The perfect holiday gift for each NFL team

Two weeks ago, the Cardinals were hoping for a top-five selection, but wins in their last two games have ruined that chance. Heading into Week 17, the Cardinals hold the No. 9 overall pick.  Tanking should never be encouraged, but for a team with nothing to play for facing another organization with nothing to gain in Week 17, it sure would be nice for the Cardinals to remain in the top 10 for next April.

The Falcons seemed on the verge of firing Quinn at midseason when they were 1-7, but he somehow survived. Since then the team is 5-2, which includes wins vs. the Saints and 49ers. Choosing whether to retain Quinn for 2020 is not an easy decision. Matt Ryan will turn 35 before next season, so the organization can't afford to waste another season or make the wrong hire. Ryan has gone through three coordinators in the last four seasons too, and firing Quinn would most certainly mean a fourth in five years. But the Falcons also appear to have plateaued with Quinn running the ship. It's one of the hardest coaching choices that any team faces this offseason.

Seven years isn't all that long of a time to wait between Super Bowl appearances should Baltimore win the AFC championship this year, but playing in the big game would be a tremendous accomplishment for this franchise. Should the Ravens get to Miami, only the Patriots will have more AFC championships since 2000 than the Ravens.

Prior to Week 15, 10 wins was probably the goal, but that's already been crossed off the list, so the Bills are now aiming for their first playoff victory since 1995. The last time Buffalo won a playoff game, quarterback Josh Allen hadn't been born yet. The last time the Bills won a road playoff game was 1992.

Ron Rivera is the all-time winningest coach in Carolina history, posting a 76-63-1 record as head coach of the Panthers. But similar to Quinn in Atlanta, the Panthers seemed to peak under Rivera.  Without him these last three weeks, though, the team has completely tanked, losing three games by a combined score of 108-50. Hiring the right coach to reclaim control of the locker room will be extremely vital for next year.

It's been a rocky year for Trubisky. Although he missed one start, he remains 69 yards short of 3,000. A full-time starter still shy of that mark this late in the year is rare during this passing era. Trubisky's yards per attempt average has plummeted from last year's 7.4 to 6.1 this season, and he has only 17 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. As much as the 2018 season was a special one for the Bears, nothing has gone Chicago's way in 2019. Trubisky and the entire team will be searching for a fresh start in 2020.

The holiday came early in Cincinnati with the Bengals clinching the No. 1 draft choice with an overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. The Bengals can try to beat their cross-state rival Cleveland next week and not worry about falling from their draft position. Next on the wish list is figuring out what the future holds at quarterback. Andy Dalton has struggled this season, but he's hardly the only issue with the Bengals. It's a full rebuild, and it's time to determine if the organization wants to move forward with the quarterback of its choice at No. 1 or surround Dalton with more pieces.

Some of this was Freddie Kitchen's fault, and other nonsense wasn't. The Browns were so overhyped heading into the season that it meant Kitchens faced unrealistic expectations. Having said that, no one told him to wear the "Pittsburgh Started It" T-shirt. Kitchens is trying to find his way as a first-time head coach, and it would help if the organization was filled with less drama in his second season.

The Cowboys lost their eighth game of the season Sunday, which is a shocking realization with the amount of talent on this roster. Dallas' high-powered offense failed to reach the end zone vs. the Eagles in Week 16. That means the Cowboys must win and hope for an Eagles loss to the Giants next Sunday to win the NFC East and clinch a playoff spot.

The Broncos continued to show signs of life Sunday, picking up their third win in four games since Drew Lock became the starting quarterback. Lock has 843 passing yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions in four games. The Broncos can spoil Oakland's slim chance of a playoff berth by knocking off the Raiders next Sunday, but Denver's real wish is to continue seeing Lock improve heading into 2020.

There are a lot of problems with the Lions at the moment, so the wish list is long in Detroit. That's what happens when a team loses eight in a row. But injuries really killed the Lions this season, especially on offense. It's hard for any team in the NFL to compete without its starting quarterback. Getting Stafford back and healthy for all of 2020 is Detroit's first step in its return to relevancy.

