Lamar Jackson earned NFL MVP honors and led Baltimore to a 14-2 record, but he needs a postseason victory to finally silence his doubters.
Football
San Francisco was a few minutes away from beating the Kansas City Chiefs. Now it has to start the journey over, this time with a target on its back.
Pittsburgh had terrible quarterback play after Ben Roethlisberger’s season-ending injury, and his return probably will put the team back in the playoff mix.
Seattle has made the playoffs in seven of the quarterback’s eight seasons, but it has not advanced past the divisional round since 2014.
The Colts were a playoff team without a playoff-caliber quarterback last season. Now they’re betting on Philip Rivers to fill that role and show he has something left at age 38.
Cleveland was an overhyped dud last season, going 6-10. First-year coach Kevin Stefanski will try to get quarterback Baker Mayfield back on track.
Tennessee made a playoff run with a solid defense and bruising running back Derrick Henry. Now it has to prove that style is replicable.
About a year and a half after playing in the Super Bowl, the Los Angeles Rams could easily end up finishing fourth in the NFC West, with little chance of improvement.
The Westgate’s Ed Salmons didn’t mince words in criticizing Bill O’Brien’s moves as a coach on the field and as a general manager in Houston.
Quarterback Kyler Murray, the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year last season, should be in a better situation this year with the Cardinals.
The Westgate likes Cincinnati to go over its win total of 5½, so the sportsbook has shaded the over to -140 (+120 for the under).
Bookmakers said they expect former Baylor and Temple coach Matt Rhule to turn Carolina around, maybe as soon as this season.
Ron Rivera has had to deal with several off-field issues before his first training camp. The main question on the field is quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
Jacksonville is projected to be the worst team in the NFL, but one group of “highly respected” bettors fired in wagers on the Jaguars at the Westgate.