2023 Predictions

[racepug]

AFC:

East:

Buffalo Bills: I'm sticking with the Bills to win the division but I'm not as high on their chances to win their first S.B. as I was at this time last season because the A.F.C. is loaded.

New York Jets: Aaron Rodgers is an obvious upgrade at QB despite his age and the Jets seem to be a lot of people's pick to go all the way this year but I'm not willing to go out on that limb. At least not yet. These are the N.Y. Jets we're talking about, after all. (I thought the Jets looked pretty good in their last pre-season/exhibition game against the Giants, though - for what that's worth)

Miami Dolphins: I'm just not a Tua fan (to say nothing of his injury history) and the Dolphins haven't done anything of note in ages so I see no reason to pick them to finish any higher than 3rd in their division now that the Jets have A.R.

New England Patriots: Looks like the worm has turned and B.B. and his team are good bets to finish in last in the division.

North:

Cincinnati Bengals: I'm sticking with the Bengals to win the division. Zac Taylor appears to know what he's doing and I'm a HUGE Joe Burrow fan. How much more than just a division title can the 2023 Bengals win? Time will tell but remember that they very nearly took last year's eventual S.B. champs to OT in the conference championship game (and probably would have if not for that unfortunate late hit on Patrick Mahomes late in the game).

Baltimore Ravens: I'm not a fan of Lamar Jackson's, at all. I think the fact that no other team showed much (if any) interest in him when he was holding out on the Ravens earlier this year speaks volumes. I'd probably have BAL finishing in 3rd in their division if I wasn't so unsure about PIT's QB situation.

Pittsburgh Steelers: As mentioned above I can't get all that excited about PIT's chances with what they have at QB. But they should still be able to beat the next team on the list out by the end of the season.

Cleveland Browns: The pathetic Browns. Far, far, FAR removed from their glory days of the 1940s and '50s. I see nothing, at all, that justifies picking them to finish anywhere but last in their division.

South:

Jacksonville Jaguars: I'm still not completely "sold" on Trevor Lawrence but I'm a HUGE fan of Doug Pederson's. I think on that count the Jaguars are in good hands.

Tennessee Titans: The Titans seemed to have something going on 4 years ago when they ended Tom Brady's career in N.E. with that playoff win but things haven't worked out for them in that way and now JAX seems to be the better team.

Indianapolis Colts: The Colts just don't seem to have any real direction right now (I think that Andrew Luck's seemingly out-of-the-blue retirement was a real blow). Lucky(?) for them that the Houston Texans are in their division.

Houston Texans: Nobody seems to be expecting much out of the Texans this season and probably with good reason. I, for one, hope that DeMeco Ryans surprises people and that his team exceeds expectations.

West:

Kansas City Chiefs: As long as K.C. has Patrick Mahomes at QB they're going to be a team (for the whole league) to contend with. I feel that he's their A-#1 key to success. I see no reason to pick them as anything other than division winners as long as he's there.

Los Angeles Chargers: Someone on Yahoo!, in previewing the N.F.L. this season, mentioned something about (basically) no longer having any faith in the Chargers when the chips are down. After last year's absolute collapse in JAX in the playoffs I think he has a point. But the Chargers should still be good enough to finish ahead of the next two teams in the list.

Denver Broncos: Russell Wilson had a surprisingly disappointing season in Denver last year. It remains to be seen if Sean Payton can do anything about that this year.

Las Vegas Raiders: From what I've read the Raiders have only one impact player on "D": Maxx Crosby. Jimmy Garoppolo, to me, is a mere lateral move from Derek Carr. I'm not sure how much difference, if any, having Jimmy G. at QB is going to make for the Raiders. Mostly, though, I find the Raiders' front office to be mostly (if not completely) inept. Long gone are the days of "Commitment to Excellence" as far as I'm concerned.

NFC:

East:

Philadelphia Eagles: I still have no idea how they lost the S.B. last February. At halftime of that game I thought they were in complete control. All I can think of is that they fell victim to "Mahomes Magic." (which, of course, they're hardly alone in doing since the great P.M. entered the league) Despite that I think they're probably good enough to win their division again. But will they be able to make it back to the S.B. one year after losing it?

Dallas Cowboys: I feel I have no choice but to pick the N.F.C. entry based in TX to finish 2nd in their division but they haven't made it even as far as a conference championship game in 28 years and I see no reason to believe that that's going to change this season.

New York Giants: I hope the Giants finish higher than this in their division (specifically: above DAL) but for now I see them finishing in the same spot they did last season.

