Every NFL Division's Most Unpredictable Team for 2020

In a normal NFL season, roster and coaching turnover, another influx of talent from the draft and a variety of other factors make divisional predictions a fun guessing game at best.

This year, tack on an unorthodox offseason process, a lack of preseason games and a ho-hum waiver-wire process after teams cut down to 53 players.

While some divisions seem cut and dried on paper (who is going to stop Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West?), most aren't. Big roster changes, uncertainty at key spots and big analysis blind spots point to a wildly unpredictable team in each division.

Looping through all eight divisions, these are the most unpredictable teams in the league.

AFC East: New England Patriots

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The AFC East might be the most unpredictable division in football. Tom Brady has departed, and young potential franchise passers are trying to make franchises consistently competitive in Buffalo and New York.

But for once, the Patriots stand as the most unpredictable team.

Bill Belichick remains, of course. But Brady is gone, and in is free agent Cam Newton, whose recent injury history makes him a bit of a wild card. While quarterback has overshadowed other items, keep in mind the defense took hits for the second offseason in a row via the losses of Jamie Collins and Kyle Van Noy, while the team didn't have a first-round pick.

The Patriots won 12 games last year, but they went 2-3 down the stretch, losing to new AFC heavyweights Houston and Kansas City, as well as rebuilding rival Miami. Belichick could oversee a transitional year...or he could do Belichick things, surprise and contend. Unpredictable indeed.

AFC North: Cincinnati Bengals

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One of the two Ohio teams easily earns the label of most unpredictable in the AFC North.

This year, it's Cincinnati instead of Cleveland despite the latter's continual struggle to meet expectations.

The new-look Bengals are impossible to read. Quarterback Joe Burrow has arrived via the No. 1 pick, and he's got an interesting set of weapons with the likes of A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon. But he's also behind one of the league's worst offensive lines that tasks 2019 first-round pick Jonah Williams with protecting his blind side.

Cincinnati also overhauled the defense as one of free agency's biggest spenders in an attempt to turn around a unit that ranked dead last against the run a season ago. But like with Burrow and the offense, while things look good on paper, a lack of preseason games could be a big problem.

Realistically, teams don't do so hot after two-win seasons. But there is some intriguing talent and newfound confidence coming from Cincinnati, so who knows?

AFC South: Indianapolis Colts

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The Houston Texans should remain near the top in the AFC South, and the Tennessee Titans should at least flirt with contention.

The Indianapolis Colts are a much bigger question mark.

The Colts have been all over the place since 2014, going 8-8 twice, falling to 4-12, improving to 10-6 and then slumping to 7-9 last year. Philip Rivers' acquisition is a leap of faith aimed at righting the proverbial ship. The unique offseason, the first team change of his career and the fact that he regressed to 23 touchdowns with 20 interceptions last year make it hard to say if the risk will work out.

That's the biggest problem for the Colts, but add in injury issues last year for key names like T.Y. Hilton and linebacker Darius Leonard. If Indianapolis can stay healthy, Rivers doesn't turn the ball over wildly and the offense smartly works in its second-round rookies—receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and running back Jonathan Taylor—it's easy to see potential playoff contention.

If not, it's just as easy to see the Colts in the running for a top passer in the next draft.

AFC West: Las Vegas Raiders

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Jon Gruden's run with the Las Vegas Raiders has been nothing if not entertaining.

From acquisitions like Vontaze Burfict and Antonio Brown to records of 4-12 and 7-9 despite big hype, it's impossible to tell what will emerge from the Silver and Black's camp next.

A year ago, hype flopped to the tune of seven wins as quarterback Derek Carr averaged just 7.9 yards per attempt with only 21 touchdowns and a tight end led the team in receiving. Now Marcus Mariota is behind Carr on the depth chart, No. 12 pick Henry Ruggs III looks to diversify the offense, and Gruden and Co. spent big to fix the defense with linebackers Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski.

