The draft is over, the schedules are out, many of the free agents have been signed, and players have been injured already. Like most of America, I am excited about football season. With my excitement comes my predictions on every team, their records for the 2016-2017 season, and my reasoning behind them.
First, we will go with my favorite division:
AFC East
1. New England Patriots (12-4)
2. New York Jets (10-6) (with Geno Smith)
New York Jets (11-5) (With Fitzpatrick)
3. Buffalo Bills (7-9)
4. Miami Dolphins (6-10)
Even with the addition of Matt Forte, the New York Jets are still not in good enough shape to take down the Patriots, especially if Geno Smith is the QB. I have faith that even if Tom Brady has a four-game suspension I still expect the Pats to go 2-2, with wins coming at Gillette against Miami and Buffalo. The Bills have not signed any major player that makes them a serious contender. With the Dolphins losing Lamar Miller to Houston the opposing defense will be playing the pass for the most part.
AFC North
1. Cincinnati Bengals (11-5)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5)
3. Baltimore Ravens ( 8-8)
4. Cleveland Browns (3-13)
This division will be close (except Cleveland). The only reason why I have Cincinnati over Pittsburgh is because of the Steelers' loss of Martavis Bryant for the season. Also, the addition of Brandon Lafell doesn't hurt either with him helping AJ Green.
AFC South
1. Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4)
2. Houston Texans ( 11-5)
3. Indianapolis Colts (10-6)
4. Tennessee Titans ( 6-10)
This division will be the most interesting in my opinion. The Colts have always had talent, but the injury Andrew Luck had last year made me cautious of his situation for this upcoming year. Even with the Titans signing Demarco Murray I still see them in last place, only because their divisional rivals decided to dominate the free agent market.The Texans with the addition of Lamar Miller and Brock Osweiler is definitely an improvement but Brock Osweiler is no superstar quarterback. As for Jacksonville, they already had a promising young offense last season and now with Chris Ivory as the running back only provides more solidarity for them. Now with Prince Amukamara and Malik Jackson on the defensive side expect them to be a huge threat.
AFC West
1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-5)
2. Denver Broncos (10-6)
3. Oakland Raiders (10-6)
4. San Diego Chargers (7-9)
With Denver's huge losses in Malik Jackson and Brock Osweiler, it will definitely be a tough year for them to say the least. With a healthy return for Jamaal Charles to the Chiefs, I see a solid year coming from a weaker division. Even with the defensive upgrades like Sean Smith, Bruce Irvin and Kelechi Osemele in Oakland I still see the offense as either a boom or bust. Derek Carr is one of those QB's that either plays like a god or plays like a backup.Once they get that offense solid they will be a serious threat. Charles Woodson retiring doesn't help either.
NFC East
1. Dallas Cowboys (10-6) (With Romo)
2. Washington Redskins (9-7)
3. New York Giants (8-8)
4. Philadelphia Eagles (8-8)
5. Dallas Cowboys (6-10) (without Romo)
A close but weak division here. I see the signing of rookie Ezekiel Elliott very beneficial. As long as Romo stays healthy then I see Dallas taking the division and the chemistry of Romo, Bryant, and Witten coming back to life. If Romo plays less than 11 games this year I see Dallas falling all the way the bottom like last year. Clearly this is still Romo's offense and the only way they can win is with him.
NFC North
1. Green Bay Packers (11-5)
2. Chicago Bears (10-6)
3. Minnesota Vikings (8-8)
4. Detroit Lions ( 5-11)
With Jordy Nelson back, Eddie Lacy losing 15+ pounds, and the signing of Jared Cook I see serenity and normality returning to Green Bay. With Chicago signing almost all defensive players like Danny Trevathan and Ted Larson I see their defense highly improving. With the signing of Brian Hoyer get the feeling that the Bears are tired of Jay Cutler throwing a ton of interceptions, and will not be afraid to bench him. I will be watching the Bears season unfold, and it will be interesting. As for the Lions, Marvin Jones can not make up for what Megatron did.
NFC South
1. Carolina Panthers (12-4)
2. New Orleans Saints (8-8)
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8)
4. Atlanta Falcons (7-9)
Another very weak division and it seems everyone lost a serious key player or icon for the team. Due to the luck of having to play everyone in your division twice I see Carolina winning it. They went 15-1 last year and not every pass went in Josh Norman's direction. As for the Falcon's coming in last I feel as though they will use Mohamed Sanu, but I still feel inconsistency in the defense and in Matt Ryan.
NFC West
1. Arizona Cardinals (12-4)
2. Seattle Seahawks (11-5)
3. Los Angeles (8-8)
4. San Francisco 49ers (4-12)
It will be a close race between the Cardinals and the Seahawks, but I think the signing of Chandler Jones, Evan Mathis, and Tyvon Branch will make Arizona's defense extremely problematic.
