NFC East
Dallas Cowboys - The Dallas Cowboys have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball and enter the season with high expectations. This isn't always a good thing as owner Jerry Jones loves to create drama with his team and if they don't get off to a hot start, Jones could crush the team by spitting rumors of firing head coach Wade Phillips. The offense is stacked and could be the best in the league this year. History says they won't play in the Super Bowl as no team has ever played one in their home stadium.
Prediction - 10-6 Division Champions. They are better than this record but a ridiculously tough schedule will keep them from doing much better.
New York Giants - The Giants have picked up this preseason exactly the way they ended last year, with tons of players getting hurt. The IR and injury report are in midseason form already and I think will hurt the team a lot this season. Brandon Jacobs has looked awful in the preseason and the running core of two years ago may just be a single back system with Ahmad Bradshaw by seasons end.
Prediction - 9-7
Philadelphia Eagles - McNabb gone, Westbrook gone, Dawkins gone. The core that helped this team dominate the NFC for so much of this decade is gone. Kolb is good but definitely isn't as good as McNabb yet, I'm not sold on LeSean McCoy yet, and no receiver has proven to be an every down threat yet. The defense is solid but not scary, I think this team disappoints a lot of people.
Prediction 7-9
Washington Redskins - I've heard a lot of people project Washington as a playoff contender. Last I checked the only thing this team did this offseason was add a past his prime running back and a past his prime quarterback who is already dealing with injury issues and has shown issues picking up the offense thus far. McNabb will make them better but this team needs a few good drafts before they can even think about playoffs.
Prediction 6-10
AFC East
Buffalo Bills - This team is bad, really, really bad. They went into the offseason needing a wide receiver, a good left tackle, a few guards, a lot of defensive lineman, and of course were still looking for a consistent quarterback. They spent the ninth overall pick on a running back. At least they'll be picking early next year again, maybe now they'll get that QB.
Prediction - 2-14
Miami Dolphins - My boys did a great job of filling weaknesses this offseason, the biggest move being the acquisition of WR Brandon Marshall form the Denver Broncos. The addition of Karlos Dansby at linebacker and a great pickup of Jared Odrick in the draft should make the defense better right away. The running offense is already great and with a year of starting experience under his belt and a real threat at WR, I think Chad Henne will make big strides this season.
Prediction - 10-6 Division Champions
New England Patriots - I really think the dynasty is over in Foxsboro. Last seasons team underwhelmed all season long even with a healthy Tom Brady and then got blown out by the Ravens in the first round of the playoffs. The division is just getting to good and the defense is just way too old to keep up. They have Brady, Moss, and Welker, and not much else.
Prediction - 7-9
New York Jets - Are the Jets all hype? I think so and apparently I'm not alone, ESPN's panel of sixteen experts featured exactly zero picks with the Jets in the Super Bowl this year. Revis is likely to take three or four games to get back to his best and Mark Sanchez probably won't be much better than last year. The loss of Thomas Jones also hurts a lot as Shonn Greene has yet to prove he can be a every down back in the NFL.
Prediction 9-7
NFC North
Chicago Bears - The Bears made a big splash the first day of free agency, adding Julius Peppers and Chester Taylor. The personal has improved but I'm not sure that the coaching has. Lovie Smith has the hottest seat in the league and with Mike Martz as the brain of the new offensive system, it kind of scares me that Jay Cutler is still throwing so many picks. The defense looks worse every year and I don't see this season turning it around.
Prediction - 5-11
Detroit Lions - Call me crazy but I don't hate this Lions team. The offense has a ridiculous amount of young talent. Matt Stafford should be a lot better this year if he stays healthy, Calvin Johnson is always a beast and is also healthy again and having Nate Burleson as the new WR no. 2 should take some pressure of him each week. Jahvid Best and Ndomukong Suh may be the two most explosive rookies in the league.
Prediction - 6-10
Green Bay Packers - The Pack enter the season with high expectations and I believe they will live up to them. Aaron Rodgers should be just as good again this year and the line should be improved with the addition of Iowa great Bryan Bulaga. The defense is not likely to repeat what it did last year but will be more than good enough to keep the offense ahead most of the time.
Prediction - 11-5 Division Champions
Minnesota Vikings - This team is really hard to figure out. Satan does not look healthy enough to last the entire season and even if he does, there is simply no way he repeats his performance from a year ago. He is missing his favorite target for at least half the season and Percy Harvin is having unpredictable injury issues. The team is getting old on both sides of the ball and that is also a concern. With all that said, there is so much talent here that the only way the Vikings miss the playoffs is if the devil goes down really early in the year and Tarvaris has to lead all season.
Prediction - 10-6 Wild Card
AFC North
Cincinnati Bengals - Despite all the drama, all the players with off the field issues, and all the history that says don't ever bet on the Bengals, I am betting on the Bengals. I think Benson repeats his success this year, Owens makes the passing game considerably better, and the defense is even better than a year ago. Lets just say I trust the coaches.
Prediction - 11-5 Division Champions - First Round Bye
Cleveland Browns - Things never really seem to change for this team.
Prediction - 5-11
Baltimore Ravens - This team has to love that they just got to add Housh for less than a million dollars this season. The offense is loaded, with Joe Flacco's development continuing rapidly, new receivers in Boldin and Housh, adn Ray Rice should continue be great running the rock. The defense is tough against the run but looks rather thin in the secondary, with one starter gone for the year already and Ed Reed starting the year on the PUP list. I think this concern keeps them from making a deep playoff run.
