AFC East
New England Patriots 12-4
New York Jets 8-8
Buffalo Bills 6-10
Miami Dolphins 3-13
There’s no question here, I have New England winning the division, but behind them are two young ascending teams in New York and Buffalo. The Jets have a star quarterback in Sam Darnold, and a lot of good young pieces around him on both sides of the ball. Buffalo has a good defense, and I have heard nothing but improvement this offseason from Josh Allen meaning Buffalo could be a sleeper. However, I feel that Miami will be the worst team in the NFL this season as they are obviously tanking for the number one overall pick in next years Draft.
AFC North
Cleveland Browns 11-5
Pittsburgh Steelers 9-7
Baltimore Ravens 8-8
Cincinnati Bengals 5-11
This one was a little difficult because I can see Cleveland combusting just as much as I see them winning the division. I think they will put their egos aside and knowing that a lot of people want them to fail will fuel them to put their egos to the side and win games. Pittsburgh may have had addition by subtraction in losing Antonio Brown and Le’veon Bell two guys who caused tremendous drama last year in the Steelers’ locker room. The drama that may have led to them missing the playoffs for the first time since 2013. Baltimore soared once Lamar Jackson took over as quarterback, finishing 6-1 down the stretch. The defense adds Earl Thomas while the offense adds Mark Ingram to make a potent rushing attack with Lamar Jackson. Can Lamar take that next step as a passer? I need to see it first. Cincinnati has finally ended the Marvin Lewis era, and now they need to find out if they still trust Andy Dalton or if it’s time to move on. In my opinion, it’s time to move forward at quarterback.
AFC South
Houston Texans 10-6
Jacksonville Jaguars 9-7
Indianapolis Colts 7-9
Tennessee Titans 6-10
Houston has been consistent, and now that they have added Kenny Stills and Laremy Tunsil, it gives Deshaun Watson the extra weapon he needed as well as some much-needed offensive line help. Losing Jadeveon Clowney may hurt, but it will not keep them from winning the division. Jacksonville might be the most underrated team in the AFC, as they finally having a capable quarterback in former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles. If the offense can give the defense help, this team will be dangerous. Indianapolis had the biggest loss of anyone this offseason losing their franchise quarterback Andrew Luck to early retirement. Now Jacoby Brisset must come in and prove he can take over this team. Tennessee has a good defense, but the offense has been a problem, Marcus Mariota has yet to play up to the level the Titans expected of him when they drafted him number two overall in the 2015 NFL draft.
AFC West
Kansas City Chiefs 13-3
Los Angeles Chargers 11-5
Denver Broncos 8-8
Oakland Raiders 5-11
Kansas City has one of the most talented offense we may have ever seen with speed everywhere, a superstar tight end, and the raining MVP at quarterback to go along with one of the greatest offensive minds in NFL history Head Coach Andy Reid. Headed into the season, this team is my Super Bowl favorite. The Chargers have had some good rosters in the Phillip Rivers era, but they have never been able to make it past the AFC Championship. Last year, they had high expectations until they ran into New England and got blasted 41-28 even though the score was nowhere near that close. The Broncos have boasted great defenses, but their offense has been atrocious even in the year of the Super Bowl run. Joe Flacco is now the next hope for John Elway’s quarterback carousel. Oakland has been talked about a lot this offseason; especially after adding star wide receiver Antonio Brown,, now Head Coach, Jon Gruden must put it all together, but that will be easier said then done.
NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles 11-5
Dallas Cowboys 10-6
New York Giants 5-11
Washington Redskins 4-12
The Eagles are my pick to represent the NFC in this year’s Super Bowl. Having a healthy Carson Wentz to go with the plethora of weapons as well as possibly the best offensive and defensive lines in football makes this team deep, and when you add Head Coach, Doug Pederson, I like this team a lot. The Cowboys always have high expectations, but will they live up to them is the question. Ezekiel Elliot has gotten his contract for 6 years $90 million with $50 million guaranteed making him the highest paid running back in the NFL. This team has a lot of potential, but they also have issues they need to work out if they want to return to the postseason. New York is about to use the mess out of poor Saquon Barkley after trading their star receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. They drafted Eli Manning’s successor, Daniel Jones, who took a lot of scrutiny and was the butt of everyone’s jokes. After a strong preseason, Jones has given Giants’ fans hope, and the jokes have been quiet. Washington is just a mess as always. They drafted their future quarterback in Dwayne Haskins, but he could not win the job, and Case Keenum will now take over behind a pour offensive line. Star Left Tackle Trent Williams has demanded a trade and said he’ll never play for the Redskins again so that pretty much sums up where they’re at this season.
