With essentially no sports going on right now, the NFL is capitalizing on this market. With the NFL schedule finally released, many are making their very early predictions for their favorite squad. This is almost treated like a holiday for some. All teams are even. Anyone from Kansas City to Seattle, even teams like Cincinnati or Jacksonville, can have hope their team will have the right bounces and a lot of luck, and maybe even make the playoffs. Now let’s be honest though, not every team will finish 8-8 or 9-7. Some teams are gonna dominate all year while others are waiting till week 12 to get their first win. Let’s see who actually will or won’t be playing football in January and February.

AFC

AFC East

Buffalo Bills

Buffalo proved last year that they are for real. Josh Allen is improving each year and the organization is doing everything they can to surround him with talent. One way they did this during the off-season was by signing a top tier WR in Stefon Diggs, who can step in that room and take on a leadership role. He has made plenty of big plays and with Allen’s arm, and Josh Brown on the opposite side, I expect big things. Let’s not forget they have a top 5 corner in Tre’davius White to lead a stout defense.

Record: 10-6
4th Seed in the AFC

New England Patriots

With arguably the biggest loss of any team, the Patriots are now facing life without Tom Brady. Their schedule isn’t easy by any means. The AFC East plays two powerhouse divisions in the AFC and NFC West. Still they are returning nearly everyone on the best defense in football last year. If we learned anything in the past, it’s that defense wins games. I can trust that Bill Belichik can score 20 points a game with Jared Stidham at QB, and maybe that’s all they will ever need.

Record: 9-7
7th Seed in the AFC

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins are at least trying to do what they can to put out a solid squad on the field. Armed with the most picks in the first round, the Dolphins capitalized on some by bringing in the future of their franchise with Tua Tagovailoa. A star in Alabama who will likely sit the bench for at least the first 6-8 games, or until upper-level management is tired of waiting to see what they invested in. The Dolphins have solid receiving options in Parker and what appears to be promising talent in Preston Williams. Look to see them in more games then expected, but please temper expectations.

Record: 3-13
14th seed in the AFC

New York Jets

This is a team that I believe will take one of the biggest step backwards in 2020. They have such a promising young talent in Sam Darnold but haven’t really done him any favors in surrounding him with talent. Adding a rookie in Denzel Mims is nice but rookies rarely make an immediate impact. They had plenty of holes to fill on what was one of the worst offensive lines last year, but I see them taking more than a couple games to get in rhythm. The biggest thing holding them back is their Head Coach, Adam Gase. The Jets ranked last in yards and second to last in points. Having turmoil with highly paid RB Le’Veon Bell and having not signed their best player, Jamal Adams, just tells me that this might be the last year we see Gase coaching in New York.

Record: 3-13
15th Seed in the AFC

AFC South

Tennessee Titans

Tennessee had a remarkable run at the end of last year, something that no one saw coming. Having made it to the AFC Championship game, the standards are now set high. Mike Vrabel has shown he has people who believe in him. Signing Ryan Tannehill was a must after what he showed in that offense, and he has a pretty nice safety net in Derrick Henry behind him. Now losing Jack Conklin will hurt, but I see them being able to recover. Adding Vic Beasley on the defense, who has shown he can get in that backfield, could help out what is regarded as one of the better defenses in the league.

Record: 12-4
3rd Seed in the AFC

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts showed that they want to “Win Now.” They added a future Hall of Famer in Phillip Rivers, who should have all the time in the world, behind what I believe is the best OL in the league. They also went out In the draft and got Johnathan Taylor whose biggest knock was he has “too many miles on the tires,” but who cares if they win a title in 2 years. Still they have some questions on defense but Adding DeForest Buckner should help with some of those short comings. I believe in Frank Reich and what he brings. You can expect them to go out and compete week in and week out.

Record: 10-6
5th Seed in the AFC

Houston Texans

When you read about Houston this offseason, it always starts with “What were they thinking?!?!?” They traded away their best player in Deandre Hopkins. They also gave away a lot of their future to get Laremy Tunsil who is a solid left tackle but isn’t worth the price they paid. They tried to make up for it by signing an aging Randell Cobb, a guy who has a hard time staying healthy, alongside Brandin Cooks and David Johnson who looked slow last year. They still have one of the brightest futures in Deshaun Watson but I fear his talent will get wasted these next few years. The defense is nothing to be desired and they showed no signs of improving. An injury to Watson could turn this team into a top 5 pick.

