots didn't sport a particularly great record a year ago. 

Schedule aside, the Colts have a playoff-tested football team spearheaded by an emergently elite quarterback with an improving supporting cast. As long as Luck—who is heading into just his fourth season as a starter, a seemingly forgotten fact—stays upright, there is little reason to doubt the Colts will be in the playoffs.

Playoff Odds: 1-4

Jacksonville Jaguars

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Remember Jurassic Park, the original one, when programmer Dennis Nedry took the park offline and all hell broke loose? That was general manager Gene Smith a few years ago, and the franchise became a disaster.

Fortunately, the team has rebooted under the new regime and systems appear to be coming back online.

The Jaguars are heading into the third season of a rebuild under general manager David Caldwell and head coach Gus Bradley. The first two years were certainly tough as they sought to restructure the roster and shepherd along some promising rookies.

A strong offseason has the Jaguars in position to make some noise this year. Adding tight end Julius Thomas, defensive tackle Jared Odrick and offensive tackle Jermey Parnell certainly bolstered those positions, and the Jaguars had a strong draft to boot.

Unfortunately, the rookie hype was short-circuited by a torn ACL  suffered by No. 3 overall pick Dante Fowler Jr., who was supposed to help turn around a mediocre pass rush. The Jaguars also feature still-developing quarterback Blake Bortles, who had a rough go when thrust into a starting role as a rookie.

With the Colts and Texans still holding the Jaguars at arm's length in the AFC South alone, making the postseason is going to be a tall task. 

Make no mistake, things are looking up in Jacksonville. Just don't expect that to mean a playoff berth just yet.

Playoff Odds: 15-1

Kansas City Chiefs

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What should we make of the Kansas City Chiefs?

On the one hand, they sport a bit of a passing-challenged offense—apologies to Alex Smith apologists, but "avoids turnovers" isn't a particularly palatable top attribute—with a patchwork offensive line. On the other hand, that defense rebounded from an awful finish to the 2013 season to have a fantastic 2014.

The Chiefs had the No. 7 total defense and No. 2 scoring defense a year ago despite playing the likes of Philip Rivers and Peyton Manning twice, not to mention taking Tom Brady to the woodshed.

All that should still hold true in 2015 if key contributors can stay healthy most of the way. The front seven is particularly good, anchored by stud pass-rusher Justin Houston. If safety Eric Berry can get back to form soon—after beating cancer, no less—and rookie cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Steven Nelson can have positive impacts, that unit should be even better next season. 

Kansas City had a relatively tough schedule last season and wound up just missing out on a playoff berth with a 9-7 record. Had the Chiefs not lost the season opener against the terrible Tennessee Titans in ugly fashion, they might have made some playoff noise.

It's shaping up to be another tough slate for the Chiefs in 2015, but that defense is going to keep them in most games. The division crown will be tough to pry from Denver, but a wild-card berth is certainly in the cards.

Playoff Odds: 6-1

Miami Dolphins

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It's "put up or shut up" time in Miami.

Miami has been mired in mediocrity since legendary quarterback Dan Marino retired. Despite some promising developments in recent years, the Dolphins have been unable to break away from the middle of the pack.

With a new contract in hand for starter Ryan Tannehill and a retooled roster around him, it's time for the fourth-year quarterback to shine.

The Dolphins haven't improved for lack of trying. Owner Stephen Ross has green-lit some hefty contracts, including defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh's record-breaking deal this offseason.

Of course, all the roster upgrades in the world won't amount to much if the coaching staff isn't up to snuff. Head coach Joe Philbin hasn't exactly been Bill Belichick in South Florida, drawing the ire of Dolphins fans and national pundits alike.

If he can't make the roster this season, it'll be his last in Miami. Competing in the ever-improving AFC East is going to make things difficult.

Playoff Odds: 8-1

Minnesota Vikings

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Quietly—at least to most outside Minnesota—the Vikings had themselves a decent 2014 campaign.

