In my opinion, the NFC can be described perfectly in two succinct words: top-heavy. The teams that are on top of their respective divisions are typically leaps and bounds ahead of each of their 3 counterparts. That’s not to say this conference is completely lacking in depth, as a division like the NFC West is stacked from top to bottom. But I can easily see a lot of second place teams in the NFC struggling to finish above .500. In any case, the great teams in this conference are exceptional, especially the defending champions. It will be another wild year, so let’s get into how I think it’ll all play out.

NFC East

1st: Washington Football Team (11-6)

Starting things off with our good ol’ Football Team, who honestly dominated this offseason. After last year, which was mainly a developmental one, all of the kinks from early in the season had figured themselves out, and this team is now ready to contend. A few aspects needed to be addressed, and they were in a big way. WR Curtis Samuel signed a 3-year deal to reunite with his former college roommate, Terry McLaurin, making for one of the more dynamic WR duos in the NFL. Washington drafted LB Jamin Davis in the first round of this year’s draft, getting better at a position they were already just fine at. Davis is a freak on the football field, and will add another level of athleticism to this already vaunted defense. Returning studs like Chase Young and Montez Sweat on the edges have made themselves household names, and I personally cannot wait ot see what they can do in their second year together. The biggest hole on the roster was the QB position, after last year’s merry go round of injuries and assorted off-the-field issues. While I was an advocate for drafting a QB, the team signed journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick to a 1-year deal. While I’m not entirely opposed to that, it’s not a long term solution, which is what I think this team could use right now. But Fitz is plenty talented, and with all the talent in the world around him on this roster, which is one of the NFL’s best, it shouldn’t be too difficult for him to lead this team to a division title.

2nd: Dallas Cowboys (10-7)

The Cowboys are weird. Then again, when are they not? The biggest story for Dallas for almost an entire year now has been the return of QB Dak Prescott. After last year’s blistering start, his horrible ankle injury has sidelined him up until now. While he is back at training camp, I’d imagine they want to ease him back into things. I’m not sure how eager they are to potentially spoil their new $240 million investment. The rest of this team is virtually the same as last year’s, so I’m expecting to see a lot of the same from Dallas in 2021. The offense will be just fine, and if Dak is able to play the whole year, I expect it to be record setting. The WR duo of Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb is genuinely horrifying to even the best of defenses. The defense, however, is still putrid. Dallas did draft LB Micah Parsons in the first round, who is a very talented player, but every time they do this it just doesn’t seem to pan out for one reason or another. The secondary has absolutely 0 strong points, and I can imagine it will lose the Cowboys more games than it will win them. But, as long as the offense is doing its thing, it will be plenty for Dallas to win a good amount of games. It’s not a terribly difficult schedule, and they should be fit to beat all of the bad teams they face. But it won’t be enough to get them to the postseason.

3rd: New York Giants (7-10)

The story with this team is honestly quite simple: as long as Daniel Jones is the quarterback, they will go nowhere. In the 2 years of Jones as a starter, we have been shown absolutely nothing to inspire any confidence that he can be the guy in New York moving forward. It’s honestly a shame, because this is a pretty good team in every other aspect. They don’t have the best offensive pieces, but they signed star WR Kenny Golladay and drafted speedy WR Kadarius Toney this offseason to help eliminate that problem. Saquon Barkley returning frmo last year’s ACL tear will also be beneficial; we can only hope that he can be the same player coming off of such a serious injury. The defense is a very strong unit, especially at the second level. This team can limit your scoring all day long, but they will refuse to score themselves. I can very easily see this team moving on from Daniel Jones before the season is even over. The sooner it happens, the better.

4th: Philadelphia Eagles (5-12)

The Eagles were a really bad team last year. The Eagles will be a really bad team this year. Nothing significant has changed from then till now, outside of the Carson Wentz trade. But, considering Jalen Hurts was the starting QB at the end of last season, that wasn’t the biggest development in the world. I’d say the biggest move of the offseason for Philly was drafting WR Devonta Smith, last season’s Heisman Trophy winner, in the first round. It was a very good move in my opinion, and will help Hurts quite a bit, as he and Smith were college teammates at Alabama. The fact of the matter is that there just isn’t anything noteworthy going on with this team. Jalen Hurts is an okay-ish QB based on last year’s small sample size, the offense still isn’t very good, the defense is still very average to below average. This is very easily the worst team in the NFC East, and I don’t see that changing any time soon.

