Why Steelers, Cardinals, Rams could be playoff-bound in 2020

Tunison: I might feel more confident in this choice were they in any other division. Nevertheless, I'm throwing caution to the wind and going with the Cardinals (5-10-1). They made encouraging strides on offense, and with a supposed wunderkind coach Kliff Kingsbury, they absolutely had to. Kyler Murray (3,717 yards passing, 20 TDs) looks like a star-in-the-making, and was decidedly more steady than any other of the quarterbacks in his draft class. Kenyan Drake was an outstanding midseason addition, posting 643 rushing yards in his eight games in Arizona after he was acquired from the Dolphins (817 overall).

Arizona's wins were a modest improvement over 2019 (3-13), though there were promising signs the closer you look. The Cardinals beat Seattle, 27-13, on the road and frustrated the 49ers twice (both losses, 36-26 and 28-25). They were seldom embarrassed. Arizona needs more from its receivers, but it's clear the offense is nor far off from being an imposing force.

Of course, what needs drastic and immediate change is the defense. It finished last in yardage allowed, was second worst against the pass, and allowed the second-most passing touchdowns. Even adjusting for the fact that Arizona lost star cornerback Patrick Peterson to suspension for the first six weeks of the season, it was horrid in the secondary. Arizona went hard at receiver in the draft this past off-season and got little return on the three wideouts they picked. The Cardinals must focus just as hard on the defense in 2020 and hope their luck is considerably better. If it is, they could be flirting with a wild-card spot, NFC West or no, next season.

Mueller: I gave the Cardinals strong consideration before settling on the Steelers, believe it or not. Murray was about as impressive as a rookie quarterback could be, considering all of the limitations around him, and with anything resembling an NFL-caliber pass defense, Arizona probably manages to wring two more wins out of its season. 

One good method of evaluating which teams might be poised for a rebound is to look at point differential. Only three teams in the league had a positive point differential but missed the playoffs, all of them in the NFC. Dallas was a startling plus-113, yet only managed an 8-8 record and came up small against quality opposition. Tampa Bay went 7-9 with a plus-nine differential, but there’s no way I’m going to preach optimism for a team that might view Jameis “30 for 30” Winston as their best quarterbacking option. 

That leaves me with Arizona’s division-mates, the Los Angeles Rams. Had L.A. defeated  Seattle in Week 5, it would be in the postseason. As it is, the Rams were the victims of questionable officiating, and a late-season charge fell short. Still, the key pieces are very clearly in place. Defensive tackle  Aaron Donald was as dominant as ever, finishing as Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded defender. Los Angeles still has a stable of talented receivers, and while RB Todd Gurley’s knee will continue to degenerate, it’s reasonable to assume that the Rams will learn from the mess that his situation became and be better prepared for it next season.

The Rams must deal with usual departures in free agency, and it seems they are poised to make major changes to their coaching staff and front office. That said, assuming head coach Sean McVay figures how to get a bounce-back season out of Jared Goff, whose 86.5 passer rating put him below league average, there’s no reason Los Angeles can’t be a force to be reckoned with again in 2020. Goff, by the way, threw 11 touchdowns against four interceptions in his final four games.

Tunison: With the coaching carousel still turning, whom I like to turn around their fortunes within the span of a year depends somewhat on who their coach is in 2020. I could see Cleveland or Dallas being factors next season if they wind up with the right guy. Until I see who that is, I'm withholding judgment.

Even though Miami made the curious decision to lure Chan Gailey out of retirement to be its offensive coordinator, I like their chances to be a consequential team in 2020. Head coach Brian Flores got admirable effort out of a stripped-down roster this season, turning a team that became synonymous with tanking in the first two months into one that had to be taken seriously by season's end. The Dolphins (5-11) won three out of their last five games, with two of those victories coming against playoff teams (Eagles and Patriots).

Miami has three first-round and two second-round picks in the 2020 draft. Even if the Dolphins only hit on three of those five, that's a significant injection of talent on an otherwise barren roster. With that much youth, there are bound to be growing pains. There should be extra veteran support as well. The Dolphins have a staggering $100 million in cap space to play with this spring, so it would be a surprise if they weren't major players in the free-agent market. Miami fans likely have bad memories of spending lavishly on free agents in the not-too-distant past with little results, but it's possible to use those ample resources strategically and soundly.

The hiring of Gailey suggests they're going to keep around QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, whom he worked with in Buffalo as head coach and with the Jets as offensive coordinator. Fitz most likely will be a placeholder until whichever quarterback they draft is ready. It's also entirely possible they'll do a Patrick Mahomes situation and sit that quarterback for the majority of his rookie season, which makes sense because otherwise the young QB would be paired with a mostly inexperienced roster. 

Gailey has a history of getting Fitzpatrick to perform well. With the Patriots potentially on the decline, Miami is in good shape to position itself as the next AFC East powerhouse. A division title in 2020 might be a little too much too soon, but I don't think it's out of the question for the Dolphins to win nine games.