NFL 2020 SEASON PREVIEW

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

First a note about this upcoming season

This will likely be one of the strangest seasons in recent NFL history due to the logistical adjustments made due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some teams such as the Chargers and Rams will not allow fans into their new stadium while the Cowboys are considering allowing up to 30,000 socially distant fans into Jerry World.

Broadcasts will be different such as no sideline reporters and play-by-play booths engaging in socially distance practices. It remains to be seen if the networks covering the NFL – CBS, ESPN, Fox, and NBC – will pump in artificial noise and use computer generated crowds like what Fox has been using during their MLB broadcasts.

The NFL was well into its off-season when the pandemic hit the United States in March which led to the postponement of the NBA and NHL completing their seasons, the WNBA starting their season, the cancelation of the spring NCAA sports schedule, college football conferences either reducing the number of games, delaying their seasons, or canceling their seasons, and MLB delaying the start of their season until mid-July that resulted in a shortened 60-game season that included an expanded playoff format.

Hopefully, the NFL has learned the lessons from MLB to reduce the chances of the players from being hindered by COVID-19 that could jeopardize the completion of the regular season and playoffs, and taken heed from the NBA and NHL who will likely complete their playoffs with limited disruption from the pandemic.

It is weird that a new NFL season will start with baseball past its halfway mark, and the NBA and NHL deep into their playoffs.

And then there is the 2020 elections with the debates scheduled between 29 September through 22 October.

I expect that there will be a few nights where I will turn the living room into the Watts News Network bullpen with the debate on one screen with sports on other screens.

It will be hard to measure which teams will be good, bad, and indifferent due to that the last time a lot of us watched any football was Super Bowl LIV when the Chiefs came back from down 10 with 7 minutes remaining to win their first championship since 1969 by defeating the 49ers in Miami 31-20.

While no pre-season games might make some NFL fans pleased, I expect that a lot of people will sour on the play quality for the first few weeks of the season due to the lack of cohesion between players and coaches especially among teams that have made significant changes in the off-season.

  

AFC EAST

Bills: The Mafia is pleased that Buffalo made the playoffs twice in the last three seasons. To make another playoff appearance, it will a lot more difficult given that their 2020 schedule has five playoff teams on the slate. Led by their defense, the Bills are poised to win their first AFC East title since 1995. Josh Allen has a new receiver in Stefon Diggs acquired from the Vikings during the offseason

Patriots: For the first time in his Patriots coaching career, Bill Belichick is without Tom Brady. Also, eight players are sitting out the season due to COVID-19. Making the playoffs will be a difficult task, but Belichick knows how to get the most out of the players on his roster that also includes 2019 Defensive Player of the Year cornerback Stephon Gilmore. That and having Cam Newton under center is what keeps them above .500

Dolphins: The Tank for Tua was a success. Miami’s offensive line has eight newcomers with a majority of them being rookies. There will be some growing pains during the season so any hopes of major success should be tempered

Jets: Their strong finish to 2019 was a mirage. This is still an awful team. It is just a matter of time before Adam Gase is finally shown the door.

 

AFC NORTH

Ravens: Lamar Jackson is a joy to watch and puts the Ravens in contention for a championship. After an injury plagued rookie season, Marquise Brown is looking for a breakout season. Their running game should be tops in the league again.

Steelers: Yinzers are rejoicing the return of their glorious leader of men Ben Roethlisberger from an elbow injury. Under Mike Tomlin, the Steelers have never posted a losing record and that should continue for another season. The Steelers would have made the playoffs last season under the new 14-team playoff format. Combined with a defense that kept them in the playoff race last season, Pittsburgh will be back in the playoffs

Browns: Last season was marred by a lot of pre-season hype and Mayfield regressing. A competitive team but not enough to make it into the playoffs due to the two teams above them

