NFL Predictions: The Final Quarter

With Week 13 in the books, every team in the NFL has entered their final quarter of the season. 12 games gone. 4 to go. No more bye weeks. No more excuses. Playoff football is right around the corner. Here are your current standings:

With that in mind, who should we expect to see playing past January 1st this season?

AFC

Eliminated:

New York Jets

Jacksonville Jaguars

Cleveland Browns

Congratulations to these three AFC teams! They get to start their off-season early this year. Imagine a world where you are so bad at your job that you get to take the last quarter of the year off? Well, look no further than these awful teams, as they are chock-full of players and coaches that no longer matter in the NFL world. Well, maybe the Browns still matter, as they hope to secure an historic 0-16 season! And for all you naysayers that claim the Browns are actually going to try to win, you should know that they still have plenty to lose for, as the 49ers are breathing down their necks, merely one game out from stealing away the first overall pick in the upcoming draft, from the Browns.

What may be even sadder than Cleveland’s awful season, is that a team like Jacksonville - a team that had the misconceived notion of being a competent, possibly even good football team - has been eliminated so early, especially when you consider the fact that they play in one of the worst divisions in the NFL.

What may be even funnier than Cleveland’s awful season, is that a team like the Jets never fail to be hilariously bad. Think about this: the best seasons of the past 10 years or so for New York were led by Mark Sanchez. Personally, I love Mark Sanchez, as he was the protagonist (hopeless hero?) of my favorite play in NFL history.

Basically Eliminated:

San Diego Chargers

Cincinnati Bengals

The Chargers have a good team this year. Unfortunately, they have also had a lot of bad luck, which has not made the task of playing in the toughest division in the NFL any easier. Phillip Rivers is not the quarterback he once was, and his retirement looms closer, as San Diego’s (Los Angeles’s?) playoff window continues to shrink.

The Bengals have been an enormous disappointment this year, as their once dominant roster has finally begun to fall apart. Dalton isn’t a good enough quarterback to lead a group of subpar NFL talent to the playoffs (few NFL quarterbacks are), and it is finally showing, as the Bengals will almost certainly miss the playoffs for the first time in five years.  

You’re Saying There’s a Chance?:

Buffalo Bills

I was very close to bumping the Bills up to the “In the Mix” category, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Buffalo will most likely have to win out to even have a shot at making the playoffs. Their final four games are against the Steelers, Browns, Dolphins, and Jets. Their Week 14 matchup against Pittsburgh is definitely their toughest remaining game. If they win that, the Bills may have a shot. However, one slip up and the season is virtually over.

Lucky to be in a Lousy Division:

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Tennessee Titans

The AFC South is awful. One of these awful teams will get to host a playoff game before they are immediately eliminated from the wild card round. The Texans have been far from good this season, and not to beat a dead horse… but the Texans are paying top dollar for the worst starting quarterback in the league. Osweiller has thrown one more touchdown than interception this year, and he is averaging a league worst 5.77 yards per attempt.

Meanwhile, with one of the best quarterbacks in the league, the Colts are struggling to find a way to win this awful division. If any of these teams were half decent, they would have already clinched the playoffs by now. Instead, the Titans have a legitimate shot at winning the AFC South. In defense of Tennessee, Mariota seems to finally be getting comfortable in the NFL, but still… this is the Titans we are talking about.

In the Mix:

Kansas City Chiefs

Denver Broncos

Baltimore Ravens

Miami Dolphins

Pittsburgh Steelers

This is where the excitement of the playoff race exists in the AFC. The Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos currently hold the top two spots in the AFC wild card race, while the Dolphins and Steelers both sit one game behind the Broncos. The Chiefs will get their chance to prove that they are a top contender when they host the Raiders this Thursday Night at Arrowhead stadium. Sitting in third place in the division, the defending Super Bowl Champion Broncos will need to stay on top of their game if they hope to just hold onto a wild card spot.

For the race in the AFC North, the Ravens currently own the tiebreaker over Pittsburgh. The division title is still up for grabs, as the Ravens will visit the Steelers at Heinz field on Christmas Eve, which could prove to be an incredibly important game in deciding the division champion.

The only team stuck in “no man’s land” is the Miami Dolphins. The only hope for Miami is the wild card. All other teams “In the Mix” will be hoping for their respective division crown (though at this point it seems like an outside shot for Denver to win the AFC West, especially since they are 1-3 in the division). Miami was looking like a possible contender in the AFC East, until they ended their six game win streak against the Baltimore Ravens in embarrassing fashion. Miami may need to win the rest of their games, if they hope to grab a playoff spot.

Top Contenders:

Oakland Raiders

New England Patriots

THE OAKLAND RAIDERS ARE THE TOP SEED IN THE AFC. HELL YEAH! HERE IS MY UNBIASED OPINION OF THE RAIDERS:

THEY WILL WIN THE REST OF THEIR GAMES THIS YEAR EN ROUTE TO SUPER BOWL GLORY.

