The superb Radio Show tonight got my competitive juices flowing and I think I'm ready for the season. As a teacher in the summer, I probably SHOULD have wrote a bunch more articles... especially during that double XP week, but June and July have been pretty lazy days playing Zelda with my sons. But here we go, I figured the Predictions are a nice way to get a few AP without taking 4 hours. And why WOULDN'T you want to know -my- opinion on it? The same guy who picked the 49ers to get LAST in the NFC West last year, and the Ravens to get 3rd in the AFC North!!
(So if I don't rank your team where you think you belong, please don't take it personal) That said, I DO get a little bitter each time I read about how much of a lock the Washington Football Team is in the East. But hey, I concede they are much better than last year. But there's a big gap between (6-10) and (14-2)... especially when you gotta play Dallas twice and the Giants twice. The Giants aren't laying down, and I've beat Washington four straight times (and 5 of my 6 attempts). Anyways, nobody cares about the NFC East... let's talk about the AFC to start.
AFC East
1.
New York Jets
2.
New England Patriots
3.
Miami Dolphins
4.
Buffalo Bills
Seems unanimous league wide that the Jets are the team to beat, which is always scary, but it's hard to argue. Super talented, great offseason, top tier GM. Also on the hot seat, so NEED to win. The previous bully, the Dolphins, are apparently hitting reset. It's all there for the Jets. I do think the Patriots are getting very close, like my Cowboys, to being an annual menace inside the East. The Jets need to make noise THIS year. The Bills are pretty unanimously in for a world of hurt... but for what it's worth, I'm really rooting for them to have a good season and prove everyone wrong.
AFC North
1.
Cleveland Browns
2.
Baltimore Ravens
3.
Pittsburgh Steelers
4.
Cincinnati Bengals
Don't sleep on the Browns. They've looked good in sims for our Week 1 matchup. I may have found a gameplan that really pushes Brohm around (have knocked him out of 3 of 6 contests with this GP). We'll see how it translates. Obviously hope it's only for a game, but when he's healthy, Brohm is dangerous. If he's healthy all year, the Browns win the division. The Ravens are still really good and already did well with Jimmy G once before. They could do it again. The Steelers and Bengals are both developing young QBs, and now is a good time to actually focus on that.
AFC South
1.
Tennessee Titans
2.
Indianapolis Colts
3.
Houston Texans
4.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The SFL All Stars! Super talented, walking around all offseason like Drago just inviting other teams to scrimmage and then kill them like Apollo Creed. If they die, they die. (Apolo, if the DC gimmicks don't work, there is potential in the Rocky universe). Colts are most overlooked team this offseason, but that's how Breck likes it. Texans are a hot pick, but I still think the division remains one of the toughest. Even the Jags are getting better.
AFC West
1.
Denver Broncos
2.
Oakland Raiders
3.
San Diego "Super" Chargers
4.
Kansas City Chiefs
Broncos remain the team to beat, by my estimation. The Raiders had some good fortune this offseason, so look for them to make some noise... but Tom Collins is tuned in. He's lessened his load, was aggressive in Free Agency (for him), and I think he's ready to push for a Super Bowl. The Chiefs are quietly getting really good, young players, one of the best drafts this year.... but it's a tough division. The Chargers improve, but still a year away.
AFC Playoff Seedings
1.
Denver Broncos
2.
Tennessee Titans
3.
New York Jets
4.
Cleveland Browns
5.
Indianapolis Colts
6.
Oakland Raiders
Broncos and Titans are the BYE teams, while the Jets just barely miss. Those pesky Patriots steal a game from early in the year that they hope doesn't matter... but it does. They host a Raiders team that is much tougher than a BYE. The Colts head to Cleveland, and if Brohm is healthy, it should be an explosive bout.
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NFC East
1.
New York Giants
2.
Dallas Cowboys
3.
Washington Redskins
4.
Philadelphia Eagles
I talked a lot about this division in the opener... so I won't beat the same dead horse. The league obviously loves to have Justin back... he seems like a great dude, and a very qualified GM. But he also took over a corpse. He made them better incorporating a lot of what we saw with his buddy in San Fran... forget about draft picks, just use it as ammo to get high AWR vets. They'll be better. But Bradford underperformed for years in Detroit, and those teams were more talented than Washington. They still have a beatable secondary, and their WRs are not super explosive. They also have stripped the cabinet of future picks, and the Cowboys are VERY young. So they NEED to be good this year. But ultimately, I think the Giants win 11 games and the division, as one last hoorah before Romeo spends a year developing a QB. Eagles got better, quietly. They could surprise.
