The 2020 NFL regular season came to a close Sunday.
To say it was an unusual year is an understatement. The league worked through a season disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, holding games on every day of the week for the first time in history. The Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens both experienced COVID-19 outbreaks with more than 20 players and coaches contracting the virus on both teams.
On the field, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes are favorites for the MVP after helping their teams reach the playoffs.
But what's next for the teams that didn't make the playoffs? NFL Nation digs in.
AFC EAST
What went wrong: The short answer? Quarterback Tom Brady left. But that's really just scratching the surface, because even Brady would have had a tough time elevating the Patriots to greater heights given the dearth of talent at tight end and wide receiver. The Patriots were so one-dimensional on offense the Arizona Cardinals played a goal-line defense all over the field because they didn't see any threat in the New England passing game. So that's where it starts, but it doesn't excuse unexpected struggles on defense that will require an influx of talent in the front seven. A COVID-19 disruption in Week 4 stunted some early momentum from quarterback Cam Newton & Co., and it didn't help that an NFL-high eight players opted out. But those were secondary factors to the larger issue of a flawed roster void of talent in key areas.
Biggest offseason question: Who will be the quarterback in 2021? It's the same question as last March when Brady pulled the plug on his time in New England. There could be some intriguing options on the trade market (Jimmy Garoppolo? Carson Wentz? Matthew Stafford?) and this year's NFL draft class has some notable promise (the Patriots figure to have their highest first-round pick since 2008). That said, the Patriots simply can't return in 2021 with the same level of talent at tight end and wide receiver and expect the results to be different -- no matter who is throwing the football. The way opponents defended them in 2020 should make that decisively clear to coach Bill Belichick. -- Mike Reiss
New York Jets (2-14, 4th in the AFC East)
What went wrong: Pretty much everything. Bad roster. Bad coaching. Bad luck. The result was an 0-13 start for the Jets that included another dismal showing by the offense (ranked 32nd for the second straight season), which sealed coach Adam Gase's fate. The worst part was the regression of quarterback Sam Darnold, who got off to a brutal start, hurt his throwing shoulder and never passed for more than 230 yards in 15 games. How could that happen in a pass-happy 2020 season? Gase fired himself as the playcaller, then reclaimed the job -- which didn't help. He also fired defensive coordinator Gregg Williams in Week 14. That did help, but it was too late. General manager Joe Douglas did a terrible job of constructing this roster; it was so bad that he was in "sell" mode by October. This was not supposed to be a rebuilding season, not after a 7-9 season in 2019, but he changed course once he saw the holes in his handiwork. Let's face it: This season was an utter embarrassment for the Jets' franchise.
Biggest offseason question: Two questions, really: Who's the coach? Who's the quarterback? With the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the Jets must decide whether Darnold is better than the best draft-eligible QB not named Trevor Lawrence. Advice to Douglas: If you believe in Ohio State's Justin Fields or BYU's Zach Wilson, or another top prospect, pick him and trade Darnold. The downside to keeping Darnold is he has one year left on his contract, which creates financial uncertainty beyond 2021. That's a huge factor in the decision. Douglas will lean heavily on his new coach, especially if he's offensive-minded. He could go the pro coordinator route (Ravens defensive coordinator Wink Martindale?) or college head coach route (Iowa State's Matt Campbell?) because of his college-scouting connections. More advice: Hire a CEO-type, not a so-called guru who specializes on one side of the ball. -- Rich Cimini
AFC NORTH
What went wrong: Cincinnati's inability to win close games at the beginning of the season hindered the rebuilding project under second-year coach Zac Taylor. Couple those contests with an 0-3-1 record against the woeful NFC East and Cincinnati finishes far below a six- or seven-win season. To make matters worse, the Bengals lost rookie quarterback Joe Burrow to a season-ending knee injury in Week 11. One could argue the Bengals' primary objective for 2020 -- to keep Burrow healthy and develop him early during his rookie season -- was unsuccessful. But it wasn't all bad for Taylor's group. The Bengals won two of their final three games, including their first over Pittsburgh since 2015, to show things could be trending upward in 2021.
Biggest offseason question: Burrow's availability for the start of the 2021 season is in doubt. Even though he is hitting the early benchmarks after his knee reconstruction surgery, it's too early to know if he'll be able to make the necessary progress to start Week 1. If Burrow can't go, the Bengals will need a capable No. 2 quarterback, which could be Brandon Allen, who played well at the end of the season. Cincinnati also needs to find permanent answers on the offensive line. Right tackle and both guard positions must be solidified by the beginning of training camp. The Bengals need to do a better job of protecting their franchise investment. -- Ben Baby
NFC EAST
What went wrong: How about everything? At least it seemed that way early on. The Cowboys were prolific on offense (although turnover prone), to start the season but awful defensively. They allowed a franchise-record 307 yards rushing in a Week 4 loss to Cleveland. Things changed dramatically in Week 5 when quarterback Dak Prescott was lost to a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle. Prescott was off to the best start of his career and in his absence, everything fell apart. The defense struggled under coordinator Mike Nolan and the offense scored more than 20 points one time during a span of six losses in seven games that left Dallas with a 3-9 record. It ultimately was too much to overcome. Beyond Prescott's injury, the offensive line was beset with injury. Right tackle La'el Collins did not play a game because of hip surgery. Left tackle Tyron Smith played two games before neck surgery. Right guard Zack Martin missed six games with a concussion and calf injury. The lack of continuity played a role in running back Ezekiel Elliott's struggles as well, although he had a part to play in why the running game stalled. Coach Mike McCarthy's first season was far from what he and Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones expected. The hope is his second season is as fruitful as his second in Green Bay when the Packers made the NFC Championship Game in 2007.
