by Forrest Buck, Trev Tsilis, and Kevin Schroeder

NFC

Division Breakdowns – Trev

NFC EAST

1. Washington Redskins (10-6)

Let me just start by saying these NFC East picks were all a guess. This division isn’t good. Any of the four teams could realistically win the division, and if any team went 5-11, I also wouldn’t be surprised. The Redskins have the most consistent quarterback (sorry Eli) and the least turnover on the roster. Kirk Cousins plays every game like he’s trying to prove people wrong, and it’s a good trait to have. He was fantastic last year and is getting closer to his big payday. Expect him to continue to be consistent. The running game is a question mark, as is the offensive line. The receivers have potential. DSJ and Pierre Garcon have lost a step, but Jamison Crowder as a rookie last year was good, and if Josh Doctson is healthy, can be a big factor for Cousins. The defense is mediocre, but good enough in this division.

2. Dallas Cowboys (7-9)

If only you could stay healthy, Tony. I don’t care about preseason, therefore Dak Prescott looking good in the preseason applies very little to these picks. Is he better than Matt Cassel or Brandon Weeden? Sure, but anybody with a pulse is better than those two disasters. The offensive line and Zeke Elliott in his rookie year should be good. Dez is healthy, but this team cannot win without Romo, and won’t believe in them to until proven otherwise. The defense isn’t all that great either. Another frustrating season in Dallas.

3. New York Giants (7-9)

As a Bears fan, I know what can happen when you hire a nerd who doesn’t appear to know how to do anything besides call plays, and thats the vibe from Ben McAdoo. I know he resurrected Eli after a bad couple of years, but this team has holes all over the roster. McAdoo didn’t establish the run game as coordinator, so why would he give Rashad Jennings a chance to be a 1,000 yard rusher as head coach? It’s a shame, he’s got potential. Sterling Shepard will be good opposite of OBJ in this offense. The defense is a disaster and adding Olivier Vernon will only do so much. Again, hiring an offense only guy with a bad defense is NOT a good move. It won’t work here. This team isn’t very good.

4. Philadelphia Eagles (6-10)

Outside of QB and WR, this team is better at basically every position than the Giants, however I give Eli a couple more wins than Carson Wentz. The front seven of the defense is very solid, and while the secondary has its holes, it should still be a solid unit. They ran Andy Reid out of town, then when they realized Chip Kelly was bad, they essentially hired Andy Reid 2.0, his coordinator and Kansas City and longtime Packer backup QB Doug Pederson to run the same offense Philly had for 15 years. It will work with Wentz, and they have a bright future. Need to get him some more weapons though. Philly is a year or two away.

NFC NORTH

1. Green Bay Packers (12-4)

Last year, something was off with the Packers. Rodgers still had great numbers, but the offense just didn’t click. Lacy was inconsistent, Davante Adams couldn’t catch a cold, Randall Cobb had no idea how to be the focal point. It just didn’t work without Jordy Nelson. They started 6-0, but then were a mess going forward, ultimately losing a thriller to Arizona in the divisional round. This will be a bounceback year in Green Bay with Nelson coming back, and hopefully a more in shape Lacy to balance Rodgers’ workload. The defense is how it usually is, not fantastic, but not bad, and just good enough. Sam Shields is very underrated, and Demarious Randall had a nice rookie season. Clay Matthews will shift back outside where he is more effective. Overall, this is a very good roster with the best quarterback in the sport. The question will be, can they start to experience postseason success again? The regular season will be a very good one for the Packers.

