NFL 2023 Season Preview

                

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Okay, I realize that this is ridiculously late. After all, today is the first Sunday of the new NFL season.

So once again, I will have to try and make this short. Usually, I would do a blog entry for each division, and break down the season that way, then a final one with the postseason. Still might do the separate postseason one.

The new season already kicked off on Thursday, September 7th, with the Detroit Lions upsetting the defending champion Chiefs in Kansas City. Not sure what will happen later today. But here are my predictions for each division for the upcoming regular season:

AFC:

AFC West

1. Kansas City Chiefs - Still the best in the division, even though they lost their first game. With Andy Reid as the head coach, Mahomes at QB, and Kelce at tight end (when he gets healthy), and Chris Jones set to come back at some point, they should still be the team to beat in this division.

2. Los Angeles Chargers - They have the best team in this division other than the Chiefs. But if the Chiefs slip (as they seemed to in the opener), then the Chargers might just make a serious run for the division title. But until they prove that they can do it, I am picking them for second and a playoff spot. 

3. Denver Broncos - Russell Wilson is better than he showed last year. But the Super Bowl hype before the season began last year was ridiculous. And Denver clearly was not ready for the pressure, because this experiment flopped. They'va had all offseason to work out the issues. Still, this is a brutal division to try and move up in the standings, and I suspect third place and not qualifying for the postseason will be their reality.

4. Las Vegas Raiders - Still rebuilding. Not sure how far new QB Jimmy Garrappollo will take them. Like the Broncos last season, this is a team that had a lot of hype surrounding them before the season, and it did not exactly help them much. Maybe I'm wrong, but this team still feels like they need a lot of work. 

AFC South:

1. Tennessee Titans - My pick to win the division, because I suspect that they are better than their late season collapse last season would suggest, and also, the Jaguars may very well go through some growing pains. 

2. Jacksonville Jaguars - Everyone remembers the phenomenal season that they enjoyed, winning the division, then coming back from a 27-0 deficit to produce one of the greatest comebacks in postseason history. But in fact, they still barely squeezed into the playoffs, and once there, they looked largely dormant, allowing the Chargers to build a nearly insurmountable lead. This season, they will not sneak up on anybody, and as mentioned in the previous description, I suspect they'll suffer growing pains.

3. Houston Texans - I expect that at some point, all of those high draft picks from miserable seasons recently should pay off at some point. Perhaps this is the year.

4. Indianapolis Colts - They had that 33-0 lead in Minnesota, then allowed the Vikings to come all the way back and win the game. So they were on the wrong end of the greatest comeback in NFL history. They were one of the worst teams in the league last year, and likely will remain such this season, as well. 

AFC North:

1. Cincinnati Bengals - This I have to qualify, because Joe Burrow has to remain healthy for them to win another division title. But with Burrow, the Bengals feel like they might contend for the AFC title, and should win the division. If he is gone for a significant portion of the season, however, a division title, and even the playoffs, might be a bit of a stretch.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers - Not that I want to see the Steelers rise again so soon. But they seem to have done a lot to put a quality team in the Steel Town. And with past history, it just feels like they will make things happen enough to be a serious contender in this division.

3. Baltimore Ravens - I would have picked the Browns, but it always feels like the Browns disappoint high expectations. The Ravens have Lamar Jackson, and he is a proven winner.

4. Cleveland Browns - It's just that this franchise has been so cursed in recent years. Well, recent decades. Well actually, since 1964, pretty much. They have the talent to be much, much better. Let's see if they can surprise many, including me. But my sense is that they just aren't too likely to reverse their traditional bad fortunes. 

AFC East:

1. Buffalo Bills - Still believe them to be the cream of the crop overall in this division, until some other team proves otherwise.

2. Miami Dolphins - Yes, I am placing the Fins ahead of the Jets still. After all, they have Tyreek Hill, and seemed ready to explode at points last season before injuries kind of killed their momentum. Again, until the Jets prove that they really are better, I am giving them the nod.

3. New York Jets - Yes, Aaron Rodgers is the new QB, and received ridiculous amounts of attention. And yes, he very well may get the offense rolling. And the defense looks good so far. That said, they now have a lot of hype surrounding them, and that is not necessarily a good thing. Let's see what happens. By the way, I wouldn't mind being wrong about this. After all, I would love to see Rodgers do what many Jets fans seem to assume he can and even will do, and lead the Jets back to the Super Bowl, even possibly a Super Bowl win. 

