Five Darkhorse Teams Ready To Take The NFL By Storm

August 26, 2010   ·   Evan Chavez   ·   Jump to comments

Year after year in the NFL a team no one expected to make noise at the beginning of the season ends up outperforming media expectations. Whether it was the Saints in 2009 or the Titans in 2008, an unexpected team ends up as a legitimate Super Bowl contender come playoff time every year.
Here are five relatively un-talked about teams that are primed to have a big year in 2010.
Carolina Panthers (8-8 in 2009)
I think the Saints are still the team to beat in the NFC South this year, and I really like what the Atlanta Falcons are doing to build upon the franchise's first back-to-back winning seasons ever. The Buccaneers will likely not be much better than they were last year, when they finished 3-13, because they have so little experience on the roster. Carolina is often the forgotten team in a division that has become famous for last-to-first teams over the past decade.
The Panthers went through a lot of overhaul this offseason, releasing the man who led...

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