2. Chicago Bears (10-6)

All summer, I have been high on the Bears. They shored up the front 7, with Vic Fangio needing linebackers like Danny Trevathon and Jerrell Freeman to go along with Leonard Floyd and Pernell McPhee on the outside. McPhee will be out for the first 6-8 weeks, making Fangio shift things around, but besides that, the roster is essentially healthy. The secondary is young, but led by wily veteran Tracy Porter, who was rightfully re-upped in the offseason, and streaky but talented Kyle Fuller, who only figures to get better in his 3rd year. Adrian Amos showed he could handle safety duties, as did Harold Jones-Quartey in his limited time. The Bears young secondary will get in trouble at times, and the depth is limited. On the other side of the ball, Jay Cutler returns after a Pro Bowl caliber year (21 TD’s, 11 INT’s in 15 games) with a full arsenal of weapons on the outside. Alshon Jeffrey, Kevin White, and Eddie Royal will all go into Week 1 healthy. John Fox loves running backs splitting carries, and Jeremy Langford, Jordan Howard, and Ka’Deem Carey seem like the perfect fit. The offensive line was a question mark all summer, capped off by the shoulder injury to All-Pro Kyle Long last month. But then a funny thing happened, Packers GM Ted Thompson decided to cut his All-Pro left guard, Josh Sitton, and he signed with the Bears 24 hours later. Now, with solid Charles Leno, Jr. and Sitton on the left side, and Long on the left side with former Cardinals tackle Bobby Massie, and another former Cardinal Ted Larsen at center, it doesn’t appear to be so bad. Depth is an issue, however. All in all, this is a talented team that, if healthy (this blog is written assuming health for all teams), the Bears will be a playoff team in John Fox’s second year.

3. Minnesota Vikings (8-8)

Before the Bridgewater injury, I thought the Vikings were better than the Bears, however that’s no longer true. Shaun Hill is a standard backup, and Sam Bradford is a league average passer with no higher ceiling than that. The weapons on the outside don’t provide enough for either of these guys to look better than they are. It’s gonna be another year feeding Adrian Peterson. Mike Zimmer is a fantastic coach, and will have another great defense that doesn’t necessarily force a lot of turnovers, but make it really difficult to sustain drives consistently against them or give up big plays. They will be in it till the end, but the lack of offense will keep them home in January.

4. Detroit Lions (6-10)

The Lions hired a new GM, who somehow was sold to keep Jim Caldwell. That’s not a good start. Caldwell saved his job with a nice finish for the Lions last year, and Matt Stafford was efficient under the new offensive coordinator. The defense is still solid, but unspectacular. The big news here is the retirement of Calvin Johnson. He was Stafford’s security blanket, and when all else failed, he could chuck it to Megatron and he’d go get it. It will take awhile for this offense to adjust, even if Golden Tate is a #1 receiver. Marvin Jones signing helps, and a healthy Eric Ebron would help too. There still isn’t a running game, due to the inconsistencies of Ameer Abdullah and the Lions not really caring too much about it. The floor and ceiling here are similar. No less than 6 wins, no more than 8.

NFC SOUTH

1. Carolina Panthers (13-3)

Another no-brainer. There is too much talent here, and too little around the rest of the division to think otherwise. the defending MVP is back and ready to put the Super Bowl debacle behind him. The Panthers are solid to above average at almost every position, and get Kelvin Benjamin back from a torn ACL. A very good defense has to replace Josh Norman, and depth in the secondary may be an issue. But this is a very good team with realistic hopes of playing in February. An NFC South title is the first of bigger goals here.

2. New Orleans Saints (8-8)

Drew Brees covers up a lot of deficiencies. The All-Pro QB was back to his old self last year, even more of a reason why the prediction is 8-8. With Brees at the top of his game, the roster holes are too much to overcome here. The offense should be good, and Mark Ingram appears to finally be a top running back worth trusting. Marques Colston is gone, but Willie Snead and rookie Michael Thomas should be valuable contributors opposite of Brandin Cooks. Sheldon Rankins, drafted to be a stabilizing force up front on a terrible defensive line, is out until November, and the rest of the additions on defense are more “hope and prayer” type guys more so than solid contributors. Delvin Breaux was a revelation last year, turning into a solid cover corner. Kenny Vaccaro and Jairus Byrd may be on the downside, but it isn’t a terrible safety pairing. This team quite simply needs to force more turnovers to counteract the yardage they’ll give up, or it’s just another wasted year from Drew Brees.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8)

Jameis Winston was solid in his rookie year, appeared mature, and as his decision making improves, with the weapons around him, this team should score. Dirk Koetter was essentially the guy the players wanted, so that’s why he replaced old school defensive Lovie Smith. Koetter probably won’t be a very good head coach, and this defense, particularly the back seven, probably won’t be very good either. Too many holes to be considered a Wild Card team in the tough NFC.

