NFL
AFC East
Patriots 14-2
Is this a surprise to anyone? The division doesn’t have much competition in the first place and Tom Brady only seems to get better with the age. The Pats will win this division and it won’t even be close.
Dolphins 7-9 Jay Cutler won’t do enough to keep the Dolphins in the playoffs as he will come back and be highly ineffective. Jay Ajayi and Jarvis Landry will have two big seasons but the Dolphins defense won’t have enough to push them to a playoff spot.
Bills 6-10
The loss of Stephon Gillmore and the weak offense will prove to big of a problem for the Bills to win 6 games. Sammy Watkins will have a bounce back year but Tyrod Taylor will eventually lose his QB job due to poor play.
Jets 2-14
What’s more surprising the Pats winning the division or the Jets finishing in last? Cutting Eric Decker, Brandon Marshall, David Harris, Nick Mangold, and Darelle Revis the Jets entered full scale rebuild mode. With Christian Hackenberg and Josh McCown as the 2 likely starters this season the Jets will barely even get to 2 wins. Bilal Powell will have a huge year and the rookie safety duo of Jamaal Adams and Marcus Maye will get votes for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
AFC West
Raiders 11-5
Derek Carr will have an MVP caliber season coming back from a broken leg while Marshawn Lynch will return back to some what of his former self. Amari Cooper and Khalil Mack will only improve on the sucess that they had in 2016 and lead the Raiders to the AFC West crown.
Chiefs 9-7
Coming off an AFC West crown after beating the Raiders when Derek Carr went down with a broken leg the Chiefs will only be a shell of their sucess last year as QB Alex Smith will have only a mediocre season. TE Travis Kelce will still manage to have a career year however. The Chiefs defense led by Justin Houston, Tamba Hali, Derrick Johnson, Marcus Peters, and Eric Berry will be one of the best in the league and just push the Chiefs into the playoffs.
Broncos 8-8
Trevor Siemian will not truly get the job done and will soon be replaced by former first round pick Paxton Lynch who won’t do much better. CJ Anderson will have a big year while receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders will have very disappointing seasons. However the strong defense led by Von Miller will push the team to an average season but it won’t be enough to make the playoffs.
Chargers 7-9
In their first season in LA they will be mediocre at best. Phillip Rivers will have a solid year while Melvin Gordon will also just not as productive as last season. They won’t have an 1,000 yard receiver and that will slow them down on offense. The combination of that and having a very weak defense will push the Chargers short of the playoffs once again.
AFC North
Steelers 12-4
The big 3 tandem on offense QB Ben Rothelisberger, RB Le’Veon Bell, and Antonio Brown will the Steelers to yet another AFC North division title for the Steelers. Bell will rush for 1,000+ yards while Brown will get 1,000+ passing yards and maintain their reputation as the best RB and WR duo. The defense is solid and when you have an offense with those 3 and returning weapons like Martavis Bryant the defense doesn’t have to be amazing.
Ravens 9-7
Baltimore will manage to have another strong season and finish over .500 but barely as Joe Flacco will be inconsistent and they won’t have a receiver or running back over 1,000 of either passing or rushing. Baltimore’s defense will step up just enough to push Baltimore into the playoffs.
Bengals 9-7
The Bengals will have another strong season led by QB Andy Dalton who will thrive with new draft picks Joe Mixon and John Ross who will both have very strong years. Tyler Eifert will finally manage to stay healthy and be a good number 2 option behind John Ross. Bengals defense is what will stop them from winning the division as it’s okay but not good enough as they barely miss the playoffs to the Ravens.
Browns 3-13
Cleveland hasn’t been good in awhile but 2017 might be the beginning of a new chapter as they will manage to win 2 games more than they did in 2016. Draft picks Myles Garret and Jabrill Peppers will both have very strong debut seasons while second round pick Deshone Kizer will get a chance after Cody Kessler and Brock Osweiler struggle.
AFC South
Titans 11-5
The Titans will be a pleasant suprise to everyone as their strong offense will lead them to the AFC South Title. Marcus Mariota will descend into a superstar with his All Star offense which consists of the RB duo of 2016 1,000 yard rusher DeMarco Murray and 2016 first round pick Derrick Henry who showed flashes in stints backing up Murray last season and should get more looks. A receiving core led by 1st round pick Corey Davis and free agent signing Eric Decker along with Delanie Walker a Top 5 Tight End will prove to tough to beat as the Titans will cruise to the AFC South title.
Jaguars 8-8
This offseason the Jaguars tried to make up for having Blake Bortles as the starting QB by going out and signed big money free agents Calais Campbell, AJ Bouye, and Barry Church to add along to a defensive core of Myles Jack, Malik Jackson, and Jaylen Ramsey as it won’t be enough due to Bortles poor play. Leonard Fournette will have a great rookie season considering the Jags will be running the ball a lot. Allen Robinson will have another disappointing season due to the fact Bortles can’t get the ball to him. The Jags are one good QB away from a chance to give the Titans a run for their money and another poor season for Bortles might have them looking.
Colts 8-8
Andrew Luck will lead the Colts to only a subpar season. TY Hilton and Luck will have solid seasons but they won’t have enough surrounding pieces on both offense and defense to lead them to the playoffs.
