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!

After over 6 long months of waiting, football is finally back. Christmas wishes it was as exciting as this. As promised, before the preseason kicks off, I’ll be previewing both conferences, starting here with the AFC. Here, I’ll give a short preview of every team in the conference, and how I think they’ll perform. Hopefully injuries and other extraneous factors don’t come back to make me look stupid here, but at least I’ll have an excuse if they do. With that being said, let’s get into it!

AFC East

1st: Buffalo Bills (15-2)

In my opinion, this is the best team in the AFC. It almost doesn’t make sense, seeing as though there are some gaping holes in this roster, such as a nonexistent run game and a below average pass rush. But that didn’t stop them last year, as they were easily the NFL’s hottest team in the last 10 or so weeks. They were shut down in the AFC Championship Game by the Chiefs, but that was to be expected for a team that hadn’t been in that big of a spot in literal decades. Now, everyone is back, led by star QB Josh Allen, who is poised to prove that last season was no fluke. The Bills clearly have that faith in him, as he just signed a 6-year extension worth over $250 million. While I really like Allen, I thought that was a bit much, but he’ll have every opportunity to silence all the doubters again this year. As long as him and superstar WR Stefon Diggs are clicking on all cylinders again, this team will breeze through their ridiculously easy schedule. This is my 1 seed, and barring something drastic, I think that Buffalo will clinch that first round bye with their eyes closed.

2nd: New England Patriots (11-6)

Whether you like it or not, the Patriots will be back this year. To me, it doesn’t matter who starts at QB. Cam Newton will get the job done; it’s simply too hard to assume that he’ll be so bad again in his second year in this system. It’s even harder to fathom a Bill Belichick team miss the playoffs for a second consecutive year. If the reins do get passed to rookie Mac Jones at some point, then I believe in his ability to game-manage this team to the postseason. He’s old enough, and had plenty of experience in college. New England underwent a compete overhaul this offseason, and improved at many lacking positions. The passing game will be rejuvenated with the likes of Nelson Agholor at WR as well as Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry at TE. Their RB room isn’t the best, but the Patriots have proven to us plenty of times in the past that it doesn’t need to be for them to win games. Their defense obviously speaks for itself, being one of the better units in football, especially in the secondary. The Patriots just have the right pieces to be a solid wild card team, but not much more. But hey, that’s still plenty better than last year.

3rd: Miami Dolphins (10-7)

This year’s Dolphins team might be even weirder than last year’s. I truly think this is the best roster, from top to bottom, in this division. Heck, it’s one of the best in the whole league. I think Miami is a classic case of a sad truth we find far too often in this league: amazing team with the only lacking position being the most important one. I still cannot put my faith in QB Tua Tagovailoa. Maybe his rookie year was so shaky because he was a rookie. Sure. Surely he’ll be better now that he’s the only guy worth starting in that QB room. Fine. But something is simply holding me back from accepting that. I would truly love to see Tua figure it out and succeed, and if he does, then this team’s ceiling is remarkably high. Every other position is nothing short of stacked, especially on defense. Star CB Xavien Howard finally came to a compromise with the front office and got the extension he wanted, and the Dolphins are infinitely better off for it. Listen, this team didn’t have solid QB play all year last year and still won 10 games. That’s why I’m giving them that this year as well. If Tua does just enough in the right amount of games, then this is a guaranteed playoff team. But, the way I see it, they’ll be just on the outside looking in.

4th: New York Jets (2-15)

I mean… what can I say about this team. They are HORRIBLE. All caps, bold, italicized, all the above. Put it on a damn Times Square billboard. For what it’s worth, I don’t think the Jets had the worst offseason ever. But… it wasn’t very good either. The problem started last season when they needlessly threw away the #1 overall pick. So, with their shiny #2 pick, they took… Zach Wilson. Their QB of the future is the more than unproven white boy wonder out of BYU, and I couldn’t feel any worse about it. I didn’t do any draft coverage, but anyone that knows me knows how I felt about Wilson during the draft process. I felt he was the 5th best QB available, but alas, he went 2nd overall, and now has to lead this dumpster fire of a team. I did like their other first round move, trading up for OL Alijah Vera-Tucker out of USC. Along with the addition of Morgan Moses and the return of Mekhi Becton, this team’s best unit is easily its offensive line. Not like that matters when there are barely any other players of note at any other position. This team is putrid with a capital p and a capital u, and nothing will change that. 2 wins might be a generous estimate. Yeesh.

