The Detroit Lions rebounded from a 1-7 start to the 2015 NFL season to finish 7-9 and third place in the NFC North. The Lions can’t put themselves in that kind of hole in order to compete in a division featuring the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings heading into 2016. The Lions lost a franchise icon in Calvin Johnson, after the perennial All-Pro wide receiver announced his retirement. His production and leadership will be hard to match, and veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford is sure to miss the top target he’s had his entire career. Golden Tate is expected to fill the void at the No. 1 receiver spot, and newly signed Marvin Jones from Cincinnati and former San Francisco 49er Anquan Boldin will be called upon as well. Detroit needs someone to emerge at the running back position, between second-year back Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick, and Stevan Ridley. Defensive end Ziggy Ansah was the Lions only Pro Bowler on defense, and nose tackle Haloti Ngata will need to return to All-Pro form for the defense to be a force. Cornerback Darius Slay and linebacker DeAndre Levy will have to have a big year in leading a mostly unproven secondary and linebacker corps, respectively. The Lions hope for production out of their top two draft picks; Ohio State offensive tackle Taylor Decker is expected to start and Detroit hopes that Alabama defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson can contribute. The Lions offense could be great, but they will need a lot of things to go right to compete for the NFC North crown competing against Green Bay and the Vikings.

The 2015 New York Jets were the only team with a winning record not to reach the NFL Playoffs, but they hope to build off of their success entering the 2016 season. The Jets are one of the most balanced teams on both sides of the football in the AFC. The team finally ended the contract dispute with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, which should ease Jets fans’ minds as he returns to pair with Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Marshall, Eric Decker, Kenbrell Thomkins, and former Ohio State stars Devin Smith and Jalin Marshall form an intriguing wide receiver group. While the Jets lost Pro Bowl running back Chris Ivory to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency, they replace him with former All-Pro Matt Forte, whom the Chicago Bears decided not to bring back. The offense should be balanced, but what makes the Jets a threat is their, at times, dominating defense. Defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson and defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson are two of the best in the league, and if second year defensive end Leonard Williams continues to improve, opposing offenses will have a hard time moving the football. The Jets drafted Ohio State star outside linebacker Darron Lee in the first round of the draft, and expect his role to increase as the season goes on. A strong secondary behind cornerback Darrelle Revis and safety Calvin Pryor makes this defense one of the best in the NFL. New York Jets fans are among the most loyal and passionate in the league, and team merchandise and signed items are always popular with online shoppers. If the Jets offense can get up to speed following the holdout of Fitzpatrick and the addition of Forte, expect this team to compete for AFC East supremacy. The rival New England Patriots will be a tough team to surpass, but the loss of quarterback Tom Brady for four weeks helps, and the Jets should finish ahead of the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins. The AFC East will be a division race worth watching in 2016.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are a trendy pick to be a much improved team entering the 2016 NFL season, possibly competing for the AFC South title. Much of Jaguars fans’ optimism comes from their strong offseason, where they signed several starting-caliber free agents, including cornerback Prince Amukamara, former Broncos defensive tackle Malik Jackson, Browns safety Tashaun Gipson, running back Chris Ivory, and former Steelers offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum. Jacksonville acquired two of the top defensive players in the 2016 NFL Draft, selecting Florida State cornerback/safety Jalen Ramsey and UCLA linebacker Myles Jack. 2015 top pick Dante Fowler returns from injury at defensive end, as well. Add that new talent with an offense that showed glimpses of excellence under quarterback Blake Bortles and wide receivers Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns, and this appears to be a team on the rise. The addition of Ivory to a backfield that returns second-year running back T.J. Yeldon, who had a strong rookie season makes the offense a scary matchup for opposing defenses. As for Jacksonville’s defense, they will need big production from Ramsey, who many viewed as the top player on the 2016 Draft board, along with their new additions. The Jaguars will be an interesting team to watch in 2016, and they should improve greatly from a 5-11 finish in 2015. The AFC South is anyone’s division, and Jacksonville should find themselves in the hunt with the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts.

The New York Giants may be the toughest team to predict year in and year out, as they can finish at 6-10, as they did in 2015, or go on to win the Super Bowl, as they have twice in the 2000s. The Giants aren’t being looked at as Super Bowl favorites, but fans have every reason to believe that they will improve from 2015 and contend for the the NFC East division. With quarterback Eli Manning, anything is possible, and he has one of the premier targets in wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham Jr. is among the best in the game, and his online jersey sales are one of the top sellers. The Giants will need receiver Victor Cruz to return to form and for running back Rashad Jennings to carry a big load in order for the this offense to be successful. New York’s rookie class brought in another promising receiver in Sterling Shepherd from Oklahoma. The Giants’ first round pick from Ohio State was cornerback Eli Apple, who is expected to play a big role in a talented secondary. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and former Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins form a strong duo, and the Giants will look for more from former Alabama star safety Landon Collins, who struggled in 2015 as a rookie. The front seven is anchored by newly signed free agents Olivier Vernon from Miami and Damon Harrison from the Jets. These two pair with defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who looks to return to dominance. In a wide open NFC East, look for the Giants to contend with returning division winner Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys for the division title.

After starting the 2015 NFL season 5-0, the Atlanta Falcons dropped 8 of their final 11 games to finish second place in the NFC South at 8-8. The 5-0 start and an offense that returns most of their starters gives Falcons fans reason to believe that this team can get back into the playoffs in 2016. Quarterback Matt Ryan returns for his ninth season under center for Atlanta and has one of the best wide receivers in the NFL to throw to in Julio Jones. The former Alabama star, Jones, has been one the most productive receivers since entering the league in 2011. It will be hard to top his 136 catch, 1,871 yard, 8 touchdown season, but with Roddy White retiring and an unproven group behind him, a lot will be asked of Jones. The team did sign former Cincinnati Bengals veteran receiver Mohamed Sanu in the offseason and second-year receiver Justin Hardy is expected to improve. In order for Atlanta’s offense to be successful, they will need a lot from running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. There is expected to be a lot of turnover on the defensive side of the ball, and three rookies could see significant playing time or start: first round safety Keanu Neal from Florida, second round outside linebacker Deion Jones from LSU, and outside linebacker De’Vondre Campbell. Veteran defensive end Dwight Freeney returns and if Vic Beasley improves in his second year, this group could be scary. Cornerback Desmond Trufant was the lone Pro Bowl selection on defense and the Falcons will look for more from second year cornerback Jalen Collins. The NFC South should be an interesting division to follow. The Carolina Panthers return as division favorites following a Super Bowl appearance, but the Falcons find themselves right in the mix with the New Orleans Saints and the young Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a fight for a playoff appearance. Expect the Falcons to improve from 8-8 and compete not only for a wild card berth, but threaten Carolina.