September 2, 2014 at 5:27 p.m.
NFL season is just around the corner
Rays of Insight
Two more days.
That’s all that remains until it begins. And a few days later comes one of my favorite days of the year.
Of course, the best day of the year is Super Bowl Sunday. But following close behind is the first Sunday of NFL football.
And no year is complete without predictions, mostly because it gives readers a reason to laugh when I’m wrong. (Tampa Bay to win a division title anyone?)
Speaking of the NFC South, it remains a difficult division to predict. It seems like a different team wins it every year.
But some divisions are simple …
The easy picks
There are four of them, but only one in the NFC.
I wasn’t a big Chip Kelly believer, but he did quite a job in turning Nick Foles into a Pro Bowl quarterback and the Philadelphia Eagles into an offensive juggernaut. They win the NFC East.
Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Need I say more? When they’re healthy, they lead their teams to division titles. The Denver Broncos and New England Patriots will top the AFC West and East respectively.
And finally, let’s make the local fans happy. I’m not a huge Colts believer, but Indianapolis still gets to play in the terrible AFC South and will cruise to the title.
More repeats
As unlikely as it probably is, I’m picking every defending AFC division champion to repeat.
That means the Cincinnati Bengals will take the AFC North. Experts seem to be down on Andy Dalton, but he’s gotten better every year and has won 30 games in his first three seasons.
The NFC North was the definition of mediocrity a year ago, partially because of injuries to Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler. The Green Bay Packers won the division despite the injury to their quarterback, and there’s no reason to think they won’t take the crown again.
Top of the charts
In my opinion, the NFC West and South were home to four of the five best teams in football last season. And that’s part of the reason the champions, including the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, won’t be back on top.
But let’s start with the South.
The Carolina Panthers lost essentially their entire receiving corps and will be counting on rookie Kelvin Benjamin to lead a new crew. Meanwhile, Drew Brees still has plenty of weapons on a New Orleans Saints squad that is primed to reclaim the division title.
Seattle was the best team all of last season. But let’s not forget another team has been to three straight NFC Championship games. The San Francisco 49ers’ offense is now loaded this season to go along with a defense that will still be strong as they return to the top of the division.
The Wild Cards
So far, not many surprises. And that won’t change much here.
Two of my Wild Card teams didn’t make the playoffs a year ago, but they didn’t miss by much.
The Baltimore Ravens, just two years removed from winning it all, will do just enough to make it back to the playoffs. And they will be joined in the NFC by the San Diego Chargers, who got a lot of help and were able to sneak in last season.
In the NFC, I’ve been a Chicago Bears believer for a long time, and that hasn’t changed. They will fill out the playoff picture along with the Seahawks.
The Playoffs
Now comes the time when I anger the area fans as I pick Baltimore to beat Indianapolis in the opening round. Other first-round games will include Cincinnati over San Diego, Seattle over New Orleans and Green Bay over Chicago.
In the divisional round, Denver avenges its 2012 overtime playoff loss and beats the Ravens while New England tops a Bengals squad that isn’t quite ready to play for a spot in the Super Bowl. In the NFC, San Francisco edges Seattle in a game that will happen a week earlier than we’d all like, and Green Bay tops the Eagles in a shootout.
Denver will earn a trip back to the Super Bowl for the second straight year, and the 49ers will join them in Arizona.
The Super Bowl
The storybook ending would be for Peyton Manning to win the Super Bowl and ride off into the sunset like his team president, John Elway, once did. But this isn’t a storybook.
Instead, the Lombardi Trophy will return to the Bay Area for the first time in two decades as a coach named Harbaugh, this time Jim, carries it home for the second time in three seasons.
That’s all that remains until it begins. And a few days later comes one of my favorite days of the year.
Of course, the best day of the year is Super Bowl Sunday. But following close behind is the first Sunday of NFL football.
And no year is complete without predictions, mostly because it gives readers a reason to laugh when I’m wrong. (Tampa Bay to win a division title anyone?)
Speaking of the NFC South, it remains a difficult division to predict. It seems like a different team wins it every year.
But some divisions are simple …
The easy picks
There are four of them, but only one in the NFC.
I wasn’t a big Chip Kelly believer, but he did quite a job in turning Nick Foles into a Pro Bowl quarterback and the Philadelphia Eagles into an offensive juggernaut. They win the NFC East.
Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Need I say more? When they’re healthy, they lead their teams to division titles. The Denver Broncos and New England Patriots will top the AFC West and East respectively.
And finally, let’s make the local fans happy. I’m not a huge Colts believer, but Indianapolis still gets to play in the terrible AFC South and will cruise to the title.
More repeats
As unlikely as it probably is, I’m picking every defending AFC division champion to repeat.
That means the Cincinnati Bengals will take the AFC North. Experts seem to be down on Andy Dalton, but he’s gotten better every year and has won 30 games in his first three seasons.
The NFC North was the definition of mediocrity a year ago, partially because of injuries to Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler. The Green Bay Packers won the division despite the injury to their quarterback, and there’s no reason to think they won’t take the crown again.
Top of the charts
In my opinion, the NFC West and South were home to four of the five best teams in football last season. And that’s part of the reason the champions, including the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, won’t be back on top.
But let’s start with the South.
The Carolina Panthers lost essentially their entire receiving corps and will be counting on rookie Kelvin Benjamin to lead a new crew. Meanwhile, Drew Brees still has plenty of weapons on a New Orleans Saints squad that is primed to reclaim the division title.
Seattle was the best team all of last season. But let’s not forget another team has been to three straight NFC Championship games. The San Francisco 49ers’ offense is now loaded this season to go along with a defense that will still be strong as they return to the top of the division.
The Wild Cards
So far, not many surprises. And that won’t change much here.
Two of my Wild Card teams didn’t make the playoffs a year ago, but they didn’t miss by much.
The Baltimore Ravens, just two years removed from winning it all, will do just enough to make it back to the playoffs. And they will be joined in the NFC by the San Diego Chargers, who got a lot of help and were able to sneak in last season.
In the NFC, I’ve been a Chicago Bears believer for a long time, and that hasn’t changed. They will fill out the playoff picture along with the Seahawks.
The Playoffs
Now comes the time when I anger the area fans as I pick Baltimore to beat Indianapolis in the opening round. Other first-round games will include Cincinnati over San Diego, Seattle over New Orleans and Green Bay over Chicago.
In the divisional round, Denver avenges its 2012 overtime playoff loss and beats the Ravens while New England tops a Bengals squad that isn’t quite ready to play for a spot in the Super Bowl. In the NFC, San Francisco edges Seattle in a game that will happen a week earlier than we’d all like, and Green Bay tops the Eagles in a shootout.
Denver will earn a trip back to the Super Bowl for the second straight year, and the 49ers will join them in Arizona.
The Super Bowl
The storybook ending would be for Peyton Manning to win the Super Bowl and ride off into the sunset like his team president, John Elway, once did. But this isn’t a storybook.
Instead, the Lombardi Trophy will return to the Bay Area for the first time in two decades as a coach named Harbaugh, this time Jim, carries it home for the second time in three seasons.
Top Stories
9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit
Chartwells marketing
September 17, 2024 7:36 a.m.
Events
250 X 250 AD