Labor Day weekend means two things: a much-needed Monday off and that football season is back. On Thursday night, we'll get a rematch of the most recent Super Bowl- the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers. Of course, things are a little bit different now. Denver is without legendary QB Peyton Manning while Carolina has their lead receiver in Kelvin Benjamin back. Of course, we must look at every single team in the NFL, because that's our job. We'll preview every single team, predict the playoffs, and hand out awards. Let's get started.
NFC North:
Minnesota won the division last year, but that's looking less certain this year. Now that their starting QB Teddy Bridgewater is out for the season, things are looking a lot less certain. Sure, they got Sam Bradford, but that's nowhere a guarantee that they'll win the division. Meanwhile, Green Bay is yapping on their heels. Now that Jordy Nelson is back, their offense should be firing on full gear. I'll pick Green Bay to win the division, but Minnesota should absolutely be contending for a wild-card shot.
Unfortunately for Detroit and Chicago, their outlooks are a bit more bleak. Detroit will certainly miss Calvin Johnson and Chicago just doesn't have the talent to match up to GB and the Vikings. That being said, Chicago has the potential to be a lot better than they were last year. Kevin White has returned after missing all of last season while they also picked up Danny Trevathan from the Broncos. The Bears probably won't be that great this year, but they should finish ahead of the Lions.
NFC East:
The Cowboys were ready to win the division, but then Tony Romo went and suffered a season-ending injury. All the other pieces are in place, including first-round pick Ezekiel Elliot. The 'Boys have rookie Dak Prescott ready in place, and he was impressive in the preseason. If he doesn't work out, there's also Mark Sanchez. However, even if one of those two QBs don't work out, this division belongs to last year's winner: Washington. Sure, they have a running back issue (Alfred Morris went to Dallas and Matt Jones is injured) but they also got Josh Norman, arguably the best corner in the NFL. Washington should win this division and Dallas has a chance of fighting for a wild-card spot.
I'll pick New York to finish third over the Eagles. Both teams are problematic, but the Giants still have more talent (like Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr., and Sterling Shepard). In fact, there's a small chance of them making the playoffs. It's small, but it exists.
NFC South:
Carolina's the easy pick here. Not only did they win the NFC last year, but they got back Kelvin Benjamin, their young, talented receiver who was out last year. On paper, they might be the most talented team in the league: Cam Newton, Jonathan Stewart, Luke Kuechly, Greg Olsen, Thomas Davis, Jonathan Stewart, etc.
Out of the three remaining teams (Atlanta, New Orleans, and Tampa Bay), I pick Atlanta to finish second. Dan Quinn didn't provide the complete resurgence many Falcon fans were hoping for, but there were bright spots. Devonta Freeman emerged as one of the best backs in the league and rookie safety Keanu Neal should help the defense out. New Orleans should improve from their dismal season last year, thanks to the departure of Rob Ryan and the addition of TE Coby Fleener. Tampa Bay might surprise us (especially if second-year QB Jameis Winston continues to develop), but a tough division will keep them in the basement.
NFC West:
This is a tough pick between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals. Both teams should make the playoffs, but I'm gonna go with Arizona because Seattle didn't really get better this offseason. In fact, you could argue they got worse. They lost o-linemen J.R. Sweezy and Russell Okung as well as defender Brandon Mebane. Meanwhile, Arizona has the full use of breakout star David Johnson. Carson Palmer will continue off his fantastic season last year and should lead his team to the division title. Don't be too disappointed Seattle fans though, they'll almost certainly make the playoffs.
I'll pick the Rams to finish ahead of the 49ers. Jeff Fisher coaching your team pretty much guarantees a 7-9 or 8-8 finish while the 'Niners have plenty of problems, including their quarterback situation. Jared Goff will eventually start, and he'll have a tough learning curve.
AFC North:
This is a two-team division between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers. Le'Veon Bell's suspension will be mitigated by DeAngelo Williams, but gunslinger Andy Dalton was having a fantastic season last year before falling to injury. If he continues where he picked off last year, Cincy's going to be hard to beat. Their defense is a force to be reckoned and it's the reason why they get the edge over Pitssburgh.
Baltimore has had a bad string of luck with injuries recently. Last year it was former Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco, now it's pass-catcher Benjamin Watson and running back Kenneth Dixon. These injuries will make it hard for Baltimore to compete with Cincy and Pittsburgh, but at least they'll be ahead of Cleveland. Speaking of the Browns, it's hard to not think they'll improve from last season. They have a new head coach Hue Jackson and new QB RG3, plus WR Josh Gordon is finally back. They'll probably still be better than last year, but it's hard to picture them finishing in the top three.