Buoyed by steadily improving performances from rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, the Norsemen went 5-4 down the stretch and 7-9 on the season. Were it not for a couple of blown 14-point leads, they would have finished with a winning record.

Bridgewater was particularly good during the second half of the season, when he tied for the third-best rating in the league over at Pro Football Focus. It was a promising close to the season, one that should have Vikings fans excited about the future.

For better or worse, Bridgewater will have former MVP Adrian Peterson in the backfield, and the Vikings went out and traded for speedy receiver Mike Wallace. The offense could be sneaky good this season.

Another big reason for Minnesota's decent season was a dramatic improvement on defense—the Vikings sported one of the worst defenses in the league in 2013, and they wound up in the top 12 in scoring and yardage last season. We can probably attribute some of that to defensive-minded head coach Mike Zimmer.

If the Vikings can challenge the Packers and overtake the Lions, they will be knocking on the playoffs' door this year. They have a solid roster and a good coach, so those playoff odds are on the rise

Playoff Odds: 10-1

New England Patriots

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Think Deflategate is going to ruin New England's 2015 season? Think again.

The last time the Patriots played under the specter of a cheating scandal, all they did was go undefeated until a shocking loss in Super Bowl XLII. Spygate fueled New England's fire, and you can bet head coach Bill Belichick is going to have his team fired up to defend its honor.

Well, he may simply like winning, too.

Of course, the Patriots will likely have to overcome some sort of suspension of quarterback Tom Brady, who figures to have his four-game ban reduced at some point. Even if he misses all four games, it's hard to see the Patriots falling off too much.

After all, Matt Cassel went 11-5 as a starter the last time Brady missed action.

These are different times, and these are different Patriots. The AFC East is much tougher than it was back then, and there may be a little extra motivation for teams to knock off the defending champs.

Still, it's tough to bet against The Hoodie and his apprentice.

Playoff Odds: 2-1

New Orleans Saints

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What a disappointing few years it's been in New Orleans.

Bountygate sent the team into a tailspin from which it hasn't been able to recover. That hasn't been the only reason for the downturn in Louisiana—the Saints have had cap issues, underperforming defenses and a great quarterback who isn't quite playing at peak level anymore, among other things.

Little has realistically changed this offseason. But does that mean the Saints will have another bad season?

After all, bad is relative. New Orleans came within a game of winning the NFC South last year. That's not a point of pride considering the Panthers won it with a losing record, but at least the Saints were relatively competitive.

Drew Brees may not be in his prime anymore, but he is still a great passer.

Playoff Odds: 10-1

New York Giants

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Will this be Tom Coughlin's last hurrah? Should he have retired?

It's not as if the New York Giants have been terribly competitive in recent years. Even their Super Bowl runs were a bit fluky.

Instead of getting the ax or calling it quits after another disappointing season, however, Coughlin came back for another round. It's a good thing his roster is improving.

The Giants found themselves a rare gem in Odell Beckham Jr. last season, and he should spearhead a great passing attack if Victor Cruz can make it all the way back from a patellar tendon injury and Rueben Randle plays up to his potential.

New York also snatched pass-catching back Shane Vereen away from New England, creating a three-headed monster in the backfield with Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams.

Playoff Odds: 8-1

New York Jets

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Few teams improved more than the New York Jets this offseason, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

The team's defensive front has been one of the best in the league, but that secondary was an abject disaster a year ago. Injuries played a part, but free-agent attrition took its toll. The Jets took care of that in spectacular fashion this offseason.

Cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie are back, along with Buster Skrine and safety Marcus Gilchrist. New head coach Todd Bowles helmed one of the better defenses in the league in Arizona last season, and this unit could be elite.

The offense looks to improve, too, but the quarterback position could be problematic. Geno Smith hasn't been good, and Ryan Fitzpatrick is a journeyman who provides little upside. We might see Bowles employ the same ground-and-pound philosophy that his predecessor embraced.

It won't be easy getting back to the playoffs for the Jets, who must make it through the AFC East gauntlet. 

