Four sleeper teams for upcoming NFL season

With the NFL season not far away, most of the talk has been about Tom Brady’s Patriots and whether they can go back to back. But what about the NFL’s sleeper teams?

Here are four who may trouble New England at the pointy end of the year.

Buccaneers
Tampa Bay were just a tiebreaker away from making the playoffs last season, and all signs point to them going one step further in 2017. Quarterback Jameis Winston has proven himself so far, throwing for over 4,000 yards in each of his first two seasons, the first player to ever achieve such a feat.

He has one of the best receivers in the NFL in Mike Evans, and in the offseason the front office added DeSean Jackson to the mix, as well as exciting prospect O.J. Howard in the draft, which should only help Winston continue to improve. Doug Martin has shown he is an elite running back when he can stay on the field, and while he will spend the first three weeks of the season on the sidelines due to a suspension, he should be back to his best in 2017, provided he can stay healthy.

The likes of Gerald McCoy should continue to wreak havoc on defence, and if younger players like Vernon Hargreaves can take a step forward, the defence should get better. What may hold the Bucs back is their offensive line, but if they can provide enough time for Winston to hit his targets and enough holes for Martin to exploit, then we will be seeing Tampa Bay playing football in January.

Titans
Like the Buccaneers, it was only a tiebreaker that stopped the Titans from making the playoffs a year ago, their poor division record letting them down. The AFC South is hard to predict but it’s hard not to see Titans ending the season on top of the division.

Marcus Mariota made enormous strides last season, throwing for 3,426 yards and 26 touchdowns to lead his team to a 9-7 record, compared to 3-13 in his rookie year. He will have more weapons this season, after Tennessee added Eric Decker in free agency, and drafting Corey Davis with the 5th overall pick. The two-headed beast of DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry in the backfield should again be strong.

Murray ran for 1,287 yards last and nine touchdowns last season, good enough for third in the league. He should again be a dangerous prospect for opposing defences. The Titans made moves to improve their secondary, perhaps their biggest weakness last season.

They signed safety Johnathan Cyprien and cornerback Logan Ryan in the offseason, two players who should come in and make an immediate difference. The AFC South is wide open, the Texans still have one of the best defences in the league, the Colts have Andrew Luck, and there is a lot of talk coming out of Jacksonville, but the Titans have quietly formed one of the most complete rosters in the competition, and for that reason they will win the division and make the playoffs.

(AP Photo/James Kenney, File)

Cardinals
This is probably an unpopular pick, but I see the Cardinals returning to the playoffs in season 2017. It was just two years ago that saw them play in the NFC Championship game. Both Carson Palmer and future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald are another year older, but they should still have one good season left in them.

Fitzgerald lead the league in receptions last season with 107, good for 1,023 yards, while Palmer threw 4,233 yards and 26 touchdowns, not bad stats for two of the oldest players in the NFL. Their defence is still good, ranking second in the league last season. They should be able to reciprocate those efforts, with the likes of Jones, Mathieu and Peterson still on the roster.

If Arizona are going to make the playoffs, though, they’ll need another strong season from running back David Johnson. Johnson was outstanding last year, running for 1,239 yards, as well as a remarkable 879 yards through the air.

Johnson is one of the early favourites to take out the MVP award this season. If he achieves that, then we’ll be seeing Arizona in the playoffs in 2017.

Chargers
The Chargers have been absolutely decimated by injuries the last two seasons. They also lost a bunch of close games, eight of their losses coming by just 7 points or less. It’s hard to see that happen again. There’s no doubting Philip Rivers is an elite quarterback, and he has one of the best supporting casts he’s had in a long time.

Melvin Gordon was much improved in 2016 and should only get better this season. Rivers also gets his star receiver Keenan Allen back after missing injuring his ACL in Week 1 last year. If Allen can get back to his best this Chargers offence, which includes the likes of Tyrell Williams, Antonio Gates and Hunter Henry, could be a feared outfit in 2017.

The Chargers simply cannot lose as many close games as they did a year ago, and if they can avoid the injury curse for a third straight season, they should be able to win a wild card spot in the playoffs this season.