It’s the most wonderful time of the year – the NFL season is finally at hand. Before dreams are dashed and seasons ruined, I’ll offer up my take on the upcoming season:
Division Winners:
NFC
NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles – They have the division’s best player – running back LeSean McCoy – and the team as a whole should be better in coach Chip Kelly’s second year. The rest of the division has a ton of question marks on both sides of the ball.
NFC West: Seattle Seahawks – They looked dominant in the preseason, suffered no significant losses from a roster that went 13-3 a year ago and will once again enjoy the league’s best home-field advantage. No reason to go against the grain here.
NFC North: Green Bay Packers – They won the division a year ago even though quarterback Aaron Rodgers missed seven games. He is back and healthy enough to lead an offense that should be one of the best in the NFL.
NFC South: New Orleans Saints – The Saints could boast both a top-five offense and defense by year’s end. Quarterback Drew Brees will once again throw for over 5,000 yards, while the defense – with the underrated signing of safety Jairus Byrd – will terrorize offenses.
NFC Wild Cards: San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears
San Francisco 49ers – The offense looked out of sync in the preseason and the team will be without linebackers Aldon Smith and NaVorro Bowman for the first part of the year. Still, Jim Harbaugh’s group is good enough to snatch up the fifth spot in the NFC.
Chicago Bears – If quarterback Jay Cutler can stay healthy, this will be one of the best offenses in the NFL. The defense was downright terrible a year ago – How weird is it that Chicago is an offensive team? – and must improve if the Bears are to reach the playoffs.
AFC
AFC East: New England Patriots – As long as coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady are back for another season there really isn’t a reason not to pick the Patriots, especially since Ryan Tannehill, EJ Manuel and Geno Smith return as the other quarterbacks in the division. The Patriots will likely pick up their 11 or 12 annual regular-season wins and a top-two seed in the playoffs. Yawn.
AFC West: Denver Broncos – As a San Diegan, I am really pained to do this. Quarterback Peyton Manning won’t likely repeat his historic 2013 performance but he’ll still do Peyton Manning things. The real reason to buy the Broncos is the defense. While DeMarcus Ware isn’t what he used to be, he is still a competent pass rusher, especially playing opposite Von Miller. The additions of safety T.J. Ward and cornerback Aqib Talib in the secondary turn their biggest weakness into a strength.
AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers – It’ll likely be a three-team race, with only the Cleveland Browns not in contention. The Baltimore Ravens have fallen back to earth after their 2012 Super Bowl victory while the Cincinnati Bengals must replace both of their coordinators. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger remains one of the best in the game and they have finally gotten younger on the defensive side of the ball, headlined by athletic 2014 first-round-pick linebacker Ryan Shazier.
AFC South: Indianapolis Colts – The rest of the division is dreadful, so if quarterback Andrew Luck can stay on the field this team should be in line for 12-13 against an easy schedule.
AFC Wild Cards: San Diego Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals
San Diego Chargers – Nearly everyone returns from an offense that was one of the best in the league a year ago and the defense has been upgraded with the addition of cornerbacks Brandon Flowers and Jason Verrett.
Cincinnati Bengals – Though they lose defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, they should still have one of the AFC’s better defenses. And while quarterback Andy Dalton is horrible in the postseason, he is still good enough to get his team there.
Playoffs (winners in bold):
AFC Wild Card Playoffs:
(3) Patriots v. (6) Bengals
(4) Steelers v. (5) Chargers
NFC Wild Card Playoffs:
(3) Packers v. (6) Bears
(4) Eagles v. (5) 49ers
AFC Divisional Playoffs:
(1) Broncos v. (5) Chargers
(2) Colts v. (3) Patriots
NFC Divisional Playoffs:
(1) Seahawks v. (5) 49ers
(2) Saints v. (3) Packers
AFC Championship:
(1) Broncos v. (2) Colts
NFC Championship:
(2) Saints v. (5) 49ers
Super Bowl XLIX
Saints v. Broncos