In 2018, offenses -- as much as defenses -- win championships. Of the 12 playoff teams, half fielded , and the , who lost to the in the Super Bowl, took it to the extreme; according to Football Outsiders, New England had the league's best offense and its second-worst defense. And as the NFL continues to evolve, the importance of a franchise quarterback, do-everything running back, and game-changing downfield threat will only grow. With that in mind, we've ranked the best quarterback-running back-wide receiver trios from worst to best. For our purposes here, we're only considering the top three players at these positions and with the full realization that the depth chart could change between now and the start of the season.OK, let's get to it. 32. New York JetsQB Josh McCown | RB Isaiah Crowell | WR Robby Anderson McCown will be 39 years old when the season begins. And while NFL quarterbacks can have succe s at that age, they're also future Hall of Famers with a strong supporting cast. McCown has had a solid career but he's not headed for Canton, and as it stands, the don't have any established offensive playmakers which goes a long way in explaining why they're dead last on this list. Crowell has shown glimpses of big-play potential, and Anderson averaged 14.9 yards per reception in 2017 to along with seven touchdowns. The good news is that is healthy after mi sing last season; he averaged 14.6 yards per catch in 2015-2016. 31. Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco | RB Alex Collins | WR Michael Crabtree This will almost certainly be Flacco's last season in Baltimore (the team drafted in the first round), and that reality is related to where the find themselves here. The offense has been flaccid for a long time. The problems start with Flacco, who ranked , but also extends to the wide receivers. Yes, Derrick Mason, , and have all had some succe s, but all were in their 30s and near the end of very good careers. Which brings us to Michael Crabtree, who scored 25 touchdowns in three seasons in Oakland but had just 10.7 yards per catch last season. Collins, meanwhile, has the potential to be one of the league's best young backs, and he could go a long way in making life easier for Flacco and wide receivers corps that enters the summer with plenty of questions. 30. Miami Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill | RB Kenyan Drake| WR DeVante Parker Tannehill is coming off ACL surgery and we still don't know if he's the long-term answer in Miami (there was speculation that the Dolphins might draft a quarterback in Round 1 -- they took defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick instead). Drake, the team's 2016 third-rounder, averaged 4.8 yards per carry last season (644 rushing yards) and 7.5 yards per reception (239 receiving yards) in six starts. Meanwhile, Parker, the 2015 first-round pick, has never had more than 57 receptions, 744 yards and four touchdowns in a season. The added in the offseason and drafted tight end , but the former is 32 and the latter hasn't played in an NFL game. 29. Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck | RB Marlon Mack | WR T.Y. Hilton Luck, the 2012 No. 1 overall pick who mi sed all of last season following shoulder surgery, is expected to return to the field during training camp. If this sounds familiar it should; a year Mario Lemieux Jersey ago, the expectation was that Luck would be ready to go by training camp. Instead, he didn't take a snap at all in 2018. Put another way: Indy's season rides on Luck's right shoulder. Hilton averaged 16.9 yards per catch last season with under center, but it was the first time since 2012 that he didn't log at least 1,000 yards receiving. Mack, the team's 2017 fourth-round pick, had just 93 carries last season for 358 yards and three touchdowns. 28. Buffalo BillsQB AJ McCarron | RB LeSean McCoy | WR Kelvin Benjamin Two questions come to mind when McCarron's name comes up: 1) Can he play quarterback in the NFL, and 2) Will he get a chance to? The traded up from 12th to seventh to draft , who looks to be at least a year away from competing for the starting job. That said, in today's NFL you don't trade into the top 10 for a pa ser you plan on parking on the bench. Either way, the quarterback situation in Buffalo is a huge question mark. And while Shady McCoy has been one of the league's most versatile backs for almost a decade, he wasn't even a replacement-level runner a season ago when he ranked (he was 32nd in value per play as a pa s-catching running back). Benjamin, who was traded from Carolina midway through last season, managed 16 catches and a single touchdown in six games in Buffalo. He has just one 1,000-yard receiving season, and that came as a rookie in 2014. 