Bengals: They blew it for Burrow. The rookie comes to the Bengals with a talented receiver corps led by A.J. Green and running back Joe Mixon. What will be telling on Burrow’s success at the NFL level will be if the Bengals offensive line will give him enough protection

 

AFC SOUTH

Texans: I am surprised that Bill O’Brien is still a head coach after blowing an early 24-point lead to the Chiefs at Arrowhead in last season’s playoff game. He probably would need to win the Super Bowl to keep his job. Houston should win the AFC South… as long as injury prone players JJ Watt, Will Fuller V, Brandin Cooks, and David Johnson stay healthy

Titans: They have a lot of their pieces from last season’s surprise run to the AFC Championship Game still on the team including running back Derick Henry. My concern if I was a Titans fan is if they didn’t do enough to build on that success. The Titans are rooting for coaching incompetence to undo the Texans in order to win the AFC South

Colts: Phillip Rivers is on his retirement tour and seen as the sleeper pick to win the division. The way the Colts mishandled Andrew Luck’s recovery leading to his abrupt retirement at this time last year will haunt this franchise for years to come.

Jaguars: Sacksonville is no more. On the plus side, Jacksonville has four picks in the first two rounds of next year’s draft. Expect them to end up with the first overall pick

 

AFC WEST

Chiefs: The AFC West is without a doubt Chiefs Kingdom, and they are eying a repeat championship performance. Only one team stands in their way of returning to the Super Bowl and it is not in this division

Broncos: First round pick Jerry Jeudy was the talk of Broncos County during the draft. There is talent on offense to help quarterback Drew Lock take the next step. The expanded playoff format gives those loyal to the blue and orange hope they will crack the post-season for the first time in five years. Unfortunately, those hopes took a hit when it was recently announced that linebacker Von Miller suffered a tendon tear in his ankle that will cause him to miss the season

Raiders: In their final season in Oakland, the Raiders certainly were entertaining and nearly made the playoffs through nearly every possible scenario imaginable. Offensively, the Raiders should have no problems scoring points with Derek Carr under center and Josh Jacobs in the backfield. If only the Raiders had a game changing player on defense to ensure every game doesn’t turn into a track meet… The Raiders however might have trouble cracking the Las Vegas sports scene as the NHL’s Golden Knights are currently in the West finals of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Chargers: I like the Chargers defense. Edge rushers Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram III round out this sold unit. The offense is clearly in transition since Phillip Rivers left for Indianapolis and Melvin Gordon III is with division rival Denver. Replacing them are quarterback Tyrod Taylor and a running back by committee. First round pick Justin Herbert could see action if San Diego Los Angeles fall out of playoff contention early on

 

NFC EAST

Cowboys: Jerry Jones drew out the firing of Jason Garrett for as long as he could and cited something about loyalty before doing something he should have done as recently as 2017. Dallas hired former Packers coach Mike McCarthy who had been away from the NFL for a little more than a season. The Cowboys made a splash in the first round of the NFL draft by selecting CeeDee Lamb to give Dak Prescott another offensive weapon. With the amount of talent on this team, Dallas should return to the playoffs as NFC East champions

Eagles: They won the division due to the Cowboys December swoon, but they were walking wounded in their home playoff loss against Seattle last season. Philadelphia looks healthy going into the season and if they stay that way, a deep playoff run is in their sights. The Philadelphia faithful are rightfully nervous that their receivers dropping catches has been resolved.

Giants: I could see the Giants being a sleeper pick for the playoffs especially with a healthy Saquon Barkley at running back. Two things that will delay a playoff berth this season, new head coach Joe Judge from the Patriots and former Cowboys coach Jason Garrett as the offensive coordinator. As a Cowboys fan, don’t take too long to get rid of the clap. 

Football Team: Ron Rivera is the new head coach but unfortunately the culture will not change as long as Dan Snyder still owns the team. Washington clearly punted when it decided to drop its previous name and opted for a neutral approach. No fans are being allowed into home games due to COVID-19 which is one thing that is consistent from last season.

