Offseason deals have been made, free agents have been signed and rookies have proved their worthiness; football is ready to begin. The 2014 NFL season is sure to be an exciting one as all 32 teams prime themselves for battle. Only one will stand tall above the rest, holding the Lombardi trophy high for everyone to see.

The stacked NFC starts with the highly competitive NFC East. The NFC East holds the Washington Redskins, the New York Giants, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys.

Though the Redskins looked to be competitive last year, their 2013 campaign was disastrous to the tune of a 3-13 record. With a healthy Robert Griffin III and a fully healthy defense, they look to right the ship.

The Giants and Cowboys seemed to have caught whatever illness the Skins had, because their 2013 season was also a disappointment. Though the Giants are 4-0 this preseason, the loss of starting running back David Wilson and loss of Pro Bowl defensive end Justin Tuck to free agency, things might be tough for the Big Blue. The Cowboys had big trouble on defense last year, as their secondary and d-line was consistently ranked in the bottom five of all of the NFL. It doesn’t look to get any better for them on defense either, because they lost their defensive captain Sean Lee for the season due to a torn ACL.

The 2013 champions of the NFC East, the Philadelphia Eagles, look to continue their success this year. Coach Chip Kelly took the Eagles to a 10-6 record last year. Though they let star-studded receiver Desean Jackson walk in the offseason, they signed a dynamic tail-back in Darren Sproles. Sproles will look to steal some targets in wake of Jackson’s departure.

The NFC North is arguably the NFL’s toughest division, though last year they didn’t play like it. The North holds the Green Bay Packers, the Chicago Bears, the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings.

The Pack took a tough blow last year when they lost Aaron Rodgers for half the season, though they still won the division. The emergence of Rookie of the Year Eddie Lacy led the team while Rodgers was out. The Packers also gained a defensive end this offseason in All-Pro Julius Peppers. Green Bay will look to stack their weak defense from last year as they prime themselves for a projected winning season.

The Detroit Lions looked great at the beginning half of last season, but blew it and lost four straight games, knocking themselves out of the playoff picture. The 2013 breakout year for running back Joique Bell gives the Lions an explosive backfield to go along with their elite receiver Calvin Johnson.

The Chicago Bears, though injury-riddled last year, had a great offensive campaign. The fault was in the defense. They signed veteran Jared Allen to provide some sacks off the end. Though they chose not to sign Peppers back to the team, the Bears look to be a tough opponent coming into 2014.

The Vikings….well they’re just the Vikings. Terrible quarterback situation. Terrible defense. Just future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson. Minnesota let Allen go this offseason, but he’ll remain in the division and battle against his former team.

The predictably tough NFC South holds the Carolina Panthers, the New Orleans Saints, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons.

The Falcons and the Bucs both had terrible seasons last year. You can expect that from the Bucs, but not from the Falcons. Atlanta figures to return to form from last season’s disappointment with the regained health of wide outs Roddy White and Julio Jones.

The Panthers, winners of the 2013 NFC South, look to remain at the top. Though they lost practically all their starting receivers from last year, rookie Kelvin Benjamin and veteran tight end Greg Olsen look to eat up targets. With their dynamic rushing game and top-tier defense, how could they not win again? Well to answer that question, just ask Drew Brees and his golden right arm.

That’s right, the Saints stand in their way. Rookie wide out Brandin Cooks plans to munch on targets all season long as the new slot receiver, with elite tight end Jimmy Graham the go to red-zone target. The Saints just don’t have a great defense, but they will be near or at the top of the South this year.

NFL’s hardest division (in my opinion), is the NFC West. The San Francisco 49ers always seem to be in the playoffs, the Seattle Seahawks have a mean offense with an even meaner defense, the Arizona Cardinals have a top notch passing attack and the St. Louis Rams have one of the best defensive lines in the game. How is this fair? Well, it isn’t. Anyone could win this division this year.

The 49ers haven’t done much with their squad besides add Stevie Johnson to be their number three wide out this year. Number three? Johnson was number one in Buffalo since he got drafted. That just gives you an idea of where San Fran’s offense ranks among the league.

The Seahawks figure to defend their Super Bowl title. Literally, I mean defend. Seattle’s defense ranked first last year in almost every category. Oh, and averaged only 14.9 points against them a game.

Arizona lost their defensive horse last year in Darnell Dockett, but that doesn’t mean they won’t win. Shutdown man-to-man cornerback Patrick Peterson plans to defend his case as the best cornerback in the league. Larry Fitzgerald figures to lead the team in receptions, with Andre Ellington running the ball

The belief of St. Louis to be a bad football team allows their underrated defense to be sneaky good. Though the Rams have offensive struggles, the defensive end duo of Chris Long and Robert Quinn plan to cook up a pot of sacks and forced fumbles while cornerback Janoris Jenkins plans to add a touch of interceptions to that pot for some nice homemade turnover stew. Though they lost starting quarterback Sam Bradford to an ACL tear last preseason game, back up Shaun Hill seems confident to lead the offense.