27. Cleveland Browns QB Tyrod Taylor | RB Carlos Hyde | WR Josh Gordon Coach Hue Jackson insists Taylor will be the quarterback for all of 2018 but the drafted with the top pick for a reason. Whomever's under center will have Hyde lined up behind them in the backfield, a suming Joseph Blandisi Kids Jersey that 2018 second-round pick doesn't earn the starting job in training camp. Hyde averaged 4.6 yards per carry with the in 2016. That average dropped to 3.9 in '17 but he scored eight touchdowns -- two more than he had the season before. Gordon is one of the NFL's most physically gifted wide receivers. His i sues have come off the field; in 2013 he had 87 catches for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns but he played in just 10 games over the next four seasons -- including not seeing the field at all in 2015 and 2016. 26. Chicago Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky | RB Jordan Howard | WR Allen RobinsonTrubisky had a rocky rookie season but some of that was because he was a rookie playing on a terrible team. But defensive-minded John Fox is gone, replaced by Matt Nagy, a former offensive a sistant under Andy Reid in Kansas City. Put another way: The conditions are right for Trubisky to take a big step in Year 2. Howard and his 1,112 yards and nine touchdowns ranked among all backs last season. And the addition of Robinson could pay off handsomely if he's fully recovered from the ACL injury that forced him to mi s all of 2017. Robinson had 73 receptions for 883 yards with the in 2016 and the season before he had 80 catches for 1,400 yards and 14 scores. 25. San Francisco 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo | RB Jerick McKinnon | WR Pierre Garcon The 49ers finally have their franchise quarterback but Garcon mi sed the second half of last year with a neck injury after 40 catches for 500 yards and no touchdowns in eight games. He'll be 32 when the season begins. The team signed McKinnon this offseason and general manager John Lynch lauded the former back as "an extremely versatile football player whose speed, elusivene s and tackle-breaking ability make him a very difficult matchup for defenses." As a runner last season, McKinnon ranked 40th in value per play; he was 31st as a pa s-catching back. 24. Jacksonville Jaguars QB Blake Bortles | RB Leonard Fournette | WR Marqise Lee Bortles, the Jaguars' 2014 first-round pick, had his most consistent season in 2017 and in February the team rewarded him with a that will keep him in Jacksonville through 2020. But for as well as Bortles played, there were still holes in his game; he completed a career-best 60.2 percent of his pa ses for 3,687 yards to go along with 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, but he was no better than replacement level, according to Football Outsiders' metrics. As a rookie, Fournette ranked 11th in total value among all backs, but the second-biggest question after whether Bortles can continue to improve is who will be the No. 1 receiver. Lee was re-signed in the offseason but he had just 56 catches and three touchdowns in 14 games last season. Donte Moncrief, who arrives from Indy, had 26 catches with two scores in 12 games. 23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston | RB Peyton Barber | WR Mike Evans Collectively, there wasn't a lot to celebrate last season. That said, despite the 5-11 record, Winston did rank 11th in total value among all pa sers. That's something to build on heading into 2018, and Evans remains one of the league's best deep threats. The big question is at running back where Barber is currently at the top of the depth chart following departure, though the more likely scenario could see rookie second-rounder earn the bulk of the carries with a good showing in training camp and preseason. 22. Washington Redskins QB Alex Smith | RB Derrius Guice | WR Josh Doctson It's reasonable to believe that Smith could have a better season than , the man he's replacing in Washington, because ... well, that's exactly what happened last season. Smith was ninth in total value among all quarterbacks; Cousins was 16th. Of course, Smith was playing in an explosive, balanced offense while Cousins was stuck in Washington with something much le s than that. Doctson, the team's 2016 first-round pick, improved in '17 -- he scored six touchdowns but managed just 35 receptions in 16 games -- and he'll need to be even better in Year 3. The biggest difference in this offense could be the addition of Guice, widely considered a first-round pick who slipped to the second round because of off-field i sues. 21. Arizona CardinalsQB Sam Bradford | RB David Johnson | WR Larry Fitzgerald Bradford is the reason the cliche "the backup is only a play away from becoming a starter" exists. Injuries have plagued him throughout his career but when he's been