NFC West

Storylines

Seattle favored

Will any team in this division challenge Seattle? It doesn't look as if that will happen this season. With Coach Mike Holmgren on his way out after the season, the Seahawks look primed to make another playoff run. A good first step was cutting ties with Shaun Alexander; the former league most valuable player just couldn't get the hard yards that his replacement, Julius Jones, will get.

Leinart's future uncertain

It has been a rough summer for quarterback Matt Leinart in Arizona. The Cardinals are going with Kurt Warner as their starter after Leinart looked erratic in his exhibition appearances. Can the former Southern Cal star regain his poise and his position in the lineup?

49ers hire Martz

to save offense

After an unbelievably bad showing on offense last season, the 49ers brought in Mike Martz to rework its scheme. He thinks he has another out-of-nowhere star in quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan – whom he coached in Detroit – but where are the receivers?

How they'll finish

1. Seattle Ready to again run away with this weak division.

2. Arizona Warner played well last season, and the Cardinals are loaded with talent at other spots.

3. St. Louis Look for rookie Chris Long to make a big impact for the Rams. Dad Howie will certainly be watching.

4. San Francisco Tough break for former No.1 pick Alex Smith, who has had to learn four offenses in four years.

NFC South

Storylines

Brees blowing toward Super Bowl

Looking for a Super Bowl dark horse? Don't overlook New Orleans. Drew Brees, one of the league's best quarterbacks, now has a big target in Jeremy Shockey, a healthy Deuce McAllister and a recommitted Reggie Bush, who has worked out like crazy to handle a bigger workload.

Garcia's back … for now

The Buccaneers are behind quarterback Jeff Garcia 100 percent … well, maybe 80percent. After some coaxing, Tampa Bay admitted the obvious, that it made a big play for Brett Favre. That's OK, because Garcia has had to prove himself before. As in, every other place he's played.

It's now or never for Delhomme

Was that just a mirage a few years ago when Jake Delhomme led Carolina to the Super Bowl, or is he really a good quarterback? A lot depends on the health of his elbow. Looks as if this is his last year to recapture the magic for the Panthers.

How they'll finish

1. New Orleans Even though McAllister and Bush missed a combined 17 games last season, the Saints still ranked fourth in total yards.

2. Tampa Bay The Buccaneers think they have a decent chance to become the first team to win a Super Bowl in its home stadium.

3. Carolina It doesn't help that Steve Smith, the Panthers' best player, has been suspended for the first two games.

4. Atlanta If the Falcons win five games with rookie quarterback Matt Ryan at the helm, this season will be a big success.

NFC North

Storylines

Green Bay without Favre

As if replacing a legend weren't hard enough, now Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers will be judged in part by how well Brett Favre plays with the New York Jets. The most glaring shortcoming so far: The Packers aren't doing a very good job of protecting their quarterback. They need to patch the leaks in the interior of their offensive line.

Vikings busy

in offseason

In signing defensive end Jared Allen and receiver Bernard Berrian, Minnesota has made the right moves to make a serious playoff run. But the Vikings' question mark is a significant one: Is Tarvaris Jackson the quarterback who can take them where they want to go? It's not like there's a better option. Jackson's backup is Gus Frerotte.

Orton replaces Grossman at QB

The good news for Chicago: Rex Grossman is out as the starting quarterback. The bad news for Chicago: The guy who's replacing him, Kyle Orton, has the worst passer rating (62.2) among active quarterbacks with at least 400 attempts.

How they'll finish

1. Minnesota Adrian Peterson has had a slow summer, but he's still primed for a big season.

2. Detroit The Lions look like they're good enough to surprise some people … if Jon Kitna stays healthy.

3. Green Bay Getting to last season's championship game wasn't entirely Brett Favre's doing.

4. Chicago: The Bears could have drafted a quarterback but instead used their top pick on a damaged tackle (Chris Williams, Vanderbilt) who's now out.

NFC East

Storylines

Giants we're underdogs

Like many defending Super Bowl champions, the New York Giants have tried to portray themselves as underdogs. With the Giants, we believe them. Their defensive line carried them through last season, and now Michael Strahan has retired and Osi Umenyiora is out for the season with a knee injury.

Dallas' star collection

If you watched this summer's episodes of “Hard Knocks,”, you might think the Cowboys should just book their tickets to Tampa and wait around for whichever AFC team makes it to Super Bowl XLIII. But is this team a team, or just a bunch of stars? Linebacker Bradie James to nbc sports.com: “We can't be the Patriots. The Patriots, they epitomize the whole team concept. Those guys are all about the team and that's it. We're not them. We are a team that has a bunch of names, a bunch of personalities and a bunch of youth.” Huh?

Washington's new coach

Redskins owner Dan Snyder has conducted one failed experiment after another. Now, Washington is giving it a go with Jim Zorn as coach, a guy who has never even been a coordinator. The thinking is Zorn will help develop promising young quarterback Jason Campbell. On the surface, it doesn't look like a great fit, seeing as Campbell doesn't seem suited for Zorn's West Coast offense.

How they'll finish

1. Dallas Can you believe the Cowboys haven't won a postseason game since 1996? Neither can Jerry Jones.

2. Giants Losing Umenyiora, the second-most important player to Eli Manning, really hurts.

3. Philadelphia If he can stay healthy, Donovan McNabb can do some damage in this division. He needs better receivers, though.

4. Washington Campbell can handle change – he's on his seventh different offense in eight years, dating to his freshman year at Auburn.