NFC EAST

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Dallas Cowboys

2016: A huge breakout season for rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott behind the best offensive line in football saw them rack up 13 wins, before losing in the play-offs to Green Bay.

2017: Elliott will be suspended for six weeks, and they lost some guys on defence and will have massive question marks on that side of the ball. Having said that, the line play is so good that even with Darren McFadden or Alfred Morris at running back instead of Elliott, they should have no trouble moving the ball.

Prediction: 1st in NFC East

New York Giants

2016: It was a good year for the Giants, making the play-offs as a wild card before being trounced in the first week of the post-season by Green Bay.

2017: Brandon Marshall comes over from the Jets, giving Eli Manning another weapon to throw to, but the quarterback showed some signs of regression last year. Now 36, he remains one of the most debated players in the league despite winning two Super Bowls - if he continues to slide in a downward trajectory, even a slight downswing from last year could be the difference between New York making the play-offs or not.

Prediction: 2nd in NFC East

Philadelphia Eagles

2016: They finished bottom of the surprisingly competitive division, but still managed to win seven games.

2017: They made a lot of good moves including grabbing free agent receivers Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith and trading for cornerback Ronald Darby, but once again I think they'll just miss the play-offs in a very rough NFC East but will once again win a respectable number of matches.

Prediction: 3rd in NFC East

Washington

2016: An 8-7-1 season saw them finish third in the division, with a brutal final week of the season loss to the Giants ending their hopes of grabbing the final wild card spot.

2017: The question mark over the future of quarterback Kirk Cousins continues to be one of the biggest in the sport - once again he will play under a one-year deal, and he knows that if he plays well he could be among the richest athletes in the world this time next year. Expect them to throw the ball a lot, and don't be surprised if they scrape into the play-offs, or miss out by a game or two.

Prediction: 4th in NFC East

NFC NORTH

Green Bay Packers

2016: Green Bay rattled off six straight wins to finish the regular season, before losing one game short of the Super Bowl in the play-offs.

2017: It's a boring and predictable pick, but Aaron Rodgers is the best quarterback in football and as long as that remains the case, they're a great chance of going deep into the post-season every year - and once again, I'm backing them to go all the way and win the Super Bowl.

Prediction: 1st in NFC North

Title push: Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are primed for a big year. Photo: AP

Minnesota Vikings

2016: After losing quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to a horrible knee injury in the pre-season, Minnesota struggled offensively with newly acquired replacement Sam Bradford and finished 8-8.

2017: Bridgewater's injury was so awful that he will start the year on the sidelines and they lost All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson. Minnesota have one of the deepest rosters in the league in most places, but huge question marks over the most important spot on the field could be the difference.

Prediction: 2nd in NFC North

Detroit Lions

2016: A week 17 loss to the Packers saw the Lions squander the division crown, before they were thrashed by the Seahawks on wild card weekend.

2017: Matt Stafford was just made the highest paid player in the league, and to protect him they gave big money to free agent lineman T.J. Lang and Rick Wagner. It's the other side of the ball where they may struggle, having ranked last in team defence by DVOA in 2016.

Prediction: 3rd in NFC North

Chicago Bears

2016: They propped up an otherwise strong division, winning a mere three games.

2017: It's expected to be another long season for the Bears, who are definitely coming into 2017 with an eye on the future. They spent the second overall pick in the draft on quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who may not see action until several weeks into the season, if at all.

Prediction: 4th in NFC North

NFC SOUTH

Carolina Panthers

2016: They came back down to earth with a thud after making the Super Bowl in 2015, with an awful 6-10 season.

2017: The secondary still hasn't recovered from letting Josh Norman leave, but if linebacker Luke Kuechly can stay healthy and Cam Newton keeps the offence humming along, it's easy to see Carolina returning to the play-offs.

Prediction: 1st in NFC South

Atlanta Falcons

2016: 28-3. That was the score with just over a quarter left in the Super Bowl ... they lost.

2017: Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shanahan has left to take over the top job in San Francisco, and teams usually suffer a bit of a hangover after losing the Super Bowl. Matt Ryan's 2016 was so good it's nearly impossible for him to replicate.

Prediction: 2nd in NFC South

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2016: They missed the play-offs by the slimmest of margins, losing a tie-breaker to Detroit

2017: Tampa are one of the most divisive teams in the league - many are expecting them to take a leap forward after the promise of last year, and if Jameis Winston can make full use of one of the more dangerous receiving corps in the league, they may do just that.

Prediction: 3rd in NFC South

New Orleans Saints

2016: A 7-9 year for New Orleans, who scored and conceded more than 450 points, more than any other team in the league on both sides of the ball.

2017: More of the same for the Saints, who seem to be the same movie every year. Great offence, sub-par defence and a must-watch RedZone team.

Prediction: 3rd in NFC South

NFC WEST

Seattle Seahawks

2016: Seattle re-gained their crown in the west before losing in the second round of the play-offs, as they did in 2015.

2017: There's been a lot of buzz about a return to the Super Bowl for the Seahawks - that defence is still amazing, they almost never lose at home and they shored up both sides of their line with some free agency moves and draft picks.

Prediction: 1st in NFC West

Tough to beat: Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Bobby Wagner are part of arguably the best defence in the league. Photo: AP

Arizona Cardinals

2016: A disappointing season for Arizona after being favoured by many people to go deep into the post-season. They won just seven games.

2017: They lost a lot of close games, managed to have a tie in another and were generally one of the more unlucky teams in the league. It's easy to see them bouncing back to 2015 form and winning 10 games.

Prediction: 2nd in NFC West

San Francisco 49ers

2016: The team struggled to cope with the retirement of Jarryd Hayne, and won just two games for the entire season.

2017: The arrival of Kyle Shanahan as head coach represents a change for the better, and while they won't be good, they won't be quite as awful as they were last year.

Prediction: 3rd in NFC West

Los Angeles Rams

2016: The offence was atrocious, scoring nearly 50 points fewer than the next-worst team. They handed the 49ers both of their only two wins of the season.

2017: After coach Jeff Fisher was fired, the team hired Sean McVay, making him the youngest coach of the modern era at just 31 years of age. He has his work cut out for him here, and despite some nice pieces on defence, there's not a lot to like about the Rams in 2017.

Prediction: 4th in NFC West