After one of the most wild and unpredictable seasons in NFL history has concluded, I thought it would be fun to look at where I was right and where I was wrong this year. My preseason picks are here, and my midseason predictions are here.
Most accurate preseason prediction: "The Panthers will use (their) schedule as their gain and will cruise to a first-round bye and a trip to the NFC Championship Game..."
Did I expect the Panthers to go 15-1? Of course not. However, I was spot on in claiming that Carolina would be sitting at home during the Wild Card round, resting up for a shot to play in the NFC Title game. We'll see if the rest of the prediction holds true, but the Panthers' success did not come as a surprise to me.
Most accurate midseason prediction: "I like the Vikings to nab the division with some solid play down the stretch. Teddy Bridgewater and Mike Zimmer take the next step in their careers."
The Vikings are a scary team. They're a team that I don't think anyone wants to see in the playoffs. A good defense and an up-and-coming franchise quarterback are Minnesota's calling cards, and the Packers finally have a legitimate contender to them in the NFC North.
Dead wrong preseason prediction: "Division Winner: Chicago Bears—Even though the talent potential on offense has always gone unfulfilled, this year is going to be different in the toughest division in the NFL."
There were so many "dead wrong" predictions to choose from. Ultimately, picking the Bears to win the NFC North was the worst, by far. At one point, around the time they won in Lambeau on Thanksgiving, I was back to thinking they could make the playoffs. Back-to-back home losses to the 49ers and Redskins showed that they really weren't all that good of a team anyway.
Dead wrong midseason prediction: "The Rams will be the (NFC West) champs, but the question is, can they make noise in the playoffs? I say they can, beating the Seahawks in the NFC Championship and losing to the Pats in Super Bowl 50."
St. Louis was 4-4 at this point, and, with the way they had been playing recently, I thought they would run the table and make the Super Bowl. I think they then proceeded to lose their next three games. Hey, at least they did end up beating Seattle again!
Best bold preseason prediction: "Watch out for: Washington Redskins—No one is giving this team any respect at all. Just watch as they sneak their way into the playoffs as the sixth seed and then go all the way to the Super Bowl."
While I didn't necessarily think the Redskins could take their division, I did see this team as a sneaky good Wild Card team that could make some noise in the playoffs. As it turns out, they did in fact get into the postseason, even winning their division! This team went 4-12 last year, but I happened to foresee their success before everyone else.
Best bold midseason prediction: "The Chiefs were my preseason Super Bowl pick, and I think they're not going to lose again and make a deep playoff run before ultimately losing in Cincinnati in the divisional round."
That's right. When the Chiefs were 3-5, I honestly believed they would run the table. Just ask my radio co-hosts Alex Clark and James Allsup. Halfway through the season, the AFC Wild Card picture was so muddied by below-.500 teams, and it just seemed right to me that Kansas City could make a comeback. They did not disappoint me.
Preseason prediction totals: Two correct division champions, 1 correct second-place teams, 2 correct third-place teams, 3 correct last-place teams, 7 correct playoff teams.
Midseason prediction totals: 5 correct division champions, 5 correct second-place teams, 3 correct third-place teams, 4 correct last-place teams, 9 correct playoff teams, 5 correct win-loss records, 2 correct divisions top-to-bottom.