Four NFC regression candidates for 2023
Every team in the NFL (except perhaps for the tanking Arizona Cardinals…) will be looking to kick-on and improve upon their efforts from the 2022 season. There will always be some teams that take a step backwards, for a multitude of reasons. Injury, roster shake-ups or a tough schedule are just a few of the factors that can derail a promising season.
Let’s take a look at some of the teams in the NFC that could be heading in the wrong direction in 2023, and how they can prevent that from becoming their fate.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings won an NFL-record 11 games by one score in 2022, but ultimately fell at the first hurdle in the playoffs when they were defeated by the New York Giants.
Their regular season losses were convincing, giving up least 40 points on two occasions: a 40-3 demolition by the Cowboys and crushing 41-17 loss to the resurgent Packers in Week 17 that ended their hopes of achieving the No 1 seed in the NFC.
Minnesota have just lost an elite pass rusher in Za’Darius Smith, trading the defensive end to the Cleveland Browns for very little in return. Smith had requested a trade from the Vikings and the team were consigned to losing him this offseason.
It is looking increasingly likely that the Vikings will be moving on from their star running back Dalvin Cook this offseason. Alexander Mattison will need to take a big step up in his fifth year in the league and could be a great value pick up in fantasy leagues if he does.
The Vikings do have reliability under centre. Kirk Cousins can be counted on for solid (but not necessarily spectacular) QB play. Of the 11 one-score wins in 2022, Cousins engineered a fourth quarter comeback in no less than EIGHT of those games.
Justin Jefferson will also have his sights on back-to-back seasons as receiving yards leader across the league. The Vikings will be relying on this connection to secure their spot in the playoffs next January.
Detroit Lions
The 2022 Detroit Lions season was a near-fairytale that started on HBO’s Hard Knocks, and saw the team recover from a despairing 1-6 start to rally and end the season with a 9-8 record. The Lions narrowly missed out on a playoff spot with the 48-45 loss to the Seahawks proving to be the tiebreaker. Detroit did however seize upon the opportunity to deny their fierce rivals in Green Bay one last playoff run with Aaron Rodgers, by winning in Lambeau in Week 18.
The Packers are a relatively unknown entity with Jordan Love under centre, but both the Lions and Vikings should beware as the resurgent Bears look an exciting prospect in 2023. Justin Fields now has a true number-one receiver in D.J Moore. Chicago also added much-needed help in the trenches with their first two picks and will look to mount a division challenge.
It is rare for the level of momentum that was powering the Lions to translate from one season to the next, and the loss of their star running backs Jamaal Williams and Deandre Swift will only make it harder.
Despite these losses, the team have since acquired David Montgomery who will look to thrive now that he is out of the shadow of Justin Fields in Chicago. Detroit’s very early selection of Jahmyr Gibbs also shows how highly they value him as a future centre piece of the offense.
Jared Goff earned his 3rd pro-bowl in 2022 and looked reminiscent of the player that led the Rams to the Superbowl at the conclusion of the 2018 season. Goff should be viewed as a solid franchise quarterback in 2023.
San Francisco 49ers
The biggest question surrounding the 49ers is, of course, the QB room.
Brock Purdy’s improbable ascension to NFL starter was halted by injury in the NFC title game. Even if he recovers to be fit to start the 2023 season, there are no guarantees we will see the same player the burst onto the scene at the tail end of last season.
Trey Lance has even fewer career starts across his two years in the league. After being named starting QB for the 2022 season, Lance now looks close to being out of the picture with quotes from 49ers GM John Lynch favouring Purdy, and Kyle Shanahan openly gushing over their latest QB addition in Sam Darnold.
Darnold hasn’t had the start to his career that one would hope from a former third-overall pick, however his supporting casts up to this point in New York and Carolina have been less-than-ideal. An opportunity for Darnold to revive his career may well present itself this season.
The 49ers are in the fortunate position of getting to play the Rams and Cardinals twice, but also face tough divisions in the NFC East and AFC North on their schedule. San Francisco will face a tough battle against a stacked Seahawks for the NFC West division title.
New York Giants
The Giants face a tall order to build on the success of their 2022 season. The G-Men possess the joint-third toughest schedule in the NFL – based on opponents’ win percentage last season.
Daniel Jones will need to push on from his 2022 season and start earning his eye-watering $160 million contract. A Pro Bowl nod at the least should have the Giants feeling that they are getting some sort of value for money.
Saquon Barkley has still yet to sign the non-exclusive franchise tag placed upon him by the organisation back in February. While there seems to be no real danger of the player not suiting up for the team in 2023, the situation will provide an unwanted distraction the longer it rumbles on through the preseason.
The Giants have strengthened some positions of need, adding CB Deonte Banks with their first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, before taking OL John Michael Schmitz and playmaker Jalin Hyatt. It remains to be seen whether this will be enough to propel Big Blue to the playoffs for a second straight season.
