Predictions for the 2017-18 NFL Season

Okay, so, here we are again. Another NFL season is upon us, as it all officially gets underway later today, when the defending Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots will host the Kansas City Chiefs later tonight.

That means that it is time for me to make my predictions for the season. I reserve the right to change my mind about some teams, based on their situation following the preseason. For example, when I made the prediction that the Dolphins would possibly be a serious challenge for the Patriots in the AFC East, and that they had a good chance at a repeat trip to the playoffs, that was before the knowledge that they would be without Ryan Tannehill. Now, maybe Matt Moore will be strong, or maybe Jay Cutler will be (I am assuming here that it will be one or the other at the helm once the season starts). But are they strong enough to lead Miami through an entire season, and lead them back to the playoffs, let alone challenge New England for supremacy in the AFC East? 

No, most likely they are not that strong. Not without all of the pieces, and the uncertainty at quarterback is a big missing piece to the puzzle for the Fins.

So, without further ado, here are my rough sketch projections for how each team will do, and which teams, ultimately, will be in the playoffs come January. Also, I will make early predictions for who will advance, and how far along they will go:

AFC East:                                                                                      NFC East:

1. New England Patriots (14-2)                                                     1. New York Giants (11-5)

2. Miami Dolphins (9-7)                                                                2. Dallas Cowboys (11-5)

3. Buffalo Bills (7-9)                                                                      3. Philadelphia Eagles (9-7)

4. New York Jets (2-14)                                                                 4. Washington (6-10)

AFC North:                                                                                    NFC North:

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)                                                          1. Green Bay Packers (11-5)

2. Baltimore Ravens (10-6)                                                           2. Detroit Lions (9-7)

3. Cincinnati Bengals (9-7)                                                           3. Minnesota Vikings (7-9)

4. Cleveland Browns (3-13)                                                          4. Chicago Bears (3-13)

AFC South:                                                                                    NFC South:

1. Houston Texans (10-6)                                                               1. Carolina Panthers (12-4)

2. Indianapolis Colts (10-6)                                                            2. Atlanta Falcons (11-5)

3. Tennessee Titans (8-8)                                                                3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8)

3. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-12)                                                        4. New Orleans Saints (7-9)

AFC West:                                                                                      NFC West:

1. Oakland Raiders (12-4)                                                              1. Arizona Cardinals (12-4)

2. Denver Broncos (11-5)                                                               2. Seattle Seahawks (11-5)

3. Kansas City Chiefs (11-5)                                                          3. Los Angels Rams (4-12)

4. San Diego Chargers (4-12)                                                         4. San Francisco 49ers (2-14)

Okay, there you have it. Those are my predictions, more or less, having adjusted from what we saw in the preseason. Now, here are my playoff predictions:

AFC Wildcard Games: Denver Broncos defeated Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs defeat Houston Texans

NFC Wildcard Games: Atlanta Falcons defeat Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks defeat New York Giants

AFC Divisional Round: Pittsburgh Steelers defeat Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots defeat Denver Broncos

NFC Divisional Round: Carolina Panthers defeat Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals defeat Seattle Seahawks

AFC Championship Game: New England Patriots defeat Pittsburgh Steelers

NFC Championship Game: Carolina Panthers defeat Arizona Cardinals

Super Bowl LII: New England Patriots defeat Carolina Panthers

Yes, that's right! I am projecting another Patriots Super Bowl win, when all is said and done. 

Of course, anything can happen. Injuries can greatly alter what is expected to happen, and good teams, even great teams, can be derailed by injuries, among other things. There are things that I predicted that very well might not come to pass. Maybe the Cardinals really have huge holes, and will have another mediocre season, although I predicted that they would rebound. Same with the Panthers, because they just seemed too good two years ago to be relegated to one year wonder status. that is why I projected a return trip to the big game for the cats from Carolina. The Atlanta Falcons are hard to predict, because something tells me that they can be either really good, or really bad this season. I was tempted to go one way, then tempted to go the other. But in the end, I see them as being a solid team, but just not having enough to rise up and fully reach the greatness that, if all things go their way, they are capable of achieving. They lost that big lead in last year's Super Bowl for a reason, after all. 

Maybe I am underestimating a team (the Dallas pick keeps nagging at me, bothering me, for example). Perhaps there will be some sleeper team, like the Raiders last year, and they will take everyone by surprise. The Eagles would be one of the teams that I think might slip past the radar and enjoy some more serious success this season. Perhaps the Buccaneers, or the Colts, which would not be too much of a surprise. After all, they have a truly elite quarterback in Andrew Luck, and they still have considerable playoff experience. Maybe the Bills can put it together, who knows?

And let me say this, too: the NFC right now is hard to predict. While the AFC has the Patriots and the Broncos, the two teams that have won the last three combined Super Bowls, the NFC is much less clear. Yes, I predicted that Panthers to return to the big game, and I can definitely see them having that kind of a season. But I could also see the Falcons making a return trip to the Super Bowl, too, as mentioned earlier. Or possibly the Seahawks, since they are also still quite good. Then again, the Cardinals, like the Panthers, will likely bounce back from a bad season last year, and at their best, they could possibly capture the NFC crown. But who could overlook the significant improvements in Dallas, a very young team that is one year older, and has a lot more experience under it's belt. But the Giants might have a shot, too, if they manage to put it together. And, of course, who could forget the Pack, who along with the Patriots, are the only team that can boast of having qualified for the postseason every year since 2009 - a remarkable feat of consistency? After all, they have Aaron Rodgers, and I would be willing to bet that he will earn a second Super Bowl ring before he's done. Or, maybe some other team will sneak up on everyone and represent the NFC in this year's Super Bowl.

However, when all is said and done, I suspect that the best team at year's end will be all too familiar for most people. My prediction might bother some people, particularly those who hate a certain team up in Foxboro. I do not hate them (at least not yet), and frankly, I cannot help but be not just a little impressed, but bowled over by their growing list of accomplishments under the Brady/Belichick era. Year after year, throughout the changes in personnel and circumstances, they find ways to keep winning, to stay on top. The Patriots have been one of the AFC's top two seeds in each of the last six seasons, and they established a new record with their sixth straight AFC Championship Game appearances. Frankly, I see no real reason not to think that they can and will make it to a seventh straight AFC title game this year, assuming that Brady and some other key contributors can stay healthy. Really, though, Brady is the most important. After all, the Pats proved that they can win a Super Bowl without Gronkowski, but they still have never won a Super Bowl without Brady. So, barring that truly worst case scenario, I expect that New England will be the team to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy when the dust settles. If everything goes as expected, than they are the best team. All of the other picks, including Carolina in the Super Bowl and the Steelers in the AFC title game do not feel nearly as comfortable. 

But New England winning another title?

Yup. Sounds about right.

2017-18 NFL Thursday Night Football Prediction: New England Patriots defeat the Kansas City Chiefs - Yup, it is hard to believe, but already, it is time to make those weekly predictions. And since I did not get started with week one, but still wanted to get that first game predicted, it had to be now. So, yes, I think New England starts off the year once again with a bang. On an emotionally charged night for this franchise, the Patriots will give their home fans exactly what they wanted, as they likely take a close game in the second half, and put it out of reach somewhere in the second half to earn their first, but surely far from their last, victory of this season.