Seriously though, Kansas City is the team to beat in the AFC West. The Chiefs are undefeated in the division, and they will now play host to the Raiders on a short week. The Chiefs can secure a crucial regular season sweep over the Raiders on Thursday, which would be a huge step towards winning the division for Kansas City. However, if the Raiders find a way to win in Arrowhead, they will take a two game divisional lead into the final three weeks of the season. Needless to say, this Thursday’s game is huge for both teams’ Super Bowl aspirations.

Tied for the top record in the AFC, the Patriots are currently sitting in second place in the conference. With their division almost wrapped up, the Patriots will be the favorites to grab homefield advantage throughout the playoffs as well. However, New England must still face three good teams before the playoffs: Baltimore, Denver, and Miami. It won’t be easy, but I like New England’s chances.

AFC Predictions:

New year, same result. The Patriots grab homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. The Chiefs defeat the Raiders on Thursday Night, and win out to grab the #2 seed and the AFC West. The Steelers defeat the Ravens on Christmas Eve, en route to winning the AFC North. The Colts win the lousy AFC South, which somehow earns them a home game over the far superior #5 seed… the Oakland Raiders. Oakland drops two of their last four, but easily hang onto the top wild card seed. The Ravens sneak in as the 6th seed, setting up the rubber match at Heinz Field against the Steelers. The Broncos are the first team out at 10-6, as both Conference Champions from the previous season fail to make the post-season.

1st: New England Patriots (13-3)

2nd Kansas City Chiefs (13-3)

3rd: Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6)

4th: Indianapolis Colts (8-8)

5th: Oakland Raiders (12-4)

6th: Baltimore Ravens (10-6)

____________________________

7th: Denver Broncos (10-6)

Now, let’s take a look at the NFC. How have all sixteen teams fared through the first 13 weeks of the NFL season?

NFC

Eliminated:

San Francisco 49ers

All alone in the NFC’s “eliminated from the playoffs” oblivion are the hopeless 49ers. In my opinion (an opinion which has not changed since before the season even started), this is the worst team in the NFL. San Francisco just laid an all-time stinker last weekend by getting embarrassed in Chicago. Playing against one of their fellow horrible teams, the Niners recorded a pathetic six yards of passing offense. In the modern NFL, that is basically unfathomable. It was a true team effort, as Chip Kelly refused to let Kaepernick throw the ball. Kaepernick chose to continuously get sacked, rather than throw the ball on the few pass plays that were even called. And, Jed York and Trent Baalke are finally finding out what alienating a fanbase, moving to Santa Clara, raising ticket prices, firing a top NFL coach, releasing and trading your best players, and staying way under the salary cap does to a franchise. IT MAKES THAT FRANCHISE TERRIBLE. Unfortunately, for Niner fans, none of this appears to be changing anytime soon. Ownership is inept, the stadium sucks, and only the rich can afford season tickets to go watch the worst team in the NFL lose, before they have to make the 40+ mile drive back to their homes in San Francisco.

Basically Eliminated:

Philadelphia Eagles

Carolina Panthers

Los Angeles Rams

Chicago Bears

The Eagles could realistically string together four wins and make the playoffs, but there is little hope for that. Wentz has finally begun to show his true colors, and they are not pretty. He has regressed to the norm for rookie quarterbacks. The Eagles are yet to win a divisional game, and I don’t expect that to change anytime soon in this year’s version of the superpowered NFC East.

The sad Cam Newton tour continues. I watched Seattle decimate Carolina 40-7, and maybe it’s just Cam’s style, but that guy looked like he could care less about completing passes. Cam has checked out, and so to have the rest of the Carolina players. The 15-1 regular season, regular season MVP, and Conference Championship of last year seem like a long, long time ago.

The Rams suck! They play some great defense sometimes (except when they gave up 49 points to the Saints), but they are absolutely horrid at moving the ball on offense. I have not watched enough Rams games to know what the problem is, but something needs to be fixed. On the plus side (?), Los Angeles was the only team to lose to San Francisco this year! What a great way to remember a successful season. How does Jeff Fisher still have his job?...

Even when Jay Cutler has been healthy, the Bears have been awful for a number of years. Jay Cutler is the Jeff Fisher of quarterbacks. He has had inexplicably great job security, even though he is mediocre at his job. It seems as though the Cutler saga is finally coming to an end in Chicago. The only question now is what unlucky franchise (Jets) will take on Cutler and what is most likely going to be an overpriced contract (Jets) next season?!

You’re Saying There’s a Chance?:

Arizona Cardinals

New Orleans Saints

Minnesota Vikings

Green Bay Packers

Arizona is only 1.5 games out of the wild card; however, they are really bad. Carson Palmer is bad. The defense is bad. David Johnson is… INCREDIBLE. What a waste of a great talent. David Johnson would probably be in the MVP conversation if the Cardinals weren’t so bad this season. Unfortunately, Arizona will likely have to win their final four games to even have a chance at grabbing the 6th seed and final wild card spot.

