Ty Ranks the 2021 NFL Teams - The Contenders Division

Welcome to day 7 of my 2021 NFL preview. This is the top of the top. These are the eight teams I consider the best in the NFL. I expect each to make the playoffs and all could make a run. If any of these teams win the Super Bowl this year I would not be surprised. They all have flaws but they all have ways to overcome said flaws. These are the teams to beat.

At number 8 I have the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks have the look of one last ride with this squad. This is the final chance they have to win it all. Russell Wilson is an elite QB. He is an MVP candidate. He is the top dude on this team. He runs this thing, and he is more than capable of doing magical things. I may not be a fan of his, but the dude can play. Chris Carson, while not Marshwan Lynch, is that bruising back that is hard to take down. Rashaad Penny is a solid backup. Tyler Lockett is a legit deep threat and great return man. DK Metcalf is already an upper tier receiver. He is big and strong, he has great hands, he's fast and he will only get better. The O line has always been the problem for this team, but they have down stuff to shore it up. Duane Brown is a solid tackle. And Damien Lewis can play. Wilson shouldn't be running for his life all season. The defense is not the "Legion of Boom" anymore. They cannot strike fear in their opponents like they used to. I think getting Jamal Adams under contract was a big deal. He is one of the best safeties in the league. Bobby Wagner is still an elite linebacker. Quandre Diggs is a great sidekick to Adams. The defense is still good, with big time playmakers, but not as great as they used to be. The Seahawks have one final shot and I think they will play like that all year. I feel like they are an eleven win team, but they will have to fight off the Cardinals all season long.

At number 7 I have the Green Bay Packers. Talk about a team with one final shot left in them. After all the useless drama, Aaron Rodgers is back. He will be the QB for one more season in Green Bay. He is coming off an MVP year and he has a prove it year coming up. He will play well and then be ready to leave. I love that they re-signed Aaron Jones. He is a real good running back and Green Bay has not had that in awhile. I also really like AJ Dillon as the backup. I'll miss Jamal Williams, but Dillon is younger and similar. Davante Adams is in a contract year and he is awesome. I am a big fan of his. Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Allen Lazard are good compliments to Adams. The O line has never really been a problem in Green Bay. This is the last time this group will be fully intact, and if healthy, they should be potent. Green Bay's defense is always a bit of a sieve, but they are working on shoring it up. Kenny Clark is a good D lineman. Rashan Gary, Preston Smith and Za'Darius Smith are a great linebacker trio. Those dudes are going to have big years. Jaire Alexander is an excellent corner. Darnell Savage is a beast of a safety. This team, on paper, is good. They could be great. They also should easily win their division. The Packers are a twelve win team. Time for the final ride.

At number 6 I have the Cleveland Browns. This time the hype feels validated. They made it to the playoffs last year, they got better this offseason and they have the dudes to win. Baker Mayfield, for all his nonsense, is proving to be a solid game manager. He looked like he figured out last year that he doesn't have to do everything for his team to win. He let the game come to him, and that is how he should play QB. He is so much better as a game manager. Nick Chubb is a really good back. He is a good runner, hard to take down and can catch. Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry and Donovan Peoples-Jones could be one of the top receiving trios in the league. All those guys are different, but they are all really good. Austin Hooper is a good tight end. The O line got better. The offense is good. They are legit. The defense got better this offseason. The fact that Myles Garrett is being paired with Jadaveon Clowney is frightening. They are going to terrorize running backs and QB's all year. The linebackers are fast and heavy hitters. The secondary is legit. The Browns are a good team. I may not like admitting it, but it is true. They played well enough to be in the playoffs last season, and I think this season they could make a real deep run. They are a twelve win team for sure.

The final team for today, at number 5, is the Tennessee Titans. Their coach is a moron. He is a cliched dumb jock. But his team is solid. Ryan Tannehill is playing like he should have his whole career. He is the prototype game manager. He doesn't make too many mistakes, doesn't take too many chances and runs the offense as he is told to. That is when he is at his personal best. Derrick Henry is the best back in the league. He is big, fast, impossible to take down with one guy, can catch and block. Henry can do it all and do it all well. He is awesome. He could be the MVP this year. The receiving core was majorly upgraded when they got Julio Jones. He is going to make this offense so much more lethal. Thinking about a play action deep ball to Jones is going to give defensive coordinators nightmares. They also have AJ Brown, who is getting better every season. The O line is nasty and big and good. The defense is devoid of prime time names, but the dudes can play. They got Bud Dupree for next to nothing, and he will help. Janpris Jenkins has stuck around so long for a reason. Kevin Byard is becoming a pro bowl player. Denico Autry is a solid D end. The defense has players that play their role and they play it well. The Titans are a good team, with aspirations of being great. They have made a few deep runs in the playoffs as of late, and it wouldn't surprise me if they did it again this season. They are a twelve to fourteen win team for sure.

That is it for today. Come back for the final four teams tomorrow.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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