Green Bay is still hoping to clinch the NFC North, but the Packers are also eyeing home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. The Packers are 18-5 all time at Lambeau Field during the playoffs, but interestingly they are only 5-5 at home in the playoffs since 2002. Even though they haven't been as invincible there in January lately, the Packers would still love to never have to leave Wisconsin until the Super Bowl.

The Texans have broken through to reach the 10-win mark each of the last two seasons. Three years ago, Houston won a playoff game and advanced to the division round. It's time for the franchise to take the next step. The city of Houston hasn't played in the AFC championship since the Oilers were in the game in January of 1980. The AFC championship has also never been hosted in Houston.

There likely will be conversations this offseason about whether Brissett really is the answer at quarterback for the Colts. It's not a bad question to ask considering how poorly he and the offense have looked for most of the second half. But the organization also still seems to have tremendous confidence in Brissett. Assuming that doesn't change, the franchise's biggest wish then becomes his development this offseason. Unless there is a change, this will be the first summer in his career that Brissett enters training camp as the presumed starter.

The Jaguars have been all over the map in terms of their future direction. Gardner Minshew wowed the organization and fan base for several weeks, but then Nick Foles returned only to cough the job back up to Minshew.  Tom Coughlin is out as the team's top executive, and that could mean coach Doug Marrone, who has been starting Minshew over Foles in recent weeks, is next. The head coach question must be answered, but No. 1 on the team's wish list is again a franchise quarterback.

This January will mark the 50th anniversary of Kansas City's lone Super Bowl title. It's also the last time the Chiefs played in the big game. With how well the Kansas City defense has been playing lately and the offense returning to full health, even if it requires winning two road games, anything less than a Super Bowl appearance is going to be a disappointment for the Chiefs.

Similar to the Bears, the Chargers went through a magical 2018 season, and they simply haven't been able to replicate it this fall. The team enters this offseason with major question marks at quarterback for the first time in a decade-and-a-half, but another big problem this season was the health of Derwin James. The safety became an enormous difference maker for the Chargers as a rookie last year, and his absence in the first 11 games really hurt. James back and healthy for all of 2020 will be a big key for the Chargers defense.

The Rams have been eliminated from playoff contention for the first time under Sean McVay, so the organization can turn its attention to the draft early this offseason. Lots of things changed this season for the Rams, but the biggest was the production from Todd Gurley. His burst just wasn't the same, and when he did seem healthy, the Rams appeared afraid to use him as often as they did early last season. Investing in a back to complement Gurley is a must for the Rams this offseason.

Because of early-season trades with the Steelers and Texans, the Dolphins hold three first-round picks. Their own will be somewhere in the top five unless they pull off an upset at New England in Week 17. The Dolphins are hoping for one more Steelers loss and an early Texans playoff exit so those picks are as early as possible too. Pittsburgh lost in Week 16 to move out of the playoffs for now. Houston clinched the AFC South with its victory on Saturday.

The Vikings have possessed a dominant defense for several years, but the team is still searching for consistent and big-game results at quarterback. While Cousins is having a terrific season, he needs to win at least one playoff game to quiet his critics, and unless the Vikings rally to win the NFC North, that win will have to come on the road.

New England has experienced its fair share of struggles during the second half of the season, but the formula back to the Super Bowl is simple: Play dominant defense and take care of the ball offensively. A first-round bye would be a great help too. The Patriots are 20-3 at home in the playoffs since 2001. If New England wins one more game and captures the first-round bye, the team would need just one more home playoff win to advance to a ninth straight AFC championship game. After that, as last year showed, anything goes, and good luck beating Bill Belichick when he's had two weeks to prepare.

It's hard to recall a more painful pair of two straight playoff exits than what New Orleans has gone through the last two years. In 2017 the Saints lost on the Minneapolis Miracle, and then everyone remembers the pass interference non-call in last season's NFC championship. With the time ticking on Drew Brees' career, the Saints would love nothing more than sweet redemption this January.

