Every season the NFL brings optimism, hope, drama, and
excitement to fans. It also brings disappointment and heartbreak. And after one
of the more bizarre and annoying off-seasons in league history, it feels great
to finally get back to football on the field!
Here is my prediction for the 2015 season.
AFC East
1. Miami Dolphins (3)
2. New England Patriots (5)
3. Buffalo Bills
4. New York Jets
At some point, the luck and the cheating of Coach
Belichick and the Patriots has to give. Sure they've dominated the division
this past decade, but not without questionable ethics. In the meantime, the
rest of the division has brought in talent this off-season to try to dethrone
the ‘champs’. The Phins, in particular, are loaded on offense and boast a QB in
Ryan Tannehill who has improved in each of his first three seasons and is ready
to take the next step. He has weapons galore lead by 1,000 yard rusher Lamar
Miller and Mr. Energizer in second-year wide-out Jarvis Landry. That’s not to
mention the defense, which now has one of the best in the business in DT
Ndamukong Suh. Even though the Bills and the Jets brought in some big names in
free agency as well, neither has a franchise QB, and that’s the difference.
AFC North
1. Baltimore Ravens (4)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (6)
3. Cincinnati Bengals
4. Cleveland Browns
This division could go either way between the top two
teams. The only difference is that the Ravens have an experienced defense
versus a young and relatively inexperienced group to that of the Steelers.
Pittsburgh very well may possess the most elite offense in all of football when
all said and done, but it’s the defense that must step up to win the division
and make a deep run. As for the Bengals and Browns, it’s the same story:
inconsistent/no quarterback. Andy Dalton is way too inconsistent, and until
Cleveland gets a franchise QB, they will continue to struggle.
AFC South
1. Indianapolis Colts (1)
2. Houston Texans
3. Tennessee Titans
4. Jacksonville Jaguars
Andrew Luck and the Colts offense will be a tough out for
anyone this season, but especially for those within the division. Adding two of
the best veterans in the league (in Andre Johnson and Frank Gore) makes them
all the more dangerous. Houston is always intriguing because of its defense,
but stability at quarterback has plagued them for years. Tennessee is the most
intriguing team to watch as rookie signal caller Marcus Mariota brings some
excitement to a struggling offense. The Jags made some key additions to fill
some big needs, but QB Blake Bortles and the rest of the young offense is still developing.
AFC West
1. Denver Broncos (2)
2. Kansas City Chiefs
3. San Diego Chargers
4. Oakland Raiders
After Manning wore down at the end of last season, he is
out to prove he has at least one year left of great football. Running the
football more may be a strategy Denver takes, especially early on, to help keep
Manning fresh down the homestretch. Still, the Broncos should have another great year and be primed for a deep playoff
run. Contingent on Manning of course. Kansas City and San Diego are on the cusp
of being contenders. For the Chargers, rookie running back Melvin Gordon should
help solidify a rather weak running game in past years. Similarly, veteran wide-out Jeremy Maclin should do the same for the Chiefs woeful passing game.
Meanwhile in Oakland, Derek Carr and Amari Cooper should be a fun combo to
watch develop. The Raiders will certainly still struggle, but they’re moving in
the right direction.
NFC East
1. Philadelphia Eagles (3)
2. Dallas Cowboys (6)
3. New York Giants
4. Washington Redskins
All the news surrounding the Eagles this off-season was on
the bizarre moves of Chip Kelly. Quite frankly though, I think his team should be better than a year ago. If Sam Bradford stays healthy, they will be dangerous. If
not, it may be a different story. The Cowboys will contend but only to the
extent of the effectiveness of its defense. The offense should once again be in
the top 10, but finding a back or even a committee who can duplicate DeMarco
Murray’s numbers will be difficult. New York could be a sleeper team as they have
an offense that has a number of playmakers, and a defense that has young
potential. If Eli can have a great year, they will contend for a playoff spot.
Lastly, the only news coming out of Washington will be the continued fight for a name change. The team itself will struggle due to a lack of overall talent.
NFC North
1. Green Bay Packers (1)
2. Minnesota Vikings
3. Detroit Lions
4. Chicago Bears
Even with the loss of wide-out Jordy Nelson, the Pack will
still boast a nasty offense. Having the best quarterback in the league in Aaron
Rodgers certainly helps, as he will make whoever is on the field better.
Minnesota will definitely benefit from the return of All-Pro RB Adrian
Peterson. Couple that with the continuous improvement of QB Teddy Bridgewater
and the Vikings have the ability to be really good. Detroit’s always a team
that will hang around due to Megatron and Co., but their inability to win in
the clutch will plague them again. For Chicago, it will be more of an
experimental year than anything.
NFC South
1. New Orleans Saints (4)
2. Carolina Panthers
3. Atlanta Falcons
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Prior to last year, no team had ever won the division in
consecutive seasons. The Panthers were the first to do and very well could make it a three-peat. But just like last year, this division should be up in the
air. Hec, Tampa Bay won 2 games last season yet was still alive in Week 12. There’s
no one team that stands out among the rest. Carolina lost its best playmaker
for the year to injury, New Orleans traded theirs, and Atlanta has been slowly
declining in recent years. Jameis Winston could be good someday but I don’t think
that will be this year. Therefore, I’m taking New Orleans by way of best
quarterback and the most playmakers on both sides of the ball.
NFC West
1. Seattle Seahawks (2)
2. Arizona Cardinals (5)
3. St. Louis Rams
4. San Francisco 49ers
There’s no better home than that of the 12th
Man, as the Seahawks are 14-2 at home the past two seasons. After adding hybrid
TE Jimmy Graham to the mix this will be a team that makes another deep run,
improving on that home record. For Arizona, if Carson Palmer stays healthy, I
believe the Cardinals are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. They have every
component needed to be elite. St. Louis is a team on the rise, but it will take
some years to get past the big dogs in the West. As for San Francisco, they
will be battling more-so for the number one pick in the draft rather than wins.
Playoff Predictions:
Wild
Card Round
AFC NFC
Baltimore (4)
vs. New England (5) Philadelphia
(3) vs. Dallas (6)
Miami (3)
vs. Pittsburgh (6) New
Orleans (4) vs. Arizona (5)
Divisional
Round
AFC NFC
Denver (2) vs. Miami
(3) Seattle (2) vs. Dallas (6)
Indianapolis (1)
vs. Baltimore (4) Green Bay (1) vs. Arizona (5)
Conference
Championship
AFC NFC
Indianapolis (1)
vs. Miami (3) Green Bay (1) vs. Seattle (2)
Super Bowl 50
Indianapolis (1) vs. Green Bay (1)
The pick: Green Bay
After last year’s collapse in the NFC Title game, there
is nothing Aaron Rodgers wants more than another opportunity at redemption. There’s
not a better team at molding and developing players. Sure, they lost one of
their biggest stars, but they still have Randall Cobb, Eddie Lacy, DaVante
Adams, and the best quarterback in the league. In a high scoring back and forth thriller, Rodgers leads the Pack to a game-winning drive in the final minutes as they hoist team Championship number 5.
After 220 days, NFL Football is finally back! It's time for optimism!
And as always, Go Phins!!
