It's that time of year again, the NFL lockout is over and the new NFL is set to begin on time and in full force. A lot of media and fans alike are worried that teams have not had enough time to prepare in training camps and workouts in order to be fully ready for the season ahead and the level of play may be lower during the first few weeks of the regular season. Well, this year there may have been an actual legit meaning to the pre-season. It gave teams 4 extra weeks until the regular season starts to prepare and get ready for the regular season. All that being said, this means it is also time for my season predictions broken down by division. I will also set out my playoff predictions and super bowl picks as well. It's an exciting time of year and I hope everyone is ready for some football!
(*) 2010 Standings Position
NFC North
1. Green Bay Packers (2)
2. Detroit Lions (3)
3. Chicago Bears (1)
4. Minnesota Vikings (4)
The NFC is becoming more and more challenging to predict every year. With the North I see a surging Lions team coming up fast and making a play to be a major competitor this year. Of course the defending champs will dominate the division once again and the Vikings will have another disappointing year. I can't decide what the Bears will actually end up doing this year so I gave the underdog Lions the benefit of the doubt this year. We'll see what happens.
NFC South
1. Atlanta Falcons (1)
2. Tampa Bay Bucs (3)
3. New Orleans Saints (2)
4. Carolina Panthers (4)
Once again, another tough NFC division to predict. I still love the Falcons and I think with another year under his belt, Matt Ryan and the Falcons may be ready for a deep playoff run this year. Now you may be asking, the Saints in 3rd? Yes, you saw right. Watch out for those Bucs this year because you may be in for a huge surprise. I think the Saints will have a surprisingly down year but still be competitive obviously. Sorry Panther fans...you guys are no where near close to being a competitor in this division.
NFC East
1. Philadelphia Eagles (1)
2. New York Giants (2)
3. Washington Redskins (4)
4. Dallas Cowboys (3)
Still one of the toughest divisions in the NFL, the East this year is sadly the Eagles to lose. I'm not buying into the "Super Team" hype or whatever it is ESPN and it's affiliates conjured up after the major free agent signings the Eagles completed during the off-season, but I am buying into the fact that they will be a hella good team this year and maybe even Super Bowl bound. It really pains me to say all that but I am trying to be un-biased here. I still like the Giants to take 2nd place although I don't know if they are playoff bound this year. Skins still need one more year under Shanny to compete and the Cowboys are just a fatal mess all around and I do not expect big things out of them this year.
NFC West
1. St. Louis Rams (2)
2. Phoenix Cardinals (4)
3. San Francisco 49ers (3)
4. Seattle Seahawks (1)
I don't even know why I waste my time with predicting the NFC West. Just take it for what it is.
AFC North
1. Pittsburgh Steelers (1)
2. Baltimore Ravens (2)
3. Cleveland Browns (3)
4. Cincinnati Bengals (4)
Most of my AFC picks stayed the same from the way they ended up last year. Just don't see many regime changes in the AFC this year as most of the teams are still pretty much the same. Starting with the North, the Steelers are still a powerhouse when it comes to many aspects. Although I do think the Ravens may put up more of a fight this year for that top spot, the Steelers are just a tough team to beat and always have been. The Brownies are looking up this year and may even have a winning record? While the Bengals continue on the downward spiral they have been on for the past decade.
AFC South
1. Indianapolis Colts (1)
2. Houston Texans (3)
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (2)
4. Tennessee Titans (4)
Not much changing in the South this year either. Whether Peyton is healthy or not it cannot be denied that the Colts still have a good team. There will come a day when Peyton is forced to retire and then the Colts will be forced to try and win without him. Either way, rooting for the Texans to have a much needed good year. Jags and Titans are still mediocre in my mind even with running backs like CJ and MJD.
AFC East
1. New England Patriots (1)
2. New York Jets (2)
3. Miami Dolphins (3)
4. Buffalo Bills (4)
I feel bad for the Jets because until Tom Brady and/or Bill Belechik retires the Pats are going to won the East for a long time to come. I would love to see nothing more than the Jets to de-throne the seemingly "flawless" Pats from the top spot of the AFC so we'll see what this year brings. Don't even bother talking about the Dolphins and Bills.
AFC West
1. San Diego Chargers (2)
2. Kansas City Cheifs (1)
3. Denver Broncos (4)
4. Oakland Raiders (3)
Last but not least, the AFC West. Always a very tough division to predict as well but I can't believe that the Chargers will disappoint again this year. Broncos will have plenty to prove this year and the Cheifs will continue their upward trend that started last season. We'll see how it goes.
Division Winners
NFC North: Packers
NFC South: Falcons
NFC East: Eagles
NFC West: Rams
Wildcards: Giants; Bucs
AFC North: Steelers
AFC South: Colts
AFC East: Patriots
AFC West: Chargers
Wildcards: Ravens; Jets
Wildcard Round
5 Giants OVER 4 Rams
3 Falcons OVER 6 Bucs
6 Jets OVER 3 Colts
5 Ravens OVER 4 Chargers
Divisional Round
1 Eagles OVER 5 Giants
3 Falcons OVER 2 Packers
1 Steelers OVER 6 Jets
5 Ravens OVER 2 Patriots
Conference Round
1 Eagles OVER 3 Falcons
5 Ravens OVER 1 Steelers
Super Bowl
1 Eagles OVER 5 Ravens
So there you have it. My pre-season predictions. I know the Eagles pick to win the Super Bowl is pretty cliche considering all the hype around them this year but I'm sick of picking the teams I want to see go to the Super Bowl and the teams that I think will actually make it. Believe me those are two very different things. Nevertheless, let me know what you guys think!
-R.N.N.
@ryannnelson87 on Twitter
rnelson0187@gmail.com
