As most of you should have realized by now, the NFL is back on TV and our Sundays suddenly have a purpose again. I couldn't be happier to have something to tune into every week again, and this season's poised to have plenty of interesting teams. With all of the monumental retirements and free agent signings this offseason, I'm not sure anyone can confidently predict an outright best team in the league; that's just another reason why it's very exciting for the NFL to be back.
Everyone's going to be picking their Super Bowl teams, yes, but not everyone is going to be thinking about the winner of each division, so I'm going to do both. Let's get started, shall we?
AFC East - New England Patriots
Picking against the Patriots in a division they win nearly every year is unsubstantiated and ridiculous. Yes, Tom "Deflategate" Brady is suspended for 4 games, but the system in New England is designed for any quarterback to succeed. The Jets will finish in a close second because their defense is stout, and they have pieces on offense. The Bills will be third if Tyrod Taylor can prove his contract's worth, and Miami will finish last because they're pretty lackluster.
NFC East - Philadelphia Eagles
This one's a close call between Philly and New York, but I'm taking Philly's defense to win them more games this year. Carson Wentz will prove his draft position this year, and the new offensive scheme will carry the Eagles to first place. New York won't be far behind with the upgrades they made on the D-Line and their solid core of receivers. Washington will finish third due to questionable defense outside of Josh Norman (although I think he won't live up to expectations), and Dallas will finish last despite a good season from rookie Dak Prescott.
AFC South - Houston Texans
Many are thinking that Jacksonville will step up as the leaders this year, but I can't argue with the playmakers that Houston has on both sides of the ball. Brock Osweiler will be an average quarterback, but Hopkins and the other receivers will complement Lamar Miller's running nicely. JJ Watt on defense, need I say more? Jacksonville will finish second with their undeniable offensive talent on the perimeter with Bortles slinging the ball. Indianapolis will finish third due to lack of good defensive players, and Tennessee will finish last again since they still need many pieces.
NFC South - Carolina Panthers
Can't argue with the reigning runner-up. They have the MVP at quarterback, complete RB and WR cores, and a front-seven to be reckoned with. Tampa Bay will finish second this year because of Jameis Winston and a good stable of offensive talent, plus a few playmakers on defense like Lavonte David. New Orleans will be third strictly because of Drew Brees moxie, and Atlanta will underperform into another last place finish.
AFC West - Kansas City Chiefs
ope. Not picking Denver - and here's why: a quarterback who's never thrown an NFL pass vs. a veteran Alex Smith. They have comparable defenses, but I like KC's stable of running backs better than Denver's. Although, I believe this division will come down to the last couple of weeks, especially with Oakland's rising stars. KC 1, Denver 2, Oakland 3, but not by much. San Diego will limp to a last-place finish.
NFC West - Arizona Cardinals
Arizona's defense is finally better than Seattle's, and that will carry them to the division crown. Carson Palmer and his toolbelt of offensive weapons will score many points, Seattle will not be far behind though, since you can never discount Russell Wilson's ability to make crazy plays. The new LA Rams will finish third behind the legs of Todd Gurley, while San Francisco will be kneeling in last place.
AFC North - Pittsburgh Steelers
It's not just because I'm a Steelers fan, these Steelers have talent and experience carrying over from last year, a season where they nearly downed the eventual Super Bowl Champions without their best offensive players. Young players on defense are a question mark, but they can hang with anybody in a shootout. Cincinnati will follow them up, however, Pittsburgh will sweep them in the regular season because the Bengals can't keep their tempers down. Baltimore will take third behind a healthy Flacco, and the Browns...well they'll just do what the Browns do. Pittsburgh is also my Super Bowl pick (can't help myself).
NFC North - Green Bay Packers
This won't even be close. The Vikings don't have a quarterback, the Lions always manage to screw things up, and the Bears are just underperformers overall. Lions second, Vikings third, Bears last.
Whether or not you agree with these predictions, we can all agree that we're glad the NFL is back on TV.