That doesn't guarantee much in the AFC West, where the Chiefs figure to do whatever they want and the Denver Broncos' arrow is pointing up. Should Carr mix well with his rookie wideouts and the defense take a step, another upswing in record could happen—but knowing the Gruden show, flattening out or backstepping in one of the NFL's toughest divisions is always possible.

NFC East: New York Giants

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Is year two going to be a big leap or a sophomore slump for New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones?

Much of it could hinge on what's going on around him after his rookie debut featured a 61.9 completion percentage with 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions—but 38 sacks.

Left tackle Nate Solder opted out of the season, which puts pressure on No. 4 pick Andrew Thomas, a tackle out of Georgia, to fix a leaky offensive line. Furthermore, Jones has to hope top wideouts Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate can stay healthy after neither played in more than 11 games last season.

The Giants have pinned a defensive turnaround on big-money signings at cornerback and linebacker with James Bradberry and Blake Martinez, respectively. The Giants coughed up 28.2 points per game last year while winning just four times.

To the Giants' credit, better health and upside could mean big things compared to, say, what is clearly a transitional year for Washington elsewhere in the division. But the broad range of outcomes based on Jones' progression and the changes around him make them hard to nail down in a tough NFC East.

NFC North: Chicago Bears

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One can reasonably expect Green Bay and Minnesota to remain steady in the NFC North, while the return of Matthew Stafford boosts Detroit.

And then there are the Chicago Bears.

The Bears shocked the world—in a mundane way—by announcing Mitchell Trubisky will indeed start over newcomer Nick Foles, a veteran the front office traded assets for this offseason.

Trubisky, who's going into his fourth season, completed 63.2 percent of his passes with 17 touchdowns against 10 interceptions last year while averaging just 6.1 yards per attempt. The Khalil Mack-led defense only put up 32 sacks in an 8-8 season, and the front office didn't have a first-round pick this year to boost either unit.

Still, Chicago's defense could drag the offense kicking and screaming into winnable scenarios again. If quarterback play is truly improved, good things can happen. But the Bears probably won't get the benefit of sweeping Detroit again and feasting on bad teams like Washington like last year.

NFC South: Carolina Panthers

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It isn't hard to get a read on most of the NFC South, provided one is comfortable saying the arrival of Tom Brady boosts Tampa Bay to playoff contention.

That's not as easy to assert for the Carolina Panthers after the arrival of Teddy Bridgewater.

The Panthers struggled to five wins last year despite a superb effort from Christian McCaffrey, who had 1,387 rushing yards on a 4.8 average and 1,005 yards as a receiver. But there are no guarantees with Bridgewater, who hasn't attempted more than 196 passes in a season since 2015.

Carolina will also ask new faces (and inexperienced ones at that) to boost the defense. Seventh pick Derrick Brown figures to start right away, and 38th pick Yetur Gross-Matos will likely do the same for a unit that ranked second-to-last a year ago in surrendering 29.4 points per game.

While the Panthers have a Hollywood-style story on their hands if Bridgewater successfully navigates the long journey back to serving as a franchise passer, it's one of the bigger question marks of the 2020 season.

NFC West: Arizona Cardinals

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The NFC West seems about as stable as it gets, minus the last-place finisher from 2019.

Those Arizona Cardinals head into Kyler Murray's second year hoping the big arrival of wideout DeAndre Hopkins boosts last year's No. 1 pick. He was promising as a rookie, completing 64.4 percent of his passes with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, but he suffered 48 sacks while the team went 5-10-1.

Hopkins' presence, along with entering year two of Kliff Kingsbury's scheme, should make things better for the offense. But the defense, which allowed 27.6 points per game last year, is throwing a lot at eighth pick Isaiah Simmons—and a recent similar experiment with 2017 13th overall pick Haason Reddick didn't work.

Given the talent of Murray and Hopkins, the Cardinals could blow away expectations of a transitional year and make things interesting in a brutal NFC West. But just getting to the .500 mark for the second time since 2015 might be considered a win for the organization over the long term.