4. Atlanta Falcons (7-9)

Matt Ryan is an established veteran quarterback. Julio Jones is an elite receiver. Devonta Freeman emerged from a nameless cast of running backs to establish himself as a #1 running back. Desmond Trufant is a legit #1 corner. That’s about it for the good news here. This is a team that every year has the same problems, a weak defense, a shaky offensive line, and little to no toughness about them. Dan Quinn was hired for that, but after a collapse when starting 6-0, he didn’t appear to be anything but clueless. The defense is still not good, they signed Mohammed Sanu to take attention away from Jones. However, the mistakes of Matt Ryan and his focus on only throwing to Jones will continue to be the downfall of this team in their last season in the Georgia Dome.

NFC WEST

1. Seattle Seahawks (12-4)

Russell Wilson leads the now high-flying offense to match the fantastic defense in Seattle, thanks to his development as a passer as well as the development of his receivers. Marshawn Lynch retired, but Thomas Raawls looks like a perfect replacement based on early returns from last year when Lynch was injured. The issue is the offensive line. Wilson thrives on moving, but he got hit more than he needed to last year, and the line is in flux. It’s the key to how good Seattle will be this year, because everything else is in place. The defense, well I don’t have to talk about the defense, because if you’re reading this, you know how good their defense is. It took a slight step back this year, and the secondary covers up a few holes in the front seven. It’s Super Bowl or bust in the Pacific Northwest.

2. Arizona Cardinals (11-5)

Bruce Arians has turned this once hopeless franchise into a dangerous contender out west. They laid an egg in the NFC Championship game in Charlotte, but look to be the offensive machine they were last year once again 2016. Carson Palmer keeps getting better with age, and with the evolution of David Johnson to solve the eternal running back question in Arizona, this offense has no ceiling. The defense has playmakers all over the field and will continue to force turnovers. This team is arguably better than anybody not named Seattle or Carolina. Expectations are sky high in the desert.

3. Los Angeles Rams (7-9)

Since Jeff Fisher is the coach, the Rams will win between 6 and 8 games, trying to run 45 times a game and not throw a pass more than 8 yards. Luckily, the Rams have Todd Gurley for a full season, and he will electrify the crowd in LA with his running. The rest of the team? Not much. Tavon Austin as always is a question mark, alongside some other fringe receivers, and the defense isn’t as good as it once was, although Aaron Donald is as good as it gets on the defensive line. The real question here is about the quarterback. Fisher announced 1st overall pick Jared Goff would open as the 3rd quarterback, when initially he was going to be the starter. An ominous start for a guy chosen to be the face of a new franchise in Los Angeles. Anything close to a contender, in this division especially, would be a surprise.

4. San Francisco 49ers (3-13)

I could just put “Blaine Gabbert is the starting quarterback.” and call this preview a wrap, but I’ll pile a little more on. Like telling you that Chip Kelly is the head coach. Torrey Smith is the #1 wide receiver. The defense, so good just a few years ago, is basically scraps around NaVorro Bowman, although the team has high hopes for Oregon product DeForest Buckner. This is a very, very bad football team who is in the wrong division to be a bad football team. A long year in the Bay.

Division Predictions – Forrest

• West
  1. Arizona Cardinals
  2. Seattle Seahawks
  3. Los Angeles Rams
  4. San Francisco 49ers

• North
  1. Green Bay Packers
  2. Minnesota Vikings
  3. Detroit Lions
  4. Chicago Bears

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

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

Playoff Picture – Forrest

Division Winners

1. Arizona Cardinals
2. Green Bay Packers
3. Carolina Panthers
4. Washington Redskins

Wildcards

5. Seattle Seahawks
6. Minnesota Vikings

The Rest

7. New York Giants
8. Dallas Cowboys
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
10. Los Angeles Rams
11. New Orleans Saints
12. Detroit Lions
13. Philadelphia Eagles
14. Chicago Bears
15. Atlanta Falcons
16. San Francisco 49ers

Breakdown & Playoff Predictions – Forrest

As far as the regular season goes, I think the Cardinals will have the best overall record in the regular season followed by the Packers and Panthers. The Seahawks will be right there, but due to division rules they’ll be 5th in the playoff standings. The Redskins should take the East and even with Bridgewater out, Sam Bradford should be good enough to get the Vikings the final wildcard spot. As far as the playoffs go, I think Seattle can easily go to Washington and win. Meanwhile, the Panthers should be able to handle their business at home vs. the Vikings. Then in the divisional round, I think Seattle goes into Arizona and wins on the road while in the other game, I think the Packers win at home against Cam and company. So I have the Seahawks and Packers meeting in the NFC championship at Lambeau Field. It’ll be a hard fought contest but ultimately Seattle defense slows the Packers offense down just enough for Russell Wilson and company to outscore them. Even though I don’t believe the Seahawks will have quite as good of a regular season as Arizona I believe in them and by the time the playoffs role around I believe they will have caught fire and be in position to win 3 straight games on the road to reach the Super Bowl for the 3rd time in 4 years.

