Contender windows move every offseason
NFL team rankings age in dog years — one franchise QB injury and an S seed becomes a C. The stable inputs are roster depth, cap health and coaching infrastructure: Kansas City's decade run put them in S by default, while teams like the Lions climbed tiers on culture rebuilds before results arrived. Fan lists skew loyal and rival-punitive (Cowboys placement is a personality test). The honest method: rank the roster on paper, then adjust one tier for quarterback certainty in January.