The NFL is finally back baby! WOOOOOO! I’m only going to predict place within division, not full record, because I decided to do this last minute (like a dummy) and have the pleasure of attending a friend’s wedding this weekend. I’ll also throw up my AFC & NFC champion picks and a Super Bowl pick. (Hint, I’m going to be a huge homer)

AFC

East

1. New England Patriots
2. New York Jets
3. Miami Dolphins
4. Buffalo Bills

Even with Tom Brady suspended for Weeks 1-4 I still like the Patriots to win the division. I’ll go as far as saying Jimmy Garoppolo could be abysmal in the opening quarter of the season leading the Pats to a 0-4 record and they STILL win the division. I have a gut feeling Tom Brady is going to come back from his suspension and light the league on fire. Trading Chandler Jones will hurt their pass rush (12.5 sacks in 2015), but signing veteran DE Chris Long and trading for underachieving Browns OLB Barkevious Mingo should ease Jones’s loss. I also don’t believe in any of the other divisional QB’s.

North

1. Pittsburgh Steelers
2. Cincinnati Bengals (WC)
3. Baltimore Ravens
4. Cleveland Browns

I really thought the Cincinnati Bengals were going to represent the AFC in last year’s Super Bowl. They had everything you need; a solid QB (Dalton) who wasn’t necessarily dynamic, but didn’t make any torrid mistakes, a receiver (Green) who put the fear of God into opposing secondary’s, a solid rushing game with 2 backs (Bernard & Hill) who complement each other, a TE (Eifert) with a penchant for finding the endzone and a stout defense who takes the ball away (+11 in 2015). This was the most talented Bengals I’ve ever been alive for, and yet, they still fell woefully short of the ultimate goal. I’m still unsure how they lost their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cincinnati is still an extremely talent group, but last season was their shot at a championship.

South

1. Indianapolis Colts
2. Jacksonville Jaguars
3. Houston Texans
4. Tennessee Titans

Remember when the NFC West was dubbed NFC Worst and the Seattle Seahawks won the division with a 7-9 record? Then proceeded to host the reigning Super Bowl champions, New Orleans Saints, in the playoffs and everyone was calling for a revamp of the playoff seeding? That’s how I feel about the AFC South. In 2015, the Houston Texans won the division with a 9-7 record and were subsequently dismantled by the Chiefs 30-0. A healthy Andrew Luck should dominate this division.

West

1. Oakland Raiders
2. Kansas City Chiefs (WC)
3. Denver Broncos
4. San Diego Chargers

Losing Peyton Manning won’t necessarily hurt the Denver offense because he was barely able to move in the pocket and his arm was zapped of its strength. When Brock Osweiler decided to sign with Houston instead of Denver it threw a huge wrench into GM John Elway’s title defense plan. The guy who the organization earmarked as the Manning replacement had gotten fed up with the situation and decided he needed a fresh start. Denver ended up signing Mark Sanchez and drafting Paxton Lynch, though Sanchez was released before the season began and 2015 7^th round pick Trevor Siemian was elevated to starter. Even with Von Miller inking a long-term deal in Denver and many of the key parts coming back I don’t see the Broncos being able to defend their world championship.

NFC

East

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. New York Giants
3. Washington Redskins
4. Philadelphia Eagles

I had such a difficult time working through my thoughts with this division. If Tony Romo hadn’t gone down this would have been a much simpler task. So, I decided to work in reverse order. The Chip Kelly experiment failed spectacularly in Philly, and now, new head man Doug Pedersen hit the reset button by jettisoning big-money signings Byron Maxwell & DeMarco Murrary and trading up to draft NDSU QB Carson Wentz. Daniel Snyder loves to spend big and make the flashy, big money signing, but when was the last time it actually worked out? New York finished dead last in yards allowed, pass yards allowed and 24^th in rush yards allowed in 2015. Even with all the money spent on defensive players (DE Olivier Vernon, 5 years/$85 million dollars, CB Janoris Jenkins, 5 years/$62.5 million dollars, DT Damon Harrison, 5 years/$46.25 million dollars) I don’t see them climbing higher than 17^th (where Dallas finished in 2015). This left me where I originally started, Dallas.