 

NFC NORTH

Vikings: The Vikings replaced receiver Stefon Diggs with first round Justin Jefferson and defensive end Everson Griffen with Yannick Ngakoue. For winning his first playoff game, Kirk Cousins was given a two-year extension. The Vikings can build on that confidence to make a return trip to the playoffs.

Packers: Expect another season of the Packers wasting Aaron Rodgers due to them doing nothing to address the flaws in their run defense and receiving corps. Green Bay certainly exceeded expectations last season with appearing in the NFC Championship Game. This season, a return trip to the playoffs may be more difficult: on the schedule is the NFC South juggernauts, the Titans and Texans, and Eagles and 49ers

Bears: Mitch Trubisky is the starting quarterback for now. The Bears have a playoff caliber defense. Can’t say the same about their offense as it will be a liability again

Lions: Coach Matt Patricia is attempting to duplicate the Patriots by becoming them in luring three former Patriots to Detroit. Matt Stafford’s back injury combined with the inability to close out close games cause the Lions to spiral out in 2019. There is clearly talent on the offensive side of the ball but Patricia’s record – 9-22-1 over two seasons – makes me weary about their ability to make it to the playoffs.

 

NFC SOUTH

Saints: Three consecutive rememberable playoff exits, two of them at the hands of the Vikings. This is a balanced roster in order to keep quarterback Drew Brees’ hopes for a second championship alive. New Orleans should have minimal issues in winning the NFC South. Playoffs are another issue

Buccaneers: Tampa Bay finished third in scoring last season but was overshadowed by Jameis Winston throwing a league-leading 30 interceptions in 2019. Winston is now in New Orleans backing up Drew Brees while the Buccaneers new quarterback is 6-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady. Tampa clearly has a potent offense with wideouts Mike Evans and Chris Goodwin. Tampa also has tight end Rob Gronkowski who came out of retirement. There is not much attention being paid to the defensive side of the ball. Combined with a more reliable quarterback, Tampa may make their first playoff appearance since 2007

Falcons: Injuries combined with a terrible start doomed the Falcons last season. It will be tough for them to be top in the division with the Saints and Buccaneers but the Falcons will not face them until after their Week 10 bye. I am not sold on them being in the playoffs but wouldn’t be shocked if they got in.

Panthers: The offense goes through Christian McCaffery but he unfortunately does not play defense where many of the team’s roster losses occurred. Last season was undone due to the injury of Cam Newton resulting in his release. Teddy Bridgewater is a decent option as a starter. Carolina’s season will be difficult due to roster attrition and looking at a likely rebuild over the next few seasons. Playing in the NFC South and having the NFC North on the schedule does them no favors either

 

NFC WEST

Seahawks: Seattle was mere inches from winning the NFC West last season and nearly pulled off the comeback at Green Bay to force a third matchup with the 49ers in the playoffs. Receiver DK Metcalf is eying to continue on how strong his rookie season ended and quarterback Russell Wilson will do that. Adding safety Jamal Adams via trade from the Jets should put them at the top of the division

49ers: Expected Super Bowl hangover, but the talent – such as Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead on defense – is there to prevent a hard fall and make a return to the playoffs. Will likely battle Seattle for not just for the division but also homefield advantage in the playoffs

Rams: A healthy offensive line will be key to quarterback Jared Goff returning to a Pro Bowl quality player. Replacing Todd Gurley is rookie Cam Akers leading a committee approach. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey and defensive tackle Aaron Donald help shore up a defense that is expected to start four new players and first-time defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. It will be hard to crack the playoffs given they play in the same division as the Seahawks and 49ers

Cardinals: Will be one of the more entertaining offenses with Kyler Murray and the wide receiver trio of DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk, and Larry Fitzgerald. What will hold them back is their defense which ranked near or at the bottom of points and yards allowed last season. Ask Broncos fans how frustrating Vance Joseph was