Last week, I reviewed three dark-horse Super Bowl contenders. Now it's time to flip that idea on its head and examine two playoff teams from last season that are primed to decline in 2015.
New England Patriots
Tom Brady's four-game suspension could be enough to cause the Patriots to lose ground from last season, but even if that punishment is reduced or rescinded entirely, this team still has some major hurdles to overcome.
The AFC East might be the most improved division in the NFL
New England has won the AFC East 12 of the past 14 seasons in part because of poor showings from the rest of the division. Winning that title will be a lot harder this year, as the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills made positive tweaks to their rosters this offseason.
Miami's improvements include the progression of Ryan Tannehill, the addition of two superb downfield receiving threats and the signing of impact free-agent defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. These are more than enough to put the Dolphins, an 8-8 team last season, into playoff contention.
In Buffalo, WR Sammy Watkins had an up-and-down rookie pro campaign, but his final season at Clemson -- during which he posted the best set of wide receiver metrics I have seen in 12 seasons of doing this -- promises he's just getting started. LeSean McCoy finished tied for fifth in the league last year in rushes of 10 or more yards despite playing in only 13 games. And Percy Harvin still has the type of skills that led Rex Ryan to call him a "matchup nightmare." The Bills do have quarterback issues, but the skill-position talent, in combination with an elite defense that will benefit from Rex Ryan's genius, makes Buffalo a legitimate playoff contender.