Record: 6-10
10th Seed in the AFC

Jacksonville Jaguars

This might be the worst part of this whole article. After what was a remarkable run in 2016, the Jaguars have had a hard fall from grace. They have lost almost every core pillar on that team and upper management hasn’t shown they really even care, hell they want to move the whole team to the UK! They got a gift when Josh Allen landed in their lap last year and he has shown he is the real deal but let’s face it, he will be wearing a new uniform in 3 years when they don’t want to pay him. They invested heavily in Fournette and it was reported they were willing to take a 6th rounder for him. Their best player Yannick Ngakoue wants out, they are lead by Minshew Mania who has a lot to improve on, and their offensive line may be one of the worst in football. This is going to be a very depressing year for Jags fans.

Record: 1-15
16th seed in the AFC

AFC West

Kansas City Chiefs

The returning super bowl champions are looking like they could be primed for another run at the title. They have the best player under 25 in Patrick Mahomes, having the fastest offense in the league paired with reliability in Travis Kelce, and now they add a talented pass catching back that looks to fit perfectly in this offense. What really helped them last year, at the end, was their defense. It still remains intact at the core and them franchising Chris Jones was a no brainer. If Mahomes can stay healthy all year, there is no reason as to why they can’t repeat as the best team in the league.

Record: 12-4
2nd Seed in the AFC

Las Vegas Raiders

This is the “I’m crazy” prediction. I feel like Gruden and Mayock are finally in a place where they have the guys they want and believe they can win. They have a decent offensive line, added a burner in the draft in Henry Ruggs III, Josh Jacobs has a chance to take a leap in year 2, and Derek Carr has the chance to succeed with the best weapons he ever had. Still only 29, and only throwing 8 interceptions last year, the Raiders don’t make mistakes. The biggest hole in their game is surrounding their defense and that mainly comes from its youth. If rookie Clelin Ferrel can take the jump and prove his 4th overall selection and cause some havoc, maybe they have a chance to be in more games than people expect.

Record: 9-7
9th seed in the AFC

Denver Broncos

Denver may be coming in with the most positive remarks offensively this offseason. They brought in Jerry Jeudy in the draft, signed a 3 down back in Melvin Gordon, and have young talent like Courtland Sutton and Noah Fant who showed they have the skills to make an impact in the NFL. This will totally lay on Drew Lock’s shoulders and we will see if he is the real deal. He’s also going to have the luxury that a lot of quarterbacks wish they had, a stellar offensive line. The defense has always been what helped Denver win games with Von Miller and Adding AJ Bouye helps with the loss of Harris Jr. Playing the NFC South this year does them no favors, but I see a young team that can show some people they can be for real.

Record: 5-11
11th Seed in the AFC

Los Angeles Chargers

We are now in the post Rivers era in LA. A man who has won and lost them so many games over the years but never quite got them over the playoff hump. With Tyrod Taylor at the helm for most of the year, I feel, LA might struggle this year. Drafting Justin Herbert is a future move, as he came into the NFL as an unfinished prospect. The defense has solid guys to get to the QB, but their corners are much to be desired, giving up the highest completion percentage of any group. Derwin James is a stud at safety, but one man can’t do it all. I see them making strides this year, but at other times you’re gonna ask yourself, “what were they thinking?”

Record: 4-12
13th Seed in the AFC

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens

This team just looks poised to make a deep run this year. Being led by the returning MVP, Lamar Jackson, who has that versatility to throw for 250 on you and run for 150. Hollywood Brown in year two should show some growth. Mark Andrews looks like a solid TE and they added the best running back out of the shotgun in college in JK Dobbins. The defense got some major upgrades in adding Calais Campbell and Michael Brockers. With Earl Thomas leading these guys into battle I see a great year in store for the purple and black.