NFC North
Green Bay Packers 10-6
Chicago Bears 9-7
Minnesota Vikings 8-8
Detroit Lions 6-10
This division was difficult, but I believe in Aaron Rodgers to shut up his critics. The team has made improvements around Aaron to where he won’t have to carry the load by himself. Chicago has a great defense and an offensive guru in Head Coach, Matt Nagy, however, quarterback Mitchell Tribusky has a lot of limitations and could hold the Bears back as their schedule is a lot harder this year. The Vikings have a lot of expectations, but Kirk Cousins will have to do better. Dalvin Cook returning may help them make the playoffs again, but I think Kirk Cousins has a lot to prove. Detroit has never been a good team, and that trend will continue. The Lions have talent in areas, but not enough to take them past the three tough teams ahead of them.
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons 11-5
New Orleans Saints 10-6
Carolina Panthers 9-7
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5-11
The Falcons are back healthy, and I expect them to make a deep run this year in the playoffs. Atlanta has the talent to dethrone New Orleans, especially if the offense can return to its 2016 level of production. New Orleans has had two heartbreaking playoffs losses in a row, and I don’t know if they can recover from that to make another deep run especially with an aging Drew Brees. However, this team has youth everywhere, and the talent to return to the NFC Championship game. The question is, will they have better luck this postseason? Carolina hasn’t been the same since their disappointing Super Bowl 50 loss. Cam Newton needs to stay healthy, which is something he hasn’t been able to do these past few seasons. They have a star running back in Christian McCaffrey, and the defense still has talent led by Luke Kuechly, so they could be fighting for a playoff spot late in the season. Tampa Bay has been bad for a while, and now they hope Bruce Arians can turn their luck starting by tapping into the potential of former number one overall pick Jameis Winston. He has shown flashes of his potential but has been inconsistent as well as immature off the field. For Tampa to head in the right direction, their quarterback must first make the jump.
NFC West
Los Angeles Rams 10-6
Seattle Seahawks 9-7
San Francisco 49ers 7-9
Arizona Cardinals 5-11
I think the Rams will take a step back this year having the Ole Super Bowl hangover. On top of that, they did make some great additions like Eric Weddle and the return of Cooper Kupp, but what about Todd Gurley? Will he be able to go all 16 and if not, can Jared Goff lead them? Teams will use similar game plans that the Bears and Patriots used last season in which Goff played easily his two worst games. It just so happens that one of those games was in the Super Bowl. Again, Seattle is a threat after adding Jadeveon Clowney. They lost Doug Baldwin to retirement, but added athletic freak DK Metcalf who has the big time potential. Pete Carrol as coach, and the crazy fans in Seattle make the Seahawks a playoff threat. The 49ers have talent, but is Jimmy G the answer? He has shown flashes but hasn’t even played a full seasons worth of games. The 49ers have an incredible defensive line that can wreak havoc. The Cardinals have talent like the 49er’s, but it is young and unproven. The Cardinals used the number one overall pick on Heisman trophy winner Kyler Murray who has great leadership skills and can be the right guy to return Arizona to glory. The Cardinals have a difficult schedule, so I expect them to show their potential, but there will be obvious growing pains.
NFC Seeds
1.Eagles
2. Falcons
3. Packers
4. Rams
5. Saints
6. Cowboys
AFC Seeds
1. Chiefs
2. Patriots
3. Browns
4. Texans
5. Chargers
6. Steelers
NFC Playoffs
Wild Card
(6) Dallas over (3) Green Bay
(5) Saints over (4) Rams
Divisional Round
(1) Eagles over (6) Cowboys
(2) Falcons over (5) Saints
NFC Championship
(1) Eagles over (2) Falcons
AFC Playoffs
(3) Browns over (6) Steelers
( 5 )Chargers over (4) Texans
Divisional Round
(2) Patriots over (3) Browns
(1) Chiefs over (5) Chargers
AFC Championship
(1) Chiefs over (2) Patriots
Super Bowl LIV
(1) Chiefs over (1) Eagles
Award predictions
MVP- Carson Wentz
Offensive Player of the Year- Patrick Mahomes
Defensive Player of the Year- Aaron Donald
Offensive Rookie of the Year- Kyler Murray
Defensive Rookie of the Year Josh Allen
Comeback Player of the Year- Carson Wentz
Coach of the Year- Freddie Kitchens
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