NFC North

1st: Green Bay Packers (12-5)

What an offseason in Green Bay. I don’t even think “rollercoaster” is the right word. You know the story by now. After last year’s NFC Championship Game collapse, Aaron Rodgers wanted nothing to do with this team, this coaching staff, or this front office. Between holdouts, public fiascos, interviews, Jeopardy appearances, and everything else imaginable, it was hard to foresee Rodgers playing for this team again. But, something allowed the relationship to mend just enough for ARod to come back for one last ride in Green Bay. Honestly, good for both parties. Aaron gets to go out on his own terms and try to bring one last title to Titletown before throwing them the peace sign and ending his career elsewhere. This is truly the last dance for this team, so they better hope it works out now, because I doubt it works out any time soon after this. It’s virtually the exact same squad as last year’s 1 seed team, especially thanks to resigning star RB Aaron Jones. Again, if it doesn’t happen now, it obviously isn’t happening any time soon. This team has had plenty of chances to get over the hump and win their first championship since 2010, but they refuse to rise to the occasion time and time again. Sadly, I just don’t know if this is the team to do that.

2nd: Minnesota Vikings (6-11)

I want to make something abundantly clear: this is not a bad team by any means. It’s honestly a perfectly above average team. The Vikings have all the star power in the world, but for some reason, they refuse to be good. A lot of people love to blame the QB, but I don’t think Kirk Cousins is the problem at all. He has been… well, he has been Kirk Cousins for his entire tenure in Minnesota. He’ll never be flashy or anything, but he does enough. It helps when you have Dalvin Cook behind you and Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson at your sides. I think the biggest thing holding this team back is their defense. You’d think a Mike Zimmer team would pride themselves on defense, but that was not the case whatsoever last year. This was almost a historically bad unit in 2020, and they didn’t do much to get any better. Minnesota is essentially just a Walmart version of Dallas. Their offense will keep them in games, and win them some here and there, but their defense will be their downfall. It’s a brutal schedule, and I think the Vikings are going to get shelled. Expect a lot of changes soon in the Twin Cities.

3rd: Chicago Bears (6-11)

I truly think this team had a very good offseason. The biggest story was obviously trading up for QB Justin Fields in the draft, which was a very good move in my opinion, but bringing back WR Allen Robinson was imperative. There’s no point in trading up for a quarterback if there’s nobody for him to throw the ball to. I don’t think Fields will start immediately, as the Bears also signed Andy Dalton this offseason, but he’ll get his moment very early. He is simply too dynamic of a playmaker, and a perfect style of QB for today’s NFL, to sit on the bench for too long. Chicago’s defense is still just as good as previous years, and while I don’t think this is the year in which the offense will flourish, the development of Fields will help this team be very solid moving forward. Much like Jacksonville, this is simply a developmental year in the Windy City, and I feel very good about this team’s future.

4th: Detroit Lions (2-15)

It’s the Detroit Lions, what do you want me to say? This team had a decent offseason sure, but a lot of the moves they made were simply to ensure they had a future. The biggest of those moves was moving on from long-term QB Matt Stafford, who they traded to the Rams for Jared Goff and a plethora of draft compensation. It was a good trade, as Goff is just the game-manager they need to lose them enough games to make sure they have the best draft picks possible moving forward. The Lions were also gifted OT Penei Sewell with the 7th overall pick, which was a can’t-miss selection. No matter who is under center for this team, they can sleep easier at night knowing they have a generational blindside blocker. WRs Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones are now gone, making TE T.J. Hockenson the premier offensive weapon on this team. He’s a very good player, but a team’s entire offense can’t revolve around a tight end. Defensively, this team doesn’t have much going for them at all. Oh, and they hired Dan Campbell as their new head coach, who sounds like he’s on Smackdown during every press conference he gives. This is the start of a strange, new era in Detroit, but much like every other era, it will be ugly. This will likely be this era’s ugliest year.