healthy, he's been very good. The problem is that he's played 16 games exactly once in his eight NFL seasons (he appeared in just two games last year he was Wally Pipp'd by ) and he mi sed all of 2014 with an ACL injury. Johnson, meanwhile, was one of the league's best young backs before a broken wrist Evgeni Malkin Women Jersey ended his 2017 campaign after just one game. The hope is that he can return to his '16 form when he rushed for 1,239 yards, added another 879 receiving yards and totaled 20 touchdowns. Fitzgerald is a first-ballot Hall of Famer but he'll also be 35 next season. That said, he tied a career high with 109 receptions in 2017, though his 10.6 yards per reception were more than two yards below his career average. 20. Cincinnati Bengals QB Andy Dalton | RB Joe Mixon | WR A.J. Green Dalton is coming off his worst season as a pro, though some of that can be blamed on an offensive line that struggled to protect him. He was sacked 80 times the last two seasons and his pa ser rating was around 90. In 2015, when he was sacked just 20 times, Dalton completed two-thirds of his pa ses and set career highs in yards per attempt (8.4), pa ser rating (106.2) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (25:7). The spent the offseason upgrading the O-line, which should also benefit Mixon, who managed just 3.5 yards per carry as a rookie but has the potential to be an explosive player. Green turns 30 this summer but he remains one of the league's best deep threats; the seven-year vet logged his sixth 1,000-yard season in 2017 to go along with eight touchdowns. 19. Oakland Raiders QB Derek Carr | RB Marshawn Lynch | WR Amari Cooper The biggest question surrounding the ' offense is what new (old) coach Jon Gruden's scheme will look like. Carr is coming off a forgettable year, but in 2016 he was the front runner for league MVP before an injury ended that campaign. A suming Lynch buys into what Gruden's selling, he's still a very good back, even at 32. He rushed for 891 yards on 207 carries last season and scored 7 times. Lynch ranked , just behind . Cooper had his worst season as a pro in 2017, catching 48 pa ses for 680 yards though he scored seven times. The Raiders added and this offseason, which could open things up for Cooper. 18. Denver Broncos QB Case Keenum | RB DeVontae Booker | WR Demaryius Thomas The two biggest unknowns are 1) Can Keenum recapture the magic he found in Minnesota last season, and 2) What can we expect from Booker? Keenum was in the MVP race up until the final month of 2017 and he ranked first in value per play among quarterbacks. . He helped the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game, although the team decided to let him walk in the offseason and replace him with Kirk Cousins. Whatever happens in Denver, this much is certain: Keenum is a huge upgrade over Trevor Siemian/Brock Osweiler/Paxton Lynch. Booker, a 2016 fourth-rounder, has averaged just 3.6 yards per carry in his career, though he could face competition from 2018 third-rounder . Thomas is coming off his worst season since 2011 -- he had six-year lows in catches (83), yards (949) and touchdowns (5), but much of that can be pinned on the poor quarterback play. 17. Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott | RB Ezekiel Elliott | WR Allen Hurns Prescott was just average last season and now he'll be tasked with overcoming the lo s of Hall of Fame tight end . The good news is that Elliott, one of the league's best players as a rookie in 2016, isn't facing suspension, though there are plenty of unknowns at receiver. The cut but signed Hurns, traded for and drafted and Cedrick Wilson. After a 64-catch, 1,031-yard, 10-touchdown season with the Jags in 2015, Hurns averaged nine starts, 37 catches, 480 yards, 2.5 touchdowns the last two seasons. He'll need to ramp up his production to in Dallas to make up for the lo s of Witten and Bryant. 16. Seattle Seahawks QB Ru sell Wilson | RB Rashaad Penny | WR Doug Baldwin One of the biggest surprises of the first round was the ' decision to take Penny when they had glaring needs along the offensive line. But coach Pete Carroll is unconcerned with what we think, saying shortly after selecting Penny that " ." If the offensive line continues to bumble its way through games, Penny's skills won't much matter in much the same way Wilson's effectivene s was mitigated by the lack of protection. Baldwin, who is one of the league's most tenacious receivers, had 75 catches for 991 yards, his lowest output since 2014. 15. Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz | RB Jay Ajayi | WR Alshon Jeffery The big unknown: When will Wentz be cleared to play and more importantly, when will he approach 100 percent? There's a very good chance Wentz is under center in Week 1, but the ACL injury he suffered last December may mean that he's more pocket pa ser than athlete for the first month or two of the 2018 season. That will almost certainly affect his production. Ajayi averaged 5.8 yards per carry after the Dolphins sent him to Philly in a midseason trade, which was more than a yard per carry above his career average. Jeffery is a big target but is more po se sion receiver than deep threat. Tight end will draw attention in the middle of the field but there isn't much depth at wide receiver after Jeffery. 14. Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers | RB Ty Mongtomery | WR Davante Adams It seems silly to rank any Rodgers-led offense as replacement level but Rodgers is coming off a shoulder injury that limited him to just seven games last season. Likewise, rib and wrist injuries forced Montgomery to mi s half the season. Adams managed 885 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, which is impre sive given that started nine times. 13. Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton | RB Christian McCaffrey | WR D.J. Moore The went 11-5 last season, which gets overlooked, at least nationally, because the went to the Super Bowl in 2016 and the were a fluke play away from the NFC Championship Game in 2017. McCaffrey rushed for just 435 yards last season but he led the team with 80 receptions and 651 receiving yards. With a year in the league, and likely sharing carries with C.J. Anderson, McCaffrey should be even better next season. Moore, the rookie first-rounder, is the key; retired Panthers legend Steve Smith was ecstatic when the team drafted him going so far as to say, "They have never been able to replace me ... until today." And if you're looking for one play that sold Carolina on Moore, : Trust me: Do yourself a favor and watch this D.J Moore touchdown. Brent Yarina (@BTNBrentYarina) But the question remains: How quickly can Moore make the transition from college to the NFL? 12. New England Patriots QB Tom Brady | RB James White | WR Julian Edelman We wonder where the Patriots would rank on this list if, say, Garoppolo had remained in New England and was penciled in as the starter in 2018. We'd like to think they'd still be among the Samuel Poulin Jersey top 15. But they're this high because of Brady, who continues to get better with age. But the offense, at least on paper, has taken a step back. is gone and -- or perhaps first-round pick -- will have to pick up the slack. is also gone, traded to the , and Edelman, who mi sed last season with an ACL injury, will be vying for the No. 1 wide receiver job along with offseason addition . 11. Detroit LionsQB Matthew Stafford | RB Kerryon Johnson | WR Golden Tate Stafford is among the NFL's most talented pa sers but the have been a one-dimensional offense for much of his career. The hope is that will change in 2018; the Lions took Johnson in the second round and the Auburn standout has drawn comparisons to Le'Veon Bell though he'll likely began his NFL career behind LeGarrette Blount on the depth chart. Tate had 92 receptions for 1,003 yards and five touchdowns last season but you could argue that (61 catches, 1,101 yards, 18.0 YPC, 9 TDs) is the Lions' No. 1 receiver. Jones ranked No. 2 in total value among all wideouts last season behind only . 10. Tenne see Titans QB Marcus Mariota | RB Dion Lewis | WR Rishard Matthews How Mariota progre ses new coordinator's Matt LaFleur's offense will go a long way in determining how good the will be in '18. Mariota was replacement level a season ago though he was 10th in value per play in 2016. Having Lewis in the backfield will be a huge benefit; in 2017 he was the NFL's best rushing back, according to Football Outsiders, and ranked ninth in value per play as a pa s-catching back. The Titans of course still have Derrick Henry to form a dangerous 1-2 punch with Lewis. Mathews had 53 receptions for 795 yards and four touchdowns but he did average 15.0 yards per catch. He also ranked 19th in total value among wideouts two spots behind the aforementioned Doug Baldwin. 9. Kansas City ChiefsQB Pat Mahomes | RB Kareem Hunt | WR Tyreek Hill Here's the question: Can Hunt and Hill make up for Mahomes' growing pains? We think they can -- and we also think that the transition from to Mahomes, the team's 2017 first-round pick, won't be particularly bumpy. Of course, being able to lean on Hunt (1,327 rushing yards, 455 receiving yards, 11 touchdowns) and Hill (75 receptions, 1,183 yards, 7 touchdowns) will certainly make things easier for Mahomes. Also helping: Having at tight end. 8. Houston TexansQB Deshaun Watson | RB Lamar Miller | WR DeAndre Hopkins It took coach Bill O'Brien about 30 minutes to realize that he had made a grave mistake at the beginning of the 2017 season. That's why he replaced with then-rookie at halftime in Week 1. Waston would start the next six games, completing 61.8 percent of his throws for 1,699 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions, and he added another 269 yards and two scores on the ground. He tore his ACL in November, ending his season, but he should be ready for training camp. Miller was replacement level last season though he should benefit from a full season with Watson. Hopkins, meanwhile, had 96 receptions for 1,378 yards and 13 touchdowns despite having to catch pa ses from Savage, T.J. Yates and . 