2009 NFL Season Predictions

At PRIME and PTC we had this topic started about our predictions on who would win the divisions and the Superbowl this year and so I thought I'd post my predictions here on my blog as well.



AFC East
1. Patriots - I don't think this one is even close. They'll run away with this division.
2. Bills - I do believe that once Lynch returns from suspension the combo of having Evans and Owens will allow Edwards and company to pile up a lot of points and wins.
3. Dolphins - They'll take a huge step back to Earth this year. 7-9 wouldn't suprise me at all.
4. Jets - The defense will keep them in many games but the lumps that Sanchez is going to be taking is going to keep them from winning very many games.

AFC West
1. Chargers - They'll run away with an otherwise very weak division.
2. Chiefs – This very weak division will allow them to improve enough to make a run toward the playoffs, but ultimately I think they fall just short.
3. Raiders- Improved play by McFadden and Russell will equal a few more wins but not enough to be a serious playoff threat.
4. Broncos- The Bronco fans are in for a really, really, really long year after this teams new management totally screwed everything up this off-season. Whoever signed off on the idea that having Orton and Simms to battle it out at QB was better than having Cutler should be immediately fired and never allowed to be part of an NFL team again.

AFC North
1. Steelers – The defending champs will continue to defend their division but they’ll ultimately fall short when they face the Patriots.
2. Ravens – Flacco will continue to be good and will contend but won’t have quite enough to knock off the Steelers, unless the champs have a load of injuries.
3. Browns – They’ll barely beat out the Bengals in order to stay out of the basement.
4. Bengals – They’ll continue to suck. Sorry Billy.

AFC South
1. Titans – They’ll continue to win this division as the Colts will struggle with their getting used to new coaches.
2. Colts – Peyton is still there so they’ll still be tough.
3. Texans – I think they take yet another step in the right direction and they may even actually dethrone the Colts for a playoff spot with a healthy Shaub and some luck.
4. Jaguars – They’ll continue to struggle and this will likely be the end of Del Rio as the man in Jacksonville.

NFC North
1. Vikings – As long as Favre stays healthy, and plays at least average, then the Vikes should easily win this division. I think this will actually lead to AP becoming the NFL MVP this year after he goes over the 2,000 yard mark this year.
2. Bears – The addition of Cutler, alone, makes this a vastly better team than they were last year or even the year prior to that. Their defense is more healthy, from what I understand anyway, than it’s been in a while so they should be a tough out this year.
3. Packers – Switching the defensive units is not going to go as well, or as easily, as the preseason would lead people to believe. They’ll struggle but Rodgers will continue to be impressive.
4. Lions – They won’t go 0-16 again but I wouldn’t expect much more than 2-14.

NFC South
1. Panthers – With their 1-2 punch in the backfield, a solid defense, and a serviceable, although on the decline, QB this will still be the team to beat in the division, though the Falcons and Saints will really push them more so than even last year.
2. Saints – They’ll be the beneficiary of improved defensive play, an improved running game, and the fact that the Falcons will comeback to the pack a bit from where they were last year.
3. Falcons – They’ll keep it interesting and this could be a division that takes three to the playoffs, depending on what happens in the NFC East.
4. Buccs – They’re dead in the water and it won’t surprise me if they wind up with the worst record in football this year. There just isn’t much talent on this team and they’re rebuilding with a first time HC.

NFC West
1. Seahawks – Hasselback will stay healthy this year, they have an improved WR core with TJ there, and their defense should rebound. I can’t see this team staying down like it was last year and I can’t see the Cards having another miracle run.
2. Cards – I really want to go Niners here, I really do, but their up and down QB play just won’t allow me to. I’ll stick with Warner to still be good enough to keep the Niners out.
3. Niners- They should stake a step or two more in the right direction this year but QB has to be their #1 offseason priority this next year. They’re going nowhere, fast, with the likes of Hill and Smith at the reigns.
4. Rams – They will be better but not enough to make it out of the basement. Which is fitting cause that’s pretty much where they resided for almost all of the 90’s.

NFC East
1. Cowboys- Prior to the training camp and off-season I was tempted to say Philly. But the losses of Dawkins, their DC, and their starting MLB I believe are going to take a heavy toll on their defense. It’s going to be a lot harder to over come than most think. That will be one of the reasons I believe Dallas can reclaim the division. The other being that without having to tailor the offense to any one player the Cowboys are now free to spread the ball around and improve their offense scoring, while also lowering their turnover issues. Improved special teams play and the defense should improve our chances. As always it will come down to what they can do in the last part of the season.
2. Eagles – I think they’re going to have more than enough offense to be super hard to beat and even with all the loss on the defensive side of the ball they could still very easily contend for the division.
3. Giants – Their defense, which is taking a heavy injury toll thus far, is going to have to carry this team for most of the season since the offense has absolutely no one, of note, or real experience to throw to. Eli is going to struggle a lot this year and Jacobs, whose proven to be made of glass an injury prone with 2 backups taking time for him, will be hurt even more now when he’s forced to carry more of the load now that Ward is in Tampa. Bad year for the Gmen and the only thing keeping them out of the cellar of the division is that the Skins still have Jason Campbell.
4. Redskins – Jason Campbell. Pretty simply the reason they’re going nowhere. The kid wasn’t improved, as it was, and now he spent this off-season watching the Skins management do everything they could to get rid of him for someone else, including trying to get Cutler before Chicago did. He’ll struggle HUGE once more and the Skins will be at the bottom. Which doesn’t hurt my feelings in the least.

NFC Champions –
Vikings I want to say Dallas but I won’t. They haven’t proven they can do anything late in the year and until they do I simply can’t pick them to win the NFC. I’ll be rooting for it but I don’t think it happens. I’ll pick the Vikings cause like I said they don’t need Brett to play great, he just has to be as average and AP will carry them a long, long, long way.

AFC Champions –
PatriotsThe Steelers, and the AFC in general, benefited from the Pats being without Brady last year. That benefit is no longer there and no one else seems to have the offensive firepower to keep up with New England.

Superbowl Champions –
The PatriotsI know most will expect me to pick the Vikes, for sentimental reasons with Favre and they’ve never won, and I hate the Pats and all that but lets be honest. The Patriots are improved on defense and Tom Brady is back with an offense that has even MORE weapons than the 07 unit had. They’ll be nearly impossible to defeat.

They won’t go undefeated but they wont lose more than 2 or 3 games and the Superbowl won’t be one of them.The Pats win this Superbowl allowing Brady to cement his legacy as potentially the best QB ever with 4 rings in a decade, not to mention five trips to the dance in that decade, and Belicheck will cement himself as probably the best coach we’ve ever seen winning 4 Superbowls in the decade, taking his team to 5 championships, and then he’ll walk away from the game with everything he’ll ever need.Now this is where it gets great for the rest of the league.

All you stinking New England fans will get to yuck it up and be proud for one more year and one more Superbowl but this is where your demise begins. With Bill retiring after this win your stinking franchise will be on a downward spiral right back to where they belong. You’ll be bragging 20 years from now about how you had this decade and owned it but that’s all you’ll be enjoying for the next 20 years after this. Some of that rant may, or may not, be what I actually think will happen but it was fun to say it none the less.