The NFL season is upon us. The lurid pre-season is behind us, and now the games count. The fans and the TV networks are glad this is the case. And when the 16 games in 17 weeks, and the 3 rounds of playoff games have concluded and the Super Bowl is over, one team will be left standing alone as champion of the NFL.
Each team has unanswered questions. For the New York Jets, will first round pick Sam Darnold be the answer that management anticipates he will be? Or will the team be mediocre again as Darnold faces a hard learning curve even the best rookie QB’s have faced? Are there enough quality receivers for him to throw to? Is the offensive line solid so as to protect Darnold to give him adequate time to throw? Is there a running back who will stand out? Is the defense stout and the secondary tight in their pass coverage? So many question make eternal optimists like me into perennial doubters.
Is this the year that the New England Patriots finally show signs of decline? Will Tom Brady become a mere mortal and a victim of the aging he hopes to avoid? Will the loss of Julian Edelman be costly? Are there enough talented wide receivers to augment tight end Rob Gronkowski, and will The Gronk stay healthy? Has the turnover on offense and defense been so dramatic that the Pats will struggle? Or are Bill Belichick and Brady able to pull off one more charge in careers which have them headed straight to the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
Will the other pretenders in the AFC East—Buffalo and Miami—-have improved so much as to make the division competitive? Or will New England once more roll to the playoffs?
Meanwhile, the other New York team has reinstated Eli Manning as the QB and acquired Saquan Barkley, a top tier running back from Penn State to give a boost to an offense that suffered last season, largely due to the absence of wide out Odell Beckham, Jr. Now firmly entrenched as the highest paid WR in the NFL, will he stay healthy, focused and be the difference maker the Giants expect him to be? Will Manning, now 38 years old, still have the ability to reach his prized wide receiver with a suspect offensive line? Will Barkley prove to be as good as advertised? Plus the defense seems to be a revolving door, with a lot of question marks.
Giants fans have to wonder if their team is in one of the most competitive divisions in the NFC. Philadelphia, presently guided by QB Nick Foles who led the Eagles to the Super Bowl, managed to win the opener on Thursday night, defeating a good Atlanta team. Will the Eagles meander with Foles at the helm and need the leadership of Carson Wentz when he is finally cleared to face contact? Does the return of Darrell Sproles make the running game more potent? And will the defense continue to shut teams down, as it showed it did against the Falcons?
Is Washington better with Alex Smith as the QB? Were the Dallas Cowboys as bad as the 0-4 pre-season record, or will Zak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott lead the team back to respectability and even the playoffs?
In the NFC North, Aaron Rodgers seems to be fully healed and very happy with the support of his girlfriend and former race car driver Danica Patrick. Even without Jordy Nelson, Rodgers former favorite target, will the Packers have the fire power behind Rodgers and a capable defense to make them better than the other three teams in the division? Detroit has Matthew Stafford as its QB, and he continues to mature in his decision-making behind a gifted arm. Minnesota has a new QB—Kirk Cousins—who received a ton of money to lead the Vikings. Was the investment a wise one, or will Cousins continue to show false of brilliance in Washington, he is not sufficient to overcome the tough rivals in the NFC North? Will the arrival of defensive pass rusher Kyrie Mack now make the Chicago Bears a legitimate threat, even if the offense remains suspect?
QB Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams seem to be the favorites to win the NFC West again. San Francisco and QB Jimmy Garoppolo have other ideas, having ended last season with a flourish and a highly anticipated start to this season that 49’ers fans looking for golden results. In the desert, Arizona’s rookie QB has a chip on his shoulder, as he felt that he was slighted by being a low draft pick and he is out to prove his detractors wrong. Seattle has the dynamic Russell Wilson at QB—are there enough parts on offense and defense left for Pete Carroll’s team to be viable?
We saw that the Falcons have a ways to go before becoming a strong contender. New Orleans is always good with Drew Brees and a very able supporting cast. So is Carolina, with Cam Newton, if he remains healthy and does not absorb too many hits. Tampa Bay has a fine QB in James Winston, but many unanswered questions, too.
I think that the NFC South is the most competitive division in the conference, and that there are a number of teams who are capable of emerging as the NFC representative to the Super Bowl. Philadelphia still leads the pack, but the Rams, 49’ers, Cardinals, Packers, Saints, Panthers all could win the NFC.
All eyes are on the Cleveland Browns this season, as the team was this year’s subject in the HBO series Hard Knocks. Is Head Coach Hue Jackson going to ovbrcomethe stigma of a 1-31 record over the past two seasons? Will top draft choice Baker Mayfield assume the leadership role at QB during the season, as Browns management has not deemed him ready to start like Sam Darnold?
Pittsburgh has an aging Ben Roethlisberger still throwing to all-everything WR Antonio Brown. But they do not have hold out Le’Veon Brown at running back and the absence of Brown has fractured the locker room. Cincinnati is an enigma—are they going to improve from last year or will they remain in a tailspin? Baltimore is much improved and I think they will control the AFC North.
In the AFC South, Jacksonville was the surprise winner last season. Very few believe that they can repeat. I think they can. Tennessee is a very average team. With the return of Andrew Luck at QB, Indianapolis will automatically be better. It is Houston, with the return of a healthy J.J. Watt on defense and QB Deshawn Watson, which can dethrone the Jaguars if the the team does not lose either star to injury again and if the overall losses on both sides of the line are minimal.
The story of the AFC West is that Jon Gruden has left the security of the ESPN booth on Monday nights to coach the Oakland Raiders once more. While the trade of Khalil Mack to Chicago is significant, Gruden has a great track record and I know Oakland will remain in the hunt for a playoff spot. Denver has issues at QB—they need John Elway to play again rather than mess things up as the one who picks the players. Kansas City has a young but poised QB in Pat Mahomes and Andy Reid’s defense has gotten better. Pundits have picked the Los Angeles Chargers to win the division title. To me, that would be surprising; besides nobody comes to see the team playing in a soccer stadium while their shared stadium with the Rams is being built. Maybe I am prejudiced, but I wish the Chargers and the people of San Diego had reached a deal for the team to remain in town where they belong instead of being the second tenant in LA.
There you have it. If I were to pick division winners, it would go like this:
NFC East: Philadelphia; NFC North: Green Bay; NFC South: New Orleans; NFC West: LA Rams; Wild Cards: San Francisco and Carolina
AFC East: New England; AFC North: Baltimore; AFC South: Jacksonville; AFC West: Kansas City; Wild Cards: Houston and Oakland
NFC Champion: Philadelphia
AFC Champion: Baltimore
Super Bowl winner: Baltimore
Then again, I never get this right, so I think that you can choose your own teams far better than me. I hope this does not now classify me as a loathsome pundit?
No comments:
Post a Comment