Biggest offseason question: How can it be anything but what happens to Prescott? Do the Cowboys use the franchise tag on the quarterback at a cost of close to $38 million in 2021? After three tries, do they finally reach a long-term deal, which projects to be the most valuable contract in team history? The Cowboys saw how vital Prescott is to their success. He apparently makes everything go. If the Cowboys don't keep Prescott, how would that affect the locker room? Where would they find a suitable replacement? Could they look to draft a quarterback in the first round for the first time since 1989 when they selected Troy Aikman? Keeping Prescott could cost big money on the tag or a long-term deal could lead to some other players getting cut, but it seems hard to believe that a team that got lucky in finding its past two franchise quarterbacks -- Tony Romo as an undrafted free agent and Prescott in the fourth round -- would be so cavalier about wanting to start over at the position. -- Todd Archer
NFC NORTH
What went wrong: Detroit continued to bet on Matt Patricia's scheme and brought in players to fit specific roles. It failed. It banked on Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn's vision for the team to blossom in 2020. That failed. The defensive line never improved as a unit, despite Romeo Okwara's emergence. The linebackers still were subpar. The secondary was crushed by injury and No. 3 overall pick Jeff Okudah did not become an impact player in Year 1. On offense, receiver Kenny Golladay was hurt for more than half the season and the unit as a whole suffered because of the defense's problems. Quarterback Matthew Stafford was good enough, but by the end of the season had right hand/thumb, rib and ankle injuries.
Biggest offseason question: Will the Detroit Lions get it right this time? The team is heading toward another regime turnover with vacant general manager and head-coaching positions. Detroit is committed to doing a thorough search, but even that doesn't always turn up a winner. And the Lions have seen a lot of non-winners over the past six decades. So making sure they get the right tandem is where it starts. Then, what to do with Stafford and Golladay is the first big decision for the tandem as they decide how much needs to be torn down and how much can just be tinkered with on a team with three straight 10-or-more loss seasons. -- Michael Rothstein
What went wrong: The Vikings couldn't predict Michael Pierce opting out or Danielle Hunter, Anthony Barr and Mike Hughes sustaining season-ending injuries. Minnesota learned how challenging it would be to plug inexperienced players into starter's roles and expect the same results on defense. The Vikings went all-in with several moves that suggested they were trying to win in 2020 -- extending Kirk Cousins and Dalvin Cook, drafting Justin Jefferson -- but tried to execute a rebuild with a defense that lost nine players from 2019. And in 2020, they were no longer able to pull off game-altering stops. While the Vikings' offensive line finished tied for 16th in pass block win rate thanks to the play of the tackles, the interior remains a major problem. And for how well the offense performed, ranking sixth in yards per game, fifth in rushing and 13th in scoring, the Vikings often played from behind and relied more on their rushing attack than their wide receivers when they needed an offensive surge.
Biggest offseason question: With needs on the offensive and defensive lines, how will the Vikings prioritize their decisions in free agency and the draft? The offense has leapfrogged the defense as the strength of the team, but if Minnesota doesn't upgrade the offensive line and find a better balance with the run and pass game, it will struggle to improve. Could the Vikings consider drafting a quarterback if they don't extend Cousins after his deal ends after 2022? Defensively, Minnesota needs its injured and opt-out players to return and continue to add in the secondary and up front. -- Courtney Cronin
NFC SOUTH
What went wrong: The Falcons came into 2020 with coach Dan Quinn, who earned another chance from owner Arthur Blank after Atlanta won six of its final eight games in 2019. But after an 0-5 start, Blank fired a coach in-season for the first time since becoming owner in 2002. Blank also fired general manager Thomas Dimitroff, who had been with the Falcons since 2008. Raheem Morris took over as the interim and while the offense has been inconsistent, the defense seemingly became everything Atlanta expected it to be under Quinn. However, neither Quinn nor Morris could get the Falcons to finish most games -- with blown leads of 16, 17 and 20 points -- something that has haunted the Falcons since Super Bowl LI.
Biggest offseason question: Who will the Falcons hire as general manager and coach and what changes will they bring? When rumors were swirling in late October that QB Matt Ryan or WR Julio Jones could be traded, CEO Rich McKay said the new general manager would have control over personnel decisions, and "this will not be a situation where we're going to predetermine the roster for the next head coach and general manager." The Falcons also have a big decision looming on whom they will take in the NFL draft, which could include Ryan's successor considering the QB talent in this year's class. -- Harry Lyles Jr.
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