NFC South

1st: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (15-2)

The Buccaneers brought in Tom Brady last year. The Buccaneers won the Super Bowl last year. Just makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? Now, Tampa has become the first team ever to return all 22 starters on offense and defense. It is simply going to be too easy for them. The story of last year was fairly simple: it was a stacked roster with a lot of moving parts and it took a while for it all to make sense. After their bye week, they didn’t lose a single game, and it ended in a title. So now, after a full offseason of work with the exact same team, how can we expect any different of a result? I’ve heard a lot of shouts about a potential undefeated season, but like I said yesterday with the Texans, it’s simply too hard to go undefeated/winless in the NFL. With that being said, I can’t fathom this team losing any more than 2 or 3 games this season. I only gave them 2 losses in anticipation of a potential upset or slip-up, just based on the precedent of the NFL’s parity. But this team will be favored in all of their games, and they really have no excuse to lose any of them. If the Bucs don’t repeat, I personally think it will be a colossal failure. Absolutely nothing stands in their way.

2nd: New Orleans Saints (8-9)

It’s the dawn of a new era in the Big Easy, as legendary QB Drew Brees retired from football this offseason. There is no doubt that he wasn’t himself at all last season, and it’s unfortunate that he had to go out like that, but his time had come and gone. And thus begins a great deal of uncertainty at the QB position for the Saints. Who will be the starter moving forward? The signs seemingly point toward Jameis Winston, last year’s backup to Brees. Although, when Brees went down with injuries last season, it was Taysom Hill who stepped in as the starter for a few weeks, despite not necessarily being a real QB like Winston is. HC Sean Payton just has a very strange obsession with Hill, and I wouldn’t put it past him if he names Hill the starter of this team. In any case, the offense should still thrive as long as Alvin Kamara is in the backfield. Kamara had an OPOY-caliber season last year, and has more than established himself as one of the top backs in football. The WR room isn’t as deep as it has been in years past, especially now that star Michael Thomas will be out for a while with that same nagging ankle problem that kept him off the field last season. On the other side of the ball, things are also a bit shaky. The secondary got burnt consistently by good and bad offenses alike, and the pass rush wasn’t nearly as dominant as usual. The Saints are simply falling from grace at the moment, and while I think they’ll be a solid team this season, I can see it falling apart very soon.

3rd: Carolina Panthers (5-12)

I would like to say that I think this team is a lot better than the record I’m predicting for them would suggest. I like what Carolina has going on, and I thought they had a very nice offseason. I was a huge fan of bringing in QB Sam Darnold, and I think he can finally realize his potential with coaches like Joe Brady in his corner. Despite losing WR Curtis Samuel, this offense still has a lot of great pieces, such as Robby Anderson at receiver. Superstar RB Christian McCaffrey needs no introduction, and we can only hope he stays healthy for the whole season after last year’s injury problems. The Panthers also have some nice young defensive pieces, highlighted by former first round picks Brian Burns and Derrick Brown. I like the direction this team is headed in, but I think it will be a while before it all comes to fruition.

4th: Atlanta Falcons (3-14)

This team is genuinely infuriatingly bad. I think they know how bad they are and they simply do not care about getting better. This really is one of the more cursed franchises in sports, but even still, you can address your problems. Atlanta does not care. Last year, they threw away game after game after game en route to being the fourth worst team in football. Ok, fine, at least we know what the problem is, don’t we? The offense was more than fine, as QB Matt Ryan still had a really good statistical year, and you have all the WR talent in the world, but the defense had enough holes to trigger someone’s trypophobia. It was the reason a lot of those games were lost in such catastrophic fashion. So let’s… trade Julio Jones? And then draft a tight end 4th overall? Make it make sense! Yes, Kyle Pitts is a generational talent, but I still don’t understand the pick at all. And all the glaring issues with this team are still there. The Falcons make moves to become more flashy, not to become a better football team. It has never worked, it isn’t working now, and it will never work.

