It's time for my predictions for the upcoming NFL season. Here is how I see the divisions followed by playoff seeding predictions.
AFC East
1 Buffalo
2 Miami
3 New England
4 New York Jets
Buffalo should win this division rather easily. Josh Allen will be under a lot of pressure in the playoffs but not so much in the regular season, I think Miami will pass up New England this year. The Patriots will always be good on defense as long as Bill Belichick is around, but the Dolphins should certainly score more points. The Jets had a great draft, and if they can keep Zach Wilson on the field, they will be improved. However, he will miss at least the first three games.
AFC North
1 Baltimore
2 Cincinnati
3 Pittsburgh
4 Cleveland
This division will be a battle. Just because the Bengals went to the Super Bowl last year by no means assures them of winning this division. They will be in it until the end, but I think if the Ravens stay reasonably healthy, they will win it. The Browns had a good chance until Deshaun Watson was suspended for 11 games. The Steelers are the team that is hard to figure. Mike Tomlin will always make the Steelers competitive, but it's up to the quarterbacks, Trubisky and/or Pickett, to take them to the playoffs or not.
AFC South
1 Tennessee
2 Indianapolis
3 Jacksonville
4 Houston
Lots of people like the Colts to win this division, and they might, but I'm not going to count out the Titans just because they laid an egg against the Bengals last year in the playoffs. I think Jacksonville will be much improved. They might even challenge the .500 mark this year. The Texans just don't have enough to win many games.
AFC West
1 Kansas City
2 Los Angeles Chargers
3 Denver
4 Las Vegas
The Chargers have the talent to win this division. So do the Broncos and Raiders! But, until the Chiefs get knocked off, they are the champs with six straight division titles. They have arguably the best quarterback in football. The Chargers have too many good players to not make the playoffs. If Russell Wilson plays well early, watch out for the Broncos. The Raiders added pass rush ability, and they added Davante Adams to an already good offense.
NFC East
1 Dallas
2 Philadelphia
3 New York Giants
4 Washington
This is the toughest call for me this year. Call me hardheaded, but I'll take the Cowboys even though they lost their left tackle to injury and lost their best wide receiver, Amari Cooper, to Cleveland in free agency because Jerry Jones got mad at him and wouldn't re-sign him. The Eagles have the best roster, but I just can't see Jalen Hurts leading them to a division title. The Giants could surprise some teams, but Daniel Jones will hold them back. Carson Wentz is the hope of the Commanders. Not much hope, is there?!
NFC North
1 Green Bay
2 Minnesota
3 Detroit
4 Chicago
The Packers had a lot of drama again in the offseason. They lost Davante Adams because Aaron Rodgers wanted to cause drama to the last second before he re-signed, and Adams was not going to wait around and get stuck without a good quarterback. The Vikings are some people's pick to win the division. The Pack might take a step back but not enough to lose out to the Vikings this year. The Lions will be better, but they have a long way to go. The Bears have a new coach to get used to plus no weapons or offensive line for Justin Fields. Fields could be pretty good, but it might not show in the win column this year.
NFC South
1 Tampa Bay
2 New Orleans
3 Carolina
4 Atlanta
The Bucs are the champs of this division until someone knocks them off. Weak players in the middle of their offensive line can cause trouble for Tom Brady, but he will get his fair share of wins. The Saints have the Bucs number, but I don't think it's enough to win the division. I do think Jameis Winston will have a decent year. The Panthers will try to win as many as they lose while there's no hope for the Falcons.
NFC West
1 Los Angeles Rams
2 San Francisco
3 Arizona
4 Seattle
The Rams are the Super Bowl champs. They have a chance to repeat if Matthew Stafford's elbow holds up. The 49ers could win it all if Trey Lance plays well, but I think he's a bit too inexperienced for that to happen. The Cardinals are a boom or bust team. I predict they will boom some and bust some! Seattle has no Russell Wilson and no chance.
Playoff Seeding Projections
AFC
1 Buffalo
2 Kansas City
3 Baltimore
4 Tennessee
5 Los Angeles Chargers
6 Cincinnati
7 Denver
The Colts might very well make it and so might the Dolphins, but I'm not sure who to leave out to put them in.
NFC
1 Green Bay
2 Los Angeles Rams
3 Tampa Bay
4 Dallas
5 San Francisco
6 New Orleans
7 Minnesota
Watch out for the Eagles, and the Cardinals have a chance.
For comparison sake, here are Colin Cowherd's division predictions...
AFC East - Buffalo, Miami, New England, New York Jets
AFC North - Cincinnati, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cleveland
AFC South - Indianapolis, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Houston
AFC West - Denver, Kansas City, Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas
NFC East - Philadelphia, Dallas, New York Giants, Washington
NFC North - Minnesota, Green Bay, Detroit, Chicago
NFC South - Tampa Bay, New Orleans, Carolina, Atlanta
NFC West - Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco, Arizona, Seattle
Colin likes these teams to make the playoffs... Buffalo, Miami, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Denver, Kansas City, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Green Bay, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco, Arizona.
May God always be your number 1 draft pick!
Draftman Rick