Most surprising and disappointing NFC teams in 2018

The NFL's regular season is unpredictable, a chaotic tapestry unlike any other major American sports league. The 2018 campaign was especially stocked full of shocking falls from grace for supposed contenders and unexpected rises from unheralded teams.

Here, we go division by division to highlight the most surprising overachievers and biggest disappointments from the last 17 weeks of gridiron action:

AFC I NFCNFC WestBiggest surprise: Seattle SeahawksIcon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty

What went right?: The Seahawks came into the season with little hype - some even suggested they could contend for the No. 1 overall pick. But Pete Carroll turned in arguably the best year of his coaching career to get his team back to the playoffs. Despite an offseason dismantling and a season-ending injury to Earl Thomas - the last member of the Legion of Boom - the defense ranked 11th in scoring and performed well enough to support Russell Wilson. The veteran signal-caller already tied his career high in touchdown passes and could very well post his lowest-ever interception count after the Seahawks returned to a run-based offense; his attempts were cut from 553 in 2017 to 406 entering Week 17 while the Seahawks have produced the league's top-ranked rushing attack.

Looking ahead: No team should be happy just to make the tournament but any postseason success should be the icing on the cake in what was expected to be a rebuilding year for Seattle. In 2019, the Seahawks are set to become Wilson's team like never before as the quarterback is likely to sign an elite-level extension in the offseason. Any danger of the league's oldest coach unexpectedly retiring was erased when Seattle inked Carroll to an extension through 2021 on Christmas.

Biggest disappointment: San Francisco 49ers

What went wrong?: San Francisco was a trendy wild-card pick but those hopes were dashed when Jimmy Garoppolo's season prematurely ended in Week 3. While Nick Mullens was an upgrade on first-choice replacement C.J. Beathard, the 49ers were limited by their lack of top-tier weapons outside of George Kittle, one of the team's lone bright spots. Kyle Shanahan's play-calling and scheme helped keep the 49ers competitive, as five of their nine post-Garoppolo losses were by one touchdown or less. But the defense failed to step up after the offense lost its leader, giving up the ninth-most points per game and forcing a league-worst seven turnovers - six fewer than their closest competition.

Looking ahead: Shanahan should receive a pass for the Garoppolo injury but the heat will undoubtedly start to build on the head coach if the team doesn't take a significant step forward. The one positive of the quarterback's injury is that it occurred early enough that he should be ready for training camp. Only seven teams are projected to have more cap space than San Francisco, so a possible splurge on defenders could be the plan for general manager John Lynch.

NFC NorthBiggest surprise: Chicago BearsIcon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty

What went right?: It might be easier to examine what didn't go right for Chicago. The trade for Khalil Mack looked like a steal even before he donned the "C" on his helmet, but the pass-rusher somehow managed to exceed expectations - injuries were the only thing that slowed him down. The rest of the defense fed off Mack's arrival. Eddie Jackson and Akiem Hicks emerged as elite players and Chicago enters Week 17 in the top five in points allowed per game, 3rd-down defense, and yards per play allowed. The Bears also easily lead the league with 36 takeaways. On offense, first-year head coach Matt Nagy helped conjure a top-10 scoring unit despite growing pains from Mitchell Trubisky, who flashed his potential but struggled with consistency.

Looking ahead: The Bears are in midst of a small window to chase a title while their starting quarterback is locked into a cheap rookie deal. Trubisky will make relative peanuts until 2021, enabling Chicago to use its extra resources aggressively until then. While affordability is a great quality in a quarterback, quality is still vital; Trubisky can look like a world-beater one week and a backup the next. The defense is good enough to win this postseason, so the pressure is on Trubisky to step up - sooner or later.

Biggest disappointment: Green Bay Packers

What went wrong?: The Packers were considered a Super Bowl contender after they added Muhammad Wilkerson and Jimmy Graham in free agency and drafted several young corners to finally fix their secondary. But it quickly became apparent Green Bay wasn't nearly as talented as some presumed and this time, Aaron Rodgers couldn't mask their deficiencies. Graham was a bust, providing nowhere near the value his top tight-end contract demanded, and his inability to make an impact was exacerbated by the lack of development from a group of young wideouts. The Packers have missed the playoffs before in the Rodgers era, but not when he's played all 16 games (though he was limited by an early knee injury). All of this ultimately led to the shock dismissal of Mike McCarthy after Week 13 when it became clear he was no longer the man to get the best out of Rodgers.

Looking ahead: This is the most pivotal offseason for Green Bay in recent memory. The Packers are likely hiring the coach who will oversee Rodgers' remaining years; to say the pressure is on for the front office would be a major understatement. The first two reported candidates - Chuck Pagano and Jim Caldwell - are unlikely to excite a fanbase desperate for an offensive wizard to pair with Rodgers in the mold of Sean McVay, Shanahan, and Nagy.

