Most glaring concerns for five hyped NFL teams

Every season begins with certain NFL teams being hyped. Maybe it’s a playoff team from the previous year that’s supposedly ready to make a Super Bowl leap. Maybe it’s a perennial cellar dweller ready to compete.

The 2016 season is no different, with plenty of teams lining up to unseat the NFL’s perennial contenders.

But hype doesn’t always translate to on-field success.

These teams all enter the season as trendy picks on the hype train, but possess some potentially derailing question marks.

Minnesota Vikings: Quarterback

It’s almost too obvious to start anywhere else. The Vikings entered the preseason with real Super Bowl aspirations. Those certainly took a hit with the injury to Teddy Bridgewater.

Now, Bridgewater’s injury doesn’t necessarily kill Minnesota’s chances. This is a guy who threw for only 3,231 yards with 14 touchdowns and nine picks a season ago. The team still somehow won 11 games with Adrian Peterson and an elite defense shouldering the load.

The problem is that both quarterbacks now in Minnesota are known quantities. In Dallas, Tony Romo is out for an extended time and that will probably hurt the team, but Dak Prescott has no NFL track record. He might struggle, but he also might turn into the next Russell Wilson or Tom Brady.

Nothing done in the careers of Shaun Hill or Sam Bradford gives any reason for optimism.

Hill, the 36-year-old journeyman, will start Week 1. He’s never started more than 10 games in a season and boasts a 16-18 career record.

Bradford, who probably has a higher ceiling than Hill, is turning into a journeyman. The former No. 1 pick and Heisman Trophy winner is now on his third team and has a 25-37-1 mark.

Realistically, the best hope for Bradford is that he can turn his career around, avoid the bust label and become serviceable.

That’s not entirely without precedent. Alex Smith did that for the San Francisco 49ers in 2011. The previous season saw his squad go 6-10. Relying on a strong defense and run game, San Francisco flourished with a 13-3 record in 2011. This year’s Vikings are built in a similar manner to the 2011 49ers.

The difference is that for all of his pre-2011 flaws, Smith knew his team. That offense had been together for a few years. Bradford does not. He’s coming in to a brand new situation and only getting a few weeks to learn the offense.

Kansas City Chiefs: Receivers

Kansas City receivers caught a total of 12 touchdown passes last year. That only sounds impressive when compared to the previous season’s total of zero.

Alex Smith needs play makers around him. He won’t make many critical mistakes that cost the Chiefs games, but Smith is not an elite quarterback that makes those around him better. His receivers need to create windows for Smith to find them.

Last season saw Jeremy Maclin do just that. He caught 87 passes for 1,088 yards and eight scores.

For Kansas City to be a team with deep playoff aspirations, another receiver has to step up and complement him this year. That will open up more windows for Maclin, tight end Travis Kelce and Kansas City’s group of running backs.

In the preseason, the athletically gifted Chris Conley showed himself capable of being a solid secondary option.

https://twitter.com/chief8225/status/767427750533615616

Unfortunately, that’s a limited sample size that includes only five receptions in games that don’t count. It’s a step in the right direction, but that needs to translate to the regular season.

If it doesn’t, it’s hard to see Kansas City taking the next big step into Super Bowl contention.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Lack of a track record

The Jags have a lot of talent. They have all the makings of being a fun team to watch. But what has this team really accomplished that should make anyone confident that it will be a playoff-caliber squad?

Jacksonville has not finished with a .500 record since 2010. The Jaguars haven’t experienced a winning record or playoff spot since 2007.

Blake Bortles has certainly shown some potential. Still, he’s 8-21 as a starter. With Jalen Ramsey, Myles Jack and Dante Fowler Jr., Jacksonville has the potential for a strong young nucleus on defense.

How good of a coach is Gus Bradley? He did improve in 2015, but it’s hard not to improve on a 3-13 season. Bradley is 12-36 as a coach, having never gone better than 5-11.

Young teams winning isn’t unprecedented in NFL history, but it is rare. For the Jags to become a winner in 2016, they will need a lot of players to take a step forward. That’s a tall task.

Houston Texans: Improving division

The 2014 Texans just missed the playoffs. In 2015, they took the next step and qualified. Even if Houston did lose in the first round by an embarrassing 30-0 score, it took a big a step forward, right?

Not necessarily.

What really happened is that the Indianapolis Colts regressed. After three straight 11-5 seasons, the Colts poor roster construction caught up with them and they slipped to 8-8. Indianapolis should be better this year.

After drafting fantasy teams for years, Ryan Grigson finally got smart. The beleaguered general manager used every one of his draft picks on a defender or an offensive linemen.

Even if the Colts don’t pan out, the other two teams are also threats. The Jaguars may not be a playoff team yet, but they should improve from 5-11.

With a year under his belt, we should also expect improvement from Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans. If DeMarco Murray regains any of his 2014 form or if Derrick Henry makes a big impact, the Titans’ chances look even better.

Granted, the Texans should also be better. Brock Osweiler is an upgrade over Brian Hoyer. But if the AFC South is a tough division, is Osweiler really the ideal quarterback? He’s surely talented, but we’re talking about a guy that has seven career starts.

Oakland Raiders: History

Judging by the talent the team has in place, there’s plenty of reason to be excited in Oakland. Still, one glaring question does exist.

Will this be the Raiders’ last season in Oakland?

It certainly could be. Come 2017, the Raiders could well play in either Los Angeles or Las Vegas.

Dating back to this franchise’s original move to Los Angeles in 1981, eight NFL teams have relocated. Historically speaking, teams have not been successful during their final years in their old cities

That’s a 54-73 record (.425 percentage), one winning season and no playoff appearances. Keep in mind, some of these teams enjoyed success in the surrounding seasons, but the year before a potential move is tough.

Players and coaches can say whatever they want. They’ll say things like “we’re just focused on the next game” and “we can’t worry about things that we can’t control,” but the reality is that this uncertainty is a detriment. That’s something that both the Raiders and San Diego Chargers have to deal with this year.

There is no perfect NFL team. Even the most hyped squads have question marks. Oakland is no different.

But when it boils down to it, the Raiders are fighting a different battle. How much this will impact the team is unquantifiable. Historically speaking, the impact of a potential move is huge.