NFL Predictions 2020: Projecting Teams with Most-Improved Win Totals

Thanks to major tools like free agency and the draft, NFL teams can make major leaps in the win column quickly.

While a bit of an extreme example, last year the San Francisco 49ers rebounded from a four-win season to put up 13 and take a trip to the Super Bowl.

Add in factors like health, developmental arcs and more to free agency and the draft, and it's not hard to see why a handful of teams can pull off massive turnarounds each season in the NFL.

This year, three teams stick out as obvious win-total jumpers.

Cincinnati Bengals

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Up is the only way to go, right?

The Cincinnati Bengals won just two games in 2019 under the supervision of first-year head coach Zac Taylor, the first new coach for the team in more than 15 years. Joe Burrow, No. 1 pick, was the reward for the faceplant.

Adding Burrow alone should boost the number in the win column. But the Bengals weren't content to put it all on a rookie's shoulders, even if he is coming off one of the best-ever seasons by a collegiate passer.

They spent huge money in free agency, adding an elite defensive lineman like D.J. Reader and otherwise retooling the hand-me-down roster to Taylor's liking.

Add in simple health, too. The Bengals hope to finally get 2019 first-round pick Jonah Williams on the field at left tackle and likewise hope star wideout A.J. Green can play after missing all of last season. If he does, he'll headline a potent cast of weapons around Burrow, including 1,00-yard slot man Tyler Boyd and star running back Joe Mixon.

In the AFC North, Cincinnati should remain competitive with a rebuilding Cleveland franchise and the question mark that is Pittsburgh, never mind the easier on-paper schedule after last year's poor finish.

Record Prediction: 7-9

Detroit Lions

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

Health is the big one for the Detroit Lions, specifically when it comes to quarterback Matthew Stafford.

The 32-year-old is one of the NFL's very best, which his 28 fourth-quarter comebacks and 34 game-winning drives illustrate well enough. He could only get in eight games last season yet still completed 64.3 percent of his passes with 19 touchdowns and five interceptions with four occurrences of 300-plus yards.

The Lions said Stafford received clearance in April and spent the offseason upgrading the offensive line in free agency with Halapoulivaati Vaitai and using the third pick on elite corner prospect Jeff Okudah.

A bigger attendance sheet from Stafford alone should play a part in improving things across the board, including that minus-82 point differential from last season. It's worth keeping in mind only one of the team's eventual top five receiving targets played in all 16 games and someone like linebacker Jarrad Davis only got in 11.

A talent upswing plus better health should equate to the Lions having little issue leaping past last year's three wins.

Record Prediction: 9-7

Arizona Cardinals

Lindsey Wasson/Associated Press

The Arizona Cardinals got an encouraging Year 1 from Kyler Murray, who completed 64.4 percent of his passes with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions but suffered 48 sacks.

Arizona and the quarterback could do so much more in 2020.

The 22-year-old is bound to keep improving and so is the offense as a whole thanks to the arrival of DeAndre Hopkins via trade.

One of the league's best wideouts, Hopkins has 1,100-plus yards in five of his last six seasons. His presence will stretch defenses thin, creating even more space for Larry Fitzgerald and running back Kenyan Drake, who over just eight games last year, had 643 yards and eight scores while averaging 5.2 yards per carry.

The complementary defense should be much improved, too, thanks to the arrivals of Jordan Phillips and Devon Kennard in free agency, as well as No. 8 overall pick Isaiah Simmons.

None of this is to suggest the NFC West won't again be a brutal ride for all of its members, but the arrival of a league-best wideout, upgrades in key areas and Murray's continued development could lead to a big jump from last year's five-win mark. 

Record Prediction: 10-6