Over the next two days, FTW will examine the best- and worst-case scenarios for every NFL team in the upcoming 2015 season. Today, we start with the NFC.

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys

Best-case scenario (12-4): Tony Romo is back in his 2014 form, the offensive line proves to be both the chicken and the egg in the DeMarco Murray question, La’el Collins becomes the steal of the year (the kind Pittsburgh used to always make on its defense) and Greg Hardy helps an average Dallas defense become just good enough to lose to Green Bay in the playoffs again.

Worst-case scenario (4-12): Sensing a disturbance in the force, the universe autocorrects Jason Garrett’s 12-4 record in 2014 which followed three straight years of 8-8 mediocrity. Wanting symmetry, Romo gets hurt, DeMarco Murray become the ex-post facto MVP of 2014, Darren McFadden does his Darren McFadden thing and Dez Bryant’s lack of hunger after getting his contract causes stomach rumblings across Texas.

New York Giants

Best-case scenario (11-5): The last two times Tom Coughlin was on the hot seat, the Giants won the Super Bowl, which will forever necessitate writers to pen the words “two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning.” If you put all your trust in the stat that there hasn’t been a repeat winner in the NFC East since the Eagles did it in 2003-2004, the Giants are basically at 50% to win the East, with the Eagles getting the other 50% and the Redskins somehow getting negative odds.

Worst-case scenario (6-10): That’s the low-water mark for any Coughlin-coached team in New York over his 11 seasons in New York. (Eleven? That’s insane. Jim Fassel was the last coach of the Giants before Coughlin. Steve McNair was the MVP the last time Coughlin didn’t coach the G-Men and Jamal Lewis was the Offensive Player of the Year.)

Philadelphia Eagles

Best-case scenario (13-3): And on the seventh day, Tebow bested, shining in Chip Kelly’s system, along with DeMarco Murray and what’s left of Sam Bradford”s knee, which He magically healed by simply staring at it and humming the Rocky theme song.

Worst-case scenario (3-13): And on the seventh day, Tebow tried to turn water into Gatorade, but his skills, dampened from the drabness of Bristol and having to sit in between Marcus Spears and Paul Finebaum, fail him, and the Eagles drink football cyanide, putting Kelly on the hot seat for year four and sending Timothy Richard back to the SEC Network, where at least he has a hairstylist to keep that flattop cooking every day.

Washington Redskins

Best-case scenario (9-7): All this talk of turmoil turns out to be nothing more than D.C. summer gossip. Robert Griffin III, whose tenure in Washington is said to unsalvageable, shows some of the form that made him Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2012 helped by an offensive line that acts less like a sieve and more like a cohesive unit designed to block for their passer and make holes for their runner. Fired up about some perceived slight, DeSean Jackson breaks an NFL record for most touchdown catches over 50 yards and the defense holds its own to get the ‘Skins to either sneak into a wild card or win the division at 9-7, as the Giants did in 2011 (the only time that’s happened in NFC East history).

Worst-case scenario (2-14): Reality rears its ugly head. Griffin is out by Week 3, Jay Gruden puts all his eggs in Kirk Cousins’ basket, all of Kirk Cousins’ eggs get intercepted and the Redskins are forced to play out December in front of 6,000 fans who can’t even muster the energy to start a “fire Snyder” chant. Jay Gruden gets canned two days after the season, forcing Dan Snyder to turn to the only man willing to take what’s truly the most powerful job in Washington. Coach Donald Trump last four weeks into 2016 before he’s fired after unleashing a verbal barrage against _____

NFC North

Chicago Bears

Best-case scenario (10-6): It turns out that John Fox was the key to the Broncos’ success all along and with Jay Cutler turned to Peyton Manning incarnate, Matt Forte (checks to see if Matt Forte is on the team/is amazed to see that Matt Forte is still on the team) is suddenly running with opening holes and the Bears defense regains its Monsters of the Midway title, but in a good way, not in the “monsters are bad and probably not good at football way.”

Worst-case scenario (3-13): Smokin’ Jay Cutler succumbs to lung cancer and regular Jay Cutler, burdened by years of Windy City expectations breaks the NFL record for interceptions before being replaced by Brody from The Hills.

Detroit Lions

Best-case scenario (12-4): Jim Caldwell finally breaks his sideline silence and magic happens.