Playoff Odds: 8-1

Oakland Raiders

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How much longer will Raiders fans tolerate being stuck in the AFC West cellar before they run the front office out of town?

General manager Reggie McKenzie has been given plenty of rope in Oakland. Despite the bad records, the team is in a decidedly better place than it was before he arrived. However, digging out of cap hell will only go so far.

The Raiders have a young core led by quarterback Derek Carr and pass-rusher Khalil Mack, but the offseason once again brought little obvious improvement outside of center Rodney Hudson. Worse, they play in a daunting division and have the seventh-toughest schedule based on 2014 records.

They will surely be better than three wins this season, but the playoffs are a ways away for the Raiders.

Playoff Odds: 20-1

Philadelphia Eagles

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There is a fine line between genius and madness. We'll find out where Chip Kelly falls soon enough.

It was a spectacular offseason in Philadelphia, one that saw LeSean McCoy exiled and Sam Bradford tabbed as the quarterback of the future, among many other things. 

Kelly got by last season with an injury-marred offensive line, an overrated Nick Foles or Mark Sanchez under center and a porous defense. The Eagles still finished with a 10-6 record, though they missed the playoffs.

He certainly put his stamp on the roster, so there will be nobody else to blame if it doesn't work. For all the roster turnover, the Eagles still seem to be in pretty good shape. If the team can stay relatively healthy, we should be praising Kelly's work at this time next year.

Playoff Odds: 4-1

Pittsburgh Steelers

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The Pittsburgh Steelers won the AFC North once again. What's there to worry about?

Well, a gutted roster, for starters. That may be overstating things, but the offseason was certainly unkind to the Steelers. They lost pass-rusher Jason Worilds and safety Troy Polamalu to retirement, and that defense wasn't great last season.

Led by newly re-signed quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, the offense might be able to sustain Pittsburgh's winning ways, but it won't be easy—the Steelers face the toughest schedule in the league, with teams combining for a .579 winning percentage a year ago.

Of course, the Steelers seem to find ways to win like the other well-run organizations in the league, so those personnel losses may not matter much come Week 1.

Playoff Odds: 8-1

San Diego Chargers

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The Norv Turner era is long gone, but the playoffs were also elusive last season for the San Diego Chargers, though they did remain in the hunt until the bitter end.

Playing against the likes of the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs makes life a bit more difficult for head coach Mike McCoy. Wouldn't everyone have liked to play in the NFC South last season?

Still, the Chargers were on the edge of the postseason until the final weeks of the season, a butterfly's wing flap away from the playoffs.

They have gotten better since then, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. The team signed guard Orlando Franklin, tackle Joe Barksdale and receiver Stevie Johnson to go along with stud rookie running back Melvin Gordon.

With quarterback Philip Rivers still playing at a high level, San Diego figures to be in the hunt all year long. 

Playoff Odds: 8-1

San Francisco 49ers

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Look, the 49ers might have some free agents and young players ready to step into starting roles opened by retirees or departed free agents, but there is no way a team loses 11 starters without negative results.

The following is a reading of said losses:

• LB Patrick Willis
• RB Frank Gore
• OG Mike Iupati
• WR Michael Crabtree
• LB Chris Borland
• CB Chris Culliver
• DE Justin Smith
• P Andy Lee
• OT Anthony Davis
• CB Perrish Cox
• DE Ray McDonald

Most importantly, the 49ers had an acrimonious split with head coach Jim Harbaugh. As divisive as he may have been within the organization, he turned the team around on a dime and made them Super Bowl contenders overnight.

Apologies to new head coach Jim Tomsula, but it's going to be tough sledding in the NFC West.

Playoff Odds: 15-1

Seattle Seahawks

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The Seattle Seahawks have made back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, and the roster is pretty much intact. Aside from losing a couple of interior offensive linemen, there hasn't been much attrition.

Losing their defensive coordinator could be a big issue. Dan Quinn took on the head coaching gig in Atlanta and will be replaced by secondary coach Kris Richard. Of course, the Seahawks did just fine after losing Gus Bradley the year before, and Richard just happened to helm the best secondary in the league.