AFC North

1st: Baltimore Ravens (14-3)

The Ravens are inevitable. This is easily one of the league’s best teams from top to bottom. There are no two ways about any of it. I’m not sure what the problem was with this team last year, but whatever it was, I’m more than confident that it won’t be a factor this season. Could it have been their passing game? Well, they splashed a bit to upgrade that position, drafting WR Rashod Bateman out of Minnesota in the 1st round as well as signing Sammy Watkins. Superstar QB Lamar Jackson will have a plethora of options for seemingly the first time in his young career, and I can’t wait to see it. He’s easily one of the most explosive players in football, and with a team as stacked is this, the sky isn’t even a limit. It’s the floor. The defense is back and ready to wreak havoc once again, led by stars at every position. It was a poor offense that stopped this team from getting to an AFC title game last year, and I truly think that with a much improved offense this year, they can finally get over the hump. With that being said… I don’t think they will. More on that later.

2nd: Cleveland Browns (12-5)

Now this… this is interesting. I feel something with this team. I don’t really get it, but I feel it. If you know me, or even read my content last year, you know that I am typically very, VERY hard on the Browns. I gave them no respect last year at any point in time, but they continued to shut me up en route to being a few plays away from a potential AFCCG appearance. That same team is back and even better this season, and I have higher hopes for Cleveland than I’ve ever had before. While I still think QB is this team’s weakest position, Baker Mayfield did undeniably take massive strides forward last year and established himself as a proper, solid starting QB. And that was after star WR Odell Beckham Jr. was lost for the year with a torn ACL. It wouldn’t be asinine to say that the OBJ era in Cleveland has been a failure, but I still have hope that Baker and Odell can make things work with one another. And if they do, the AFC better watch out. Mayfield already has great connections with the various other weapons on offense, and the incredible backfield of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt needs no introduction. The Browns defense, which was a nice surprise last year, underwent a lot of turnover this offseason, but I still really like the unit as a whole. This roster is just really, really solid, and like I said before, I have a really strange but strong feeling about this team. You might be shocked how strong that feeling is.

3rd: Pittsburgh Steelers (9-8)

One word comes to my mind when I think about the Steelers: meh. This is just the most meh team in football. This is pretty much just last year’s team looking to run back more mediocrity. I’ll give Pittsburgh credit, they did address their gaping hole in the backfield by drafting RB Najee Harris, Alabama’s finest statistical back ever, with their first round pick. But, Harris is 23 and coming off 4 years of hard work at Alabama. I really like him, and hope he succeeds, but with that kind of milage on you, I’m not sure what kind of impact you can make right out of the gate in the NFL. The rest of the Steelers offense is the same old same old, and it inspires no confidence whatsoever. Ben Roethlisberger is back once again, and if I have to hear one more time about how much “different” he is after a long offseason of work, I will rip out my ears with my own hands. Ben has tricked you all for long enough, and it’s hilarious how many people fall for it. Yes, if you look at the stats alone, then I suppose he does his job just fine. But every year, when the calendars flip to October and November, he becomes the living embodiment of his nick-namesake. Even with WR Juju Smith-Schuster back, I just don’t see this offense doing much of anything. That’s a shame, because this defense is still stacked across the board. But if the end of last year was any indication, maybe that’s not the case anymore. I just don’t know how this team will be anything but average. We’ll have to wait and see.

4th: Cincinnati Bengals (5-12)

I am so, so, SO mad at this team. They really had one job. Just one. Okay, maybe they had a lot of jobs to fill a lot of holes on this team, but one area was lacking in particular: the offensive line. It’s the reason Joe Burrow was the most sacked QB in football before that same offensive line let his leg get folded in on itself, ending his rookie season months in advance. So, how do we address this issue Cincinnati? Surely you pick the generational LT prospect who has fallen into your laps with the #5 pick! But no, let’s roll with Jamarr Chase because he was Burrow’s favorite receiver in college. Don’t get me wrong, Chase is an amazing talent that will have a great career in this league, but one question remains. Will he even get out of his break before Joe Burrow is on the ground in the backfield? This offensive line is still absolutely abysmal, and it wont do Burrow any favors coming off last year’s horrible injury. I understand drafting Penei Sewell wouldn’t have magically made all those problems disappear, but it would have been a huge step in the right direction. This team already has very good WRs in Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins, so they didn’t even need Chase necessarily. But, this was the decision they made, and they have to live with it. In any case, the Bengals would not have been very good this year. The defense isn’t much to look at, and the offense will be sputtering thanks to a line that can’t stop a nosebleed. We can only hope that Joe Burrow lives to see the full season.