Eli Manning has made it clear that he doesn't want to go through another season as a backup. With Daniel Jones firmly the future at quarterback for the Giants, that probably means Manning's career in New York is finished. While his brother played for a different team late in his career, it would be weird to see Eli in another uniform and probably heartbreaking for Giants fans. It will obviously be completely up to Manning, but the organization is likely secretly hoping he retires to avoid releasing the two-time Super Bowl MVP.

While Bell and the Jets beat his former team Sunday, the ex-All-Pro averaged under 3.0 yards per carry in the win. He's done that in five games this season. It's not all his fault, but somehow the Jets need to find more production from their prized free agent signing. Bell has 748 rushing yards, a 3.3 yards per carry average and just 1,173 yards from scrimmage this season. He had three seasons of at least 1,800 yards from scrimmage from 2014-17.

The Raiders are heading southwest to Las Vegas next year, and while the NFL can spin the PR as positively as it wants, the fans in Oakland aren't pleased. They voiced that anger during the team's final home game in Week 15. There likely will be more Raiders fans following the team to Las Vegas than what the Chargers have seen since their move to Los Angeles, but growing a fan base in the new city has to be the organization's top priority. Of course, the best way to do that is build a winner, and the Raiders can still make the playoffs with a victory and help in Week 17.

Philadelphia took care of business, defeating Dallas while holding the Cowboys out of the end zone in a 17-9 victory on Sunday. Now the Eagles just need a win vs. the Giants to clinch the NFC East. Should that occur, the Eagles will be heading back to the playoffs for the third straight year. The last time that happened in Philadelphia was 2008-2010.

The Steelers' playoff chances took a major hit with their loss to the Jets on Sunday. Now Pittsburgh needs to beat the Ravens and hope the Titans lose to the Texans to reclaim the No. 6 seed. In some sense, the Steelers are playing with house money because no one expected eight wins from this team without Ben Roethlisberger. But with no first-round pick, Pittsburgh would like to advance as deep into the playoffs as possible. (Every organization wants a deep playoff run anyway, but the Steelers have extra incentive without the pick.) A playoff appearance without Big Ben, Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown would be extra sweet for Mike Tomlin.

Despite an embarrassing home loss to the Falcons in Week 15, the 49ers are back on top of the NFC with a week to go because of a victory and Seahawks loss this past weekend. San Francisco, however, still needs to beat Seattle Sunday to earn home-field advantage. If the 49ers fall, it would mean the Seahawks win the division, so not only would San Francisco not have home-field or the NFC West crown, but it would also mean no bye week and a road playoff game on wild-card weekend. It'd take three road playoff wins to reach the Super Bowl in that scenario.

The Seahawks' hopes for a first-round bye took a major tumble with a home loss to the Cardinals on Sunday, but Seattle can still win the division and earn a week off if things break its way on the final Sunday of the season. A victory over the 49ers, at worse, means the Seahawks would play their first playoff game at home. Seattle is 6-0 at home during the playoffs under Pete Carroll.

A loss to the Texans this past Saturday spoiled the Buccaneers' hopes for just their third winning season of the last 11 years, but Tampa Bay can still finish 8-8 with a victory vs. the Falcons in Week 17. The Buccaneers already knocked off Atlanta, 35-22, in Week 12. Bruce Arians has not lost more than eight games in any season during his first six years as a head coach. That will be on the line Sunday as well.

Tennessee has lost two straight, and yet the Titans find themselves in playoff position heading into Week 17. All they need is a victory over the Texans, who may not really be playing for anything, and they will earn their second playoff berth in three years. Of the three teams still vying for the last AFC playoff spot, the Titans are certainly the most dangerous on paper.

Washington will be looking for a new head coach for the seventh time in the last two decades. No wonder the team has only one playoff win during that time frame. To land a good head coach, though, Snyder needs a less hands-on approach as team owner. Until he does, the Redskins aren't going to land a top-notch available coach because most don't want to work at a place where the owner interferes as much as he does.