NFL teams sell optimism all offseason. Reality can bite them harder than a December gust off Lake Michigan (nothing personal, Bears fans).
With the 2017 regular season down to its final four weeks, it's now clear which teams have fared best -- and worst -- in overcoming the worries NFL executives raised about all 32 teams just before the season began.
Predictions that make us look like psychics
Arizona Cardinals
The worry: The hits will keep coming for quarterback Carson Palmer, leaving him diminished come playoff time.
The reality: The hits kept coming, leaving Palmer with a broken arm that landed him on injured reserve after seven games.
Opponents pressured Palmer 82 times, the NFL's fifth-highest total this season for any QB through his team's first seven games. The players pressured more times -- Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, Jacoby Brissett and Tyrod Taylor -- had youth and mobility on their side.
Losing running back David Johnson to injury did not help Palmer.