Let’s
review
AFC EAST
Patriots
Pre-season
division position: 1st, AFC 2, Super Bowl Champion
Playoff
seed: AFC 3
They
opened the season with an 8-0 record but it was primarily on weaker opponents.
Three of the Patriots’ losses were to the three other divisional winners:
Ravens, Texans, and Chiefs. If New England is to defend their championship,
they will have to defeat at most two of those teams.
Bills
Pre-season
division position: 3rd
Playoff
seed: AFC 3
They
certainly exceeded expectations and had a shot at dethroning the Patriots as
the top dog in the division that was dashed in their Week 16 showdown at
Foxboro. It is the Bills first double-digit win season since the 1990s. Not
sure if a deep playoff run is in the cards, but could they emerge as the team
that ends the Patriots reign in the division in 2020?
Jets
Pre-season
division position: 2nd
There
were some high points (impacting the Cowboys, Steelers, and Raiders on their
hopes for the playoffs) and many, many low points (during their shutout loss to
the Patriots Sam Darnold was heard on audio saying he saw ghosts, Darnold being
diagnosed with mono, giving the Bengals their first win of the season)
Dolphins
Pre-season
division position: 4th
Ryan
Fitzpatrick kept the team competitive in the second half of the season with
upset wins over the Eagles and causing the Patriots to drop from the 2 to the 3
seed in the AFC playoff bracket. They still ended up with a Top 5 pick in the
upcoming draft in April.
AFC NORTH
Ravens
Pre-season
division position: 2nd
Playoff
seed: AFC 1
Boy
did I miss this one. I thought the Ravens defections on defense as well as the
development of Lamar Jackson could hinder their playoff hopes. Instead, they
set a record for rushing yards by a team in NFL history and set a franchise
record for wins. Baltimore has emerged as one of the favorites to hoist the
Lombardi in Miami next month.
Steelers
Pre-season
division position: 1st, AFC 3
Another
one I missed though who could foresee that Ben Roethlisberger would go down
with an elbow injury in Week 2. Despite a 1-4 start, Pittsburgh rallied to win
7 of their next 8 to get back into the thick of the playoff race. Losing their
final three games, especially to the Jets in Week 16, kept them out of the
tournament.
Browns
Pre-season
division position: 3rd
Will
the hype around this team translate to their first playoff appearance in 17
years?
This
was a very undisciplined team as shown during the melee at the end of their
21-7 win against the Steelers at home. Losing 4 of their final 5 including to
the Bengals in Week 17 proved fatal to Freddie Kitchen’s job security as he was
the first coach fired at the end of the season.
Bengals
Pre-season
division position: 4th
I
don’t think the Bengals recovered from their collapse after their strong 2018
start. The good news is that Cincinnati won the first overall pick and are
expected to pick LSU quarterback Joe Burrow in upcoming draft.
AFC SOUTH
Texans
Pre-season
division position: 1st, AFC 4
Playoff
seed: AFC 4
Hey,
I got this right!
Houston
could be a darkhorse for a Super Bowl run if things fall their way. Out of the
three division winners – Ravens, Chiefs, and Patriots – their only loss was a
blowout in Baltimore. The Texans proved they could win in Kansas City and their
win against the Patriots was not as close as the final score indicated.
Titans
Pre-season
division position: 3rd
Playoff
seed: AFC 6
Running
back Derrick Henry led the NFL in rushing this season. In the Titans’ final seven
games, Henry rushed for at least 100 yards in five wins. Ryan Tannehill might
have revived his career.
Colts
Pre-season
division position: 4th
At
the start of the season I said that this season won’t be as bad as the 2011 “Suck
for Luck” but it will still be painful. Brissett was serviceable and the best
performance of the Colts was going into Arrowhead to beat the Chiefs.
Unfortunately, it was wasted due to several missed field goals by Adam Vinatieri
throughout the season. I think we have seen the last of the future Hall of
Famer.