Worst-case scenario (6-10): Jim Caldwell finally breaks his sideline silence and whatever the opposite of magic is happens.

Green Bay Packers

Best-case scenario (15-1): The Jordy Nelson loss isn’t felt as hard as expected and Aaron Rodgers, the NFL’s undisputed top quarterback who nonetheless hasn’t won a Super Bowl in a half-decade, brings the Pack back to the title game, this time without any manufactured Dez Bryant controversy.

Worst-case scenario (10-6): Rodgers loses again in the playoffs, dropping his postseason record to 7-6 and whispers begin that he’s the new Peyton Manning, minus the Papa Johns’ franchises and debilitating neck injury.

Minnesota Vikings

Best-case scenario (8-8): Teddy Bridgewater improves in his sophomore campaign while Mike Zimmer gets the Vikings defense to do the same. Adrian Peterson plays 16 games and only makes headlines for failing to get to 2,500 yards.

Worst-case scenario (4-12): A year off proves too much for Peterson, who starts running like late-career Tiki Barber.

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons

Best-case scenario (10-6): Matty Ice does something deserving of such a cool nickname and rebounds the team from two losing seasons after five winning ones, including the year the team was one play from making the Super Bowl. New coach — hmmmm — surely the Falcons have a new coach, as Mike Smith had to be fired last year, but who is it?

A. Bill Lazor

B. Dan Quinn

C. Dean Pees

D. Doug Marrone

E. Bob Sacamano

It’s B, Dan Quinn! Good luck in Atlanta, Dan.

Worst-case scenario (5-11): During a game, Arthur Blank twirls his mustache, unknowingly turning the machines at Home Depot against the humans and leaving Julio Jones as our only hope.

Carolina Panthers

Best-case scenario (11-5): Cam Newton finds the form he had in 2013, when he led Carolina to a 12-4 record, or at least he played quarterback on a team with a defense that led the Panthers to a 12-4 record.

Worst-case scenario (5-10-1): The defense isn’t good enough to protect Cam, but in the NFC South, perhaps a 5-11 record is good enough to win the division.

New Orleans Saints

Best-case scenario (13-3): Drew Brees has one last magical season in that cute little throwing arm of his and leads New Orleans back into the playoffs after a dismal 2014.

Worst-case scenario (7-9): Decimated by injuries, the Saints are forced to sign Brees’ bestie Ellen DeGeneres, who still runs for 125 yards against the Redskins.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Best-case scenario (10-6): Jameis Winston on Jan. 6, 2007.

Worst-case scenario (2-14): Jameis Winston on Apr. 22, 2014.

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals

Best-case scenario (12-4): Carson Palmer’s record in games started in 2014 is extrapolated to 16-0 (he was an undefeated 6-0 before he got hurt), but the team’s record comes down to 12-4 because, come on, Carson Palmer hasn’t started 16 games since he was still with the Bengals.

Worst-case scenario (5-11): (See above)

St. Louis Rams

Best-case scenario (9-7): Nick Foles makes Chip Kelly look like a fool – A FOOL! — and throws 54 touchdowns and four interceptions, then goes to Kinko’s and makes an inappropriate sideline sign featuring four pictures of various international ways to flip people off.

Worst-case scenario (4-12): Come on. This isn’t the worst-case scenario. This is THE scenario and we all know it.

San Francisco 49ers

Best-case scenario (7-9): Jim Harbaugh returns from Ann Arbor in a haze of khaki, accompanied with a law degree from Michigan that will help out some of San Francisco’s less, uh, law-abiding players.

Worst-case scenario (1-15): Oh, it’s gonna be bad, 49ers fans. That last offensive play of Super Bowl XLVII is going to haunt your dreams for years.

Seattle Seahawks

Best-case scenario (14-2): Making one last run with the team that won one Super Bowl and lost another because of play calling worse than your drunk college friend’s who used to go for it on fourth-and-20 every time while playing Madden, Seattle keeps doing its Seattle thing, with Marshawn Lynch rumbling toward end zone and Skittle heaven, Russell Wilson being a perfect game manager and that defense being as stifling as always.

Worst-case scenario (8-8): Three years of greatness proves too hard to sustain and fans, disgruntled over the fact that they’re no longer known as the “12th man” leave the stadium to go watch Seattle Sounders games, leaving Pete Carroll’s yelling as the only thing reverberating through that aluminum coffin they call a stadium.