4. New England Patriots - Picking them last, even though I still am a believer in Bill Belichick, and think that he may be capable of surprising people. But this is simply a brutal division, something that he never seemed to have to worry about during the salad days for the Pats. 

NFC

NFC West:

1. San Francisco 49ers - This very well may be the best, or most talented, team in the league. That said, they cannot have another season so plagued by injuries. If they remain healthy, they should easily be able to take this division title.

2. Seattle Seahawks - They are improving, and made the playoffs last season. Another step or two forward this season, but not yet quite ready to compete for the division title.

3. Los Angeles Rams - Still have some of the Super Bowl team in place, but they clearly are nowhere near what they were then. Last season was a long and embarrassing one for this team. In fact, it rates as the worst Super Bowl title defense in history, as their 5-12 record was worse than the 6-9 New York Giants in 1987 (who also had replacement players for three of those losses) and the 6-10 mark by the 1999 Denver Broncos, who lost Elway through retirement and Terrell Davis through injury. The Rams boasted about their chances of repeating before last season began, not shying away from the pressure. Perhaps they learned the difficult lesson that should have been obvious to them, not to do the talking when you're not ready to walk the walk. 

4. Arizona Cardinals - This team flirts with being solid quality every now and then. But they always seem to sink back to the bottom. This season feels like that is what they are destined for again.

NFC South:

1. Carolina Panthers - This is an improving team..I suspect that this might finally be the year they break out and do something, which is why they are my pick to win the division, at least. 

2. New Orleans Saints - An up and down team, and it's kind of difficult to know what to expect from them. But they are decent, and should at least contend for a playoff spot, although qualifying might be another matter. 

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - They will miss Tom Brady, even though he was not great for much of last season. Adjusting to life without him will still prove difficult.

4. Atlanta Falcons - Maybe I'm wrong. But the Falcons just don't feel like they can contend, even in a weak division. 

NFC North:

1. Minnesota Vikings - For now, I am still favoring the Vikings over the Lions to win this division, simply because of how impressive they were last season. It was a magical season, with an electrifying win over the Bills in Buffalo, and then overcoming a 33-0 deficit and producing what now ranks as the greatest comeback in NFL history, at least officially. They finished 13-4, although suffered a bit of a late season collapse that prevented them from getting either of the top two seeds. Then they lost immediately to the Giants at home. Those are the things that make me feel that maybe they were not as great as their record suggests. However, the Lions still feel unproven to me, even with that win in KC, and so until proven otherwise, I will stick with the Vikings as the best team in this division.

2. Detroit Lions - Yes, I am still sticking with the Vikings, for now. But if they slip (as I suspect they just might), the Lions sure look solid right now, and will likely step up and take the division instead. They simply looked fantastic and mighty impressive with that win at Arrowhead. If they can keep playing on that level, watch out!

3. Green Bay Packers - This will be the season when they have to fully adjust with life after Aaron Rodgers. And they missed the playoffs last season even with Rodgers. Just don't see them being overly competitive last season.

4. Chicago Bears - They "earned" the first pick in the draft last season for a reason. They have a lot of holes to fill, even if they perhaps were better than their dismal record indicates. It will take some time before they build a winner again.

NFC East:

1. Philadelphia Eagles - They looked like the best team in the league for most of last season, and very nearly won the Super Bowl. They narrowly lost to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, but still have much of the championship pieces in place. So really, barring problems ith injuries, they should be the class of this division. 

2. Dallas Cowboys - The Cowboys should be decent this season, and I figure they'll be a playoff team. If the Eagles slip, for whatever the reason, Dallas will be right there to take over and win the division. But they just have too much of a history of letting people down, and I don't see so many improvements during the offseason to allay concerns of another collapse.

3. New York Giants - I like what direction the G-Men (my favorite team) are going in. But a brutal start to their season, coupled with the inability to this point to master either the Eagles or the Cowboys, makes me hesitate to predict that they will improve from third place.

4. Washington Commanders -I am predicting them for last place, but they could surprise some people. At some point, it's going to all come together for Washington. It's just that I suspect it won't quite be this year, and this is a tough division for a team to make significant improvements in, with three teams that qualified for the playoffs here last season.