Record: 14-2
1st Seed in the AFC

Pittsburgh Steelers

Call me a homer, but I have some high hopes for this ball club. They added a vertical TE in Eric Ebron, grabbed a 6’4 guy who runs a 4.4 40 in Chase Claypool, secured some offensive line pieces but, above all, the Steelers got their QB back. Now that should temper expectations a little bit. Ben is an aging quarterback coming off a serious elbow surgery. Will he be the Ben of old? No, but we just need him to be better than what we got last year. Too many times last year the defense carried Pittsburgh to wins and if they had some competent play at QB they could of done some damage. They franchised Bud Dupree but he won’t be coming back next year in my eyes. TJ Watt and Minkah both need paid and Joe Haden isn’t getting any younger. This team is in absolute WIN NOW mode and I hope they play like it.

Record: 10-6
6th Seed In the AFC

Cleveland Browns

The Browns are often viewed as “off-season winners” but never capitalize on their investments. They made it a point to make the team better at all aspects. Starting with adding the best Offensive lineman in free agency, Jack Conklin. They also added my favorite tackle in the draft, Jedrick Wills, to lock up the ends of that line. Baker had trouble staying up right and his accuracy struggled as a result. Having the weapons he has is only good if he can get them the ball and let them work. They added a proven TE in Austin Hooper, who is coming off his best season as a pro. They added Karl Joseph at safety to lay down the law in open field. I see a team who may finally live up to any positive hype surrounding them. A small break here and a lucky bounce there could have you seeing them in the playoffs.

Record: 9-7
8th Seed in the AFC

Cincinnati Bengals

Will Cincy go from worst to first? Absolutely not, but they should improve this year. They went out and grabbed the 2019 Heisman winner, Joe Burrow, at the #1 Overall Pick and hopefully found the future of the franchise for 10+ years. They also signed 3 guys to their defensive back core and made D.J. Reader the highest-paid nose tackle in the league. They are determined to get the playoff monkey off their back. It’s tough for them being in the AFC North, but with the aging Steelers and the Cleveland Browns sharing the same division, it should allow fans hope for the future – just maybe not this year.

Record: 5-11
12th Seed in the AFC

NFC

NFC East

Philadelphia Eagles

I feel like this whole season will rest on the health of Carson Wentz. A guy who struggled a couple years ago, stayed somewhat healthy last year playing in 16 games, but always had nagging injuries that stunted him. The Eagles aren’t really doing him many favors by not resigning Peters to protect him, but hopes the addition of Jalen Reagor can help. They still have the duel tight end threat of Ertz and Goedert. They also have Former Penn State product Miles Sanders looking like he is coming into his own. Now some people will make it seem like Jalen Hurts is gonna take the job but I see a more Taysom Hill role than anything. The Defense made some big strides in the offseason adding a stud in Javon Hargreaves and adding Darius Slay gives them the lockdown corner they need playing in the NFC East that has some depth at wideout.

Record: 11-5
4th Seed in the NFC

Dallas Cowboys

The hopes are high for Dallas. They have Dak coming into his prime and demanding a contract. Elliot has shown he is a top tier running back for some time. They have arguably the best receiving core in Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and Ceedee Lamb. The bigger question for them is health. Vander-Esch is a stud, but is having trouble staying on the field. They added an older Gerald McCoy and Aldon Smith. They also signed Ha-Ha Clinton Dix and Dontari Poe to decent contracts. There is no reason for them not to win the division, but with new head coach Mike McCarthey, I sadly don’t see him getting this team over the hump and can see them choking away some games.

Record: 11-5
7th Seed in the NFC

Washington Redskins

With the second-worst record in 2019, I don’t really see them getting too much better. Adding Chase Young was an easy decision as he was regarded as the best player in the 2020 Draft. They’ll now have two young studs getting after the passer. Now they just need to get some corners that can cover the guys long enough for those two to get the QB. Tagging Brandon Scherff was another no brainer, but they need to get him signed, especially after losing Trent Williams. Terry Mclaurin is primed to make an even bigger leap this year and the hopes are Haskins can show the development to get him the ball. At the end of the day, it’s a young team with a new coach. I would hope for 5 wins if I was a Redskins fan.