AFC South

1st: Tennessee Titans (11-6)

Let me just start by saying this division will get eaten alive this year. It is going to be so ugly. The only hope outside of the Titans was Indianapolis, but I’ll get into their problems when it’s their time. Tennessee is the only team really worth a damn in the AFC South, but they’d be a playoff team in any division. They have all the offensive fire power in the world, led by last year’s Offensive Player of the Year, RB Derrick Henry. Trading for WR Julio Jones to go alongside fellow superstar A.J. Brown will make QB Ryan Tannehill’s life even nicer this year. This team does have many problems though, especially on the defensive end. Last year, the Titans had no pass rush whatsoever, and their secondary got abused on a weekly basis. Unfortunately for them, they did almost nothing to remedy either of those problems. They did draft CB Caleb Farley in the 1st round, but he has a nagging injury problem that caused him to slip in the draft and could very well hold him back in the pros. Other than that, there’s no one of note on that side of the football. I do think this team can win a lot of track meets, but that’s not a winning formula in this league, especially when you’re up against the elite defenses of the AFC. Tennessee has the benefit of being in arguably the worst division in football, but I think they’ll be a one-and-done team in January.

2nd: Indianapolis Colts (4-13)

Before you say anything, I’d like to establish from the jump that I have no earthly idea how to evaluate this team right now. As of today, both OG Quenton Nelson and newly acquired QB Carson Wentz are out for 5-12 weeks (I get the feeling it’ll be closer to 12 than 5) with foot injuries. So, that’s your starting QB and your best player out for, let’s face it, at least the first month of the season. Even if Wentz comes back early in the year, he will have missed training camp in its entirety, and he just feels like the type of guy who needs all those reps. Anyone would with their new team. So, the harsh reality for the Colts right now is that it’ll either be the second year man Jacob Eason out of UW or rookie Sam Ehlinger running the show for an indefinite period of time. That inspires little to no confidence. Indy obviously still has its blindingly bright spots, such as RB Jonathan Taylor, who looked like a bonafide stud in his rookie season in 2020. It helps when you’re running behind arguably the best offensive line in football, even without Quenton Nelson, although his absence will be felt. The defense is still as stacked as ever, headlined by names like DeForest Buckner and Darius Leonard. But without a QB and your generational offensive lineman, it just feels like this team will be headed for an early nosedive that could very well span the whole season. If everyone comes back in time, I don’t think this is a 4 win team. But if I’m evaluating them based on where they stand right now, then they are.

3rd: Jacksonville Jaguars (4-13)

The Jaguars might be the most exciting team on the come-up in the NFL right now. Feels like a fever dream. This is a completely different team after perhaps the biggest offseason in franchise history. Bringing in Urban Meyer, one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, to coach this football team is a very interesting move. If it goes well, then it’ll be heralded as genius, but if it doesn’t… that’ll be an interesting time in the media. Luckily for Meyer, the Jags were gifted the #1 pick in this year’s draft, and thus were gifted QB Trevor Lawrence out of Clemson, one of the best quarterback prospects we’ve ever seen. You know the deal with Lawrence by now. If he is even a fraction of the messiah that people have been making him out to be since he was 18 years old, then this team has a very good future ahead. Lawrence will have his college buddy behind him, as Jacksonville took RB Travis Etienne with their other first round selection this April. Pairing him with James Robinson, who was one of the more pleasant surprises of last year’s rookie crop, makes for one of the more dynamic RB duos in the NFL. The defense still has all of its nice young pieces as well, although there seems to be a rift between the front office and last year’s first round pick, CB C.J. Henderson. In any case, this team has all the makings of a future playoff team. This will be the “figure it out” year for them, but I have very high hopes for the Jags in the upcoming years.