Division Predictions -Kevin

West

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

North

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

East

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

South

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

Playoff Picture – Kevin

1. Carolina
2. Arizona
3. Green Bay
4. Washington

5. (WC) Chicago
6. (WC) Seattle

Playoff Predictions -Kevin

Chicago over Washington
Seattle over Green Bay

For the record, no, I don’t think the Bears are better than the Seahawks. I think their schedule’s more favorable. The Bears get the NFC East and AFC South, which look like the two worst divisions in football, plus the 49ers and Buccaneers. I don’t think anyone did a better job of improving their team than Ryan Pace did this off-season. Ten wins seems possible.

Carolina over Seattle
Arizona over Chicago (If the Cardinals are who I think they are.)

Arizona over Carolina

AFC

Division Breakdowns – Trev

AFC EAST

1. New England Patriots (12-4)

This has to be a no-brainer, right? Of course, Tom Brady is suspended for the first month of the season, and the Patriots have suffered a fair amount of injuries and the usual roster turnover they seem to go through every season. The suspension of defensive cornerstone Rob Ninkovich for the first month also hurts. However, the Patriots are the Patriots. They open with a trip to Arizona in primetime, however the next 3 games without Brady will be played at Gillette Stadium. Trips to Pittsburgh, Denver, and home dates with Seattle and Cincinnati all come once Brady comes back. Book another AFC East title for Bill Belichick.

2. New York Jets (8-8)

The Jets brought back Ryan Fitzpatrick to make sure Geno Smith doesn’t see the field again. That’s a good thing, because Geno Smith is incredibly bad at playing quarterback in the NFL, and also because Ryan Fitzpatrick is pretty good. Fitzpatrick seemed to limit the emotional outbursts from Brandon Marshall, and all season was in sync with offensive coordinator Chan Gailey.  The addition of Matt Forte, at this stage, is an upgrade over Chris Ivory, but don’t expect Forte to be the back he once was. All in all, the Jets offense should put up some points, and while the defense isn’t what it once was, it still has Darrelle Revis. The biggest problem with the Jets duplicating their 10-6 record from last season is the schedule. 4 of 6 on the road to start, including trips to Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and Arizona. The home games aren’t easy either, Cincinnati and Seattle. Two games against the Brady-led Patriots after Thanksgiving don’t help, either. Consider the playoffs out of reach for the Jets.

3. Buffalo Bills (7-9)

Tyrod Taylor was a revelation last season, turning himself into a very efficient passer and playmaker for Rex Ryan’s bunch. Sammy Watkins, if he can stay healthy, appears to be blossoming into a game-changing wide receiver. Robert Woods, and the rest of the Bills cast of receivers, however, are question marks. Shady McCoy has a lot of wear and tear, and Ryan relies on him a lot. The Bills need a monster year from McCoy to try and unseat the Patriots. They have a much more favorable schedule than the Jets, including a Brady-less trip to Foxborough in Week 4. However, the defense has a lot of question marks. The season ending injury to Shaq Lawson was a killer for Ryan’s defense, which struggled mightily for large stretches of last season. Not to mention, everybody besides the head coach knows that bringing in Rob Ryan will end badly. The pass rush from the linebackers in the 3-4 doesn’t seem like it will be effective enough to offset the yards surrendered. The Bills have good corners, but there are just too many question marks. Another playoff-less season in western New York.

