NFC EAST: Brian DaBoll; New York Giants

Brian DaBoll served as the offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills from 2018-21 before being hired as the head coach for the New York Giants. You can argue Sirianni but with what DaBoll did with the Giants roster in one year was more impressive. This team, on paper, looked like a contender for a top 10 pick in the draft and ended up making the playoffs with a record of 9-7-1. They also won their Wildcard round against the Minnesota Vikings 31-24 to advance to the Divisional Round. DaBoll also earned himself Coach of the Year for his success.

REST OF THE DIVISION RANKINGS

2. Nick Sirianni (Philadelphia Eagles)
3. Mike McCarthy (Dallas Cowboys)
4. Ron Rivera (Washington Commanders)

NFC NORTH: Dan Campbell; Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions have not won a playoff game in 30 years and have never won a Super Bowl. But the Lions seem to have something in Dan Campbell. His 3-13-1 record in his first season may not be convincing but after starting 2-6 in 2022, the Lions won seven of the next nine games to finish with a 9-8 record and barely miss out on the playoffs. And with Jared Goff at quarterback too. Even though they failed to make the postseason last year, the Lions looke like the front-runners to win the NFC North. A lot of pressure will be on Campbell and Goff to lead this team to greatness.

REST OF THE DIVISION RANKINGS

2. Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers)
3. Kevin O’ Connell (Minnesota Vikings)
4. Matt Eberflus (Chicago Bears)

NFC WEST: Kyle Shanahan; San Francisco 49ers

Shanahan is probably the best offensive playcaller in the NFL. In his first four years, Shanahan eclipsed six wins in one of them. It took a while but Shanahan has built the perfect offensive system, seeing that any QB who steps into it, is successful. After starting quarterbacks Trey Lance and Jimmy Garappolo suffered season-ending injuries during the 2022 season, the 49ers turned to seventh-round rookie Brock Purdy and still made it to the NFC Championship game. As a coach, you need to be able to adapt, and Shanahan has proven that. He’s lost a coordinator in the offseason many times and has proven he can handle these issues. In 2021, he lost defensive coordinator Robert Saleh who is now the head coach of the Jets. In the same offseason, offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel left to be the head coach of the Dolphins. Now in this offeason, defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans has left to be the head coach of the Houston Texans.

REST OF THE DIVISION RANKINGS

2. Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams)
3. Pete Carroll (Seattle Seahawks)
4. Jonathan Gannon (Arizona Cardinals)

NFC SOUTH: Frank Reich; Carolina Panthers

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay fired Frank Reich after Week 9 during the 2022 NFL season. He started coaching the Colts in 2018 and led them to the Divisional round of the playoffs where they would lose to the Kansas City Chiefs 31-13. This year also had the sudden retirement of Andrew Luck. In 2019, they missed the playoffs finishing 7-9. In 2020, the Colts signed Phillip Rivers and made the playoffs at 11-5, losing the Wildcard match to the Buffalo Bills. The Colts failed to make the postseason in 2021 and Reich was fired in 2022 after starting the season 3-5-1. Now with the Panthers, Reich gets to work with the No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young at quarterback. Reich has a great coaching staff around him including defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. Evero had the Denver Broncos as a top defense last year and turned Patrick Surtain into one of the best cornerbacks in the league.

REST OF THE DIVISION RANKINGS

2. Arthur Smith (Atlanta Falcons)
3. Dennis Allen (New Orleans Saints)
4. Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

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