4th: Houston Texans (1-16)

There are genuinely no words to describe the Texans, both as a franchise and as a football team. This is easily the worst of both of those things in this league. Even after firing HC/GM Bill O’Brien after his boneheaded decisions, everything this team has done has been mind-boggling. I could get into all of the awful front office decisions, but one story loomed all too large over Houston this offseason: Deshaun Watson. The young star QB was everyone’s favorite player to root for, and we couldn’t help but feel bad for him being on this dumpster fire of a team. This offseason turned that all upside down, as over 20 women came forward to accuse Watson of sexual misconduct. While nothing has come out of all of those accusations, it leaves such a sour taste in everyone’s mouths. Now that camp is underway, whether or not Watson practices is a coinflip, and nobody can get a reading on what the hell is going on. In the event that Watson doesn’t end up playing this year, which is what I think will happen, this team has approximately nothing to prove to me that they’re capable of winning even a single game. Even if Watson does play, he won’t be able to carry them to more than just a few wins. Just look at last year, when he had a fairly good season, but the team still finished 4-12. The only reason I’m giving this team a single win is because I truly believe it’s next to impossible to go 0-17. But if any team can prove me wrong, I promise you it’s this one.

AFC West

1st: Kansas City Chiefs (13-4)

It’s the Chiefs. It’s Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Tyrann Mathieu, Chris Jones, do I need to go on? Yes, this team got absolutely smothered in the Super Bowl. Yes, their offensive line was shambolic. Yes, their defense could not stop a nosebleed against the Bucs. But that was then, and this is now. The aforementioned offensive line was easily this team’s biggest issue, but they went out and patched it up with some great moves. Trading for all-pro Orlando Brown and drafting star C Creed Humphrey out of Oklahoma, among several other moves, has this offensive line rejuvenated. Mahomes can only hope that he won’t be running for his life for 60 minutes every Sunday like last year. The defense is still a bit of a weak spot, especially now that they’ll be without DE Frank Clark, who was recently arrested. But no team in football is more suited to win a track meet than the Chiefs. As long as #15 is throwing the football to #10 and #87, this team will be fine. I don’t think they’ll be the most dominant team in the conference, and I even think they’ll struggle a bit within the division, but they will be just fine for the most part. If there’s anything I am sure of among all these predictions, it is that.

2nd: Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)

There aren’t many teams in football that I’m more excited to watch this year than the Chargers. This team had a phenomenal offseason after ending last year on 4 consecutive wins. There are upward trends everywhere with this team, and while it’s hard to ever put faith in them, that definitely inspires a ton of confidence. This team should have won a lot more than just 7 games last season, but when Anthony Lynn is your head coach, you can kiss any sensible late-game decision making out the window. Now, former Rams DC Brandon Staley runs the show, and I personally love the hire. That unit was elite under him, and this team has plenty of defensive studs, such as Joey Bosa, Derwin James, and Kenneth Murray, to potentially establish another stellar D in Los Angeles. QB Justin Herbert needs no introduction after last year’s stellar rookie campaign in which he shattered all of the rookie passing records en route to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year. It helps when you’re throwing the ball to the likes of star WR Keenan Allen, who catches literally everything. Herbert also has the benefit of a brand new offensive line, highlighted by OT Rashawn Slater, the team’s first round pick this year, and newly acquired all-pro C Corey Linsley. There are simply too many reasons to feel good about this team, and I have the utmost faith in them to reach the playoffs this year. I truly believe that if they don’t, it’s a complete failure.

3rd: Las Vegas Raiders (8-9)

This team is so strange. I feel like that has been the case for so long, and certainly has been the case for all of Jon Gruden’s tenure as head coach thus far. There is certainly a great deal of talent across the board on this roster, but it has never translated into something worthwhile. They have still yet to make the playoffs under Gruden, and it’s hard to foresee them doing it this year. Like I said, there are great pieces in Vegas; QB Derek Carr has been a solid starter for his entire career, Josh Jacobs is a stud out of the backfield, and Darren Waller has established himself as one of the best tight ends in all of football. The defense isn’t exactly great, but there are definitely some bright spots, such as Clelin Ferrell and the newly-acquired Casey Heyward. But it’s so hard to see the Raiders as anything but a middle-of-the-pack team in the AFC. It feels like this is the case way too often, and I get the feeling that after another season of complete mediocrity, we could see come changes coming in Vegas.