4. Miami Dolphins (6-10)

What else is new? The Dolphins hired Adam Gase, which was a good idea if they want to turn around Ryan Tannehill. Otherwise, I’m not seeing much difference between the group that went 6-10 last year and lose their best player, running back Lamar Miller. Jarvis Landry, Kenny Stills, and DeVonta Parker are nice weapons for Gase and Tannehill to work with, however I’m not sure about Arian Foster’s durability, especially in the heat of South Florida. Speaking of, the Dolphins relying on Ndamukong Suh nearly every down in the weather down there clearly wore him down. The Dolphins just didn’t have much else on that side of the ball. They lost Olivier Vernon, and added Kiko Alonso and Byron Maxwell, neither of which can change a defense from bad to good. Cameron Wake is back after a torn Achilles, but it’s unrealistic to expect him to be 100 percent all year. Tannehill will probably be better, and the Dolphins will score, but I’m not sure what teams they’ll be able to stop. Nobody in the AFC East that’s for sure.

AFC NORTH

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)

I was torn with this one. I believe the Bengals have a deeper roster, however with the weapons the Steelers have, combined with the off-season losses the Bengals endured, a slight edge to the Steelers here. It all starts at quarterback, of course, with the two-time Super Bowl winner Ben Roethlisberger. If Ben can stay healthy, he has just a good a chance as anybody of winning NFL MVP due to the numbers he will put up. LeVeon Bell will miss 4 weeks with yet another suspension, and the Steelers are hopeful he’ll stay healthy as well. On the outside, they’ll have to deal with the year-long suspension of playmaker Martavis Bryant, however the Steelers have quite the weapon to offset that. Antonio Brown has emerged as the best wide receiver and most dangerous playmaker in the entire National Football League. From the sheer volume of receptions, to the YAC ability, to the chemistry with Ben, Brown is the most dangerous player in the entire league with the ball in his hands, and it gets in his hands quite a bunch. The Steelers are also optimistic about Markus Wheaton replacing Bryant outside. Now, for the bad news. The defense. Once a hallmark of this franchise, it is now just very average. It will lose them some games, and if Ben is injured at any point, expect the Bengals to win the division.

2. Cincinnati Bengals (10-6)

I am a bit skeptical of the Bengals early in the season. While new coordinator Ken Zampeze has been on Marvin Lewis’ staff for a decade, replacing Hue Jackson, Mohammed Sanu, and Marvin Jones will not be easy. Andy Dalton also will be without one of his favorite targets, Tyler Eifert for about a month of the season. It will take some time for the offense to gel with new pieces Brandon LaFell and Tyler Boyd, who arrived from the draft. The fact of the matter is, the Bengals receiving group after A.J. Green is questionable. Can Jeremy Hill regain his rookie year form? Can Gio Bernard handle a full starting running back load in a balanced offense if Hill isn’t the effective bruiser he was in 2014? I can’t answer those questions. The Bengals have a very good defense, and while there are question marks in the secondary opposite of Adam “Pacman” Jones, the Bengals still are high on Dre Kirkpatrick’s development and becoming consistent. Losing Reggie Nelson will hurt the defense, as will the early suspension of Vontaze Burfict for doing all that nonsense during the Wild Card meltdown. I think Cincinnati will peak later in the year, and I expect a Wild Card berth and a long awaited win or two in the playoffs, so long as Dalton and the new offense gels.

3. Baltimore Ravens (9-7)

The Ravens were decimated by injuries last year, finally even spreading to quarterback Joe Flacco later in the season after he had to deal with a bunch of roster fringe scraps the majority of the season, not to mention having to deal with Marc Trestman calling the plays. One of those problems is fixed this year, and the Ravens are hoping to get back to the consistent franchise in the AFC that they have been for the better part of the last decade and a half. The problem is, the roster as a whole, even when fully healthy, isn’t exceptional. Flacco is solid, the running game is solid, the receivers are unproven beyond Steve Smith, who is old and recovering from a devastating injury. The offensive line is average, the defense is mostly average, although getting leader Terrell Suggs back and signing Eric Weddle will pay dividends. I’m just not sure about the overall depth of the roster, however the non-awful Harbaugh, John, is a great coach, and if they can stay healthy, I expect them to be in it all the way until the end and maybe sneak a Wild Card berth.

