NFL Players Association Team Report Cards Don’t Match Performance on the Field

Article ByKyle Garlett

February 29, 2024

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Posted in: US Sports Betting News, US Gambling News

The NFL Players Association released its annual team report cards on Wednesday, and their rankings tell a very different story than what we saw in the standings.

First and Last

The Miami Dolphins are the top-ranked team to play for, improving on last year’s their second place finish. The Dolphins had straight A’s across the board, scoring perfectly in everything from the treatment of their families to the quality of the food in the cafeteria to the weight room, locker room, and training staff. 

Owner Stephen Ross got an A-plus and was ranked the best owner in the NFL because of his willingness to invest in upgraded facilities.

Last season, the Dolphins made the playoffs for the second consecutive year, and Florida retail sportsbooks have them at +1000 to win the AFC next season.

The last place team, not surprisingly, is the Washington Commanders. New owner Josh Harris rated a B, but they took F’s in treatment of families, locker room, training room, training staff, and travel. The Commanders are one of four teams that does not provide a family room during games or offer daycare during games.

Washington D.C. online sportsbooks have the Commanders at +6000 to win the NFC next season, which is tied for the second-longest odds in the conference.

Super Bowl Winners Grade Poorly

The Kansas City Chiefs have won back-to-back Super Bowls. They have also been near the bottom of these rankings for back-to-back years, this time coming in 31st overall. Andy Reid gets an A-plus, making him the highest-rated head coach in the league. But they have F’s for their nutritionist, locker room, and training staff, and an F-minus for owner Clark Hunt.

The ownership rankings are strictly based on an owner’s willingness to invest in facilities and are not related to the likability of the owner. That is how owners like Hunt and Art Rooney of the Pittsburgh Steelers can be ranked near the bottom and behind David Tepper of the Carolina Panthers.

Overall, the Chiefs, winners of the last two Super Bowls, are second from the bottom. The Los Angeles Rams won the Super Bowl before that, and they rank 20th, with a ranking of 25th for their locker room and 28th for their weight room. The New England Patriots are the other most recent Super Bowl winner, and they ranked 29th overall, with their treatment of families getting an F-minus.

The top six Super Bowl LIX betting favorites at NFL online sportsbooks, with their NFLPA rankings, are: San Francisco 49ers (+550, rank 6th), Kansas City Chiefs (+600, rank 31st), Baltimore Ravens (+950, rank 15th), Buffalo Bills (+1000, rank 11th), Detroit Lions (+1200, rank 13th), and the Cincinnati Bengals (+1300, rank 26th).

The Bengals ranked last in the food/cafeteria category because they offer all three meals only one day a week.

Coaching Grade Surprises

Two of the three coaches to get A-plus grades, not surprisingly, are Andy Reid of the Chiefs and Dan Campbell of the Lions. The Minnesota Vikings missed the playoffs, but also get an A-plus for coach Kevin O’Connell.

The winner of the Coach of the Year Award was Kevin Stefanski of the Cleveland Browns, but he came in 28th in player rankings. DeMeco Ryans of the Houston Texans was second in Coach of the Year voting, and he ranked 14th.

Kyle Shanahan of the 49ers just finished as the runner-up in the Super Bowl, and he ranked seventh on the NFLPA report card.