The Saints have actually looked like a solid team this year, and I wouldn’t count them out just yet. New Orleans is just two games out of the NFC South lead, and three of their final four games will be against Tampa Bay and Atlanta (weird scheduling), who are the two teams that sit above them in the NFC South standings. Still, even if the Saints win out, they will most likely need the Falcons to lose three of their final four to have a chance at the division. That seems unlikely, considering the fact that New Orleans are the best team left on Atlanta’s schedule (Rams, Niners, Panthers, Saints).

Similarly to the other two teams in this category, Minnesota and Green Bay may need to win out if they hope to make the playoffs. I like both of these teams’ chances at winning the division more than I like their chances of winning the wild card. Green Bay will always be a threat with Aaron Rodgers behind center. So, I would still be a little nervous if I was a fan of Detroit. As for the Vikings, Minnesota will never be a threat with Sam Bradford behind center. So, I would not even be a little nervous about that if I was a fan of Detroit. Sam Bradford sucks.

In the Mix:

Seattle Seahawks

Detroit Lions

Atlanta Falcons

New York Giants

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Redskins

In my eyes, the Seahawks are not quite in that “Top Contenders” group. A win in Green Bay this weekend could change that. Seattle has been terribly inconsistent this season. Their offense has oscillated from “worst in the NFL” to “maybe actually good” over and over this season. The Seattle offense has scored less than seven points three times this season, scoring 3 points against Los Angeles, 6 against Arizona, and 5 against Tampa Bay. Even if those awful performances are just odd anomalies, those games should be concerning for Seahawks fans. Seattle will need to close the season out strong if they hope to have multiple home games in the playoffs, which has proven to be incredibly important for the Seahawksov er the last few years. The same has been true for this season (Home: 6-0, Away: 2-3-1).

Detroit is shockingly only a half game behind Seattle for the race for second in the NFC. I’m not sure how the Lions have put it together this season, but whatever they are doing must be working. Minnesota and Green Bay will have to close the season strong if either of them hopes to catch Detroit. For the Lions, holding onto the division lead will be tough, as their final three games are against the Giants, Cowboys, and Packers. The NFC North title may very well come down to their Week 17 matchup against Green Bay.

The Falcons have looked like one of the top teams in the league in spurts this season. As already mentioned, Atlanta finishes the season with four very winnable games, so I like their chances at pushing Seattle and Detroit for the two seed, assuming they win their final four games.

The Giants are stuck in no man’s land. New York has almost no shot at winning the division, and it would take a decent collapse for them to fall out of the playoffs all together. The Giants will get their chance to prove themselves this weekend, as they look to sweep the season series with Dallas.

The Buccaneers are nipping at the heels of the Falcons for the NFC South crown. Winston is finally starting to look like an NFL quarterback, while being surrounded by a very solid roster of NFL talent. Unfortunately, Tampa Bay’s final four games are a little tougher than Atlanta’s. The Bucs will have to step it up down the stretch if they hope to make the playoffs this season.

Sitting a half game out of the wild card race are the Redskins. I only have one question about Washington… Are they actually any good? I’m not really sure. Can someone let me know? Otherwise, I’ll just have to let you know whether or not they are playoff quality in four weeks.

Top Contenders:

Dallas Cowboys

I only consider one NFC team to be in the elite group of “top contenders,” and that would be the Cowboys. Dallas has already clinched a playoff berth, and they will most likely be able to clinch homefield advantage throughout the playoffs before the final week of the season. Ezekiel Elliot and Dak Prescott have been unbelievably good this year. The offensive line is certainly making their lives’ easier, but that should not diminish just how successful these two phenomenal young players have been this season. The only question now is how far will the Cowboys go?

NFC Predictions:

The Cowboys secure homefield advantage throughout the playoffs with two weeks to spare, cruising to a 13-3 finish. Seattle just barely holds onto the second seed, staving off challenges from Detroit and Atlanta. The Falcons finish the season on a four game winning streak, carrying a lot of momentum into the playoffs. The Packers outdo the Falcon’s winning streak, by winning their final six games of the season, en route to the NFC North crown. Detroit salvages the season by grabbing a wild card berth, setting up a rematch of their Week 17 game against the Packers. Tampa Bay catches fire at the end of the season, securing the sixth seed. The Giants find a way to blow it, crashing out of the playoffs as the 7th seed, thanks to being on the unfortunate end of a four-way tie-breaker between all of the NFC’s 10-6 teams.

1st: Dallas Cowboys (13-3)

2nd: Seattle Seahawks (11-4-1)

3rd: Atlanta Falcons (11-5)

4th: Green Bay Packers (10-6)

5th: Detroit Lions (10-6)

6th: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-6)

_____________________________

7th: New York Giants (10-6)

Enjoy the final quarter of the NFL season. Go Raiders!

Division Rankings at the Halfway Point of the NFL Season

After eight weeks of football, I have one question I would like to address: Which is the best division in the NFL? You know what, let’s go one step further. Let’s rank all eight divisions from best to worst. Let’s find out which divisions will likely produce multiple playoff teams, and which divisions are an embarrassment that don’t deserve a single playoff team.

