Jets, Browns, Texans, Broncos, Commanders, Cardinals, Bears, and Falcons – of the eight NFL teams that finished last in their divisions in 2022, which one has the best chance to go from worst to first in 2023?
That was an idea floated in an NFL.com article, which has the now-Aaron Rodgers-led Jets at the top of the list, the now-DeAndre Hopkins-less Cardinals last, and the Commanders…sixth?
In the article, Kevin Patra says this, in part, of the Commanders:
"Washington is another club facing an uphill climb in a tough division. The NFC East boasts one of the best top-to-bottom quartets in the NFL. Coming off an 8-8-1 campaign, Ron Rivera's squad is dotted with talented players…one big question is whether all the parts can come together to form a winner. The other massive question mark is at quarterback, where Sam Howell is in line to start the season."
When the Junkies discussed the list on Tuesday morning, back from a long weekend (for a few of them, anyway), obviously, none of them were surprised the Commanders weren't No. 1, but some were surprised at how low they were.
"I actually put the Commanders at No. 3," JP said, and EB's response was an understandable one: "It's a worst to first list, does anyone in the world expect them to finish first in the division?"
"I was ranking them by how much better I thought they got," JP replied, "but the Commanders have the Eagles in their division, so…"
The Jets, now with Rodgers, were No. 1, and yeah, the Junks see that, and the NFC South was so even last year that the Falcons at No. 2 makes sense just based on that alone.
"Anything is possible, but it's tough to think the Commanders have a chance to go worst to first in the division, unless there's injuries or something," EB said.
Then again, 18 of the last 20 seasons since the divisional format shift, and 10 of the last 10, someone has gone worst-to-first, so why not DC?
Listen back to the guys trying to guess the list, and their thoughts on the Commanders at No. 6, above - which includes some talk about Sam Howell's improvements in the eyes of those who cover the team!
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