Hurdle's: NFL Guarantees and Predictons

I will be making predictions team-by-team for the upcoming NFL season. I will start with the NFC West, then go to the NFC North, the NFC East and finish with the NFC South. I will then proceed to the AFC West, the AFC South, the AFC East and finish with the AFC North.

NFC West:

1. San Francisco 49ers 12-4

2. Seattle Seahawks 11-5

3. Arizona Cardinals 9-7

4. St. Louis Rams 7-9

I think the San Francisco 49ers are going to win the division and get a first round bye in the playoffs by being a two seed going 12-4. In my opinion, the 49ers are going to be led by a MVP candidate Colin Kapernick and a strong defense. One interesting note is they are expecting star linebacker Navarro Bowman back from a torn ACL at about Week 9. In second place in the West I see the defending champion Seattle Seahawks coming in at 11-5 and being a five seed in the NFC. I think a little reason for their drop off will be that they lost a couple of defensive lineman from last years phenomenal defense. A note on the Seahawks is that star running back Marshawn Lynch is currently holding out for more money.

In third place will be the Arizona Cardinals just missing out on the playoffs going 9-7. Arizona has one very important thing and that is a great coach in Bruce Arians. The Cardinals need to get a quarterback soon to replace Carson Palmer most likely through the draft. Coming in last will be the St. Louis Rams at 7-9. This would not be a terrible season for the Rams especially in this division. The reason the Rams can’t being successful is simply because of Sam Bradford’s knees he has not been able to stay healthy over his career.

NFC North:

1. Green Bay Packers 11-5

2. Chicago Bears 8-8

3. Detroit Lions 6-10

4. Minnesota Vikings 3-13

In first are the Green Bay Packers going 11-5 and claiming the third seed led by Aaron Rodgers. If the Packers want to make a playoff run their defense will need to improve. In second place will be the Chicago Bears coming in at 8-8 being held back by Jay Cutler and missing the playoffs.

In third place will be the Detroit Lions at 6-10. The Lions defense is simply not good enough to win. Coming in last will be the Minnesota Vikings  going 3-13. Adrian Peterson will have another good year but the Vikings will be held back by rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

NFC East:

1. Washington Redskins 9-7

2. Dallas Cowboys 7-9

3. Philadelphia Eagles 6-10

4. New York Giants 5-11

 

This division could be the worst in the entire league. Coming in first will be the Washington Redskins at 9-7 claiming the four seed in the NFC. The Redskins have grown one of the underrated offenses now with Alfred Morris, Desean Jackson, and Pierre Garçon. In second place will be the Dallas Cowboys at 7-9. I could see the cowboys 6-4 through 10 games and finishing 1-5.

In third place the Philadelphia Eagles will have a fall out and go 6-10. Losing Desean Jackson is a bigger loss than everyone thinks and will end up costing them. In last will be the New York Giants going 5-11 and having a bad year. First of all they have a bad run game now especially since David Wilson is having neck issues that are very serious. This division is very mediocre.

NFC South:

1.  New Orleans Saints 13-3

2. Carolina Panthers 10-6

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6-10

4. Atlanta Falcons 5-11

The team winning the division will be the New Orleans Saints claiming the number one seed in the NFC going 13-3 plus going 8-0 at home. In second place in the South will be the Carolina Panthers going 10-6. I think they will get the 6 seed in the playoffs.

In third  place will be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers going 6-10. Coming in last will be the Atlanta Falcons going 5-11. Going 5-11 will force the front office to fire head coach Mike Smith.

NFC Playoff Seeds:

One Seed:  New Orleans

Two Seed: San Francisco

Three Seed: Green Bay

Fourth Seed: Washington

Fifth Seed: Seattle

Sixth Seed: Carolina

AFC West:

1. Denver Broncos 13-3

2. San Diego Chargers 10-6

3. Kansas City Chiefs 7-9

4. Oakland Raiders 4-12

In first will be the Denver Broncos led by Peyton Manning. They will go 13-3 and claim the number one overall seed in the AFC. In second will be the San Diego Chargers going 10-6, getting the 5th seed in the AFC. Expect a huge year from wide receiver Keenan Allen.

In third will be the Kansas City Chiefs going 7-9 this year. Coming in last will be the Oakland Raiders putting up a 4-12. Their record will come from the lack of talent at the quarterback position.

AFC South:

1. Indianapolis Colts 10-6

2.  Houston Texans 9-7

3. Tennessee Titans 6-10

4.  Jacksonville Jaguars 5-11

Coming in first place will be the Indianapolis Colts. They will go 10-6  and get the number four seed led by a breakout year by Andrew Luck. In second and claiming the sixth seed will be the Houston Texans going 9-7 led by their defense.

Coming in third will be the Tennessee Titans going 6-10 having offensive struggles. Coming in last will be the Jacksonville Jaguars going 5-11. They have an underrated defense and Blake Bortles who will end up being a pro bowl quarterback later in his career.

AFC East:

1. New England Patriots 12-2

2. Miami Dolphins 7-9

3. Buffalo Bills 6-10

4. New York Jets 5-11

To no surprise,  the New England Patriots will come in first in the division and get the second seed in the AFC. Their defense is going to be stronger than ever this year with the signing of Darrelle Revis. In second will be the Miami Dolphins at 7-9 and will struggle because of Ryan Tanehill. Tanehill will struggle. Tanehill may get replaced after this season.

In third place will be the Buffalo Bills going 6-10. I think Sammy Watkins will win Offensive Rookie of the Year. In last will be the New York Jets going 5-11 the jets will be held back by injuries especially from Michael Vick.

AFC North:

1. Baltimore Ravens 11-5

2. Cincinnati Bengals 9-7

3. Pittsburgh Steelers 8-8

4. Cleveland Browns 7-9

In first place I see the Baltimore Ravens going 11-5 and getting the three seed in the AFC. The Ravens are going to have a breakout year on defense and be one of their nest defenses under John Harbaugh. A really nice signing I thought was getting Owen Daniels which makes the Ravens tight end combination one of the best in the NFL with Dennis Pitta and Owen Daniels.

In second place and just missing out on the playoffs will be the Cincinnati Bengals going 9-7. Andy Dalton will have a down year, which may lead to a change at the quarterback position for a team that relies on one.

In third will be the Pittsburgh Steelers 8-8 having an okay year. In last will be the new and improved Cleveland Browns, coming in at 7-9. I really believe Johnny Manziel is going to have a good rookie season. One key factor will be if Josh Gordon’s suspension gets dropped or shortened.

AFC Playoffs:

One seed: Denver

Two Seed: New England

Three Seed: Baltimore

Four Seed: Indianapolis

Fifth Seed: San Diego

Sixth seed: Texans

Playoffs:

In the NFC I see the Seahawks beating the Redskins in the first round and Green Bay beating Carolina. In the division round I see the Seahawks beating the Saints in the divisional round and the 49ers beating the Packers. In the conference championship I see the 49ers beating the Seahawks and advancing to the Super Bowl.

In the AFC I see the Chargers beating the Colts in the first round and the Ravens beating the Texans. In the division round I think the Broncos beat the Chargers and the Ravens beat the Patriots. In the conference championship the Broncos beat the Ravens and go to the Super Bowl.

In the Super Bowl the 49ers will beat the Broncos 28-24 with Colin Kapernick claiming MVP.

My three bold predictions are number one Calvin Johnson will not be in the top five of receiving yards in the NFL. My second one is at least one running back will rush for 2,000 yards. My last prediction is Colin Kapernick will throw more touchdowns than Aaron Rodgers.

Feel free after reading this to comment or tweet at me (jumping_HURDLES) your opinions.