Below, you will find an analysis of each division, along with an Overall Record of the division and a Inter-Divisional Record. I find that the Inter-divisional Record is more valuable when comparing divisions against each other because it discounts intra-divisional games, which will always be split evenly within the division. And before anyone says anything, I am aware that my divisional rankings are not ranked exactly in order of overall winning percentage. While overall winning percentage is a major factor in my rankings, it is not the only thing I considered when comparing divisions. I also consider my heavy bias towards specific divisions and teams, in order to make sure my rankings are fair through the eyes of me.

1. AFC West:

Overall Record: 20-11 (.645)

Inter-Divisional Record: 15-6 (.714)

The AFC West has separated itself from the pack as the best division in football. Top to bottom, every team in this division is competitive. The top three teams in the division each have only two losses, and the bottom team is the Chargers (3-5), who could easily be 7-1 right now, if it weren’t for a number of laughable failures in the late stages of games.

While many picked the Raiders to make a big jump this season, few could have predicted that they would be 6-2 at the halfway mark. The resurgence of the Oakland Raiders is a major factor in the dominance of the AFC West this season, as the Chiefs and Broncos have been the only consistently good teams in the division for the past few years. Now the AFC West has three (arguably four) strong teams, fighting for the division crown.

Oakland currently sits at the top of the division with a massive home game coming up next week against Denver on Sunday night. The winner will hold sole possession of first place in the AFC West, as both teams are currently 6-2. For the Raiders, a win against Denver would serve as a statement game that they are for real. A win for Denver would help them rebound from an inconsistent stretch in the season, which has seen the Broncos lose two of their last four games. Meanwhile, Kansas City is quietly lurking in the background of this divisional battle. The Chiefs currently sit at 5-2, a half game back of the action. The Chiefs have already proven their worth in the division back in Week 6, when they went into Oakland and beat the Raiders. They will need Nick Foles to step up in place of Alex Smith in Week 9, if they hope to keep pace with the division leader.

The Chargers have been very impressive this year, but they just haven’t been able to find a way to win in too many games. They may be in too deep of a hole to make a playoff run this season. I expect this division to be a three horse race for most of the season, with the Chargers being a divisional nuisance to the Raiders, Broncos, and Chiefs along the way.

2. NFC East:

Overall Record: 18-10-1 (.638)

Inter-Divisional Record: 13-5-1 (.711)

Every team in the NFC East is above .500. That is quite the stat. Dallas is leading the way, on their unprecedented rookie-led tour. The Cowboys sit at 6-1, while the rest of the division hovers just above mediocrity with three losses each. The overall record indicates that the NFC East is a top division; however, I am not totally convinced yet. While the Cowboys have been convincing so far, the Redskins, Giants, and Eagles all have more to prove.

New York’s most impressive win was against the aforementioned Cowboys in Week 1. While this win looks impressive now, this was the first game of Dak Prescott’s career, so maybe it is a bit misleading. Other than Week 1, the Giants have flopped against their better competition, such as their road games against the Vikings and Packers. New York still has a lot to prove over the second half of the season.

The Eagles are also difficult to figure out at the moment. Any time a team is starting a rookie quarterback, the progression of the season can be sudden and unexpected, which is what the Eagles have experienced so far. Philadelphia has found ways to beat Minnesota and Pittsburgh by double digits, but only sit at 4-3 on the season. The young quarterback appears to operate much more comfortably at home, as the Eagles are 3-0 at Lincoln Financial Field.

Meanwhile, Washington missed a chance to prove their worth in London on Sunday, and ultimately stumbled to a tie, after Dustin Hopkins missed a chip shot field goal late in overtime. The missed field goals in overtime have been somewhat of a trend in this 2016 season, as kickers are a staggering 2 for 7 in overtime.  

3. AFC East:

Overall Record: 17-14 (.548)

Inter-Divisional Record: 12-9 (.571)

The only other division with an overall record above .500 is the AFC East. Led by the best team in football, the East has some depth behind New England. The Patriots have looked unstoppable since Brady’s return, going 4-0 after their 3-1 start during his suspension. New England’s only loss was an embarrassing home game shutout against Buffalo, which they already made amends for by walloping the Bills in Buffalo just last Sunday. The Patriots toughest remaining game on the schedule is in Week 15, when they head to Denver to face the Broncos. Other than that, it is hard to pick out a game where I think they will lose. There is no reason to believe that the Patriots won’t grab the AFC’s top seed this season, as they are likely to amass at least 13 wins.

The Bills have held their own outside of the division, but through just 8 weeks of the season, they have already lost to each team in the AFC East. All three of Buffalo’s inter-divisional victories have come against the lowly NFC West, which makes you question whether or not this western New York team is any good. They’ll look to make it 4 for 4 against the NFC West, when they play the Seahawks this Monday Night.

The Dolphins nearly beat the Seahawks and the Patriots to start the season, but they also came uncomfortably close to losing to the Browns in Week 3. The one bright spot for the Dolphins is that they are coming off two straight wins, which came against two solid teams in Pittsburgh and Buffalo. Miami sit just above the Jets in the AFC East standings, who are currently 3-5.