NFC North
1.
Minnesota Vikings
2.
Chicago Bears
3.
Green Bay Packers
4.
Detroit Lions
Vikings, for my money, are one of the best rosters in the league. They need Tyler Wilson to play to his potential, but he's flashed greatness. The league loves Chicago, but I think the Vikes win this division pretty handedly. The Lions have five years on the contract, so it's a great time to rebuild and develop some of their super talented young players. They were my Super Bowl pick last year... partly because of how talented they were, but also because this rebuild was clearly coming. The Packers are going to go as far as Luck can take them. They could surprise and leapfrog the Bears, imo. But what do I know.
NFC South
1.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2.
New Orleans Saints
3.
Atlanta Falcons
4.
Carolina Panthers
The Bucs have talked big about starting young players, but Bryan is no dummy. He's the most successful GM in league history for a reason. He will win this division easy, and I think the playoffs will be pretty easy for him, too. The other three teams in the division are all interchangeable to me. All good, and could win any week... but lacking the consistency needed to compete with a juggernaut like Tampa.
NFC West
1.
Arizona Cardinals
2.
San Francisco 49ers
3.
St. Louis Rams
4.
Seattle Seahawks
So you're ALLLLL on the 49ers and Seahawks? Yes, those two rosters look as good as anyone in the division... but let's not forget that besides last year... the Cardinals or Rams have won the NFC West every year since 2006. I think the Cardinals surprise some teams this year. Scott was very specific this offseason about retaining vets... even though he's got the job security to coast and rebuild. He remembers his mistakes in Detroit, and he's using it to build a modern dynasty in Arizona. Barkley will be a stud this year, and for years to come. I also really like the Rams, but think they are a year away, and all the Paxton Lynch talk is scary.
NFC Playoff Seedings
1.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2.
Minnesota Vikings
3.
New York Giants
4.
Arizona Cardinals
5.
San Francisco 49ers
6.
Chicago Bears
Bucs and Vikes are the class of the conference, but I do have concerns with how both teams matchup with the Broncos and Titans. The playoffs could very well come down to some matchup, but I think the Bucs should be the favorite.
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Wild Card Weekend
Oakland Raiders - 17,
New York Jets- 16
Indianapolis Colts - 43,
Cleveland Browns - 39
New York Giants - 35,
Chicago Bears - 21
San Francisco 49ers - 24,
Arizona Cardinals - 23
Heartbreaking loss for the Jets, but they secure the contract extension. Equally tough loss for the Cardinals, who sweep the 49ers in the regular season, but it's too tough to beat a good team three times. The veteran QB takes round 3. Giants continue a storybook season behind BEAST Melvin Gordon. Colts barely survive a scare from the Browns.
Divisional Round
Minnesota Vikings - 31,
New York Giants - 28
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 22,
San Francisco 49ers - 20
Tennessee Titans - 7,
Indianapolis Colts - 6
Denver Broncos - 29,
Oakland Raiders - 25
Giants Cinderella season ends. To further haunt Romeo, it's even the same final score as the 2014 playoffs. Apolo and the SFL All Stars survive a real scare from a division foe. Mellon gets his revenge on the 49ers. And can you IMAGINE the tension in that Raiders-Broncos game to decide who goes to the AFC Championship. I think the Broncos are winning... and the Raiders have the ball on the last drive just taking deep shots to (underwhelming) Julio Jones, and Tom literally has to walk away from his computer because he can't watch. But he advances to play Apolo.
Conference Championship
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 36,
Minnesota Vikings - 33
Denver Broncos - 31,
Tennessee Titans - 22
Vikes and Bucs could be a literal pick 'em... but if I'm making the line I give the Bucs the 3 points home bump. That should be a real doozy. Could the Vikes make a 3rd Super Bowl and win it this time? I think they will for sure, just not THIS year. If Tom wasn't thrilled enough to discard of Brad the week prior, he gets a game v. Apolo that let's face it, Tom probably doesn't even watch (lol). But I think his team matches up nice, and I think Tom wins his Super Bowl this week, by eliminating Apolo.
Super Bowl XLVIII
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 44,
Denver Broncos - 22
Tampa are the best team on paper. That doesn't mean much, but I think Mr. Mellon gets #4 this year. I'm sure he'll have a special shirt made for the SFL meetup.
Award Winners
SFL MVP QB Kirk Cousins
OROTY HB Derrick Henry
DPOTY OLB Kevin "Fat Boy" Dodd
