League-Wide Predictions

OK, it’s finally the day to make predictions–the opening day of the season.

Before I begin, I’d like to illustrate my approach on season predictions in an itemized list.

1. The previous season has an arbitrary effect on the current season. In the past 41 NFL seasons, only six teams have gone back to back. The Packers, Dolphins, Steelers, 49ers, Cowboys and Patriots all accomplished this unlikely repeat, with the Steelers doing it twice. The D in Indy isn’t strong enough to achieve this feat, especially since it had failed at achieving Super status in many previous seasons with a similar nucleus.
2. Experts who pick the Ravens to win the Super Bowl every year are not experts, they’re idiots.
3. Taking chances is fun and usually results in success. Even a squirrel knows, you have to go out on a limb to get the fruit.

And here they are:

AFC East

1. New England Patriots
2. Buffalo Bills – JP and Marshawn win this team some thrillers. They also lose important games down the stretch.
3. Miami Dolphins
4. New York Jets – Pennington loses starting job, Thomas Jones battles injuries, Jets suffer.

AFC North

1. Baltimore Ravens
2. Cincinnati Bengals
3. Pittsburgh Steelers – When will people realize Big Ben’s Super Bowl season was an anomaly?
4. Cleveland Browns

AFC South

1. Indianapolis Colts
2. Houston Texans – Schaub and Ahman Green are the extra push the O needs to start winning close games.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars
4. Tennessee Titans

AFC West

1. Denver Broncos
2. San Diego Chargers – The schedule is too brutal to repeat 14-2, especially in this tough road-game division.
3. Oakland Raiders
4. Kansas City Chiefs

NFC East

1. New York Giants – I must be crazy, but the new RB Brandon Jackson and Eli spark a youth renaissance in NY.
2. Dallas Cowboys
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. Washington Redskins

NFC North

1. Chicago Bears
2. Detroit Lions – Something’s got to give. Right?
3. Green Bay Packers
4. Minnesota Vikings

NFC South

1. New Orleans Saints
2. Carolina Panthers
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Bucs better than expected with Garcia. 7-9 record and spoiler down the stretch for playoff hopefuls.
4. Atlanta Falcons

NFC West

1. San Fransisco 49ers – This division is wide open and SF hasn’t had a run at the top in a while.
2. St. Louis Rams
3. Arizona Cardinals
4. Seattle Seahawks

AFC Wild Card

San Diego Chargers – Can’t win the division but certainly are a playoff-caliber team.

Houston Texans

NFC Wild Card

St. Louis Rams

Dallas Cowboys – Late-season heroics from Romo spark playoff run.

AFC Home Field

New England Patriots

NFC Home Field

Chicago Bears

AFC Champions

New England Patriots

NFC Champions

New Orleans Saints

Super Bowl Champions

New Orleans Saints – Much like the greatest show on turf Rams, this team wins with a steamrolling O.