Four of New York’s losses have been by double digits, and one of their wins came against the Browns. New York panicked in Week 7 and decided to bench Fitzpatrick. Geno Smith entered the game as the started and promptly tore his ACL. This required Fitzpatrick to make a nearly immediate and awkward return to the starting lineup of a team that just benched him. The Jets have won two in a row with Fitzpatrick back at the helm, but I would still be skeptical if I were a Jets fan, as the team still has a myriad of personnel problems to deal with.

4. NFC North:

Overall Record: 15-15 (.500)

Inter-Divisional Record: 10-10 (.500)

Hello mediocrity! The NFC North is a perfect 15-15 at the halfway point of the season. The Vikings and Packers are duking it out at the top of the division, the Lions are meddling in the middle (as is their way), and the Bears are an embarrassment to the city of Chicago (Go Cubs!). Minnesota seems to finally be falling back to earth, as everyone in the NFL just remembered that Bradford is a lame football quarterback with glass bones. A loss to Chicago on Monday Night Football appears to be the ultimate premonition that doomsday (the day the Packers take their rightful spot at the top of the North) is coming soon. Editor’s Note: I just made up that definition of doomsday (not to be confused with cheesehead day). All of this must make Teddy Bridgewater a little happy. Sometimes it’s nice to know that you are an important employee at your job when you are recovering from an on-the-job injury.

As Green Bay continues to close in on Minnesota for the division lead, they will continue to try to figure out how to win games without any true running backs, as Green Bay just lost a shootout with Atlanta where Aaron Rodgers was the leading rusher for the Packers. As for the rest of the division, there isn’t much to talk about. The Lions continue to be mediocre in their sad post-Megatron era. And the Bears are already planning for life post-Cutler. At least the motivation will still be there for Cutler, as he begins his 8 week long audition for his next job (which will probably be with the New York Jets).

5. NFC South:

Overall Record: 13-16 (.448)

Inter-Divisional Record: 8-11 (.421)

What an unpredictable division! So far, Atlanta has been able to separate themselves from the rest of the NFC South, but who knows how long that will last. The feared offense of the Falcons is back, as Matt Ryan has looked like an MVP candidate through the first half. It looked like Atlanta would run away with the division, but all three teams have begun to creep back into the division race. Tampa Bay will look to sweep the season series against Atlanta on Thursday night (tonight!), as the Bucs host the Falcons in a rematch of Week 1’s contest. Tampa Bay is currently 1.5 games behind the Falcons in the race for the division crown, and tonight’s game could prove to be a crucial one in the playoff picture. The Bucs missed a big opportunity for an impressive win last week, when they came very close to beating the Raiders in overtime (hell yeah). They’ll have to rebound quickly if they hope to win tonight.

The Saints just posted a high profile win, defeating the Seahawks, by putting up 25 points against the vaunted Seattle defense. The Saints are not 3-1 since starting the season 0-3. Momentum is on New Orleans’ side, as they look to close the gap on the first place Falcons. I like their chances, as Brees has shown that he still has a little life in his arm. New Orleans offense is currently 2nd in points per game and total yards per game. Unfortunately, the Saints offense still has the task of dragging along the lifeless corpse that is their defense, which sits at 31st in points per game and 28th in yards per game. The success of the Saints season will be based on whether or not the strength of the offense is greater than the weakness of the defense.

At the bottom of the division, the defending NFC champs are found still trying to find their bearings. A combination of bad luck and inconsistent play has landed the Panthers at 2-5 this season. They are coming off a strong win against the Cardinals, but they still have a lot of work to do if they want to claw their way back into the divisional race. Josh Norman has proven to have been more valuable than the front office of the Panthers organization could have imagined, as Carolina has been absolutely gashed through the air en route to their poor start. I wouldn’t count Carolina out just yet though, as three of their five losses have come against teams with 5 or more wins on the season.

6. AFC North:

Overall Record: 10-19-1 (.350)

Inter-Divisional Record: 7-16-1 (.313)

Is 6th too high for the division with the worst record in football? Maybe. The 0-8 Browns are certainly not helping the cause. Still, I like this division because I feel as though all four teams have underperformed to this point. At their best, the Steelers can be the best team in football. However, they still have some problems to fix, evidenced by their 31 point loss to Philadelphia and 15 point loss to Miami. Sometimes the NFL makes no sense, and that’s just the world we have to live in. Pittsburgh is approaching a critical point in their season. The Steelers are currently in first place, but with the health of Roethlisberger in question and the Bengals and Ravens breathing down their necks, this division is still up for grabs.

Cincinnati is nipping at the heels of Pittsburgh. They currently sit at 3-4-1, after having played one of the toughest schedules to open the season. I still like the Bengals as a playoff team. Whether that will be as a division champion or a wild card team is yet to be seen. Meanwhile, Baltimore briefly looked like the best team in the North after a 3-0 start. However, they have lost four straight since. The Ravens are coming off a bye, as they will look to rebound and right the ship of their season against the Steelers in Baltimore this Sunday.