AFC East:
It doesn't matter if Tom Brady is suspended for four games, the Patriots are still the clear facorites in their division. Jimmy G can handle things well enough and when Bill Belichick is your coach, things are always good. Their team is full of talented players like Rob Gronkowski, Martellus Bennett, and Julian Edelman.
I'm picking the Jets to finish second, as they did last year. Ryan Fitzpatrick is back and Rex Ryan has done a good job with the New York defense. I'm picking the Dolphins to finish third. Yes, they have problems with their running game, but Ryan Tannehill is a franchise QB with some good targets. It's tough to put the Bills at the bottom, as they have a talented team, including Tyrod Taylor, Sammy Watkins, and LeSean McCoy.
AFC South:
This is tough, as Andrew Luck is back, but I still have to go with the Texans. Their passing game was arguable their biggest weakness last year, but thanks to the additions of Brock Osweiler and Will Fuller, things are looking up. Plus, the QB situation wasn't the only problem in Indy last year. Frank Gore failed to live up to expectations while they lost TE Coby Fleener. Indy will make things difficult for the Texans, but I expect Bill O'Brien's team to win out.
The Jaguars are ready for a breakout season, thanks to a number of factors. Donte Fowler Jr. is ready to make his season debut after being injured all of his rookie season. They also drafted the very athletic Myles Jacks well as DB Jalen Ramsey. The Titans will continue to struggle, especially if they can't protect Marcus Mariota.
AFC West:
The defending champs are the clear favorites in this division. Sure, they lost a lot of talent (like Mailk Jackson, Peyton Manning, and Danny Trevathan), but they have plenty of other talented players (like Von Miller, CJ Anderson, and Demariyus Thomas). They're easily the best team in this division.
The Oakland Raiders are ready for a breakout season thanks to the emergence of Derek Carr and Amari Cooper. Sure, they lost Charles Woodson to retirement, but they also got a number of other talented players on defense, like Khalil Mack. Unfortunately, I still think they're falling short of the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are coached by Andy Reid, one of the best coaches in the league, and they have talented players like Eric Berry, Jamaal Charles, and Alex Smith. The San Diego Chargers will finish at the bottom of the division. They have a franchise QB and talented team, but the other teams should have them beat.
Projected NFC Seedings: 1) Carolina Panthers 2) Arizona Cardinals 3) Green Bay Packers
4) Washington Redskins 5) Seattle Seahawks 6) Minnesota Vikings
Projected AFC Seedings: 1) Denver Broncos 2) New England Patriots 3) Cincinnati Bengals
4) Houston Texans 5) Pittsburgh Steelers 6) Kansas City Chiefs
Playoff Predictions:
The Packers take on their division rivals in the first round. I'm going to take the more experienced team here and say Green Bay moves on. In the other NFC wild-card game, we see Seattle at Washington. I got to go with Seattle on this one, they're a better team overall. The Seahawks then take on Carolina, and just like last year, I predict the Panthers win. In the other second-round match, I predict Green Bay takes out Arizona in the upset. Remember, their playoff match last year was extremely close and the Packers didn't have Jordy Nelson then. Finally, in the NFC title game, Carolina outlasts Green Bay to move on to their second straight Super Bowl.
We open the AFC side of things with KC at Cincinnati and Pittsburgh at Houston. I know Cincy has a problem getting it done in the first round of the playoffs, but I predict their luck changes this year. I also predict the Steelers outplay Houston to move on. In the second round, I'm going with the upset and taking Pittsburgh over New England. It's a bit of a risky pick, but I just think Pittsburgh has more pieces than the Pats. Meanwhile, Denver outlasts Cincinnati to move on. In the AFC title game, I'll pick the Steelers to outlast Denver, as the pressure is too much for their young QB.
In the Super Bowl, I'm picking Carolina over Pittsburgh. Carolina has an absolutely loaded team and they will be looking to bounce back from their humiliating defeat last week. The MVP: QB Cam Newton, who has one helluva game.
Regular Season Awards:
MVP: Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
Offensive Player of the Year: Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
Defensive Player of the Year: J.J. Watt, Houston Texans
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Ezekiel Elliot, Dallas Cowboys
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Leonard Floyd, Chicago Bears
Coach of the Year: Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers
Thanks for reading everyone.
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