Grades, draft needs, offseason questions for every NFL team

NFL Nation reporters grade every team’s 2016 regular season, assess what position each should target in the 2017 draft and look ahead to a few looming offseason questions. Click the links after each team to view the full posts.

Arizona Cardinals: After losing in the NFC Championship Game last season, the Cardinals were the chic pick to win Super Bowl LI. Arizona faltered from the start, however. Read more.

Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons exceeded expectations this season after entering the season with the NFL’s toughest schedule. Atlanta is primed to make another Super Bowl run in 2017. Read more.

Baltimore Ravens: The reasons the Ravens failed to make the playoffs were Joe Flacco’s inconsistency, a disappearing pass rush and a lack of killer instinct. Read more.

Buffalo Bills: Like in 2015, the Bills had the top-level talent to make a playoff run. However, injuries, a lack of depth and questionable coaching all eventually doomed the team. Read more.

Carolina Panthers: Carolina simply lost the swagger that enabled it to win close games during its Super Bowl run last season. It lost five of its first 11 games by a field goal or less. Read more.

Chicago Bears: The Bears regressed in Year 2 under coach John Fox. Nineteen players landed on injured reserve, but the club looked bad even when the roster was healthy. Read more.

Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals underachieved in almost every way in 2016. Offensive line struggles, kicking problems and inconsistency on both sides doomed this team. Read more.

Cleveland Browns: One win avoids an “F,” but this season was one to forget. The Browns are no closer to finding a quarterback, and there are still many holes to fill on the roster. Read more.

Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys couldn’t get back to the Super Bowl, but they laid the foundation for years to come with the arrival of Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. Will Tony Romo return in 2017? Read more.

Denver Broncos: This season never quite came together for the defending Super Bowl champs. Bottom line: This season’s Broncos never had the single-minded purpose of the 2015 team. Read more.

Detroit Lions: This is a very tough season to judge. The Lions weren’t expected to be in the playoff hunt, yet Detroit had a two-game division lead with three weeks left in the regular season. Read more.

Green Bay Packers: The Packers proved they’re contenders again. Two years after losing in the NFC title game in a heartbreaker at Seattle, they were back within an eyelash of the Super Bowl. Read more.

Houston Texans: The Texans did not live up to the high expectations they had entering the season, and they came up short again after losing to the Patriots. Read more.

Indianapolis Colts: Disappointing. Underachieving. Embarrassing. The list of adjectives can go on and on to describe the second straight season in which the Colts missed the playoffs. Read more.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars set a franchise record for most consecutive losses in a single season (nine) and again finished in the AFC South cellar. Read more.

Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs couldn’t get any closer to the Super Bowl this season, but they did win the AFC West for the first time since 2010. They’ll face some difficult roster decisions this offseason. Read more.

Los Angeles Rams: The Rams’ first season back in L.A. began with promise, but the offense was dreadful from start to finish, which put too much pressure on a talented defense that lacked depth. Read more.

Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins exceeded everyone’s expectations this season by winning 10 games and advancing to the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Read more.

Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings started 5-0, and they had Super Bowl hopes. But injuries along an already-suspect offensive line proved to be too much to overcome. Read more.

New England Patriots: The bar has been raised high in New England under Bill Belichick, as seasons are defined by whether Super Bowl hopes were realized. And the 2016 season certainly qualifies as a success. Read more.

New Orleans Saints: In some ways, it was “Groundhog” season for the Saints, who finished 7-9 for the third straight year, squandering another 5,000 yards by Drew Brees and the NFL’s No. 1-ranked offense. Read more.

New York Giants: Despite falling short after losing to the Packers on the road in the wild-card round, this was a building-block season for the Giants. Read more.

New York Jets: Even by Jets’ standards, this was an all-time stinker. They expected a playoff run in Year 2 of the Bowles/Maccagnan regime, but they were doomed by a flawed roster. Read more.

Oakland Raiders: On one hand, improving from 3-13 to 7-9 to 12-4 should be cause for celebration. On the other, what had the makings of a magical season took a depressing detour in Week 15. Read more.

Philadelphia Eagles: Rookie Carson Wentz provided hope and a few highlights, but some fatal flaws ultimately did the Eagles in. It isn’t hard to see why the Eagles stumbled after starting the season 3-0. Read more.

Pittsburgh Steelers: A nine-game winning streak to spark a division title and AFC Championship Game appearance was a brilliant turnaround from a 4-5 start. Read more.

San Diego Chargers: Injuries and up-and-down play led to the Chargers’ last-place finish, but San Diego’s poor showing really boils down to coach Mike McCoy’s failings in the fourth quarter. Read more.

San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers followed a blueprint similar to 2015 by offering a promising blowout victory in Week 1, only to follow it up with a series of missteps while losing 13 straight games. Read more.

Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks went into the season hoping to return to the Super Bowl for the third time in four years. But in the end, they had too many obstacles to overcome to make a run. Read more.