Texans 5-11
DeShaun Watson will show flashes of what he can do in his first season with the Texans but he will still have some work to do to lead the Texans back into the playoffs. DeAndre Hopkins gets to have a rebound season as the result of playing with a better QB than Brock Osweiler and Tom Savage. JJ Watt and Jadeveon Clowney both stay healthy this year and make one of the top defensive line duos in the NFL however the loss of CB AJ Bouye will prove to big against other teams number 1 receivers. Next season could be better for the Texans as long as Watson keeps improving and Hopkins doesn’t walk as a free agent.
NFC East
Giants 12-4
Yes, the Giants really will beat the Cowboys. The Giants have a very strong defense led by Jason Pierre Paul, Damon Harrison, Oliver Vernon, Eli Apple, Landon Collins, Janoris Jenkins, and Dominique Rodgers Cromartie. While having possibly having the NFL’s best defense they might have the best receiving core led by young star Odell Beckham alongside Brandon Marshall and Sterling Shepard. Being strong on both sides of the ball will barely give them the edge over the Cowboys.
Cowboys 11-5
Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliot will both maintain their sucess from last season as even Dez Bryant will get to 1,000 receiving yards. However the already weak defense lost safety Barry Church and that will be the only thing stopping them from winning the NFC East. In addition Zeke may be suspended up to 6 games to start the season which could really set the Cowboys back.
Redskins 9-7
Led by QB Kirk Cousins the Redskins will have another solid season even losing receiving weapons DeShaun Jackson and Pierre Garcon. Free agent addition Terell Pryor will become his favorite target and reach 1,000 receiving yards. The defense led by Josh Norman will be in the middle of the pack but Norman won’t be as dominate as he was with the Panthers.
Eagles 7-9
QB Carson Wentz will get better going into his second season but he won’t have the pieces around him to make anything happen in Philly. The relatively weak receiving core and not a great running back will come back to haunt Wentz and slow the Eagles down. On defense the Eagles will be in the lower half of the league. If the Eagles can put some good pieces around Wentz they would have a chance.
NFC West
Seahawks 11-5
Seattle will be on top of the NFC West once again but not by a ton. Russel Wilson and Doug Baldwin will have career seasons while Eddie Lacy will bounce back from his horrid 2016. On the defensive side Richard Sherman will maintain his status as a top corner while Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor will make a great safety duo.
Cardinals 10-6
Arizona will surprise many people this season. Carson Palmer will have just enough left in the tank to push his team into the playoffs while star running back David Johnson will only build on his sucess from 2016. Larry Fitzgerald also will have another great season as Palmer’s number 1 target. On defense the loss of Calais Campbell will hurt but the secondary led by Patrick Peterson will make up for it.
Rams 4-12
In their second season in LA the Rams won’t do much better than they did in 2016 only winning 4 games. Jared Goff still hasn’t figured it out and while he could show signs of improvement it won’t be enough. Todd Gurley will have another disappointing season due to the bad offensive line and developing QB.
49ers 3-13
They will barely even be able to edge out 3 games. 49ers fans be prepared for a tough and long season but with a lot to look forward to.
NFC North
Packers 13-3
Aaron Rodgers will manage to have another MVP caliber season. Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams will each get 1,000 reciveing yards while WR turned RB Ty Montgomery will get the job done. Clay Matthews will have one of his best career seasons and lead the Packers to victory.
Vikings 10-6
The Vikings will have another solid season but once again finish behind the Packers. Sam Bradford will have a subpar season but will be picked up by his defense led by Linval Joseph and Xavier Rhodes. However this won’t be enough to push them to the playoffs.
Lions 6-10
Matthew Stafford will have a disappoint year and the so will the Lions as they will only win 6 games. With a weak offensive line Stafford will not be himself and that will effect his receivers including number 1 target Golden Tate. The Lions defense isn’t enough to push them to .500 as it will be disappoint all around in Detroit.
Bears 4-12
Well if anyone didn’t know the 45 million dollar man who’s been a backup for a majority of his career that goes by the name of Mike Glennon will struggle. He looked bad in his first preseason game and won’t look any better in the regular season. He will eventually have to be replaced by the 2nd overall pick Mitchell Trubisky who will show signs that he can be a starting QB in this league. It will be a step in the right direction for him and the Bears.
NFC South
Falcons 11-5
The defending NFC champs will have another strong season but just not as good as last year. Matt Ryan will not play up to the MVP level this season while Devonta Freeman and Julio Jones will still manage to have big years. Vic Beasley will not be able to repeat his sucess for a second season in a row and will cost the Falcons defense. They’ll still good enough to win the South.
Bucaneers 9-7
Tampa Bay will also be a team that suprises many. Jameis Winston has only seemed to get better every season. Mike Evans will be just as good especially since now the Bucs added DeShaun Jackson who will run a lot of deep routes. Tampa will have one of the top offenses in the league but the below average defense is the only thing in their way from the NFC South crown.
Panthers 7-9
Cam Newton will not be the same for the second straight year and it will throw the whole Panthers offense off. Kelvin Benjamin will have another slow season due to Newton being off again however Christian McCafrey will have a good rookie year. Carolina still has a solid defense but it got weaker with the loss of Kony Ealy.
Saints 7-9
Drew Brees is still a solid QB but he isn’t getting any younger and the team around him seems to only be getting worse. Trading Brandin Cooks didn’t make much sense for a team that should be trying to win. The outlook doesn’t look so good for the Saints at all.
Once again this will be another very exciting season in the NFL. Let’s get started!
