NFL Preview

I'm doing something other than a movie post. Hope the football fans that read this enjoy it.

AFC North

Baltimore – The Ravens should win the division in a two team race. They have a cupcake schedule facing the NFC West and the AFC South. The Texans are the only team in those two divisions that match up talent wise with the Ravens. I’m not a Joe Flacco fan, but the defense and run game should win most of their games. However, when they run into elite QB’s I think they’ll come up short, because Flacco can’t keep up with Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, and Philip Rivers. Regular season champs, but post-season duds.

Pittsburgh – The Steelers have not made the playoffs following the Super Bowl the last three times they represented the AFC. That should change this year with a favorable schedule and returning most starters for the AFC champ. I do think the team is getting old, and the defense could go downhill quickly if Polamalu or James Harrison get hurt or regress. They should have another year of good play, though, and can make another Super Bowl run.

Cleveland – How well the Browns do will depend on how Colt McCoy develops as the team’s QB. They’re one of the eight teams with a new head coach, and one of the four with brand new schemes on both offense and defense. I expect a slow start and if McCoy is improved a decent second half of the season. This team is still a couple year’s, and a couple receivers, away from competing for the division title.

Cincinnati – The Bengals might be the worse run organizations in all of professional sports in a competitive sense. (They are one of the most profitable team in the NFL. Almost $50 million in profits last year.) They have no QB, an average RB, and no WR’s. The defense have a couple of good CB’s, but the team will be behind so often that they will be seeing more running plays than pass plays.

AFC South

Houston – The Texans have one of the best offenses in the NFL, but had one of the worst defenses. Wade Phillips is a great coordinator, but I don’t think they have the talent to make a quick turnaround. But the Texans are the only team in the division that will finish over .500.

Tennessee – 7-9 will be enough for the Titans to finish second in the division. Matt Hasselbeck will be an upgrade over Kerry Collins, and they still have Chris Johnson in the backfield. They have a lot of talent in their secondary and expect the defense to get back to respectability.

Indianapolis – Peyton Manning is the Colts. If he doesn’t play the team won’t win. I’m not a doctor, but his injury sounds too serious to expect anything from him this season. Might get a top five pick in the draft if he doesn’t play at all.

Jacksonville – The Jaguars just released the only QB they had. Not a good idea. McCown isn’t any good, and Blaine Gabbert isn’t ready to start. Maurice Jones-Drew isn’t healthy, and their top wideout is best suited for the slot receiver position, not as a starter. The defense is average at best. Everyone knows that the coach, Jack Del Rio, is on the way out, and the owners are trying to make as much money as they can. ($30 under the cap.)

AFC East

New York – This is the year the Jets finally overtake the Pats in the East. It’s Sanchez’s third year and if he is going to be a good QB this is the year. They have a strong offensive line, a good running game, and one of the best defenses in the NFL. The only thing that will keep them out of the postseason is Mark Sanchez.

New England – The Patriots defense is not as good as people think. They wouldn’t be bringing in a head case like Albert Haynesworth if they weren’t desperate for some pass rush. Also, the pass defense last year was in the bottom quarter of the league. You can’t expect Brady to throw 36 TD’s and only 4 picks again. A regression is coming.

Buffalo – The Bills are starting to turn their team around. The offense is getting better and the defense is switching back to a 4-3 which suits their players much better. Ryan Fitzpatrick will throw for plenty of yards, but they’ll need a better QB before they make a postseason run.

Miami – The Dolphins made a mistake when they let both Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown go via free agency. They have one of the best offensive lines in the league, but they don’t have a RB to take advantage of it. Chad Henne is mediocre and won’t get the ball to Brandon Marshall enough. The defense is average and will keep them in some games, but they won’t be able to score enough points to win.

AFC West

San Diego – The Chargers passing offense is the best in the AFC. Philip Rivers is a top 3 QB, Antonio Gates is a top 3 TE, and Vincent Jackson is a top 10 WR. Last year they ranked number one in yardage on both defense and offense, but they’re special teams and untimely turnovers ruined their season. They were unlucky last year and I expect them to bounce back this year.

Nnamdi Asomugha will take away the edge they had over the Chargers and will finish second place again.

