Arizona – Rack 'em up

The Cardinals had the best passing offense in all of football, but their run production was anemic. They finished dead last in rushing yards and touchdowns, and their TD percentage in the red zone ranked next-to-last. This, of course, meant plenty of opportunities for kicker Neil Rackers.

 

Hidden Truth: Last season, Rackers made the most field goals in NFL history. He converted 40 of his 42 attempts, topping the old mark of 39, held jointly by the Dolphins' Olindo Mare and the Rams' Jeff Wilkins. Rackers also hit six field goals from 50 yards and beyond, tied for the second-most ever in a single season.

 

Outlook for 2006: The Cardinals will be playing in their sold-out new stadium, but the added pressure shouldn't faze Rackers. His attempts, however, could decrease due to the presence of Edgerrin James, who will undoubtedly be more effective on the goal line.

 

St. Louis – Precision passing

Under the direction of Mike Martz, first as offensive coordinator and then as head coach, the Rams finished in the top five in passing for seven straight years. He initially mentored Kurt Warner, who mastered the complex system and led the Rams to a 23-16 victory over Tennessee in Super Bowl XXXIV. Now, Martz's latest protégé, current Rams QB Marc Bulger, is showing similar proficiency.

 

Hidden Truth: Bulger's career completion percentage of 65.02 puts him in second place all-time. With 987 out of his 1,518 passes being caught, he now qualifies for inclusion, barely meeting the minimum requirement of 1,500 attempts. The only passer in league history to be more accurate is Warner, who has completed 65.68 percent of his throws.

 

Outlook for 2006: New coach Scott Linehan plans to run the ball more frequently, but he has also developed prolific passers (Daunte Culpepper most notably). Bulger's numbers shouldn't drop off appreciably in his first year without the fired Martz, who has joined the staff in Detroit.

 

The 49ers had both the worst offense and worst defense in 2005, so it's somewhat amazing that they were able to win four games – and only lose three others by a field goal or less. Their 17 offensive touchdowns were easily the fewest in the league. San Francisco managed just nine rushing TDs and a paltry eight passing TDs (only one of which came from No.1 overall pick and seven-game starter Alex Smith).

 

Hidden Truth: Last year, the 49ers registered more defensive touchdowns (5) than any other team. They returned three interceptions and two fumbles for scores. Adding in a punt-return TD, San Francisco got 36 points from defense and special teams, which tops the team's total production in six of their losses (33 points on 11 field goals).

 

Outlook for 2006: Five different players accounted for the defensive touchdowns, and all of them return this season. To improve on their showing from a year ago, the 49ers will again need to create scores off turnovers.  

 

Seattle – Locked in

The Seahawks went 13-3, won two playoff games by double digits and advanced to Super Bowl XL. Although they were disappointed with the ending, a 21-10 loss to Pittsburgh marred by questionable officiating, it was still the greatest season in their 30-year history. Seattle's play down the stretch, winning 11 straight games to lock up home-field advantage, was particularly impressive. 

Hidden Truth: Matt Hasselbeck posted the highest December completion percentage in NFL history. He connected on 67 of 88 passes in the four games that month, for a percentage of 76.1. His TD/INT ratio was 10/1 and his passer rating was a sparkling 135.5.