It's Time to Hop on the Bandwagon of These 4 NFL Teams Right Now

Week 1 of the NFL season boasted plenty of shockers from recently struggling franchises and those carrying low expectations. 

A year ago, the Washington Football Team had the same type of bleak outlook after the franchise had a three-win season. But head coach Ron Rivera arrived alongside must-see young talent Chase Young, and the club took down NFC East foe Philadelphia in Week 1 and eventually made the Wild Card Round (with a 7-9 record, but a playoff berth is a playoff berth). 

This year, a handful of teams could make a similar run, and fans should be all over them, as the talent base and outlook suggest they will stick in the conversation for the entire season. 

Philadelphia Eagles

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After winning just four games last year and carrying a question mark at quarterback into this season, the Philadelphia Eagles exploded with a 32-6 shellacking of the Atlanta Falcons. 

In it, 2020 second-rounder Jalen Hurts got a good start on proving doubters wrong with a 27-of-35 line and three touchdown passes, running back Miles Sanders ran for 74 yards on a 4.9 per-carry average, and tight end Dallas Goedert and recent first-round wideouts Jalen Reagor and DeVonta Smith all caught touchdowns. 

The offense wasn't the only standout unit. Philadelphia's defense limited veteran QB Matt Ryan to 164 yards on 35 attempts, held all Atlanta rushers under 60 yards each and picked up three sacks. Javon Hargrave (two sacks) is an unstoppable force in the middle of the line and an array of pass-rushers make life easier on a secondary that quietly rebuilt, with Steven Nelson complementing Darius Slay. 

Sure, the Eagles beat up on a rebuilder, but the rest of the NFC East lost on opening weekend. It was much easier to throw hype behind Dallas and Washington in the division and call it a day, but it's clear the Eagles have the core pieces and coaching necessary with Nick Sirianni and Co. to make a run at the top. 

Denver Broncos

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It's all too easy to shrug off the Denver Broncos in a stacked AFC West. Kansas City is a title contender, Los Angeles has Justin Herbert at quarterback and Las Vegas always seems to be a candidate to break out.

Denver didn't turn heads when it acquired Teddy Bridgewater to compete with Drew Lock under center. The veteran had ho-hum numbers as a full-time starter (just 15 touchdown passes and 11 picks last year) and a major knee injury in his past, and a rebuilding Carolina team only kept him for a single season. 

Bridgewater made a splash in Denver's 27-13 Week 1 win over the New York Giants, though, throwing for 264 yards and two scores. It's an encouraging sign considering he threw multiple touchdowns in a game just five times last year. 

Wideout Jerry Jeudy led the team in receiving with 72 yards (he went to injured reserve with an ankle sprain, though), and 2019 first-round tight end Noah Fant was just behind him at 62 yards. Melvin Gordon III dominated the backfield with 101 yards rushing and a score on a 9.2 per-carry average, and Bridgewater suffered just two sacks. 

Defensively, Denver coughed up just one passing score and limited the Giants to three yards per carry. The Broncos also got a pair of sacks from the returning Von Miller, who sat out 2020 with an ankle injury. Anything the offense does is a bonus for a defense stacked with talent in Miller, pass-rusher Bradley Chubb and big-time secondary players Kyle Fuller and Justin Simmons. 

It won't be an easy divisional path for Denver, but it was in close games with each rival during last year's five-win campaign. Jeudy is set to return after four to six weeks, and he'll be part of a cast that could help Bridgewater put up career-best numbers. 

Cincinnati Bengals

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Entering 2021, the Cincinnati Bengals had won six games in two seasons under head coach Zac Taylor. But it feels like the franchise has turned a corner after rebuilding the roster to fit this staff's vision. 

Case in point: a Week 1 overtime win against the Minnesota Vikings in which franchise passer Joe Burrow—back earlier than expected from a torn ACL—posted a 20-of-27 line with 261 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Star back Joe Mixon ran for 127 yards and a score, and fifth overall pick Ja'Marr Chase had 101 yards and a touchdown. The defense also held running back Dalvin Cook to a 3.1 per-carry average and one score. 

Burrow did take five sacks, and some of that was him holding the ball too long or the interior line struggling. But the offensive tackle duo, headed by free-agent signee Riley Reiff, was one of only three pairs leaguewide to not allow a single pressure, per Pro Football Focus. 

A new-look defense, buoyed by the arrival of free agents Trey Hendrickson, Mike Hilton, Chidobe Awuzie and Larry Ogunjobi, generated more pressures than it had in a game since 2019, according to PFF. This, without No. 1 corner Trae Waynes (hamstring) against a strong offense. 

The team underwent one of the league's most dramatic roster overhauls in pursuit of a new defensive scheme and boasts a potential top-tier passer flanked by an elite cast of weapons at the skill positions. This 1-0 start feels like a proof of concept before Cincinnati really takes off in a wide-open AFC North.   

New Orleans Saints

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The New Orleans Saints' bandwagon got a lot less crowded after legendary quarterback Drew Brees retired during the offseason.

Now the mad scramble to hop right back on can start. 

Jameis Winston has taken over under center, and he threw five touchdowns and no interceptions in a 38-3 dismantling of the Green Bay Packers. We've seen prolific numbers from him before, but even when he threw 33 touchdowns in 2019, they came with 30 interceptions. That he was mistake-free against a contender without Michael Thomas (ankle) on the field changes the narrative a bit. 

A stellar performance from the New Orleans defense sure helps. Despite losing Trey Hendrickson (13.5 sacks last year), the defense held Aaron Rodgers to 133 yards passing, picked him off twice and held Green Bay runners to a 2.9 average.  

Winston won't light up a Super Bowl contender every week without mistakes, but the offense looks like it has a deep passing game again even without Thomas. The defense just smothered one of the best offenses it will face all year.

In the NFC South, Tampa Bay is the only other major threat. That makes the Saints an overlooked contender who is free to turn it loose without the massive weight of expectations compared to the contention-retirement pressure surrounding Brees over the last few years.