Thursday, September 6, 2018

NFL 2018 SEASON PREVIEW





Another NFL season is upon us and I make my projections on how the teams finish in each division.


AFC EAST
Patriots: Eventually their run as AFC East champions will come to an end, but for now, they are the favorites to win the division

Dolphins: Flirt with .500 is their best hope

Bills: Made the playoffs last year but do not expect a repeat performance

Jets: Wins will be tough to come by this season


AFC NORTH
Steelers: Even with Bell holding out, the Steelers are still one of the favorites to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl

Ravens: Went defense heavy in the draft as well as drafting Flacco’s successor

Bengals: Need a lot of things to go their way if they are to win the division

Browns: Guaranteed better than 0-16 but not by much


AFC SOUTH
Texans: If this team stays healthy, watch out. They could make a deep playoff run

Colts: The return of Andrew Luck certainly puts them back in the mix for the AFC South title

Jaguars: Team benefited from the Texans injuries of Watson and Watt as well as the absence of Luck from the Colts. Running game and defense should keep them in playoff contention

Titans: Problem is that every team in this division got slightly better in the offseason


AFC WEST
Chiefs: Has the makings of a contender but inconsistencies in the playoffs has cost them a chance at a championship

Chargers: Missed the playoffs due to a slow start last season and eventually tiebreakers. It should not happen again this season

Broncos: Defense should keep them in games, but offensive concerns will keep them out of the playoffs

Raiders: Jon Gruden returns to the sideline in nearly 10 years



NFC EAST
Eagles: Carson Wentz was an MVP candidate before his ACL injury late in the regular season. For now, Nick Foles is the starter until he is ready to play. Many pieces from their Super Bowl run still remain

Cowboys: Health issues at offensive line and LB Sean Lee are a concern if this team is to challenge the Eagles and fight off the Giants as contenders for the NFC East crown

Giants: Saquon Barkley gives the Giants a much-needed running game

Washington: Alex Smith, short term yes; long term no


NFC NORTH
Vikings: Winners of the Cousins Sweepstakes. Will need to put NFC Title Game performance behind them

Packers: Still a favorite to win the division with Aaron Rodgers return from last season’s injury but needs more consistent play in order to be taken seriously as a championship contender

Lions: Stafford has to do better than his sub-.500 record against teams with a winning record if the Lions are to win the NFC North

Bears: Trading for Khalil Mack will give the defense a jolt in this quarterback heavy division


NFC SOUTH
Saints: Brees might be at the end of his career, but the impact of their 2017 rookie class keeps them in championship contention

Falcons: Came within a touchdown of beating the eventual Super Bowl champions on the road

Panthers: Can the Panthers break their even year curse?

Buccaneers: Winston’s off the field issues will have this team playing catch-up for the rest of the season


NFC WEST
Rams: Top-scoring offense was a no-show in their wild card loss to the Falcons

49ers: Trendy pick to win the division after winning 6 of their final 7 games last season. Should be in the mix for a wild card spot this season

Seahawks: Expect the offense to put up some points, but mainly in part due to the Legion of Boom is a shell of its former self

Cardinals: Sam Bradford is currently the starter, but expect Josh Rosen to get the nod sometime during the season

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