NFL 2009 Season Predictions: The Risers and Downers

The kickoff to the 2009 NFL season is less than a month away, so the questions lurk . . . which teams will vastly improve from last year, and which teams will suddenly fade? Below, are six teams poised for changes in the win/loss categories for the '09 season.

On the Rise

Dallas Cowboys:

Terrell Owens is OUT. Pacman Jones is OUT. Jessica Simpson is OUT. Jason Witten, Marion Barber, Tony Romo, and Felix Jones are all fully healthy again. Enough said. Watch out, folks, this could FINALLY be the year they win a playoff game!

Houston Texans:

Houston only had an 8-8 record in the '08 season, but they showed extreme potential and talent, and seemed to be getting everything together toward the end, as they won 5 of their last 6 games to finish the '08 season. With a core offensive group of Matt Schaub, Steve Slaton, Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter, and Owen Daniels, they have all the necessary weapons to put up the points. As long as they can play halfway decent defense, they should earn a playoff seed this season. True, it will be tough task, being in the same division as the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts, but it can be done . . . don't be surprised if all three of these teams make the playoffs.

Chicago Bears:

The Bears put up a 9-7 records in 2008, but are sure to produce better results now that they have Pro Bowl quarterback, Jay Cutler, at the helm. The Bears will be able to open up their offense a little more, which should help them create more plays for ever-elusive Devin Hester, who is still trying to establish himself as a steady offensive threat. The biggest beneficiary in the Cutler acquisition will be tight end, Greg Olsen. If you don't know, you will soon. Note to people in fantasy football drafts-Olsen is money in the bank this season. He might very well be a top five tight end with Cutler. Also, Matt Forte is an all around weapon in both the running and passing games, and his numbers should increase even more with a more open offense. You can also throw in the fact that the Bears play in the same division with the hapless Detroit Lions, the fading Green Bay Packers, and the quarterback-less Minnesota Vikings . . . with all of that being said, the Bears should be a lock for the playoffs barring any unforeseen injuries.

Going Down

Arizona Cardinals

Well, it's difficult to match a Super Bowl run and Arizona will not prove otherwise. After brief glimpses of greatness, teams that base all of their success with the passing game usually fade . . . and fade quickly. Kurt Warner has an incredible talent to throw to in Larry Fitzgerald, but their running game is still weak. In fact, it might even be weaker than last year, now that Edgerrin James is gone. James was nothing special, but he did show flashes of greatness at times. Tim Hightower has showed nothing worthy of being a starting running back, and their draft pick from Ohio State, Chris (Beanie) Wells, is already suffering from injuries. And let's not forget that this team had a very mediocre 9-7 regular season record last year, so seeing this team fizzle will really not be a huge surprise. Their only saving grace is that they play in the weakest division in the NFL.

Miami Dolphins:

Unless Miami comes up with another creative gimmick as effective as the Wildcat offense, this team should not expect to return to the playoffs this season. Winning 9 of their last 10 regular season games was remarkable, but don't be quick to give them too much credit. The Dolphins had one of the easiest schedules last season. In addition to playing two games vs. the washed up Favre and Jets, the Brady-less Patriots, and the less-than-mediocre Buffalo Bills, they had the luxury of playing the lowly San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, and the receiver-less Seattle Seahawks. With Tom Brady back healthy in New England, the chances of Miami re-capturing the division title is extremely slim.

New York Giants

The Giants should be able to put up a respectable record in the 2009 season, but don't expect them to be 12-4 again. Eli Manning is better than most people give him credit for, but with that being said, he's not nearly the caliber of his brother, Peyton, and is in no way even close to being worth his new, incredibly high contract. The Giants severely overpaid for this guy and it will bite them in the butt. Eli needs a good running game in order to be effective in the passing game, but how effective will that running game be? Brandon Jacobs is a bulldozer, but he showed signs of wear and tear during the end of last season. During the past two seasons ('07 & '08), Jacobs sat out a total of 8 games. This could be a sign of an injury trend that stays with him the rest of his career . . . and we all know that running backs have a hard time breaking those injury trends, so it might be a lot to expect 16 healthy games from Jacobs this season. Add on the fact that Derrick Ward is now in Tampa and the Giants could see a significant decrease in their run production this year. Oh, and that Plaxico guy is gone, too! This team will be lucky to reach 10 wins this year, with much of those wins coming by way of solid defense, not Eli Manning.