NFC EastBiggest surprise: Dallas CowboysIcon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty

What went right?: The 2018 Cowboys can be viewed as two separate teams: pre- and post-Amari Cooper. The Cowboys sat at 3-4 and Dak Prescott's long-term future was starting to come into question before the team traded a first-round pick for the receiver. Fast-forward 10 weeks and Dallas has already secured the NFC East by rattling off six wins in eight games. Cooper stepped up in critical matchups, producing 397 yards across two games against the Eagles and Redskins to help fire the Cowboys into the postseason. The offense's driving force was still Ezekiel Elliott; he didn't hit his rookie numbers but he arguably performed better in his third pro season considering the injuries to the offensive line and his leap in receiving production. Meanwhile, rookie Leighton Vander Esch emerged as the heir apparent to Sean Lee, potentially giving the Cowboys the league's best young linebacker duo with Jaylon Smith.

Looking ahead: Jerry Jones' wallet will get a lot lighter this offseason. Prescott, Cooper, and DeMarcus Lawrence all need long-term extensions so the Cowboys' projected $53 million in cap space is something of a mirage. Head coach Jason Garrett appeared to have one foot out the door halfway through the season but he's now a lock to return next year regardless of the team's postseason results. But while Jones is certain to hand out whatever cash it takes to keep his stars, the pressure to deliver in 2019 could be enormous - especially Dallas fails to win its first playoff game of the Prescott era.

Biggest disappointment: Philadelphia Eagles

What went wrong?: For a team lauded as the most complete in football after winning Super Bowl LII, entering Week 17 needing help to make a wild-card appearance must be classed as an unsatisfactory result. Carson Wentz put up comparable statistics to last season's MVP-type year in his return from an ACL injury, but he missed the first two games and hasn't played since Week 14 after suffering a back stress fracture. Injuries ravaged the Eagles elsewhere, too. Alshon Jeffery missed time, Jay Ajayi ended up on injured reserve at the start of October, and Darren Sproles sat out 10 games. The secondary was hit so hard that when the Eagles faced the Giants on Nov. 24 they started three defensive backs who'd only joined the team in the last month. The offensive coaching staff exodus also appeared to put too much strain on head coach Doug Pederson, who struggled to hit the play-calling heights of 2017.

Looking ahead: The Eagles' future starts and ends with Wentz. He's already being hit with the injury-prone label but any talk of moving forward with Nick Foles instead is ludicrous. Philly is projected to be a league-worst $12 million over the cap next season so it will need to move on from Foles - who has a $20-million option - and franchise stalwart Jason Peters to get into a manageable situation. The Eagles are still among the NFL's most talented teams. But with others in the conference rising fast, the defending champions no longer appear to be a lock atop the NFC for the next several seasons.

NFC SouthBiggest surprise: New Orleans SaintsScott Cunningham / Getty Images Sport / Getty

What went right?: The NFC South has historically been one of the league's most volatile divisions with champions rarely able to repeat. It can therefore certainly be considered a shock that the Saints not only retained their crown with ease but did so while improving their 11-5 record from 2017 by three games (assuming a Week 17 win against the Kyle Alle-led Carolina Panthers) to cement their status as the NFC's top team. Drew Brees performed at an MVP level for the vast majority of the season and Michael Thomas had a career year to ensure only the high-flying Kansas City Chiefs scored more points. The defense looked shaky early on but has allowed an eye-popping average of just 14.6 points per game since Week 10.

Looking ahead: Brees could win the MVP award but there were still worrying late-season signs of an impending decline for the 39-year-old. The presence of Alvin Kamara and the talented defense means the Saints are well-prepared to ease Brees' workload in 2019 and beyond. But it's fair to say 2018 could be the best remaining title shot of the Brees era thanks to home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and no 2019 first-rounder.

Biggest disappointment: Atlanta Falcons

What went wrong?: Vital defensive pieces Deion Jones, Keanu Neal, and Ricardo Allen and top running back Devonta Freeman were all hurt within the first three weeks. Only Jones was able to return - late in the season with Atlanta's playoff hopes already done. With the defense unable to stop so much as a nosebleed all year, the weekly heroics of Matt Ryan and Julio Jones meant little. Much-maligned offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian had a strong start to the season but the offense has exceeded 25 points only once after a 38-14 win over the Redskins in Week 10.

Looking ahead: The Falcons don't appear to be panicking, and rightly so. They lost three of their first games by a touchdown or less while besieged by injuries and were unable to dig themselves out of that hole. Freeman's future is in doubt due to his large contract but the skill positions should be set for the foreseeable future. The man in charge of the offense will likely change as Sarkisian should be sacrificed to regain some goodwill among fans. With a top-ten pick, Atlanta will be a prime candidate for a bounce-back season in 2019.

Contract statistics courtesy: Over The Cap

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