Denver – The Broncos almost went into full rebuild mode this offseason when they attempted to trade Kyle Orton and install Tim Tebow as the starting QB. They kept Orton and will be a bit better than terrible. The new coach, John Fox, will improve the defense right away, and they have two great pass rushers in Elvis Dumervil and rookie Von Miller.

Kansas City – The Chiefs are going to implode this year. Jamaal Charles will be overused, the passing offense will decline after losing coordinator Charlie Weis, and the coach, Todd Haley, is a spaz. Last place and a top five pick is coming.

NFC North

Green Bay – The Packers are the second youngest team in the NFL and reigning Super Bowl champs. I’m hoping it’s the beginning of a dynasty. Like the Chargers, they have a top 3 QB, a top 3 TE, and a top 10 WR. They also have a top 5 defense, including the best pass defense in the NFL. A Super Bowl repeat is definitely possible.

Detroit – The Lions are improving, but are still a year away from the playoffs. They need an offensive lineman or two, and two new cornerbacks. However, they have one of the best defensive lines, and excellent skill position players.

Chicago – The Bears will come back to earth this year. The defense is getting old and won’t be able to stay as healthy as they were last year. Jay Cutler is the new Jeff George. Talented, but not a winner. The offensive line is bottom 5 in the league, but Matt Forte is a top 10 RB.

Minnesota – The Vikings are at the end of the line, and should begin rebuilding right away. Even if everything clicks for the Vikings the best they will do is a wild card and a first round playoff loss.

NFC South

New Orleans – The Saints will win this division easily. No defense in this division will be able to handle their offense, and their defense is good enough to hold the Falcons and Bucs offenses in check. It may be a preview of the NFC title game on opening night when they face the Packers.

Atlanta – The Falcons added a first round receiver in Julio Jones, but nothing to improve their terrible pass defense. Just like the Patriots, they won’t be able to generate a pass rush, and the secondary is bottom third in the league.

Tampa Bay – The Buccaneers look good on paper, but I think they will finish under .500 this year. They had a ridiculously easy schedule last year and will not sneak up on anybody this year.

Carolina – The Panthers are clearly a team rebuilding. If they get their running game going again with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart they have a chance at winning a few games.

NFC East

Dallas – The Cowboys were the biggest underachievers in the league last year. They were supposed to run away with the division, and were terrible until Wade Phillips was fired. Rob Ryan will improve the defense and having Tony Romo back will put the offense back on track again.

Philadelphia – The Eagles are the most hyped team in the NFL this year. However, the offensive line and run defense will keep them from making it to the promised land. I also have a deep hatred for dog killers.

New York – The Giants were hit harder by injuries in the preseason than any other team. They were set to compete for the division, but with the injuries leaving some gaping holes in their secondary they will be closer to average.

Washington – The Redskins will never figure it out. You can’t buy a championship and a big name head coach won’t either. Mike Shanahan was fortunate enough to have a hall of fame QB and a hall of fame RB lead him to two Super Bowls. He might be out of a job after this year.

NFC West

Arizona – The Cardinals are the best of the worst division in football. They might finish 8-8 and win this division. Larry Fitzgerald will put up better numbers with Kolb throwing the ball to him, and if Beanie Wells stays healthy they should have a decent run game.

St. Louis – The Rams are getting closer to being a playoff team. Sam Bradford looks okay, but needs to start completing passes down the field more often. They have a good RB in Steven Jackson, and an improving defense. Could be a playoff team next year.

San Francisco – The 49ers might have finished ahead of the Rams if they had a full offseason to install their new offensive and defensive schemes. However, that didn’t happen, and they won’t start playing well until the second half of the season.

Seattle – You can’t go into a season with Tavaris Jackson as your starting QB. The Seahawks haven’t realized this yet. They will about 5 minutes into the first game. There was a reason the Vikings wanted Favre back last year. It was seeing T-Jack in practice that did it.

Playoffs AFC

Wild Card Round – Jets over Patriots, Texans over Steelers

Divisional Round – Chargers over Texans, Jets over Ravens

AFC Championship – Chargers over Jets

Playoffs NFC

Wild Card Round – Cowboys over Falcons, Eagles over Cardinals

Divisional Round – Packers over Eagles, Saints over Cowboys

NFC Championship – Packers over Saints

Super Bowl – Packers over Chargers

Well, that’s my little NFL preview. Hope you enjoyed it.

May the Force be with you,

CHUD