4. Cleveland Browns (4-12)

I’m not exactly sure what to even write here. Hue Jackson got a raw deal in Oakland, and deserves another chance after developing Andy Dalton into an upper echelon QB and having a very successful offense in Cincinnati. However, this is a mess. The Browns appear to be trying to stick with stability with new management and giving Jackson a real chance, because this is going to take awhile. RGIII gets another chance, and with no pressure on him, if he can stay healthy, I think he can be a middle of the road option for Cleveland in the short term. Corey Coleman should develop into a nice receiver, and if Josh Gordon can come back, they could put some points up. The running game has a ton of question marks, as does the rest of the roster outside of tackle Joe Thomas, and corner Joe Haden. It’s going to be a process in Cleveland.

AFC South

1. Indianapolis Colts (11-5)

I’m refusing to let the offensive line questions and eternal question about the defense deter me here. Quite simply, I believe Andrew Luck is going to be back to the top of the league in touchdown passes with T.Y. Hilton and the ever improving Donte Moncrief on the outside, as well as Phillip Dorsett (drafting all those receivers should help, just ask Ryan Grigson). I think the offensive line, despite tepid results early on, will be serviceable enough for Luck. I also believe Frank Gore will be enough of a changeup for the passing game that he’ll be effective in his second year in Indy. I think people may be surprised with this high of a projection, however I believe in Luck and a huge comeback season.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars (9-7)

Another surprise! I am not overwhelmed by the Texans, and I believe in what the Jags can do on offense. Chris Ivory was a nice pickup, and while the offensive line isn’t great, much like Indy, I believe it will hold up for Blake Bortles. Bortles tossed 35 (35!) touchdowns last season and they still went 5-11, mostly due to a terrible start. The key for Jacksonville is getting off to a quick start, something that will be tough with Aaron Rodgers coming to EverBank Field this Sunday. The defense gets last year’s first round pick ,Dante Fowler back, as well as first round pick Jalen Ramsey this year. The defensive line also added Malik Jackson, and the linebackers are solid, especially if Myles Jack develops quickly. the upside of the Jags is worth believing in, with the exceptional talents of Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns on the outside, and the influx of talent on the defense. Look out for this team.

3. Houston Texans (7-9)

On the other end of the spectrum, I don’t believe in this team. Adding Lamar Miller and Will Fuller through the draft to go along with the explosive DeAndre Hopkins, and getting rid of the human interception that is Brian Hoyer, were smart moves. Miller is an electric playmaker, and Fuller has big play potential. However, I really am not sold on Brock Osweiler being the answer at quarterback. I think the running game, running behind a shoddy offensive line, will have to be really good for Osweiler to have a good season. The defense is good, however not dominant. JJ Watt is a dominant defensive end, and that goes without saying, I’m just not sold on anybody else really being a playmaker on that side of the ball. JaDaveon Clowney can’t stay healthy, neither can Brian Cushing, and Vince Wilfork and Johnathan Joseph are old. Consider it surprising if the Texans repeat as champions in the South.

4. Tennessee Titans (7-9)

At Oregon, I wasn’t sold on Marcus Mariota. However, after last year’s rookie performance with no running game, limited weapons, and a bad offensive line, he truly looked like a prized young NFL quarterback. His pocket skills (when he could stay in it) were good, and the sky is the limit. The Titans did a few good things this offseason, and one really bad thing. Lets start with the good. Trading a boatload for the top pick and still getting Jack Conklin was huge for them and their offensive line and protecting Mariota. As was acquiring DeMarco Murray to run in a conventional offense, and also acquiring Rishard Matthews for some receiver help. The Titans had a sneaky good defense, and with a little help on offense and protecting Mariota, this team could surprise people. Now, for the bad. Keeping Mike Mularkey, a perennial loser, as the head coach when you’re trying to promote stability was a bad move. He is truly a proven bad head football coach, yet the Titans decided to roll with it. We’ll see if it ends up working out badly, or very badly, because it won’t work out well.

AFC WEST

1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-5)

This will finally be the year for the Chiefs to break through in the AFC West after living in Denver’s shadow since Andy Reid was hired. The continuity of this roster, and the chemistry between Alex Smith and Andy Reid is hard to match in the entire league. Not to mention the blooming of Jeremy Maclin as a true top flight receiver, one of the best tight ends in the league, and a dominating defense, the Chiefs have all the makings. The offensive line has lost several contributors over the years in free agency, and top pick Eric Fisher has just been okay as a left tackle, but it should hold up well enough, and if Jamaal Charles can come back and not be overworked (capable backups will help with that), this is Kansas City’s division to lose.