NFC West

1st: Los Angeles Rams (12-5)

Welcome to the most stacked division in football. The NFC West is going to be an absolute bloodbath for the entire season, and I can’t wait to watch it all unfold. I have the Rams winning this division for a few reasons. The first is that they’ll have tiebreakers over Seattle and San Francisco to finish in 1st place. But I also think this is the best roster in the division. Acquiring QB Matt Stafford is huge for this team that was largely held back by QB play in recent years. This team would have likely won a title a few years ago if they had anyone but Jared Goff under center. Stafford is the guy who can lead them to the promised land, and this is easily the best team he has ever had. It might take a short while to figure things out, but when the Rams are clicking this year, I think it’s going to be a beautiful sight. All of the other key pieces are still in place, outside of RB Cam Akers, who was unfortunately lost for the season with an achilles injury. But, the offense still has its stars, and the defense has even brighter ones. Aaron Donald is still arguably the best player in football, and the secondary has studs galore such as Jalen Ramsey, Jordan Fuller, and Darious Williams. This is simply the best team in this division, but they will be tested consistently, and they need to be up for the challenge if they want to get that home playoff game.

2nd: Seattle Seahawks (12-5)

While I don’t think the Seahawks are the 2nd best team in this division, I can easily see them finishing in 2nd place. I’ll get into that more below when I discuss the 49ers. This is essentially the same as last year’s team, which was a very up and down squad who went out with a whimper in the Wild Card game. The story with Seattle is seemingly the same as it always is: how much of the load can Russell Wilson carry on his back? Russ got no favors from his historically bad defense last year, and it’s not a unit that’s shaping up to be much better. He really did put the entire team on his back in the first half of last season, but you could tell he was getting worn out when the calendar started flipping over to November and December. Having star wideouts like DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett certainly helps, but this offense cannot do it alone. Like I said, this isn’t even the 2nd best team in this division from top to bottom, but they have shown me time and time again that they are capable of getting the job done. But, I get the feeling the window is slowly closing on the Seahawks. They better hope they figure things out soon, or it could be back to the cellar for them quickly.

3rd: San Francisco 49ers (12-5)

Last year’s 49ers team had the worst case of the injury bug I have ever seen in my life. Absolutely nobody on this team was safe from tearing some ligament or breaking some bone. It was honestly really sad to see. But, this team is now back and ready to contend once again. It’s still just as stacked of a roster as the one that won the NFC, and was 7 minutes away from winning a Super Bowl, just two years ago. But there is one big difference with this year’s team, and it’s all about the QB position. San Francisco traded up all the way to the #3 spot in the draft to draft Trey Lance out of NDSU, who is very raw and inexperienced, but could develop into the next Patrick Mahomes. Lance won’t get the keys to the car just yet, as this is still Jimmy Garoppolo’s team, but a lot of folks are saying that might not be the case for long. I think many people are forgetting just how good this team is with a healthy Jimmy G under center. No, he’s not the best QB in the world, but they were the NFL’s best team in his only complete year in this system with HC Kyle Shanahan. I think if he can stay on the field this year, the 49ers can easily be one of the NFL’s best teams. And if Lance develops into who they say he can be, then this will easily be one of the scarier squads in all of football.

4th: Arizona Cardinals (10-7)

Let’s face it, this team should have made the playoffs last year. They refused to play up to their potential, and even when they had a very easy win-and-in scenario in their last game, they floundered and failed. This year has to be different in Arizona. Playoffs are the expectation, and based on all of the talent on this roster, missing the postseason is a complete failure. Even in this ridiculously stacked division, you have to find a way to get it done. All of the highlights of last year are back, and I personally can’t wait to watch yet another year of QB Kyler Murray. He is one of the most dynamic and exciting QBs I’ve had the pleasure of watching, and I still think he’s only scratching the surface of his potential. Having arguably the best receiver in football in DeAndre Hopkins definitely helps. His first year in Arizona was stellar, and a second year in this system with Murray promises to be even better. The Cards also have plenty of bright spots on defense, highlighted by S Budda Baker and the addition of DE J.J. Watt. I’d project a lot more for this team, but this division is simply too tough to finish anywhere but last. But, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as I still think this team will make the playoffs, making the NFC West the first division to ever send all four teams to the postseason.