And finally… do I have to talk about the Browns? The quarterback carousel in Cleveland continues, as the factory of sadness keeps finding ways to produce sadder ways for their football team to lose. At least the Cleveland basketball and baseball teams (Go Cubs) are good.

7. AFC South:

Overall Record: 14-17 (.452)

Inter-Divisional Record: 9-12 (.429)

Am I being hard on the AFC South, ranking them as the 2nd worst division in the NFL? Possibly. Still, I stand by it. Every team in the AFC South has a negative point differential, and the first place team in the division is 31st in points per game and 29th in yards per game. Each of the teams in this division are mediocre at best, and none of them have proven that they deserve to make the playoffs. Houston has one impressive victory on their resume so far, and that was against the Chiefs. However, I also saw this team get spanked by the Brady-less Patriots, 27-0. If the Texans want to prove their worth, they are going to have to start playing some offense. Otherwise, the unspeakable might happen, and the TITANS could make the playoffs. That’s right! At the halfway point, Tennessee is in second place in the AFC South, representing the top threat to Houston’s grip on the division. Mariota has been decent, and the team has been impressive in spurts. Still, the Titans are pretenders even in this very weak division. I would be more surprised if the Titans were to make the playoffs than if they were to finish the season 0-8.

The Colts are the most frustrating team in the division. They have a great quarterback who gets no protection in the pocket, and they play in a division with no top tier team. Indianapolis has the potential to be great, but they continue to fall short. I imagine that it will only be a matter of time before Indianapolis rises back to the top of the division. However, if they continue to play this poorly, it may not be in the near future. Indy fans can take solace in the fact that the weak AFC South is still ripe for the taking… as long as you are not the Jaguars. This was finally supposed to be the season where Jacksonville made that leap back to the playoffs. Turns out, this is just the same old lousy Jaguars team that we have grown to know. The Jaguars have not produced a winning season since 2007, and it looks like it will continue to stay that way for the foreseeable future.

8. NFC West:

Overall Record: 11-16-2 (.414)

Inter-Divisional Record: 6-11 (.353)

Well, someone has to be the worst. In my mind, it is obviously the NFC West. The Seahawks have been the only team worth watching in this division, and even they have looked nothing like the team that has won at least 10 games in each of their last four seasons. Seattle’s offense is abysmal, and their defense is barely keeping them afloat in a division that poses very few challenges. Seattle’s most impressive win was a controversial game against the Falcons, which saw a blatant pass interference call against Julio Jones ignored in the dying stages of the game. Their other 3 wins come against the Dolphins, Jets, and Niners, which does little to impress me. The Cardinals have been sticking around, and I expect them to be competitive, even if it is for the sole fact that this division is horrid. Carson Palmer is limping towards retirement, and it might already be too late for him, as the Arizona offense has struggled to produce in the first half of the season.

Los Angeles nearly tricked us into believing that they were good at the start of the season, when they started 3-1. Fortunately, 3 straight losses have dragged them back down to where they belong, just above the worst team in the NFL, the 49ers. San Francisco has been an absolute embarrassment, since the departure of Jim Harbaugh (who to no surprise, currently coaches the number 2 team in college football). Jed York is a perfect example of what happens when you let your ego get the best of you. All York needed to do was step back and let the people that know something about football dictate the day-to-day decision making of his team. Instead, he butted heads with Harbaugh, sent him packing, and is now the owner of a terrible franchise that at least has a nice new stadium… in Santa Clara. With so many holes to fill on this awful roster, who should start at quarterback is really the least of the worries in San Francisco. This team is many years away from being relevant again.

Week 2: Thoughts & Reactions

With two weeks gone, the NFL has only begun to turn into full gear. Some of my playoff picks are already looking quite skeptical, while other teams that I bashed as mediocre / lousy have stepped up with some impressive performances. Of course, I’m not really concerned at all about my seemingly lousy predictions because I am smart, and ultimately I will be right about all my predictions. My picks might not seem perfect at the moment, but I assure you that, in reality, everything is going exactly as expected. By the end of this post, I will have you 100% convinced that I am actually 100% right about all of my amazing predictions. Please do not worry. Please trust me. Please remember that I went 10-1 straight up and 9-1-1 ATS for my playoff predictions last season. Please forget that I went 7-4 straight up and 3-8 ATS for my playoff predictions the season before. Please keep reading. You won’t regret it.

AFC West

So far it is apparent that I have a sound understanding of the AFC West, which would make sense because it garners most of my attention, due to the Raiders’ membership. The Broncos look like the best team in the division, as they are the only 2-0 squad. The offense has improved from last year, while the defense has remained one of the top units in the league. Based on the early going, there is no reason to think that Denver will relinquish the division title this season. The Raiders have looked good in spurts, but their concerns in the secondary have proven to be their undoing. Oakland is lucky not to be 0-2 at this point, as the defense has been torched for 69 points over two games already. The Chiefs escaped a scare in Week 1 against the lowly Chargers, making an incredible comeback in Kansas City. Looking back on that matchup, there may have been more to that game than what I initially thought, as the Chiefs did not look good in their Week 2 loss to the Texans, and the Chargers looked unstoppable in their Week 2 demolition of Jacksonville. The AFC West looks like it will be a fun division to watch, as San Diego has thrown their hat into the ring with Oakland, Kansas City, and Denver, as contenders for the AFC playoffs. Go Raiders.

