It's that time again for NFL fans. That grey area between the draft and the season starting and the optimism is at an all time high and the patience at an all time low. Here at Vavel, that means Power Ranking time.
NFL writers Sam Lewis and David Amoyal have put together a ranking of all 32 teams according to their draft and offseason acquisitions and losses and have assessed who's the favourites for the Superbowl - and who's odds on for the Number 1 pick of the 2014 draft.
In the second edition of our countdown, here's the numbers from #21 to #26
21) Detroit Lions
Adding Reggie Bush at RB should make their offense even more explosive. The former Dolphins RB should settle in well playing his home games in a dome, considering Lions have WR Calvin Johnson opposing defenses will not be able to stack the box against the run. The Lions added another 1st round to their defensive line in BYU’s Ezekiel Ansah, Detroit will need this unit to make up for a questionable secondary. QB Matthew Stafford will have a lot of pressure trying to live up to his monster 3 year $53 million extension, he shed the injury prone label by playing in all 16 games the past 2 seasons.
22) San Diego Chargers
The Chargers hired former Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy as head coach, he knows the division very well since joined Denver in 2009. McCoy will try to get QB Philip Rivers career back on track after a few down season. The Chargers drafted OT Fluker from Alabama to better protect Rivers next season, but he will likely be a work in progress. Former Patriots RB Danny Woodhead should be a nice compliment to Ryan Matthews and Ronnie Brown. The Chargers will need TE Antonio Gates to return to his old form to contend for a playoff spot/
23) Carolina Panthers
The Panthers have one of the best rushing offenses in NFL (RBs Williams and Stewart as well as QB Newton who ran for over 700 yards last season) and improved their defense line by drafting two DTs in first two rounds, Lotulelei and Short. If this were the NFL from 10 years ago this would be a strong recipe for success, but the league is now about explosive passing offenses and the Panthers have still not been able to find a compliment to WR Steve Smith and do not have an elite pass rusher.
24) Kansas City Chiefs
New head coach Andy Reid should be able to energize the Chiefs passing offense which was dead last in NFL last season. QB Alex Smith should fit in well with Reid, especially after the team bolstered the offensive line with number #1 overall pick Eric Fisher. WR Dewaine Bowe has the talent to become an elite player at his position. RB Jamaal Charles is coming off a strong season (1509 yards rushing) and considering Alex Smith is more of a game manager, he should get plenty of touches. The Chiefs signed underrated DL Mike De Vito who is a natural fit in 3-4 defense.
25) Buffalo Bills
The Bills made the most puzzling move in the last NFL draft by picking Florida State QB E.J. Manuel in the first round. While he all of the tools to be a successful NFL QB, he wasn’t close to being projected as first round pick. He will compete with former Cardinal Kevin Kolb who is coming off a putrid season. The Bills have an excellent RB combination in C.J. Spiller (averaged a very impressive 6 yards per carry) and Fred Jackson. The Bills will need to get more from DE Mario Williams, who signed the largest contract given to a defensive player last season. New head coach Doug Marrone will at least debut in the NFL in a rather soft division, especially now that the Patriots appear weaker than in years past,
26) Arizona Cardinals
You know your offense was putrid if you consider Carson Palmer a major upgrade at QB. Larry Fitzgerald is arguably the best WR in NFL, but last season Arizona’s QB were so bad he wasn’t able to reach 800 yards receiving for the season. Palmer should be considerably better than Kolb and Skelton, but he will not get much help from the running game since former Steeler Mendenhall is the top option (he played in Pittsburg with current Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians). The Cardinals improved their lines by signing pass rushing specialist John Abraham, and former Pro Bowler Eric Winston who is coming off a difficult season in Kansas City.