Washington: You could almost sense the load being removed from this franchise once D.S. gave up control of it, couldn't you? Unfortunately, that probably won't be enough to see them finish higher than last in their division but maybe brighter days are ahead for this once-proud franchise.

North:

Detroit Lions: Can the Lions live up to the hype that's suddenly surrounding them? If they pick up where they left off last season then. . .maybe. But with A.R. gone to the A.F.C. and with the Vikings almost assuredly guaranteed of regressing, maybe the DET Lions will do something that they haven't done in a LONNNG time: win their division.

Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings, to me, are another team (like the Chargers) that you should never have much faith in, if you have your wits about you. They may finish in 2nd in their division this season, but beyond that I'm not expecting much.

Green Bay Packers: I pick the Packers 3rd in the division only because of the uncertainty surrounding the quarterback position for them. If Jordan Love proves to be a worthy successor to Aaron Rodgers then - watch out!

Chicago Bears: In the immediate aftermath of A.R. leaving G.B. it seems that many folks picked G.B. to finish last in the division. Not a chance. "Da Bears" are an absolute mess and any other team in this division ought to be ashamed of itself if it finishes behind this team in the standings.

South:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9): I forgot this was even a division in the NFL. Someone’s got to win it.
New Orleans Saints (7-10): And it won’t be the Saints.
Atlanta Falcons (6-11): Or the Falcons.
Carolina Panthers (6-11): Or the Panthers. This division is a joke.

{Note: I didn't see anything to add to what the O.P. posted about this division except that the N.F.C. South in 2023 is an example of why giving playoff berths to division winners, automatically, isn't necessarily a good idea}

West:

San Francisco 49ers: I actually watched the Seahawks' last pre-season game (@ G.B.) and even the hometown Seattle guys talked about how loaded SFO is (FWIW the 49ers have the most players on this year's Top 100 [presented by the NFL Network and voted on by the players themselves] with 8). As long as Brock Purdy comes back from his injury and doesn't have a "sophomore slump" I see no reason why the 49ers shouldn't win this division going away.

Seattle Seahawks: My expectations for SEA aren't very high, mostly because I don't think that Geno Smith has a very high "ceiling." Them finishing with a winning record last year was nothing short of a minor miracle. But with some luck and breaks maybe they can take 2nd in the division again.

Los Angeles Rams: I was prepared to pick the Rams to finish 2nd in the division (mostly because of their historical dominance of SEA) until I saw how they stunk the joint up against the Broncos in their final pre-season game. The Rams appear to still be paying for buying that S.B. title a couple of years ago (something that they won't be achieving again for a long while). Second or third, they WON'T be winning the division this year - I guarantee it.

Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray is out to start the season (and I don't think he's that good to begin with) and the guy that everyone thought was going to start for the Cardinals at QB in Week 1 was released on cut-down day. All indications are that the ARZ Cardinals are going to be THE worst team in the league in 2023 and maybe that's just how the Cardinals like it.

[74_75_78_79_]

AFC
East: New York (2) 12-5, Miami (6) 12-5, Buffalo 9-8, New England 7-10
North: Cincinnati (1) 13-4, Pittsburgh (5) 12-5, Cleveland 10-7, Baltimore 8-9
South: Houston (4) 10-7, Jacksonville 9-8, Indianapolis 8-9, Tennessee 6-11
West: Kansas City (3) 11-6, Los Angeles (7) 10-7, Denver 5-12, Las Vegas 3-14

1st Rd: Jets over Chargers, Dolphins over Chiefs, Steelers over Texans
Divisional: Bengals over Dolphins, Jets over Steelers
Conference Championship: Bengals over Jets

NFC
East: Philadelphia (1) 13-4, Washington (6) 8-9, Dallas (7) 8-9, New York 8-9
North: Detroit (3) 11-6, Green Bay (5) 9-8, Minnesota 7-10, Chicago 7-10
South: Atlanta (4) 11-6, New Orleans 8-9, Carolina 7-10, Tampa Bay 2-15
West: San Francisco (2) 11-6, Los Angeles 7-10, Seattle, 6-11, Arizona 4-13

1st Rd: Forty Niners over Cowboys, Lions over Commanders, Falcons over Packers
Divisional: Eagles over Falcons, Forty Niners over Lions
Conference Championship: Eagles over Forty Niners

SUPER BOWL LVIII: Philadelphia over Cincinnati, Jalen Hurts MVP

[ChrisBabcock]