2. Denver Broncos (10-6)

When making predictions, it’s always hard to knock a team off of its division perch. The Broncos have owned the AFC West for the better part of 20 years. The transition this year however, and more holes than Kansas City has, and probably a bit of a championship hangover will hurt Denver. The Broncos are going with Trevor Siemien at quarterback to replace Manning/Osweiler. He was productive in a spread offense in college, but has pro-style capabilities and “beat out” Mark Sanchez and raw rookie Paxton Lynch. While this was probably Kubiak’s best option, it is nowhere near a certified good option at the time of this writing. However, the defense is there for them to fall back on and it is a very good defense at that. If they can carry over their Super Bowl performance while losing a few key contributors, the Broncos will be right there. More good news for the Broncos is that the offense can gel early on before the key AFC West games come in November or later. All four games against Oakland and Kansas City are after November 6th. The defense should power them to a playoff berth, but it will be a struggle for the defending champions to topple the Chiefs in the West.

3. Oakland Raiders (9-7)

Jack Del Rio sure turned that around quickly, huh? After being a laughingstock for over a decade, the Raiders went 7-9 last year which included a win at Mile High late in the season in which Khalil Mack went absolutely crazy with 5 sacks. The pieces are there for this team to not only make the playoffs, but win a few games. Derek Carr continues to get better, Amari Cooper is a certified #1 receiver, Latavius Murray became an every down back, the offensive line is solid, and the defense is very good. So why not higher? I trust the Chiefs and Broncos’ track records more at this point, not to mention 3 road games the first 4 weeks, and 3 road division games sandwiched around a home game against Indianapolis to end to the season. One more year, Raider fans (hopefully in Oakland).

4. San Diego Chargers (6-10)

Poor Philip Rivers. He continues to sling the ball all over the field and battle every single game and to no avail. No better example then last season’s game in Green Bay, when he threw for over 500 yards, and they still lost. Much like Baltimore, nobody on the Chargers could stay healthy, but even when fully healthy, this roster is not flooded with talent. Keenan Allen returning is big, and Joey Bosa will help the battered defensive line. But what about the rest of the front seven? Jason Verrett is a shutdown corner, but who else is in the secondary? The offensive line was a wreck last year, and isn’t very good even when it’s healthy. Melvin Gordon showed flashes, but wasn’t consistent and the Chargers defense was so bad, they could never get the running game going, which led to Danny Woodhead frequently being the back in this offense. The Chargers will be better than last year, but a playoff berth is probably too big of a stretch. 6-10 likely would spell the end for Mike McCoy as well (probably a good thing for Chargers fans).

Division Predictions – Forrest

• West
  1. Kansas City Chiefs
  2. Oakland Raiders
  3. Denver Broncos
  4. San Diego Chargers

• North
  1. Pittsburgh Steelers
  2. Cincinnati Bengals
  3. Baltimore Ravens
  4. Cleveland Browns

• East

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

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

Playoff Picture – Forrest

Division Winners

1. New England Patriots
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Kansas City Chiefs
4. Houston Texans

Wildcards

5. Cincinnati Bengals
6. Buffalo Bills

The Rest

7. Oakland Raiders
8. Jacksonville Jaguars
9. Denver Broncos
10. Baltimore Ravens
11. New York Jets
12. Tennessee Titans
13. Indianapolis Colts
14. Miami Dolphins
15. San Diego Chargers
16. Cleveland Browns

Breakdown & Playoff Predictions – Forrest

I think it’ll be business as usual in the AFC as I expect the Patriots to land the number 1 seed for yet another year. I think New England can go 2-2 worst case without Brady and then it honestly wouldn’t shock me if Brady went 11-1 the rest of the way. I got the Steelers just edging out the Bengals. Their offense is great, but their defense will be the surprise of the year as I expect them to be much improved. I got the Chiefs edging out the Raiders and Broncos in a tough battle for the West. I think the Raiders are probably 1 more year away and I just don’t trust Denver’s QB situation. And in the South, I’m rolling with the Texans, who I think will have an elite defense and with Lamar Miller and Brock, the offense should be just good enough to win the division. The Bengals will be in a similar situation as Seattle in the NFC. A top 4 record, but because they’re in the division with another elite team they’ll have to settle for a wildcard. And I got the Bills just edging out the Raiders and Jaguars for the final wildcard spot as I believe Tyrod Taylor, Lesean McCoy, and Sammy Watkins will be 1 of the best trios in the NFL. I also expect the Ryan brothers to get that defense together. As far as the playoffs go I think the Bengals edge out Houston on the road and the Bills beat KC on the road as well. Then in the next round the Patriots eliminate the Bills and the Steelers take out the Bengals. The Steelers meet the Patriots in Fox Borough for the AFC title and I’m rolling with the greatest QB of all-time to get it down and get back to the Super Bowl.