Record: 3-13
14th Seed in the NFC

New York Giants

Your looking at a young nucleus and a fresh face at head coach in Jason Garret. Saquon Barkley has proved he is the real deal even without a good offensive line. Daniel Jones looked good at times, but also showed he was a rookie. I would think positively about this unit, especially seeing Evan Engram and Darius Slayton show they can do something with the ball in the air. The defense is much to be desired, frankly, and I didn’t see them make any wow decisions outside of drafting the best safety in the class, Xavier McKinney. Ultimately, their failures come down to the poor decision making of Garret at head coach. He proved he isn’t going to get a good team over the hump and now you give him some unproven guys and hope he can get them to win games? If I’m Barkley, I’d want out after that signing.

Record: 3-13
15th Seed in the NFC

NFC South

New Orleans Saints

In what may be Drew Brees last year, the expectations are set extremely high. Regular season wins are almost meaningless to this group because they are mentally in the playoffs. Year after year, these guys look like they can win it all and they end up catching some bad breaks. Signing Jameis Winston proved to fans that they know the window is small. They made some questionable decisions in the draft, but you have to just trust what Sean Payton is doing down there. Will we see Brees leave on the highest of notes?

Record: 12-4
2nd Seed in the NFC

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I feel it’s old news at this point, but the Bucs made the biggest splash in the offseason since Peyton Manning joined the Broncos. Yes, Tom Brady has left the Patriots and is taking his talent to the south.. OH! and he got his boy, Rob Gronkowski, to unretire and join him. You pair those two with the best one-two punch in the league of Chris Godwin and Mike Evans and your have yourself the deadliest offense in the league. Led by their fearless leader Bruce Arians, it’s Super Bowl or bust. Now I would temper some expectations. Yes they are going to win games, but don’t think it’s going to be as easy as people think. I believe Tampa is gonna be in more close games than people think. The offensive line isn’t exactly filled with world beaters and the defense played better than many believed they could. It also doesn’t help they are playing in what I think is the toughest division in the NFC. Still, you’ll see Brady make the playoffs. How far though? I’m unsure.

Record: 12-4
5th Seed in the NFC

Atlanta Falcons

Man how the mighty have fallen. A team that never really recovered from one of the most embarrassing losses in Super Bowl history. The talent of Julio Jones and Matt Ryan are fading. They are both still great players, but the team has to recognize that the window is closing. Calvin Ridley has shown promise and is hopefully bouncing back from a bad injury last year. They let go of Freeman, but signed a younger, and better, talent in Todd Gurley. The line is still average and the loss of Hooper will show some red zone troubles I feel. Their weakest link is the defense. A team that was average, or bottom half, in every defensive stats didn’t make any big impact signings to improve. Dontae Fowler to me is a lateral move from releasing Vic Beasley.

Record: 6-10
10th Seed in the NFC

Carolina Panthers

This is a squad who knows they are better than what they delivered in 2019. They had to clean some house and brought in what some people believe was the best head coaching hire in Matt Ruhle. He has turned around multiple college programs and hopes to take that success to the NFL. I see him bringing in a fast-paced offense and play to the strengths of his weapons. McCaffrey is the best playmaker in the league, D.J. Moore is a top 15 wide out in the league, and they added speedster Robby Anderson. Teddy has shown in the past he will take care of the ball, make responsible plays, and not put the team in bad positions. The defense wasn’t stellar, but they added some strong pieces in the draft and maybe if they can score 25-30 points a game, but I don’t believe it’ll make a difference.

Record: 5-11
12th Seed in the NFC

NFC West

San Francisco 49ers

The 2nd best team in the NFL in 2019 proved they are studs at all facets of the game. Another big thing that works for them is they are all fairly young. They have my favorite play caller (except in the Super Bowl) Kyle Shanahan. Jimmy G can make plays when necessary, and he has some tools to succeed. George Kittle is a top tier TE, Deebo Samuel is solid wideout who is projected to make the big year 2 leap. They also like to rotate multiple running backs throughout each game to make sure there is always fresh legs running down your throat. This plays well with the offensive line that would rather move downhill and run at the defense as opposed to protect. Their success stems on the defense staying great and I feel like they have the pieces to succeed.