AFC North

The AFC North is also a division where things are going as expected. The Steelers (my Super Bowl pick) look like an early contender for top team in the NFL, as they dismantled Washington in Week 1, and scored an impressive victory against Cincinnati in Week 2. The Bengals have been less convincing, narrowly escaping a determined Jets team in Week 1, and falling short against their aforementioned Pittsburgh rivals in Week 2. Still, I like Cincinnati as my pick to finish as one of the two wild card teams in the AFC. Quietly, the Ravens have started the season 2-0. They put on a wonderful defensive display against Rex Ryan’s middling Bills, and made a nice comeback against the Browns in Week 2. However, you have to ask yourself, was it really a nice comeback, or was it more of an escape from embarrassment? The Browns continues to be the saddest franchise in the NFL. Cleveland was not satisfied with simply blowing a 20-0 lead at home against the rival Ravens, the Browns also had to disappoint their fans by guaranteeing that they would be starting their fifth different quarterback in their last five games, when Josh McCown went down with a shoulder injury.  Good luck Cody Kessler. I expect you to either throw 6 picks or tear your ACL. Your fate lies in the hands of the cruel NFL gods.  

AFC South

The Texans have quickly established themselves as top dogs in the AFC South, with the Titans as their closest contender after 2 weeks. That’s a good position to be in. Osweiller is playing some solid mistake-free football, and the defense is doing their thing, as the Texans sit at 2-0. I wasn’t too impressed by the Week 1 win over Chicago, as I don’t find the Bears to be a good football team; however, Houston backed up that win with a solid thumping of the Chiefs in Week 2. Maybe I should start giving the Texans more credit… Nah. I would rather be stubborn and stick with my prediction that they will miss the playoffs. The Titans have looked good, as Mariota was able to lead the team to victory with an impressive game-winning drive over Detroit on Sunday. It will be interesting to see if Tennessee can keep this level of competency up all season long. The Colts have gotten off to their usual 0-2 start, and there is already plenty of reason to be concerned in Indianapolis. The Colts barely lost to the Lions in Week 1, but it is hard to sympathize with that loss, as Detroit is a team that Indy should beat handily if they are hoping to return to the top of the league, as one of the NFL’s elite teams. Finally, my predicted champion of the South sits alongside the Colts at the bottom of the division. The Jaguars were unlucky not to win their opener against Green Bay, but they followed that up with an absolute stinker in San Diego. We’ll have to wait for the results of the coming weeks to sort out just what these results mean for the up and coming Jaguars. If Jacksonville keeps failing to win football games, I may need to revoke my prediction of their playoff participation. I expect they will turn things around though because I am always right. C’mon Jacksonville! Don’t make me look like a fool!

AFC East

This division still belongs to the Pats, as Belichick has kept the team in top form, even with Brady and Gronk out for the first two weeks of the season. Heading into Week 3, New England will be forced to start a rookie QB against a Texans team that has looked good over the first two weeks. This should present New England with their greatest test yet of the still young NFL season. Either way, having already won at least two of their first four games without Brady will most definitely be enough to set the Patriots up to win this division for the 8th straight year. The Jets have been solid, and if I could redo my regular season predictions, I would put them in the playoffs over the Bills. This may be the one single prediction that I end up getting wrong (there is no way I get anything else wrong, right?). Maybe I should stop putting so much faith in Rex Ryan’s Bills. All that guy knows how to do is fire assistant coaches, eat, have a foot fetish, and execute blatant nepotism by hiring his terrible defensive coordinator of a brother, Rob Ryan. The Bills sit at the bottom of the division with the Dolphins; however, Buffalo’s losses have been far more concerning. The Bills looked atrocious on offense against the Ravens, and had little consistency against the Jets. Buffalo needs to fix a lot of problems if they hope to make it back to the playoffs for the first time since 1999. Meanwhile, New York nearly beat Cincinnati in Week 1, and they looked very good against Buffalo in Week 2, even if the score was somewhat close. The Jets are for real. I don’t expect them to take the division from New England, but I would definitely be on the lookout for them nabbing a wild card spot. The Dolphins gave the Patriots a good scare this Sunday, but they came up just short. Miami has been impressive, taking two top teams to the wire (Seattle and New England) in the first two weeks of the season, but they are yet to close the deal. Still, if Miami continues to play this well, they could at least be better than expected this season.