North

1. Green Bay Packers
2. Minnesota Vikings (WC)
3. Detroit Lions
4. Chicago Bears

I had Green Bay and Minnesota battling it out all season long for supremacy in the north, but with the Teddy “Two-Gloves” Bridgewater injury, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers clearly hold the advantage. Even before the Bridgewater injury I was still leaning towards the Pack. Many experts and pundits were jumping on the Bridgewater hype train; I was not one of them. He’s put up relatively pedestrian numbers over his 2 NFL season and I just didn’t believe he would elevate the Vikings offense enough for a serious playoff run.

South

1. Carolina Panthers
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. Atlanta Falcons
4. New Orleans Saints

I don’t see the Carolina Panthers taking much of a step back in 2016. Sure, it was a weird decision to let CB Josh Norman (2015 Pro-Bowler & 1^st team All-Pro) walk for nothing, but I understand the reasoning behind the decision. Paying a 28-year-old CB upwards of $75 million, with $50 million guaranteed, is a tough pill to swallow. Is he a top-5 CB or is he a product of a talented, stout front-7? Panthers GM Dave Gettleman believes the latter (as do I). Cam Newton’s passing attack was severely limited last year due to Kelvin Benjamin’s ACL injury. Despite losing this vital weapon the Panthers managed to go 15-1 and make the Super Bowl, having him back in 2016 will only bolster their offensive capabilities.

West

1. Seattle Seahawks
2. Arizona Cardinals (WC)
3. Los Angeles Rams
4. San Francisco 49ers

I had an extremely tough time choosing between the Arizona Cardinals and the Seattle Seahawks. Haha, I’m just kidding. While I respect Larry Fitzgerald & the Cardinals I could never pick them over the Seahawks. Names like Walter Jones, Steve Hutchison & Robbie Tobeck were on the roster last time I wasn’t worried about the O-Line, but hey, that group didn’t win a Super Bowl. Although, it would be foolish of me to dismiss the lack of resources Pete Carroll and John Schneider have used (or not used) in addressing such a vital position group. I still feel the rest of the team is stacked with Pro Bowl talent and can overcome these line deficiencies.

AFC Championship: New England Patriots over Oakland Raiders

NFC Championship: Seattle Seahawks over Carolina Panthers

Super Bowl LI: Seahawks over Patriots

Yeah, yeah, yeah, this is an extremely homeristic pick, but like Eric Cartman says, “whatever, I do what I want.” Russell Wilson showed me he has the ability to be the focal point of the offense. The way he ended the regular season was phenomenal. 24 TD’s to 1 INT over a 7 game span was absolutely glorious to watch. I can only imagine how awesome this offense will be once Thomas Rawls and Jimmy Graham return to full health. Losing Bruce Irvin sucks because he was such a dynamic pass rusher, but I expect Seattle to play more nickel with Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright being the primary LB’s on the field.

On the flip side, New England starts their season without main man Tom Brady. Normally, losing the starting QB would cripple a team, but not for Bill Belichick. Remember that time when Brady went down for an entire season and was replaced by unknown quantity, Matt Cassel? In case you forgot here are his numbers from 2008; 3693 passing yards on 327 completions against 516 attempts for a 63.4% completion percent and a 21-11 TD to INT ratio. This was by a guy who only had 39 career attempts prior to the 2008 season. What I’m trying to say is the Patriots will be fine.

In all honesty, I would be thrilled if 75% of these predictions came true. I do these to get myself in the mindset to think critically about the NFL and football in general. I only follow 1 team hardcore, Seattle Seahawks, and the rest of the teams I catch periodically throughout the season. With that being said, let’s enjoy this NFL season together!