NFL Preseason: 10 Teams Looking Better Than Expected

This preseason, there are have been many teams who have looked better than expected.

Every season, there are teams that surprise us all. The Chiefs of two years ago. The Ravens and Falcons of the year before that. But who will it be this year?

Usually, they are young teams who have drafted well and have good, up-and-coming coaches. But they can also sometimes be veteran-laden teams who acquire that one missing piece.

Here are 10 teams that could be among the surprises of the 2011 season.

Cleveland Browns

Browns fans can only be encouraged by young quarterback Colt McCoy, who has been really solid this preseason. McCoy has gone 19-of-28 for 231 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.

Knowing that they have an above-average rusher in Peyton Hillis, the Browns should expect to be better than anticipated this season.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Despite getting blown away by New England in the first week of the preseason, the Jaguars rebounded well in Week 2 by edging out the Falcons. All three quarterbacks looked solid in limited playing time, and though the rushing game was nothing special, the team was without Maurice Jones-Drew.

One of the biggest reasons the Jags look better than previously thought is that their division seems more winnable. The Colts still don’t have Peyton Manning back, and the Texans still have a lot to prove before they’ll scare anyone.

Jacksonville could be in a good position to win big.

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals will need to time to adjust to new quarterback Kevin Kolb, but they should get there fairly quickly. They’ve proven in two preseason games that their starters are capable as units on both sides of the ball, outperforming Oakland and keeping up with Green Bay.

With a franchise wide out in Larry Fitzgerald and a solid young halfback in Beanie Wells, the Cardinals are looking to be more of a force in the NFC West than originally thought.

Tennessee Titans

Last season, the Titans were one of the most complete “bad” teams in the NFL. They have most of the remnants of a good defense and have one of the best running backs in the league in Chris Johnson.

They appear to have addressed their biggest need at quarterback. Matt Hasselbeck is a good veteran signal caller and will hold the reins until a younger leader comes along. Jake Locker has shown flashes of brilliance in his first NFL action and hopefully, will learn from Hasselbeck.

St. Louis Rams

Sam Bradford has looked pretty comfortable thus far in new offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ system. If the successes of Tom Brady and Matt Cassel are any indication of things to come, the Rams could very well be the favorite in the NFC West.

The defense also looks better, which was the biggest area the Rams needed to improve in. Also the wide receivers are looking more and more solid, and the running backs seem to be a solid group, with Stephen Jackson leading the way and the addition of Cadillac Williams.

San Francisco 49ers

Another fairly complete team that underperformed last season, the 49ers have a solid defense and a good young core of skill position guys surrounding a major question mark at quarterback in Alex Smith.

Both Smith and rookie Colin Kaepernick performed well against Oakland, but it still remains to be seen whether either can lead the team. Luckily, the 49ers look to have a good running game with veteran Frank Gore and the emergence of rookie running back Kendall Hunter, which will hopefully allow Smith (or Kaepernick) to just manage games and avoid mistakes.

Houston Texans

Houston has been yet another team that has underperformed, and they’ve actually done it consistently for years now. But this team looks different.

It’s hard to explain what it is. They’ve made some pretty big additions to the defensive side of the ball rookie defensive end J.J. Watts and new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. This could be the year the Texans get over that hump in their division known as Peyton Manning.

Minnesota Vikings

When you have a solid defense and Adrian Peterson, it’s almost hard not to win.

The Vikings look better on defense after slacking on that side of the ball last year, and adding Donovan McNabb can only improve the team’s offense.

Denver Broncos

Despite the never-ending Kyle Orton vs. Tim Tebow argument, the Broncos have actually looked decent this season, with both Orton and Tebow impressing at times.

Both have been inconsistent, but the defense  looks better which is really the more important (if still ignored) part of the Denver equation. They probably won’t even sniff the playoffs, but they will make some noise in the AFC West.

Detroit Lions

The Lions are a team on the rise. But, they also play in the toughest division in football, and they’re the Lions. Still, they might just surprise us.

They have a good young defense anchored by Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley and Kyle Vanden Bosch. If Matthew Stafford can stay healthy, they’ll be a dangerous team.