The beginning of the new year is cause for celebration, and 12 NFL teams are certainly reveling in what lies ahead with the Super Bowl just a month away.
For 20 other teams, however, the new year serves as a time to reflect on what went awry and look ahead toward improving for next season.
Without further ado, here is one thing each team can do to improve their chances of making the postseason in 2018:
Arizona Cardinals: Trade up and draft their quarterback of the future.
Carson Palmer announced his retirement Tuesday, creating a void at quarterback for a Cardinals team that's otherwise well-equipped to make the playoffs in 2018. David Johnson will return from injury, while the ageless wonder Larry Fitzgerald could be back as well to lead the Cardinals toward a resurgent run. None of their playoff ambitions will be possible unless they resolve this issue, and with a host of top-end quarterbacks highlighting this year's draft, the time to trade up and risk it all is now.
Baltimore Ravens: Don't allow Andy Dalton to complete a miracle last-minute touchdown drive with the playoffs on the line.
This literally happened, otherwise the Ravens would be in the playoffs.
Chicago Bears: Invest in a marquee wide receiver.
Can you name three of the Bears' wide receivers without Googling? Probably not, and if the Bears are planning to actualize Mitch Trubisky's full potential, they'll need to get him some weapons immediately.
Cincinnati Bengals: Help A.J. Green regain his composure.
Green had another stellar season, recording 75 receptions for 1,078 yards and eight touchdowns. This isn't the Green we've grown accustomed to, however, voicing his displeasure with the offensive play-calling in Week 2, while initiating a one-sided fight with Jalen Ramsey during another trying year for the Bengals. Green is the face of the franchise and his demeanor will go a long way toward the Bengals getting back to the playoffs.
Cleveland Browns: Get out of John Dorsey's way.
The Browns have had one of the most futile stretches in professional sports history, going 1-31 over the past two seasons. Cleveland finally has a competent general manager in Dorsey after its approximation of "Moneyball" fell flat. Armed with two top-four picks in next spring's draft, let Dorsey take the reins without interference.
Dallas Cowboys: Put Ezekiel Elliott's suspension behind them and start anew.
Ezekiel Elliott's six-game suspension was one of the stories of the 2017 season, and clearly hindered the Cowboys' playoff ambitions. Jerry Jones feuded with Roger Goodell over the sanction and it clouded the rest of the year, despite an otherwise resilient team. With Elliott back for 2018, it's time to march forward.
Denver Broncos: Use the draft to address the mess at quarterback.
It may be unwise to suggest the Broncos take a quarterback with the No. 5 pick two years after selecting Paxton Lynch in the first round. However, the Broncos are squandering the rest of their talent by cycling through Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler (twice!), and Lynch. This should be a clear mandate.
Detroit Lions: Abandon the Cardiac Kids identity.
The Lions may be one of the most fun teams to watch on a daily basis, but relying on fourth-quarter comebacks simply isn't sustainable.
Green Bay Packers: Promote Eliot Wolf to GM, then give him full control of team operations.
Ted Thompson is out as GM, and Wolf has been groomed to take over the Packers since he started with the team as a 22-year-old personnel assistant. Wolf is the son of Hall of Fame executive Ron Wolf, and he may deviate from the team's conservative spending philosophy upon taking the job, but that could re-ignite a Packers team that still has Aaron Rodgers looking for his second Super Bowl.
Houston Texans: Trust the process as Deshaun Watson and J.J. Watt recover from injury.
Watson turned the Texans' into an improbable offensive powerhouse before tearing his ACL. Although the Texans slumped to a 4-12 record, it's not worth doing anything drastic with Watson and Watt expected to return for 2018.
Indianapolis Colts: Stop the defensive bleeding with a full-scale makeover.
This season's offensive woes can be chalked up to Andrew Luck's absence, as the star quarterback missed the season recovering from shoulder surgery. Luck won't help the Colts' woeful defense, though, after it surrendered 25.3 points per game. The Colts have $82.9 million in cap space and the No. 3 pick in the draft. No more half-measures, it's time for a renovation.
Los Angeles Chargers: Avoid early-season drama.
Two summers ago, Joey Bosa's contract holdout cast a dark cloud over the season. In 2017, the Chargers slumped to an 0-4 start before acclimating to Anthony Lynn's system, narrowly missing the playoffs. If the team is ready to go in September, the Chargers become one of the NFL's most intriguing teams.
Miami Dolphins: Find numerous quality cornerbacks.
Miami ranked 28th with nine interceptions, and while Pro Bowl safety Reshad Jones lurks in the secondary, no one is scared to attack its defense. The Dolphins didn't have a single cornerback rank in Pro Football Focus' Top 40 and will need to adapt to the modern pass-heavy era.
New York Giants: Release Eli Apple.
Is it fair to pin the Giants' shocking descent solely on Apple? Of course not, but the malcontent cornerback is making it nearly impossible for the Giants to move on from a dreadful season. Brimming with talent, the Giants were destroyed by injuries and internal conflict, and getting rid of Apple is their obvious next step.
New York Jets: Retain Josh McCown.
This may seem counter-intuitive considering the Jets were 5-11 this year. However, many pegged them to finish dead last, and McCown got the Jets to outperform even the most optimistic of projections. He's no longer a stop-gap and represents the Jets' best chance of getting into the playoffs.
Oakland Raiders: Send Derek Carr to a sports psychologist.
Carr was arguably the NFL's worst quarterback under pressure, and the Raiders' Super Bowl ambitions were dashed in large part due to his poor play. If Carr can resume his 2016 form, the Raiders could be in line for a bounce-back year.
San Francisco 49ers: Lock up Jimmy Garoppolo, then go on a free-agent spending spree.
It was a tale of two seasons for the 49ers, who looked like one of the NFL's most dangerous teams after allowing Garoppolo to start. He presented an irrefutable case to be paid as a top quarterback, while the 49ers already possess plenty of edge talent. It's time to capitalize while the NFC West is in a state of transition and shore up their weaknesses with the best veterans available on the market, armed with approximately $115 million in cap space.
Seattle Seahawks: Start planning for a future after The Legion of Boom.
Seattle's vaunted secondary has made its mark on history, but Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, and Earl Thomas all showed signs of age-related vulnerability in 2018, with the defense missing their trademark ferociousness. Seattle seldom resembled the team that terrified opponents for the better part of the decade, and it will need to find younger counterparts who can play in the team's simple Cover 3 base scheme.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Send Dirk Koetter and Jameis Winston to counseling.
If the Buccaneers are indeed intent on retaining Koetter, he'll need to improve his fractured relationship with Winston. They're not seeing eye-to-eye and Koetter is far more expendable than Winston, who matches flashes of brilliance with unconscionable mistakes.
Washington Redskins: Figure out what to do with Kirk Cousins and map out the future.
Cousins could get the franchise tag for an unprecedented third consecutive year, and the Redskins' future is murky until they figure out if they're going to retain him at an absurd cost, or let him go. Until they figure this conundrum out, the Redskins will be impossible to predict in 2018.
