Four Verts: Lamar Jackson can go nuclear again, don't discount Cowboys' playoff chances and be patient with Bears

https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/article/four-verts-lamar-jackson-can-go-nuclear-again-dont-discount-cowboys-playoff-chances-and-be-patient-with-bears-191127450.html

IT’S TIIIIIME! After going far too long without the NFL gracing our televisions, the regular season finally kicks off with a classic built-for-nuclear-TV-ratings NFC East showdown to kick off the year. Before we get too far into the excitement of the weekend, the groundwork for what could happen this year needs to be laid out, starting with one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the game.

Lamar Jackson is set up well to have another nuclear season

Lamar Jackson had a rare season last year where he was voted first team All-Pro while not winning the MVP, but he’s positioned to have another all time great season this year as Baltimore gears up for another season. Last season ended in disappointment when the Ravens fell short of their goal against the Bills in the divisional round with too many turnovers, but they were able to move the ball well outside of that. This team might not reach the peaks of what they did in 2024, but with Jackson under center (and that Derrick Henry guy next to him) they can still be an elite offense capable of winning it all.

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]

The run game is self-explanatory. Baltimore’s offense isn’t perfect and can be leaky from time to time, but it showed last year that it’s perfectly capable of anchoring an offense that can be a buzzsaw unit and score at will. Jackson’s mobility and continued growth as a NFL ball-handler gives them a margin of error to work with that most teams simply don’t have. Last season, Jackson posted by far the lowest sack rate of his career, getting sacked on just 4.6% of his dropbacks. There’s no reason to believe that trend can’t continue for the Ravens.

For perhaps the first in Jackson’s career, there should be excitement about what the Ravens’ pass catchers can do for this team. The emergence and contract extension of wide receiver Rashod Bateman has put this team in a spot where they have a big-play threat on the outside who is still growing into the little things that can make him a real WR1 for this offense. If Bateman can stay on the field and continue to let his immense talent manifest, Zay Flowers and DeAndre Hopkins round out perfect complementary pieces for what Bateman brings on the outside. Mark Andrews, even after his sloppy game in the playoffs, is still one of the best tight ends in the league, and Isaiah Likely is a great player to pair with him on two-tight end sets.

The last piece that should inspire high expectations for this offense is the continuity they’ve built with offensive coordinator Todd Monken. Despite leading a great offense for back-to-back seasons, Monken hasn’t been generating much head coaching interest and may be in Baltimore for the foreseeable future. That’s great for the players that they have on roster, because they really meshed with Monken’s vision for the offense last year and another year of familiarity is never a bad thing.

As long as the offense stays relatively healthy throughout the season, they’re going to put up points in bunches. Jackson has the pieces around him to win his third MVP this year as long as he doesn’t take some unforeseen drop in play. Repeating 41 passing touchdowns to just four interceptions will be tough, but a player as talented as Jackson should be able to do it.

Give Caleb Williams and the Bears time to get it going

Ben Johnson is here for an offensive renaissance in Chicago, whose offenses have largely been offensive for the vast majority of the Bears’ century-long existence. The early returns of the preseason were good, but they still need time and a runway to actually get off the ground and improve. It’s going to be an imperfect process, but in a world where it feels like patience has been abandoned, just remember that this is going to be a multiyear process and there are going to be some struggles.

It’s not groundbreaking information, but the Bears’ offense was very, very, VERY bad last year. According to TruMedia, they ranked 28th in successful play rate, 31st in first downs per play, 31st in third down conversion rate — you get the point. It was bad. Even with a quarterback as gifted as Caleb Williams, the Bears really struggled to move the ball and he let himself get sacked far too often, which killed drives. It’s not like this is going to end up being a top-10 offense overnight. They may very well be bad to start things off this season, especially against Brian Flores’ Vikings defense on Monday night, but the way in which they improve is the most important.

Organizationally, the Bears were just a flat-out mess on offense. Coordinator Shane Waldron and interim offensive coordinator Thomas Brown really struggled to get that side of the ball, culminating in a bafflingly embarrassing loss against the Lions on Thanksgiving that cost head coach Matt Eberflus his job. That function of their team already looks better, with many reports of Johnson drilling the little things that make an offense good, and the Bears have looked cleaner in their down-to-down operation.

There’s a nice little stable of talent to build with here as well. DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet are a good crew of pass catchers. The offensive line still has work to do as they try to integrate new starters on the interior, but they are working with more talent than they had this time last year on the offensive line, which should help them with their down-to-down consistency. But it’s going to take time for everything here to gel.