Division Predictions – Kevin

West

1. Kansas City Chiefs
2. Denver Broncos
3. Oakland Broncos
4. San Diego Chargers

North

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

East

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

South

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

Playoff Picture – Kevin

1. Pittsburgh
2. New England
3. Kansas City
4. Houston

5. (WC) Cincinnati
6. (WC) Denver

Playoff Predictions – Kevin

Denver over Kansas City
Cincinnati over Houston

I’m honestly not that down on Trevor Simien. I like the Chiefs to win the division, but by the time the playoffs come, I think Simien can be good enough to go into Arrowhead and win, backed by his defense. (Plus, never count out the possibility of Andy Reid shooting his team in the foot in the playoffs.)

New England over Cincinnati
Pittsburgh over Denver

I’ll believe it when I see it when it comes to Andy Dalton in the playoffs.

Pittsburgh over New England

I’d love to see Brady get #5 (Go Blue!), but I think New England’s O-line does them in again.

Super Bowl Winner

Forrest

For Super Bowl 51, I believe we’ll see a rematch of Super Bowl 49 between the Patriots and Seahawks. The Seahawks should’ve won it 2 years ago and I believe this year they right the wrong and get it done. If it plays out the way I have it, that would mean Seattle would have won 3 straight playoff road games to get to the big game. There’s no way if they pull that off they wouldn’t cap it off and finish the deal. Not to mention the extra motivation they’d have to do what they should have done 2 years ago. I’m rolling with Russell Wilson and the Seahawks to win this year’s Super Bowl.

Kevin

I’ve got a rematch as well; mine’s a rematch of Super Bowl XLIII. And just like in February of 2009, the Steelers win.

Postseason Honors (by Forrest Buck)

Award Winners

MVP – Cam Newton

Offensive Player of the Year: Ezekiel Elliott

Defensive Player of the Year: Khalil Mack

Coach of the Year: Bill Belichick

Comeback Player of the Year: Leveon Bell

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Ezekiel Elliott

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Karl Joseph

All-Pro First Team

Offense 

QB. Cam Newton

RB. Ezekiel Elliott

RB. Todd Gurley

WR. Antonio Brown

WR. Odell Beckham Jr

TE. Rob Gronkoswki

OT. Tyron Smith

OG. Marshall Yanda

C. Travis Frederick

OG. Zach Martin

OT. Joe Thomas

Defense 

DE. Khalil Mack

DT. Aaron Donald

DT. Fletcher Cox

DE. J.J. Watt

OLB. Von Miller

MLB. Luke Kuechly

OLB. Jadaveon Clowney

CB. Patrick Peterson

S. Harrison Smith

S. Tyran Mathieu

CB. Richard Sherman

All-Pro 2nd Team 

Offense 

QB. Ben Roethlisberger

RB. Adrian Peterson

RB. Leveon Bell

WR. Julio Jones

WR. DeAndre Hopkins

TE. Jordan Reed

OT. Terron Armstead

OG. David Decastro

C. Ryan Khalil

OG. Trai Turner

OT. Andrew Whitworth

Defense 

DE. Michael Bennett

DT. Geno Atkins

DT. Ndamukong Suh

DE. Cameron Jordan

OLB. Justin Houston

MLB. Navarro Bowman

OLB. Lavonte David

CB. Chris Harris

S. Earl Thomas

S. Malcolm Jenkins

CB. Desmond Trufant

Twitter: @The_Coach_Buck (Forrest), @trev3022 (Trev), @KSchroeder_312 (Kevin)

E-mail: schroeder.giig@gmail.com (Kevin)

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