Jaguars
Pre-season
division position: 2nd, AFC 6
Ugh…
this was a reach…
Jacksonville
was at .500 by mid-season. And then it spiraled out to a 6-10 finish. Tom
Coughlin is out of the front office in Jacksonville.
AFC WEST
Chiefs
Pre-season
division position: 1st, AFC 1
Playoff
seed: AFC 2
Not
surprised they won the division. What is surprising is they got the AFC 2 in
the last week of the Sunday due to the Dolphins going into New England to pull
off the upset. Kansas City survived the loss of Patrick Mahomes due to a knee
injury. I am still skeptical of their playoff success given the tortured
history of this franchise since the 1990s and which Andy Reid playoff miscue
will show up. If this franchise is to win their first Super Bowl in 50 years,
they will have earned it with having to beat the Patriots and then a possible
trip to Baltimore.
Broncos
Pre-season
division position: 3rd
Quarterback
Drew Lock has calmed the Broncos faithful from demanding that General Manager
John Elway be sacrificed for the early season woes. If it wasn’t for their 0-4
start, Denver would be in the playoffs. The story that will dominate the
Broncos’ off-season: who
will own the team
Raiders
Pre-season
division position: 4th
The
beginning of the season was certainly filled with drama over the cutting of
wide receiver Antonio Brown. The Raiders made their final season in Oakland
interesting by having a slim chance of making the playoffs in Week 17. Even
though the Titans win over the Texans eliminated them, it was their Week 15
Oakland finale against the Jaguars that doomed them. The Raiders begin play in
Las Vegas next season and heading into the 2020 draft (also in Las Vegas), they
have two picks in the first round.
Chargers
Pre-season
division position: 2nd, AFC 5
Another
reach. There are three games that come to mind to the Chargers season. The
first being their loss to the Steelers where their fans took over the stadium
which has been the epitome of their existence in Los Angeles. I am not sure it
will get better when they move into their new stadium with the Rams next
season. The other two – road loss to the Raiders and loss in Mexico City to the
Chiefs – show that we might be seeing the end of Phillip Rivers.
NFC EAST
Eagles
Pre-season
division position: 1st, NFC 1, NFC Champion
Playoff
seed: NFC 4
I
wasn’t surprised that the Eagles won the NFC East, nor the order of the
division. Coach Doug Pederson knows how to get the most out of the talent at
his disposal. Injuries certainly hindered their performance to where they ended
up kings of the trash heap that is the NFC East. If they are to make a return
trip to the Super Bowl, it will require beating the Seahawks and then going on
the road to either San Francisco or Green Bay in the divisional round.
Cowboys
Pre-season
division position: 2nd
Mediocrity
has defined the Cowboys for far too long. This is the longest stretch in
franchise history that Dallas hasn’t played in a Super Bowl. The Cowboys
haven’t won in the divisional round since I was in sixth grade back in the ancient
time of January 1996. Jason Garett will not return to the sideline in 2020 but other
wholesale changes need to be made. Specifically, in who the general manager is
(Jerry Jones).
Giants
Pre-season
division position: 3rd
The
Giants suffered the usual growing pains with a new starting QB. Pat Shurmur is
out as head coach.
Washington
Pre-season
division position: 4th
It
turns out that the culture is not damn good. Jay Gruden was the first coach
fired during the season. Bruce Allen is out as general manager. Sure,
Washington hired Ron Rivera – who was axed by the Panthers after going 5-7 in
2019 – and added Jack Del Rio as defensive coordinator, but it won’t change the
fact that Dan Snyder is still in charge of this operation.
NFC NORTH
Packers
Pre-season
division position: 2
Playoff
seed: NFC 2
Is
this the worst 13-3 team? Green Bay was 3-2 against playoff teams, two against
the Vikings and the other against the Mahomes-less Chiefs. Ask yourself this
question: despite having a home playoff game, can they beat the Saints, Eagles,
or Seahawks?