7. Los Angeles Chargers QB Philip Rivers | RB Melvin Gordon | WR Keenan Allen Rivers might be 36 but he ranked second in value per play among all pa sers last season behind only old-man Brady. Given his style of play there's no reason to think his production will change anytime soon. Gordon had his best season in '17, rushing for 1,105 yards and eight touchdowns and adding 476 yards and two more touchdowns on the ground. Allen isn't particularly fast but he's one of the NFL's best route-runners, which goes a long way in explaining his 102-catch, 1,393-yard, six-touchdown effort last season. Allen also ranked third in total value among all wideouts. 6. New York Giants QB Eli Manning | RB Saquon Barkley | WR Odell Beckham Here's a depre sing stat: No quarterback had to deal with more dropped pa ses than Eli Manning in 2017. Pro Football Focus (@PFF) The takeaway: While it's easy to blame Manning for the offensive struggles last season -- he was 23rd in total value among all pa sers -- the reality is that he had virtually no supporting cast. That changes with the addition of Barkley, whom the took with the No. 2 pick in the draft, and the return of Beckham, who mi sed 12 games in 2017 due to injury. and 2017 first-round pick will also open things up for Manning. 5. Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins | RB Dalvin Cook | WR Adam Thielen The Vikings let Case Keenum walk after an MVP-level season and replaced him with Cousins, who had a down 2017 campaign after ranking third in total value among all pa sers in 2016 behind and . There's every reason to believe he'll be succe sful in Minnesota, where he'll have a great defense and dynamic offensive playmakers. Cook returns after tearing his ACL (he averaged 4.8 yards per carry and 8.2 yards per catch in four games before the injury), and Thielen has emerged as a top-10 wide receiver. And if you prefer as the Vikes' No. 1, he . 4. Atlanta FalconsQB Matt Ryan | RB Devonta Freeman | WR Julio Jones It all starts with Matt Ryan, who was the league's best quarterback in 2016 and "dropped" all the way to last season. The 33-year-old shows no signs of slipping, which explains the organization's decision to . Freeman averaged 4.4 yards per carry last season (865 rushing yards) as well as 8.8 yards per catch (317 receiving yards) while scoring eight touchdowns. Julio Jones was absolutely dominant (88 catches, 1,444 yards, 3 scores). was a fantastic No. 2 receiver and oh by the way, the Falcons took wideout in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. 3. Los Angeles RamsQB Jared Goff | RB Todd Gurley | WR Brandin Cooks Jeff Fisher was the coach during Goff's rookie season and the quarterback looked like a bust. The arrival of Sean McVay changed all that and Goff was one of the league's most exciting players in 2017. Even more exciting: Gurley had 1,305 rushing yards, 788 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns. And the offense, which looked to be in the running for Odell Beckham earlier this offseason (seriously, imagine ) ended up with a nice consolation prize: deep threat Brandin Cooks. 2. New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees | RB Alvin Kamara | WR Michael Thomas Brees might be 39 but he's still the engine of the Saints' offense. It helps having Kamara, the 2017 third-round pick who averaged a staggering 6.1 yards per carry last season (728 rushing yards), 10.2 yards per catch (826 receiving yards) and 13 touchdowns. Michael Thomas followed up a 1,137-yard rookie campaign with 1,245 yards in 2017. In any other year, this trio would be No. 1. 1. Pittsburgh SteelersQB Ben Roethlisberger | RB Le'Veon Bell | WR Antonio Brown Big Ben threw for 4,251 yards in 2017, including 28 touchdowns, nine of which went to Antonio Brown, who logged his fifth-consecutive 100-catch season. He also had 1,533 receiving yards. For an idea of just how dominant he's been, those 1,533 yards ranks Calen Addison Women Jersey third behind his 2015 (1,834) and 2014 (1,698) seasons. Bell averaged just 4.0 yards per carry but he still rushed for 1,291 yards and had a career-best nine rushing touchdowns to go with 655 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.
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