NFC West

If I could go back in time, I would definitely switch my pick for the division winner from the Seahawks to the Cardinals. All the teams in the NFC West currently sit at 1-1, but the one with the least concerns is Arizona. The Cardinals would be 2-0 if it weren’t for a missed field goal against New England. They have the most complete team in the division, as their offense and defense are two of the best units in the league. The Seahawks are lucky to not be 0-2 right now, and they haven’t even played any good teams yet. Seattle narrowly escaped against Miami in Week 1, and they managed only three points against the Rams in Week 2. The Seahawks offense is a mess. Wilson will have to start playing much better if this team even hopes to make the playoffs. The Rams are hard to figure out at the moment. They were embarrassed in Week 1 by the anemic 49ers, but they pulled off the unthinkable against Seattle in Week 2. It looks like we will need a few more weeks to figure out the Rams. The Niners, my pick for the worst team in the league, have surpassed expectations so far. They have looked quite competent for two weeks in a row now. The win over Los Angeles in Week 1 was questionably impressive, against a Rams team that is still yet to score a touchdown. On the other hand, the Week 2 loss to Carolina was very impressive, as San Francisco went into Charlotte and threatened the defending NFC Champs well into the fourth quarter. The NFC West is hard to figure out at the moment, but if I had to make a decision right now, I would say that the Cardinals are the only team I expect to make the playoffs out of this division.

NFC North

Just when the NFC North seemed like the most obvious division to call, Sam Bradford came out and threw a curveball (aka accurate strikes all over the field) at us, looking very impressive in Minnesota’s win over Green Bay on Sunday night. The Viking defense clamped down on Rodgers, as he was harassed all game, causing him to fumble the ball three times and throw one interception. I guess the Vikings are still real contenders in the North, as they look keen on repeating as division champions. The Packers are still my pick to win the division, but I am a little less confident in that after watching the offense struggle against Minnesota. Detroit are still hanging around, but I expect them to be a non-factor as the season wears on. The Lions were minutes away from starting the season off 2-0, but Mariota mounted an impressive game-winning drive to keep the hopes of fans in Detroit at bay. Chicago is sitting at the bottom of the heap, as we have gotten about what we expected from the Bears so far. They hung around against Houston in Week 1, but they looked quite pitiful on Monday night against Philadelphia, as Carson Wentz tore them apart. I don’t expect Chicago to be in any part of the playoff conversation this season.

NFC South

The NFC South is another intriguing division. While it is still very early, the division is very tight, as three teams sit at 1-1. The Panthers still appear to be the top team in the division, as they nearly took down the Broncos in Denver on the NFL’s opening night. However, an uneven performance against the Niners has me skeptical about the quality of Carolina’s team. Either way, I will stand by the Panthers as my pick to win the NFC South. The Buccaneers looked good to start the season, but a 40-7 thrashing by the Cardinals in Week 2 was worrying for Tampa Bay fans. I wouldn’t count them out just yet though. One game does not define the season, but a beatdown like that is always at least a little concerning. Fortunately, the Bucs looked very solid against the Falcons in Week 1. That win could prove very important towards the end of the season, when the playoff race heats up. Atlanta was able to rebound nicely after the aforementioned Week 1 disappointment to the Bucs, by defeating the Raiders in Oakland this past Sunday. The offense looked very impressive; however, as I have already pointed out, that may have had more to due with the ineptness of the Raider’s secondary than the quality of the Falcon’s passing attack. Finally, the Saints sit at the bottom of the pile, as the only team in the South still looking for a win. New Orleans had a tough loss to Oakland in Week 1, and another close game against the Giants in Week 2. The Saints could very easily have won both of those games. Instead they sit at the bottom of the division. While it’s definitely too soon to count out the Saints, a slow start can sometimes be difficult to overcome for any NFL team.

NFC East

The NFC East appears to be off to a good start, but it is still a little too early to tell, especially considering the fact that many of their games have been intra-divisional so far. At a glance, it may appear that my predictions are a bit off, but if you look closer you will realize that you are wrong and of course my predictions are good. Philadelphia may seem like they have been playing well, and Wentz may appear to be living up to the hype; however, wins against the lowly Browns and Bears does little to impress me. The Eagles will need to rack up a few more victories before I become a believer. The Giants have been taking care of business in the early stages of this season, as they were able to beat the Cowboys in Week 1 and the Saints in Week 2. Eli will always keep New York competitive, but he will need a lot of support from the rest of the roster if the Giants hopes to make a playoff run. Dallas has not been a complete mess, which is definitely a positive, considering their loss of Romo before the start of the season. Dak has looked comfortable, and Ezekiel looks NFL-ready. Maybe the Cowboys will be able to hold things together, especially against the inconsistent NFC East. At the bottom of the division, the Redskins sit at 0-2. Washington opened the season on Monday night with a rough game against one of the best teams in the league in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, they followed that up with a poor performance against Dallas in Week 2. Just like the other seven divisions, there is still plenty of time left in the season, so I wouldn’t count the Redskins out just yet. I still expect them to battle for the division crown. Whether or not that battle ends up being fruitful, is still yet to be seen.

The NFL season continues to slowly materialize before our very eyes. The future still looks dark and hard to make out, but don’t worry! I will lead you to the light. Just grab my hand. I will make sense out of all this chaos for you. I will sift through the mayhem to bring clarity to your NFL viewing experience. Continue with me deeper into the tunnel of the unknown. Week 3 is on the way. There is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. I can almost see the NFL post-season from here...