With the NFL regular season only one day away and the helmet rule controversy seemingly behind us (until it rears its ugly head in the first weekend), it's time to jump in on the trend of getting all my predictions on record so that I can brag about them if I'm correct. I don't want to do just a Super Bowl prediction though, I'm gonna go division by division in the NFC and quickly breakdown what I think will happen in each. The AFC predictions will come courtesy of One tomorrow and my Superbowl predictions will come later this week because then I will have all our division winners on record. For this post, I'm only going to discuss who will win each division and couple reasons why other teams won't. My full playoff bracket with Wild Cards will be later this week as well. So, starting with the NFC, let's make some predictions!
NFC Predictions
North: I believe this will be the most competitive division in all of football. With three playoff contenders in the Vikings, Packers, and Bears (now with Khalil Mack) the division winner here will be 9-7 at best with the others missing the playoffs because of their record. I, reluctantly, believe that the Vikings (9-7) will win this division because they have an upgrade at Quarterback and still the best defense in the division. It will be tough for them to capture the magic they had last year, but they have the best overall roster so that's why I'm picking them to win. The Packers (8-8) are going to finish second in this division. I'm making them second mainly out of respect for Aaron Rodgers and their great pass rush. However, this could be a rocky season with Rodgers and management because he just simply doesn't have enough help on offense. If he didn't get a massive contract extension this offseason, I'd be worried about his future in Green Bay after this year. The Bears (7-9) will finish 3rd this year. They have a good young QB, great defense now headed by Khalil Mack, and hopefully a healthy Kevin White. I just don't think they are ready to make that jump yet, or old enough. Next year will be their year; not this year. The Lions (5-11) are going to finish last. They'll be competitive, but they just don't have the talent to win some close games that they'll need to win in order to be relevant in the division race.
West: The Rams (14-2) will win this division fairly handily. I think they have a dominant defense, a historically great roster and an offensive genius in Sean McVay. They finally paid Aaron Donald, have Ndamukong Suh in the middle, and a wide variety of weapons for Jared Goff. This team has the potential to have a 14-2 season with all of their talent. The Seattle Seahawks (8-8) are going to finish 2nd in the division. They have a sneaky good roster on the defensive side of the ball and finally have some decent depth at the running back position. Plus I never want to count out a team with Russell Wilson at QB. He can singlehandedly win 2-3 games for them this year, but they won't be enough for the team unfortunately. The 49ers (8-8) are finishing 3rd. They are the hot team to pick this year, but I really don't see their path to winning this division because Jimmy Garoppolo's weapons on offense aren't any better than last year. Division and Conference defenses now have had an entire offseason to scout Jimmy G. He'll be better this year, I just don't know how good his teammates will be. The Cardinals (4-12) will finish last in this division. If they are smart, they'll start Josh Rosen sooner rather than later so that they may
South: This division will also be a crazy one to watch. There are three teams that have a realistic shot of winning this division: Saints, Falcons, and Panthers. The Buccaneers (3-13) just won't be good enough, even when Jameis Winston returns after his suspension, to do any better than finishing last this year. The Panthers (8-8), will be just ahead of them. I love Cam Newton and I think having a second year with Christian McCaffrey will help them on offense, but the other teams in this division are frankly better. The Falcons (9-7) will be the runner-ups but have a great shot at a Wild Card spot. This is the second year for Matt Ryan and Julio Jones under offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, and in the past, the second year under Kyle Shanahan was when the Falcons made their offensive leap. I don't think their offense will be historically great like it was two years ago, but it will definitely be fun to watch again. Finally, the Saints (10-6) will win this division, but it will be a hard battle to finish on top. They are just the best team in the division from top to bottom and having a historically great NFL QB Drew Brees always helps a team win games.
East: The Eagles (10-6) are going to win this division and I don't think it will be too much trouble for them to finish on top. They have one of the best rosters in the NFL and no one else in the division has enough to compete with them. The only concern about the Eagles is that their starting QB, Carson Wentz is hurt and, will probably not start the season off well as a result. Most people will panic and say that they're not the same as last year, but in the end the Eagles will be just fine because of their division. The Giants (8-7-1) are going to finish 2nd in this division which is good for them because, even though they will not acknowledge is publicly, this is a growing year for them. They have a rookie running back in Saquon Barkley who could be the best in the NFL in a couple years and they finally have Odell Beckham Jr. secured long term. They have also improved their offensive line by adding Nate Soler at left tackle. Their big question is still at QB with Eli Manning. Can he have even an above average season this year? If not, the Giants aren't going anywhere. The Redskins (8-8) weren't willing to pay Kirk Cousins, but apparently they're willing to pay Alex Smith. Their rookie running back is also out for the season. Sounds like a solid 8-8 season to me. Finally, the Cowboys (6-10). This is going to be a rough year and this may finally lead to the end of Jason Garrett's tenure in Dallas. They just don't have enough weapons on offense and their defense isn't great either. Ezekiel Elliot hopefully has put last season behind him because they're going to need him on every single down to be as great as he can be. Sean Lee's health will help them on defense, but ultimately someone needs to finish last in the division so it's going to be either the Redskins or the Cowboys. I'm picking the Cowboys.
Now with the NFC set, stay tuned for One's AFC predictions tomorrow and our Superbowl picks on Friday!
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