Prediction - 11-5 Wild Card
Pittsburgh Steelers - This team will go only as far as the defense lets them. The D was a huge letdown last year and kept the team out of the playoffs. I know the Big Ben suspension is the point of conversation for this team, and it will cost them a game or two, but a tough division and a still somewhat shaky defense will have them at home in January.
Prediction - 9-7
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons - The Falcons finished their second consecutive winning season a year ago for the first time in franchise history. This year with Matt Ryan and Michael Turner back to full strength, the team looks to do even bigger things. I think they make it back to the postseason but the defense needs more playmakers before they will get any further than round one.
Prediction - 11-5 Wild Card
Carolina Panthers - This team runs the ball really well, unfortunately, that is all they do well. The defense is just incredibly average in every way and the jury is still out on incumbent QB Matt Moore. The Panthers will never be an easy win but they will not be a winning team either.
Prediction - 6-10
New Orleans Saints - Coming off the teams first ever Super Bowl, the Saints face great expectations again this season and they can score well enough to rise up to them for a second straight year. The defense is a work in progress and it will have a very hard time repeating what it did a year ago. That being said, no way does Drew Brees not take this team back to the playoffs again.
Prediction - 12-4 - Number 1 Seed in NFC
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Watch out Buffalo, 2-14 may not guarantee you the top pick.
Prediction - 2-14
AFC South
Houston Texans - The offense should be just lights out all year long. Andre Johnson is the best WR in football, QB Matt Schaub is a star on the rise, and Adrian Foster looks ready to be a dominant RB. If the defense is decent, I expect this team to finally turn the corner and get their first playoff birth.
Prediction - 10-6 Wild Card
Indianapolis Colts - Do I even have to explain why they'll be good again this year? You should be used to it by now. Here's a short list of why they will be: Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, Joseph Addai, Anthony Gonzalez, Donald Brown, Austin Collie, Jeff Saturday, Gary Brackett, Dwight Freeney, and Bob Sanders all healthy.
Prediction - 13-3 Number 1 Seed in AFC
Jacksonville Jaguars - The hardest team in the league to predict. MJD is a beast, the entire rest of the team is one big question mark. I think there are too many uncertainties for this team to compete week in and week out.
Prediction - 4-12
Tennessee Titans - This team did absolutely nothing to improve themselves this offseason and in the NFL that means you got worse. This team is not bad but not good enough to surprise anybody.
Prediction - 8-8
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals - Everything this team did over the last two years needs to be forgotten, this is a terrible football team. The QB situation downgraded from Kurt Warner to Derek Anderson, ouch! The team also traded away it's second best WR, Anquan Boldin, for virtually nothing and two of their three best defensive players left in free agency. Forget about owning the NFC West, that is over for this team.
Prediction - 5-11
San Fransisco 49ers - This team has a shot to go really far. QB Alex Smith finally looks ready to play NFL football, so does TE Vernon Davis, and WR Michael Crabtree has a shot to be a top ten receiver with a full training camp under his belt. The defense just may be the best in football and Patrick Willis is my front runner for Defensive Player of the Year. Frank Gore is a stud running the ball and the offensive line got some massive upgrades in the draft this year.
Prediction - 12-4 Division Champions, First Round Bye
Seattle Seahawks - There isn't a lot to say about his team right now, they aren't bad, but all of their best players are too young to win games for the team yet. Matt Hasselbeck is made of glass and if/when Charlie Whitehurst takes over, the Hawks will really struggle to win games.
Prediction 5-11
St. Louis Rams - Sam Bradford makes the Rams two games better this year, whether anyone in St. Louis is actually grateful for a 4 win season is unknown, but at this point they should be.
Prediction - 4-12
NFC West
Denver Broncos - There is nothing great about this team. Nothing. Sorry Denver fans but Kyle Orton is the best player on your team and none of your recent draft picks have managed to stay healthy through training camp. Your best defender is already on IR. Look for a top five draft pick next year.
Prediction 4-12
Kansas City Chiefs - Another bad team that I think will surprise people on offense. Thomas Jones, Jamaal Charles, Matt Cassel, and Dwayne Bowe make a solid if unspectacular offense that will sneak up on people all season long. The key additions this offseason were to the coaching staff, adding Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel as the offensive and defensive coordinators respectively.
Prediction 7-9
Oakland Raiders - The team has improved and suddenly looks to have hope for the future, not by getting great players, but by releasing JaMarcus Russell. There is however, no playmakers anywhere on this offense. The D will be good enough to make the Raiders more competitive but the wins will probably be about the same.
Prediction 5-11
San Diego Chargers - The division is still theirs to lose but the holdouts of Marcus McNeill and Vincent Jackson will significantly affect this team. The playoffs will be there again but don't expect any wins, no matter how good Phillip Rivers is.
Playoff Predictions
Wild Card Round
Dallas over Minnesota
Green Bay over Atlanta
Baltimore over San Diego
Miami over Houston
Divisional Round
Green Bay over New Orleans
San Fransisco over Dallas
Indianapolis over Baltimore
Cincinnati over Miami
Conference Championships
Indianapolis over Cincinnati
Green Bay over San Fransisco
Super Bowl
Indianapolis over Green Bay
League MVP: Peyton Manning - He is always the smart bet, winning the award five times in a twelve year career.
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