Record: 13-3
1st Seed in the NFC

Los Angeles Rams

Call me crazy if you want, but I believe. I believe that Sean Mcvay has to swallow some things last year and see that people kind of figured him out a little. He had to make some adjustments and maybe those didn’t work week in and week out because I believe it was on the fly. Now he has a whole offseason to tweak his game plan and will bring the Rams back to a playoff contender. Jared Goff has the talent to push the offense. Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods are solid wideouts that play off each other well. A running back they drafted, Cam Akers, was unlucky in college but has the talent to run for a 1000+ yards. The defense still has studs and they have the best nose tackle in the league. They also have an amazing lockdown corner in Ramsey. This might be the team I get completely wrong.

Record: 12-4
6th Seed in the NFC

Seattle Seahawks

I have some high hopes for Seattle. They still have Russel Wilson so that gives them an automatic bump over other teams. D.K. Metcalf proved last year he is solid. Tyler locket and new addition Phillip Dorsett add necessary speed on the outside and Greg Olsen will roam the middle giving defenses some troubles. They also made some important additions on the offensive line to protect Russel. The defense could be better with Clowney still out there waiting to be resigned, he could add the help I think Seattle needs. Especially with the weak secondary they have. The one saving grace is they have one of the best line backing cores in the league. I can see a possibility that Seattle finishes better than LA.

Record: 10-6
9th Seed in the NFC

Arizona Cardinals

Arizona wowed a lot of people this offseason by snagging Deandre Hopkins off the dummy that is Bill O’Brian. They got the best linebacker in the draft in Isiah Simmons who will bring a lot of versatility to a needy defense. They made multiple signings to improve defensive line as well. Kliff has a plan in place that should elevate this offense from 2019. Kyler having another year in the system and Kenyan Drake showed that this offense can be legit when it’s clicking. Arizona added some pieces to the o-line but it’s still not complete and could use some improvements still.

Record: 6-10
11th Seed in the NFC

NFC North

Green Bay Packers

The news in Green Bay after the draft is pretty negative. They made a lot of future moves in getting Jordan Love and AJ Dillon, when everyone wanted them to grab another wide receiver. They are still led by Aaron Rogers so you have to believe they will win games. The one thing last year was they had the worst run defense and got exposed in the NFC Championship game. They did nothing to improve that. Still, last year they won 13 games with basically the same roster so who is to say they won’t do it again? No one in the division made a bunch of improvements, so they might of gotten lucky.

Record: 12-4
3rd Seed in the NFC

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings had an impressive run these past couple years but I feel like that run is coming to a close. They traded Stefon Diggs, lost 3 corner backs to free agency, and still haven’t signed Everson Griffen and lost a lot of depth pieces. They have core pieces still intact, Thielen is now slated to get number one receiver looks, Dalvin Cook is a bonified stud to hand the ball off to, and the line will stay good. I would say the expectations should be hopeful, but should also be realistic. Kirk won’t turn the ball over and they will stay in a lot of games, but I don’t think they have the talent to win those close games.

Record: 11-5
8th Seed in the NFC

Chicago Bears

Mitch Trubisky is on official notice. The bears traded for Nick Foles to hopefully kick Mitch in the ass and have him take it to the next level. Their biggest problem is that they have nine tight ends. I repeat they have NINE TIGHT ENDS on their roster. Why? What is the purpose? It’s hilarious to me because they never even used the tight end last year. The defense is still mainly intact so they will be able to hang around more games than they are supposed to, but will they win those? Probably not. I’m not saying Nagy is on the hot seat but if he isn’t able to get anything out of this offense, upper-level management has to believe they wasted a great defense.

Record: 5-11
13th seed in the NFC

Detroit Lions

Going into this, I didn’t hate the Lions. They have Matthew Stafford healthy, Kenny Golladay is a stud, and they drafted my favorite running back De’Andre Swift. So why am I so bullish on them? I just don’t believe in Matt Patricia. I don’t believe in the health of Matthew Stafford who has historically dealt with plenty of injuries and isn’t in his 20’s anymore. The line isn’t good and TJ Hockenson could make the leap but he really only had one good week last year. They lost their best player in Darius Slay, but added Jamie Collins who should bring some pain. I think Adam Gase won’t have a job after this year and Matt Patrica will be right there with him.

Record: 3-13
16th Seed in the NFC