Monday, September 3, 2018

2018 NFL Season Predictions - Postseason


NFC

1.      Los Angeles Rams (13-3)
2.      Minnesota Vikings (12-4)
3.      Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
4.      Atlanta Falcons (10-6)
5.      Dallas Cowboys (10-6)
6.      New Orleans Saints (10-6)

AFC

1.      Pittsburgh Steelers (13-3)
2.      Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4)
3.      New England Patriots (10-6)
4.      Los Angeles Chargers (10-6)
5.      Indianapolis Colts (10-6)
6.      Oakland Raiders (9-7)

Wildcard Round

NFC

Saints Vs Eagles
Cowboys Vs Falcons

AFC

Raiders Vs Patriots
Colts Vs Chargers

Divisional Round

NFC

Cowboys Vs Rams
Eagles Vs Vikings

AFC

Raiders Vs Steelers
Chargers Vs Jaguars

Conference Championship

NFC

Cowboys Vs Vikings

AFC

Jaguars Vs Steelers

Super Bowl LIII

Vikings Vs Steelers

Champion

Pittsburgh Steelers

Saturday, September 1, 2018

2018 NFL Season Predictions - AFC & NFC West


NFC West

Los Angeles Rams (13-3)

Last season the Rams finally got it together. They’ve been building up their roster with a lot of young talent, but were never really able to turn that into any wins, until last year. During the offseason the Rams proved they are all in on a Super Bowl this year! They made a few big moves to add a lot more depth to an already talented squad. They signed Ndamukong Suh who has always been a beast, but his talent for the most part was wasted in Detroit and Miami. Now that he is with the Rams and the defense isn’t going to completely rely on him, I feel like he is going to have a monster season. The offense looked amazing last season and I expect more of the same this year. In my opinion the Rams are going to be one of the top teams in the league and will make a strong run at the Super Bowl.

San Francisco 49ers (9-7)

The 49ers have started moving in the right direction when they traded for Jimmy Garoppolo. He is no doubt the future of the franchise, but outside of him offensively the 49ers are vanilla. Their top receiver is Marquise Goodwin, who is a solid receiver but he’s not going to be a big time playmaker. The running back position is questionable at best and quite frankly so is the defense. The 49ers still have some work to do with this team, but they are definitely headed in the right direction.

Seattle Seahawks (6-10)

The Seahawks are no longer the dominant force they once were. The defense has lost the majority of their big time players who have carried this squad over the years and the remaining players are not happy, and are quite vocal about it. Russell Wilson is their only saving grace at this point and while he is an excellent quarterback I think he is going to have the same problems as Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay and that is he has no help at all! Last year he was the entire offense and they went nowhere and I expect more of the same this season. I’ve also noticed that it seems Pete Carroll has lost control of the locker room, which in my opinion is one of the main reasons why they used to be so dominant.

Arizona Cardinals (1-15)

The Cardinals are going to be the WORST team in the league! Look for them to have the first pick in the 2019 draft!

AFC West

Los Angeles Chargers (10-6)

My surprise pick of the season is the Los Angeles (almost wrote San Diego) Chargers. The offense is going to be difficult to stop for any opponent. Philip Rivers has always been underrated because he plays for the Chargers, I think most people forget he even exists sometimes, but he’s solid and consistent. Melvin Gordon should have a great year as well because he has one hell of an offensive line in front of him. The defense started to show some promise towards the end of last season and I think they are going to be one of the best in the league this season. With Joey Bosa on one side and Melvin Ingram on the other coming at ya most quarterbacks are going to be on their backs and won’t even have a chance to toss the ball up to anyone.

Oakland Raiders (9-7)

The Raiders made a huge change this offseason by firing their coach Jack Del Rio and getting Jon Gruden to come out of retirement and get back to coaching the Raiders! While Gruden is inheriting a good team with some solid players, the Raiders still have some work to do. Derek Carr is a great leader and is fully capable of carrying this offense. The problem for the Raiders is their defense, it’s pretty solid when one of the best players in the league Khalil Mack is playing, but from what it sounds like the Raiders have no interest in paying the dude and may even trade him?! That would be such an awful move because I don’t understand what you could possibly get in return for a player like Mack. He is nearly irreplaceable, he is a one of a kind player, I mean I understand there is always a back and fourth when it comes to contract negotiations, but damn pay the man! He’s proven his worth not only as a football player, but also as an Oakland Raider! I feel like it’s going to be a bumpy road for the Raiders all season. They will show some life and have some big wins here and there, but overall I feel like they are going to disappoint.

Denver Broncos (7-9)

It’s really ironic to see John Elway, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, as a GM so far has failed to find a franchise quarterback to lead the Broncos. The Broncos have been playing quarterback roulette for years now and I don’t think that has changed with Case Keenum. He isn’t the worst quarterback out there, but I’m still not sure he’s a franchise guy. I wouldn’t be surprised if he bombs out this season because the Broncos offense doesn’t have half of the weapons he had last year when he was with the Vikings. The Broncos defense is pretty solid with the linebackers so that should help get them some wins, but overall I think the Broncos are a very mediocre team.

Kansas City Chiefs (4-12)

The Chiefs have been on the downslide for a couple seasons now. They were a middle of the road team last year and this year I expect them to be even worse. Andy Reid should have plenty of time to show Patrick Mahomes around Kansas City and hunt for the best barbecue food in town! I have no doubt he is very knowledgeable in this area!