The only thing that can seemingly derail Seattle's season—aside from unexpected injury—is Russell Wilson's contract situation, something that is unlikely to affect anything on the field.

Despite the fourth-toughest schedule in the league, Seattle is all but a lock for the playoffs.

Playoff Odds: 1-12

St. Louis Rams

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The defense has steadily improved in St. Louis, but the team record hasn't quite kept pace.

Despite a good reputation, Jeff Fisher has been an underwhelmingly mediocre head coach for the past decade. A tenuous quarterback situation hasn't helped—oft-injured Sam Bradford has been Fisher's best option in that span—but his teams have generally underperformed.

The Rams tried to fix that pesky quarterback position by trading Bradford away for Nick Foles, who saw some success in Philadelphia. Of course, that may have been a product of Chip Kelly's offense more than Foles' talent.

If that's true, Rams fans will be in for a long season.

Ironically, St. Louis has had better success against the tougher NFC West than it has against the rest of the league in recent years. If the Rams can channel that success on an extradivisional basis, the playoffs might be attainable.

Given his history, however, odds are Fisher's squad hangs around .500.

Playoff Odds: 10-1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Going from picking No. 1 overall to a playoff berth is a tall task—unless you drafted Andrew Luck at any rate.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did get themselves a quality quarterback in Jameis Winston, but he isn't a generational talent. Few players are. 

A better record is in the cards nonetheless, but the playoffs remain distant, like the mountains at the end of the horizon. It'll take more than just a quarterback to turn the league's worst team around. 

The Buccaneers had the worst record in the league for many reasons, and several of those were simply not addressed during the offseason. The team is rebuilding, and making the playoffs would be a big surprise.

Playoff Odds: 40-1

Tennessee Titans

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How Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt survived that disastrous 2014 campaign is a mystery. But at least he has a quarterback now.

The Tennessee Titans drafted Marcus Mariota No. 2 overall, a major upgrade after years of quarterback purgatory. Of course, we won't know just how good—or disappointing—he'll be until we see him on the field, but there's theoretical improvement. 

It's been a positive start for Mariota, as new Titans receiver Harry Douglas told Amber Harding of TitansOnline.com: "Matt [Ryan] was my right-hand man. One thing I can say about Marcus, though, is that he’s very intelligent. He’s smart, he’s athletic and he can play the game. He knows the game. He goes through all his progressions, and he throws well."

Perhaps more importantly, the defense—one of the bottom units in the league last season—got a boost this offseason with the arrival of outside linebacker Brian Orakpo, safety Da'Norris Searcy and cornerback Perrish Cox.

The Titans also hired longtime Steelers defensive architect Dick LeBeau, though Pittsburgh's defenses haven't exactly evoked memories the Steel Curtain in recent years.

Still, this roster has a long way to go and a lot to prove before they can be considered postseason contenders. A soft schedule might get them to relative respectability—much like the Cleveland Browns a year ago—but we will have to wait a while to see Mariota hit the NFL postseason.

Playoff Odds: 30-1

Washington

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What should we make of Washington's playoff chances?

Outside of quarterback Robert Griffin III's outstanding rookie season that buoyed the team to a playoff berth, Washington has been the doormat of the NFC East in recent years. Injuries and confidence killers have all but derailed Griffin's career, and that defense has been a disaster.

Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett was finally let go, replaced by San Diego import Joe Barry. He was the linebackers coach for a defense that ranked highly last season, and almost anything will be an improvement over what Haslett put together the past few years.

Granted, it wasn't all Haslett's fault—injuries and attrition ravaged that side of the ball, though Washington didn't do a very good job with the roster. What else is new?

On paper, this team should be better than its record showed last season. But that hasn't meant much on the gridiron. The NFC East should be tough this year, and Washington drew the equally difficult AFC East, too. 

The NFC South might provide some respite, but the playoffs seem like a pipe dream in Washington this season.

Playoff Odds: 20-1