4th: Denver Broncos (6-11)

Sometimes I feel like this team has no direction. It’s always one step forward, at least two steps back. This is genuinely a really good roster, but again, the biggest lack is the most important position. It has been two years now, and Drew Lock has still not established himself as a starting QB in this league. Sure, he shows flashes every now and then, but in between those flashes is nothing short of backup QB play. It’s not like he has no weapons offensively, as pieces like RB Melvin Gordon and WRs Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton are very good to have. Denver also has a great defense, as always, and it will keep them in almost any game. They even beefed up their secondary by taking DB Patrick Surtain II out of Alabama with their first round selection. But as long as this team doesn’t have serviceable QB play, they will not be going anywhere. I don’t have any faith in Drew Lock, and I can definitely see his time in Denver coming to a close this year.

Playoff Picture

1 – Bills (15-2)

2 – Ravens (14-3)

3 – Chiefs (13-4)

4 – Titans (11-6)

5 – Browns (12-5)

6 – Patriots (11-6)

7 – Chargers (11-6)

I feel very strongly about all of these teams making the playoffs this season. The only other team I think could sneak their way in is Miami, but again, I simply lack the faith in Tua Tagovailoa to get it done. With that being said, I’ll give my very brief playoff predictions based on this seeding:

Wild Card Weekend

In the 2v7 game, I’d easily take the Ravens to take down the Chargers. It would be the 1st ever playoff game for Justin Herbert against a far more experienced team in Baltimore, and being on the road wouldn’t help that at all.

The 3v6 game would be a revival of the Chiefs-Patriots rivalry, but without Tom Brady, it would likely be a Kansas City blowout. They have just been so good in the playoffs, and I don’t believe that Cam Newton or Mac Jones has what it takes to win a postseason game at Arrowhead.

The 4v5 game appears to be a rather ugly game on paper, but I think it could be a very fun shootout in Tennessee. In a game like that, I’d trust the better defense to win, and that is quite easily the Browns. There would be a lot of points scored, but when it comes down to needing a stop, I believe Cleveland could lock it up and move on. I certainly don’t believe the Titans can.

Divisional Round

The 1 seed Bills would get a matchup with the 5 seed Browns in a classic, old-school AFC playoff showdown. I told you earlier that you might be surprised with just how much faith I have in Cleveland, so don’t be too shocked when I say I’d pick them in this game. I think last year’s AFCCG set the blueprint on how to shut down the Bills in the playoffs: just make Josh Allen throw the ball every play. That is likely what will happen anyways, thanks to Buffalo’s nonexistent running game. On the other hand, Cleveland can run it all day long, and I think that run game, along with their defense, will get them to a title game.

The other divisional round game would be another matchup for the Chiefs with a nemesis, this time in the Ravens. While I would easily pick Baltimore strictly on paper, nobody has had Lamar Jackson’s number quite like the Chiefs. They have simply shut him down in every matchup with him, and I don’t think this would be any different, especially considering how well prepared Andy Reid is in the postseason.

AFC Championship Game

My prediction for this year’s title game is a rematch of last year’s divisional, where the Chiefs eeked out a win against the Browns after Patrick Mahomes was knocked out with a concussion. I can imagine Cleveland will be eager to get revenge, and considering my predicted trajectory for them, they’ll have all the momentum in the world on their side. In the playoffs, there are 2 major factors that I consider when deciding a winner: defense and run game. You know who dominates both of those factors in this matchup? The Browns. That’s right. I’m picking the Cleveland Browns to go to Super Bowl LVI. I just feel so strongly about them in so many aspects. Their roster is very deep, and if last year was any indication, this team has not even scratched the surface of their potential. I don’t know if they would dominate the Chiefs like Tampa Bay did in last year’s Super Bowl, but I certainly think they can defeat them, even on the road.

So, who will the Browns play in the Super Bowl? I’ll reveal that tomorrow with my NFC Preview, so stay tuned for that. As always, thanks for your time, and I’ll see you guys tomorrow.