Playoff Picture

1 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (15-2)

2 – Green Bay Packers (12-5)

3 – Los Angeles Rams (12-5)

4 – Washington Football Team (11-6)

5 – Seattle Seahawks (12-5)

6 – San Francisco 49ers (12-5)

7 – Arizona Cardinals (10-7)

Much like the AFC, I feel very confident that these will be the 7 playoff teams in this conference. I can maybe see the Cardinals slipping up a bit, allowing Dallas to sneak into the picture. Other than that, these are my surefire playoff teams. Allow me to briefly predict how I think it’ll all play out.

Wild Card Weekend

The 2v7 game is a matchup that has given us several playoff classics in years past: Arizona vs. Green Bay. This would be a very easy game to pick, as it would be Kyler Murray’s first ever playoff game, and he would be in the Frozen Tundra against Aaron Rodgers. Kyler’s time will come, but certainly not here. Packers by a LOT.

The 3v6 game is a classic divisional matchup between the two best teams in the NFC West, in my opinion. The Rams and 49ers have so much talent all across the field, and I think their games this year will be awesome to watch. In a game like this, I like to take the better defense, and while San Francisco’s is no joke, LA’s is simply better. Being at home also helps the Rams case, and I’ll take them to move on.

In the 4v5 game, we have an inevitable NFC Wild Card matchup between the Seahawks and the WFT. Seattle has haunted my nightmares ever since I was 6 years old and they beat us in the Wild Card game that year, and the 2012 playoff game needs no explanation. Unfortunately, I see this game going the same way as those two. I do think Washington is the better team in this game, but there’s something to be said about the QB matchup of Russell Wilson vs. Ryan Fitzpatrick. I feel like that makes this easy. It would be close, but the Seahawks would pull away late and advance.

Divisional Round

Coming off of their bye, the 1 seed and defending champion Buccaneers would host the Seahawks. I do not think this game would be remotely close. The Bucs are too good at literally everything, and I think Brady and company would have a field day against a rather porous Seattle defense. No need to overthink this.

The second divisional game would be a rematch of last years, with the Rams traveling to Lambeau to take on the Packers. However, I think things would go differently than last year’s game. This is just such a better Rams team with Matt Stafford under center, and he has over a decade’s worth of experience playing in Green Bay. With all of the dysfunction of the Packers lately, I think the wheels are bound to fall off at some point. I don’t foresee this fairytale ending that everyone is hoping for. I like the Rams to win this one, likely with either some late game heroics or another patented Packers playoff choke.

NFC Championship game

So, this all sets up for an absolutely star-studded Rams-Buccaneers NFC title game. These two teams play each other in Week 3, so thankfully we get an early preview. I can absolutely see this game being an all-time classic. There is just so much star power all over the field, and plenty of storylines as well. This would certainly be a tight, tight game throughout. I believe the defenses would dominate, making this not necessarily low-scoring, but maybe a 23-20 type of game. In terms of picking a winner, I’d have to go with Tampa, simply based on their previous playoff success and just how good they truly are. I could easily see it going the other way, but if I have to pick a winner today, it’s the Bucs.

So, based on yesterday’s AFC preview, I am predicting a Buccaneers-Browns matchup in Super Bowl LVI. Such a strange game on paper, but I think it would be a ton of fun. I know it’s the cheap answer, but I’d have to pick the Bucs in that game as well. I mean, how does the exact same team that won a title last year not do it again this year? I guess we’ll see.

I can’t wait for the season to finally get underway, and when it does, I’ll be back in full force with several weekly articles (and videos on the Youtube channel). It’s going to be a great season, and I hope you guys enjoy this year’s content just as much as you enjoy the games themselves. I’ll see you all very soon!