Bills 11-6
Jets 11-6
Dolphins 9-8
Patriots 7-10
-
Bengals 11-6
Ravens 9-8
Steelers 9-8
Browns 7-10
-
Jaguars 12-5
Texans 6-11
Colts 6-11
Titans 6-11
-
Chiefs 12-5
Chargers 10-7
Broncos 9-8
Raiders 5-12
---
Cowboys 12-5
Eagles 12-5
Giants 8-9
Commanders 7-10
-
Lions 11-6
Vikings 9-8
Packers 7-10
Bears 7-10
-
Panthers 9-8
Saints 9-8
Falcons 7-10
Buccaneers 4-13
-
49ers 12-5
Rams 8-9
Seahawks 8-9
Cardinals 2-15

---
Playoffs...
Jaguars over Ravens
Bengals over Chargers
Bills over Jets
Cowboys over Saints
Lions over Vikings
Eagles over Panthers
-
Chiefs over Bills (again. Ugh)
Bengals over Jaguars
49ers over Eagles
Cowboys over Lions
-
Chiefs over Bengals
49ers over Cowboys
-
Super Bowl... Chiefs over 49ers.

[Reaser]

AFC
West: KC (1) 13-4, LAC (6) 10-7, DEN 8-9, LV 7-10
North: CIN (2) 13-4, BAL (5) 12-5, CLE 10-7, PIT 10-7
South: JAX (4) 10-7, TEN 9-8, IND 2-15, HOU 2-15
East: BUF (3) 13-4, MIA (7) 10-7, NYJ 9-8, NE 6-11

NFC
West: SF (1) 13-4, SEA (7) 9-8, LAR 8-9, ARI 2-15
North: MIN (3) 10-7, DET (6) 10-7, GB 9-8, CHI 9-8
South: NO (4) 10-7, TB 7-10, ATL 4-13, CAR 3-14
East: PHI (2) 11-6, DAL (5) 10-7, NYG 8-9, WAS 5-12

Super Bowl
SF over BUF

[DarinLHayes]

I really like you choices except I will take the surprise Steelers upsetting the Chiefs for the Lamar Hunt Trophy and then taking out the Lions in the Super Bowl 31-24.

[racepug]

SUPER BOWL LVIII: Philadelphia over Cincinnati, Jalen Hurts MVP

Here are some (good) reasons to doubt a PHI repeat of last year: https://www.yahoo.com/sports/eagles-loa ... 25768.html

[Brian wolf]

Thanks for that article racepug, which was informative ... losers in the SB usually dont make it back but we will see. I hope Frank is wrong about Mariota though ... we will see if Marcus still wants to keep playing football ...

[Sonny9]

AFC Division winners
Jets
Bengals
jags
Chiefs

NFC Division winners
Commies
Lions
Bucs
49ers

[74_75_78_79_]

San Francisco 30, Pittsburgh 7

In the season/playoff predictor devise that I used to make my picks, I seriously did have the Forty Niners winning today. This opener so reminds me of those two Steeler home losses to Dallas in '94 & '97. It doesn't mean that they'll be bad. And that's an understatement to me in that I feel the 'Burgh will make the playoffs winning at least one game.

Brock Purdy...so Aikman and Elway combined! The former in his surgical accuracy, and the latter in how he is so able to avoid contact (sacks) to extend plays. That first sack/fumble he suffered to TJ Watt! The way he held onto that fumble shows what a true gamer he already is!

And McCaffrey...a great pass-catching RB though not as good an all-purpose RB as Faulk, not as good a blocker as Moose (who announced the game), not as good a pure RB as Emmitt, but more-than enough of each of the three to make him such a vital weapon en route to a possible SB-win this February!

Defense is still so outstanding despite Saleh and DeMeco being gone!

Is Kyle walking down Madden Street? Place a few Lombardis on the table until finally actually finishing on top (and I'm still a believer, end of day, that Garoppolo was 'good enough' to beat Chiefs in 2019)? Or will he, sadly, be replaced and then SF will (a la McCafferty) finally win-it-all with another HC?


PS - not just should '94 & '97 be mentioned, but it was 30 years ago this very season that Pittsburgh lost to SF at home opening day and they still made the playoffs as well albeit an ugly 9-7 regular season (but did bash 5-0 Saints, then later Buffalo on MNF along with giving Montana at Arrowhead everything he could handle 1st Rd).

[lastcat3]

All these quarterbacks wanting to make upteen billion dollars a year better hope the 49ers never go on a run of Super Bowl victories. If they do the whole idea of how to build a championship team may change. It may become more common place to spend less on your quarterback and more on your overall roster.