Vikings
Pre-season
division position: 3
Playoff
seed: NFC 6
The
Vikings were no better against playoff teams, 1-4. Kirk Cousins hasn’t won on
Monday Night Football and is making his second playoff start. He got a
truckload of money and how he does against the Saints in the first round could
determine his future with the franchise.
Bears
Pre-season
division position: 1
If
only they had an offense to go with that defense.
Lions
Pre-season
division position: 4
Detroit
was .500 after getting jobbed by the referees at Lambeau on Monday Night in
Week 6. Their response? 1-10 to finish out the season. Not having Matthew
Stafford for the rest of the season didn’t help. Well… the Pistons are currently
4 games behind the Magic for the last spot in the NBA’s East. And the less said
about the Red Wings, the better.
NFC SOUTH
Saints
Pre-season
division position: 1, NFC 3
Playoff
seed: NFC 3
Drew
Brees is the all-time leader in passing yards and will without a doubt be a
first ballot Hall of Famer. It seems like he should have more than one Super
Bowl on his resume and this could be his last chance at a title run with the
amount of talent surrounding him. I seriously could see the Saints making the
NFC Championship.
Buccaneers
Pre-season
division position: 4
Jamies
Winston led the league in passing yards and was the only quarterback to throw
for over 5,000 yards this season. He threw for over 30 touchdowns. And also 30
interceptions… 7 were pick-sixes including his final pass of the 2019 season. Tampa
would’ve been a playoff team without the Winston turnovers. Will Tampa have him
as the incumbent starter heading into 2020?
Falcons
Pre-season
division position: 2, NFC 6
Since
blowing a 28-3 lead in Super Bowl LI, the Falcons are 25-25 with their lone
playoff appearance coming in 2017 and consecutive 7-9 seasons.
Panthers
Pre-season
division position: 3
Despite
losing Cam Newton for the season, it looked like the Panthers would survive.
Then came their trip to San Francisco where they were beaten 51-13. Losing to
the Packers at Lambeau kicked off a seven-game losing streak that ended Ron
Rivera’s time in Charlotte. Running back Christian McCaffery rushed for nearly
1400 yards and was a 1,000-yard receiver.
NFC WEST
49ers
Pre-season
division position: 3
Playoff
seeding: NFC 1
I
did not have high expectations due to everything falling apart after Jimmy
Garoppolo’s injury the previous season. Well… the 49ers are a Super Bowl
contender. It took inches in their final game at Seattle to claim the NFC
1-seed.
Seahawks
Pre-season
division position: 2, NFC 5
Playoff
seeding: NFC 5
Inches
made all the difference between the Seahawks playing at home or going to
Philadelphia for the first round. Thing is… the Seahawks are 7-1 on the road. Russel
Wilson might have to carry this team if they are to get to the Super Bowl.
Rams
Pre-season
division position: 1, NFC 2
Losing
three straight games to the Buccaneers, Seahawks, and 49ers did not help
things. Neither did going 4-4 in the back half of the season. Even worse: The
Jaguars have the Rams’ first round picks in the 2020 (20th pick) and 2021
drafts due to the Jalen Ramsey trade.
Cardinals
Pre-season
division position: 4
Kyler
Murray showed some promise (3722 pass yards, 64.4% completion, 20 TDs-12 INTs,
544 rush yards, 4 rushing TDs) but this team needs a lot to be even close to
competitive.
WILD CARD ROUND
Texans
over Bills
Patriots
over Titans
Saints
over Vikings
Seahawks
over Eagles
DIVISIONAL ROUND
49ers
over Seahawks
Ravens
over Texans
Chiefs
over Patriots
Saints
over Packers
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
SUNDAY
Ravens
over Chiefs
49ers
over Saints
SUPER BOWL LIV, MIAMI
Ravens
over 49ers
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