Chicago’s goal this year should be to have an offense that ranks within the top half of the league, which is possible if they hit their development tracks. We all learned last year that it’s probably not smart to bet on the Bears transforming into a quality offense overnight, but this year’s team has a strong enough foundation to at least have games where they look like a formidable unit. Stay the course with the Bears’ developmental plans. The potential is here.

Dallas still has a path to the playoffs

Look, let me say this. I don’t agree with the Micah Parsons trade at all. It was bashful, silly, shortsighted and didn’t extract enough value out of one of the best young players in the history of the league. Micah Parsons could have one vertebrae in his spine and I would still bet he could get 10 sacks in season. He’s that rare, and his loss will be an excruciating experiment for that defense to endure.

However, not all is lost here for the Cowboys this season. Their margin for error on what may be the worst defense in the league got much smaller, but the offense is still in a position to have a good year and they have a reasonably manageable path to get to the playoffs.

The biggest thing is quarterback Dak Prescott coming back into the fold after an injury-plagued season in which he only played eight games. In those games, Prescott had arguably the worst season of his career, posting a quarterback rating of just 41.7 (out of 100) — by far the worst mark of his career. His previous low was 55.2 during the 2018 season. That should actually build the case for some optimism, considering his performance last year was a major outlier and he can get back to playing closer to a Pro Bowl level.

Prescott rejoins an offense that already featured star players like wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and guard Tyler Smith with a team that has a clear identity: be physical up front. Smith, center Cooper Beebe and first-round pick Tyler Booker have incredibly high upside as a road-grading interior trio that can carry a run game and protect Prescott. The offensive tackles certainly have a ways to go, but a strong interior trio might be able to buoy what they want to do in the passing game.

Former Steelers wide receiver George Pickens is now the WR2 in this room, forming a strong duo with Lamb. They don’t have the flashiest running back room, but this may be a situation where they have enough there to create a productive ecosystem for a running game.

There’s a lot of projection here as far as the Cowboys goes, and new head coach Brian Schottenheimer has to prove himself as well, but this isn’t a roster that’s totally lacking for talent, no matter which Hall of Famer Jerry Jones tries to trade away next.

Which teams could bottom out this year?

Not every quality team gets to repeat their fortunes from a year ago. Teams fall into the darkness every year due to the randomness of the league and roster attrition, and most of them are just a hair away from total disappointment.

We’re going to crank the negativity up here and go rapid fire on a few teams that could wind up at the bottom of the NFL standings after being at least decent last year.

Miami Dolphins — This is a popular team to be down on, and for good reason. The offensive line is thin and banged up, and they genuinely might have the worst secondary in the league on paper. If Tyreek Hill takes a step back, things could get really spooky for head coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier as the seat gets hotter and it looks like the peak of their run is over.

Los Angeles Rams — The Rams have put together what looks to be a playoff-level team, but their potential success this season is hanging by a thread. Quarterback Matthew Stafford has been in the news struggling with a serious back injury that’s leaving the Rams’ ability to contend for a Super Bowl in doubt. His mobility will be affected, putting more stress on an offensive line that still has to prove they can be a consistent unit. They get a strong test to open the season with Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson coming to town. If Stafford gets hurt or misses extensive time, which is on the table as long as he’s dealing with this back injury, the Rams could bottom out (and that could end up being a blessing in disguise, with two first-round picks this upcoming draft).

Indianapolis Colts — They’re starting Daniel Jones and let two of their best offensive linemen walk out the door in free agency to wind up in Minnesota. There’s not enough juice to squeeze here to repeat even an 8-9 season like they had last year.

Los Angeles Chargers — Jim Harbaugh’s squad bottoming out is unlikely, but they do face a bit of a tougher path going into the second year of this regime. Losing star offensive tackle Rashawn Slater for the season is a big blow to an already thin offensive line, but they were able to protect themselves by sliding last year’s fifth overall pick Joe Alt over to the left tackle spot. While the peaks of the Chargers roster, including superstars like Justin Herbert and Derwin James, is really strong, they still are trying to build out consistently good depth just two seasons removed from having a top-five pick.

An overly run-heavy approach is going to be on the menu this year considering who their coaches are and the fact they drafted Omarion Hampton in the first round, but they still might not have the horses to actualize their dream of playing a bullyball style of offense.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/article/four-verts-lamar-jackson-can-go-nuclear-again-dont-discount-cowboys-playoff-chances-and-be-patient-with-bears-191127450.html