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sooooo
like every year, here are my predictions: how about everyone predicts all divisions, and playoff participants.
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AFC EAST:
1) patriots
2) bills
3) dolphins
4) jets
dont think that the pats will fall this year. obviously they are vulnerable, and played pretty bad in game 3 of the preseason ("best" indicator game). their D is a lot better than people give them credit for. they dont have a whole lot of balls flying over their heads and they buckle down in the red zone. you cannot run on them easily, so i think they will win this division. it might be harder than other years past, but the dolphins wont go too far i think. so many FA acquisitions that you have to merge, different styles. and the biggest one is a one trick pony receiver, while tannehill is not a good deep thrower. i see the bills toppling them, they build a nice Dline over the years and have a quality secondary. if spiller gets 20+ touches a game, they will be tough to beat. finally, the jets. the best part about this season is that its over by january for them. their defense will be ok, not great and i just cant see them getting anything going offensively. geno smith will finish the season as the starter, but they just dont have any above-average skill players.
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AFC NORTH:
1) bengals
2) browns
3) ravens
4) steelers
yep, you heard it here first. this is obviously NOT how it will end up. this is just my way of telling that this division will be close. ravens are favourites, yes, but i just dont think flacco is a good QB for 16 games. they have to replace a lot of pieces, but i dont think they will skip a beat defensively. steelers also wont finish last, but their defense is on a slow decline for quite some time. yes they were good yardage wise but they didnt force a whole bunch of turnovers. this will only get worse as they dont have too many healthy marquee players left. offensively, i dont think they will do too much. roethlisberger is good at improvising, but this only goes so far. bengals have built a good D without holes. if dalton improves a tad, they will win this division. aj green is such a fun player to watch. for the browns, i think you could argue similarily that they wont go down. their defense is legit, with d'qwell jackson and joe haden leading the charge. on offense, i think norv is a great fit. their oline is above average, they have a bell-cow back in richardson and a gunslinger QB in weeden. they will improve, maybe not to be 2nd in the division, but this division will be close.
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AFC WEST
1) broncos
2) chargers
3) chiefs
4) raiders
even though i want it otherwise, the chargers wont beat the broncos in the division. broncos sport a good roster, even though their defense deteriorated in comparison to last year. manning and the offense will keep on rolling. the chargers, seriously, will be in the hunt for quite a while. they improved most positions compared to last year and they were 7-9. so maybe they make it up to .500 or a win or two more. the defense looks young and energetic and was a quality unit last year already. they rebuilt the oline as good as possible regarding the circumstances and rivers is still a good QB. mathews will be in the pro bowl discussion. the chiefs, yeah, i know they have similar things going for them, but my point is, a good team doesnt go 2-14, no matter the QB play. people always talk about their 6 pro bowlers and idk where they come from given the low profile team status, but as i said, a team with so much talent should overcome questionable QB play a little better. i see them going 6-10 or so. the raiders have bad depth all over and sub average starters on nearly every position. maybe pryor provides a spark, but anything beyond 2 wins would be a good season. mckenzie needs more time.
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AFC SOUTH
1) texans
2) colts
3) titans
4) jaguars
the texans are the best team in the division without too many question marks. if hopkins provides a spark, they will be tough to stop. their defense had its bad moments against wide open passing teams, but nothing to worry when it comes to the regular season. same goes for schaub. colts will rely again on luck, but their defense is not that good. maybe the titans can give them a run for the money. they improved their run game and also have some nice receiving options. defensively, they remain suspect, but maybe they come together and challenge for the second spot. the jaguars wont be as bad as anyone thinks. robinson could be one of the funnier players to watch, or the offense could fall on its face altogether. idk how many picks they invested in dlinemen over the years, but so far, without much success. another long season and they probably wont win more than 3-4 games.
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NFC EAST
1) redskins
2) eagles
3) cowboys
4) giants
this division will be very close. all teams could end up on top. its very likely that there wont be more than 2 or 3 games difference between 1st and 4th place. so this could go either way. i just think that the eagles can only fall over their defense, and they probably will. vick will be in the pro bowl discussion early on. his last few injuries all happened in the pocket on regular passes. thats just bad luck. and he runs smarter now and still can sling it. with mccoy in the backfield, this offense will be tough to stop. the redskins will go far if RGIII doesnt miss more than 2-3 games. cousins is a quality backup and will carry them for a short periods. i also think that their defense is solid. cowboys will be good, but they have to change defensive schemes and this will take some time. their oline issues might not be fixed, so they could end up in the lower half of this division, even though dez bryant should lead the league in rushing.
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NFC NORTH
1) packers
2) vikings
3) bears
4) lions
packers are too good to miss this. i dont think that their "new" run game will yield all that much, but they will win the division. their defense is not as good as everyone thinks, but they are good. rodgers is not the perfect QB everyone makes him to be. the vikings could challenge the packers for the crown if ponder steps up. peterson will find it tough to go over 1600 (let alone 2000) yards again. the bears will be a top defense once again and if they can get forte and marshall the ball often enough, they will be in the hunt for first place all season long. but right now i dont think so. the lions just dont have enough. i dont buy that they run it better and apart from their dline, their defense is pretty sub-average. megatron cant do it alone, especially since stafford is a little streaky from time to time.
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NFC WEST
1) seahawks
2) 49ers
3) rams
4) cardinals
officially the best division in football, and its not even close. the seahawks sport a deep roster all around. they have the best defense in the league, with an improved pass rush, they could be scary. i see wilson keeping his high level up and lead the seahawks to the division crown. the 49ers are almost equally good, with a better oline. but their pass rush kinda went AWOL last year in critical times and most players (except for justin smith, bowman and willis) in their front seven are sidegigs who only shine when all guys together play well. kaepernick and the offense will be a handful to stop, i just think that the seahawks have an advantage due to lynch. the rams and cardinals both are built similarly. both have great defenses and just wait for their offenses to step up. i am skeptical about palmer in arizona. the oline is a problem and he couldnt overcome similar issues when in oakland. you feel for fitzgerald, but i dont think they will be able to make much noise in the division. the rams, meanwhile, gave the 49ers and seahawks some problems last year. tavon austin might be the most explosive player this year. gonna be fun to watch him. bradford can do everything, and while he could use some more weapons at RB and WR, they will beat out the cards for the 3rd spot.
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NFC SOUTH
1) panthers
2) falcons
3) buccaneers
4) saints
this division is tough to predict. all teams have their issues and strengths. i picked the panthers because they really worked on their problems. they were too soft up the middle. with two high picks spent on the DT position, they will be tough to run against. kuechly is a superstar in the making. and with beason and davis next to him, they have an awesome front seven together. offensively, i expect newton to grow up just enough to eliminate some turnovers, just enough. the falcons were lucky in quite some close games, including the playoffs. their defense is not top-level material, almost from back to front. and while their offense is tough to stop, it is possible and matt ryan is just not a top 5 QB in the league. the bucs and saints will round up the last two spots. but i wouldnt be overly shocked if one of them wins the division and the panthers end up in last place. the bucs finally have some high picks working out in the defense, and freeman will play good this year. vincent jackson is a top 5 receiver and they will rely on doug martin to carry the load, who will do well. for the saints, i just dont see them get over their defensive problems. they were pretty bad and now have to switch to a new system. that little continuity never helps. maybe brees can carry them to first place, but i dont think so.
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playoffs
AFC
1) texans
2) patriots
3) broncos
4) bengals
WC ravens/browns/steelers
WC chargers/bills
NFC
1) packers
2) seahawks
3) redskins
4) panthers
WC 49ers/falcons
WC eagles/vikings
