This blog was moved from my poker blog, since I've decided to create another blog, related to all things non-poker related.
AFC East
1. New York Jets (13-3)
2. New England Patriots (11-5)
3. Miami Dolphins (5-11)
4. Buffalo Bills (5-11)
I think Mark Sanchez may finally start becoming an above average NFL QB, which means the Jets will be tough to beat. The Patriots are getting a little old on offense, and I would not be surprised to see them struggle from time to time. The Dolphins and Bills are decent, but in this division decent doesn't get it done.
AFC North
1. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)
2. Baltimore Ravens (10-6)
3. Cleveland Browns (7-9)
4. Cincinnati Bengals (3-13)
Once again, the Steelers are the class of the division. They have an awesome defense, and they are above average both running and throwing the football. The Ravens have the makings of an excellent offense, but their defense is getting old and I think they will be involved in a few shootouts this year. Cleveland is improving, but they still have a ways to go on defense before they reach .500. Cincinnati is not dreadful, but a rookie QB and WR combination will make winning difficult.
AFC South
1. Houston Texans (10-6)
2. Tennessee Titans (8-8)
3. Indianapolis Colts (7-9)
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11)
This looks like the year that Houston finally makes the playoffs. A revamped defense should help them stay in more games for their offense to win, but it may take a while for the new system to start running smoothly. The Titans are one of my sleeper teams; Matt Hasselbeck is an above average QB when healthy. If he stays healthy, the Titans will be decent. I was predicting the Colts to be weaker this year even before Peyton Manning was reported to be out early in the season (possibly all season). They sure won't improve without him. This team could finish last if Manning is out for the year. Their defense is abominable, their running game is just as bad, and Reggie Wayne is slowing down. The Jaguars didn't excite me before they cut David Garrard, and they sure don't excite me now.
AFC West
1. San Diego Chargers (10-6)
2. Oakland Raiders (7-9)
3. Kansas City Chiefs (7-9)
4. Denver Broncos (6-10)
This division is pretty awful. The Chargers finished #1 in the NFL in both offense and defense last year, but their special teams were so bad that they missed the playoffs anyway. Now that Wade Phillips and Brad Childress are out of jobs Norv Turner becomes the runaway winner of the Worst Coach in the NFL award. If the Chargers don't win the West this year, he has to be gone. The Raiders would have been my favorite to win the division, but the losses of Asomugha and Zach Miller will hurt them badly. The Chiefs overachieved against a weak schedule last year, and their schedule gets much tougher this year. Denver should not be as bad this year either, since their entire defense was injured last year.
NFC East
1. Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
2. Dallas Cowboys (10-6)
3. New York Giants (8-8)
4. Washington Redskins (6-10)
Unless Michael Vick gets injured the Eagles should win the division. But they do have some problems and they will not walk effortlessly through their schedule. The Cowboys are lurking, and with a weak schedule, they could easily take the division away. Romo is healthy and Wade Phillips is no longer around to screw things up. The Giants would be my pick to win the East, but injuries have decimated their defense. The Redskins are not awful, but they sure aren't good either.
NFC North
1. Green Bay Packers (12-4)
2. Detroit Lions (9-7)
3. Minnesota Vikings (8-8)
4. Chicago Bears (6-10)
The Packers should be able to comfortably take this division. The defending champs just have too much talent to not win a lot of games. The Lions have built a talented team, and if Matthew Stafford stays healthy they could be a playoff team. I think McNabb will help the Vikings immensely; they are nowhere near as bad as their 6-10 record last year. The Bears somehow went 11-5 last year, but they were lucky to win a good number of those games. Their talent level is not that high.
NFC South
1. New Orleans Saints (12-4)
2. Atlanta Falcons (11-5)
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8)
4. Carolina Panthers (4-12)
For the Saints, everything hinges on their defense. Their offense is elite, and if their defense plays well, they could win another Super Bowl. If not, another wild-card exit could occur. The Falcons have built an excellent team, but they could suffer a hangover from their playoff humiliation at the hands of the Packers last year. The Bucs overachieved last year, 8-8 sounds about right for this year. The Panthers will start Cam Newton at QB, but they have a strong ground game to take some of the pressure off of him.
NFC West
1. Arizona Cardinals (9-7)
2. St. Louis Rams (7-9)
3. Seattle Seahawks (5-11)
4. San Francisco 49ers (4-12)
The Cardinals have the most talent in the division, and a decent QB in Kolb. The Rams have a tough early schedule and will have a tough time getting to .500. The Seahawks and 49ers both are extremely weak at QB.
Playoff Predictions (HOME teams in CAPS):
Wild Card
New England 27 SAN DIEGO 20
HOUSTON 30 Baltimore 24
PHILADELPHIA 23 Dallas 20
Atlanta 24 ARIZONA 10
Divisional
N.Y. JETS 27 New England 21
PITTSBURGH 28 Houston 27
GREEN BAY 31 Philadelphia 24
Atlanta 16 NEW ORLEANS 13
Conference Championship
N.Y. JETS 17 Pittsburgh 14
GREEN BAY 31 Atlanta 17
SUPER BOWL
N.Y. Jets 23 Green Bay 20
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