Still in hockey withdrawal myself, but with the NFL preseason right around the corner, the Pat Mahomes hype train is starting up, so looking forward to another Chiefs 10-6 record with a first-round playoff loss again this season!
Not so sure Chiefs will go 10-6 with the losses on Defense and question marks on Offense but Andy Reid is a solid and consistent coach(if not underrated). Here?s how I see each Division breaking down:
NFC
East: Philadelphia in 1st, Dallas in 2nd, NYG in 3rd, Washington last.
West: LA Rams in 1st, San Francisco in 2nd, Seattle in 3rd, Arizona last.
North: Minnesota in 1st, Detroit in 2nd, Green Bay in 3rd, Chicago last.
South: New Orleans in 1st, Atlanta in 2nd, Carolina in 3rd, Tampa Bay last
Philly ought to repeat as Division champs with the roster they have. Dallas is better than people think although they will need a Wide Receiver to show up and give their offense an aerial threat to be successful. NYG still have OLine issues that one FA isn?t going to address and Eli is frankly not Peyton and hasn?t been for years. Washington has talent but they find a way to lose as I see it.
Out West, the Rams are all in and I expect them to win their division(talent wise they?re the best team bar none). Outside of the Rams, this Division is the weakest in the NFC. SF is overrated, Seattle lost a ton and Wilson will continue to run for his life and Arizona has no QB along with losses on Defense.
The NFC South, along with the East, might be the most competitive Division within the Comference. Three teams have a legitimate shot to win the Division but due to suspensions and injuries already in camp, only two will vie for it and I have New Orleans coming out on top.
Finally the Northern Division is really top heavy with Minnesota a clear favorite to win due to its Defense. I expect Detroit to finally get over the hump this year and surprise some people while Green Bay struggles due to their Defense. Chicago is still young and can surprise some people if they stay healthy but potential doesn?t translate into success in preseason predictions.
AFC
East: NE(by default) in 1st, NYJ in 2nd, Miami in 3rd, Buffalo last.
West: LA Chargers(San Diego goddamnit) in 1st, Denver in 2nd, KC in 3rd, Oakland(while it lasts) last.
North: Pit in 1st(while it lasts), Baltimore in 2nd, Cle in third and Cin last(yes in last place)
South: Houston in 1st, Jacksonville in 2nd, Tennessee in 3rd, Indy last.
New England is the default pick for AFC East because every other team in their division sucks save for maybe the NYJ. If NYJ can solve their QB situation(which with Darnold I think they did, he just won?t be ready Day 1), they might give NE a run for their money. Miami is in disarray as I see it and Buffalo reached for a QB and will likely struggle as a result.
The Chargers are loaded and although they lost a CB already to injury, if they don?t win it this year, when will they? Denver just needs consistent play from QB and they?re a force to be reckoned with due to their still decent Defense and playmakers on Offense. KC lost several pieces on Defense and their Offense has a big ??? with Mahomes taking over. Growing pains might cause them to lose a few critical games. As for the Raiders... they were lucky when they went 12-4 and if you asked me prior to last season what record they?d have I?d said 6-10(they went 6-10). This year, with the turnover in the coaching ranks, their best player rightfully holding out, I wouldn?t be surprised if they went 4-12.
If Pittsburgh is going to win the SB, it?s got to be this year because Big Ben is running out of time and there are other AFC teams(such as Houston) ready to dominate this Conference for years to come. Baltimore will always give them a challenge while Cleveland can?t do worse than going winless. I have Cincinnati in last because this team routinely underperforms year in and year out and Marvin Lewis should have been fired years ago.
Finally the South Division is packed with three teams that can vie for the Division crown. Of the three p, Houston has the best shot with Jacksonville nipping at their heels. This is a make or break year for Mariotta and Tennessee because their OLine is second only to Dallas and their Defense has to step up to match the other Defenses within their Division. Indy is last because, to put it bluntly, the team sucks(with or without Andrew Luck. Luck can cover a lot of glaring holes but he?s been beaten to a pulp in doing so).