Predicting the Season Boldly
Many different sports outlets are issuing their most bold predictions for the upcoming NFL season. From who will be the starting quarterback to where they will finish the season, any and all predictions are up for debate. Today, after being on a two week break to gather some information, I will issue my most bold prediction for each team this season.
Nothing is off limits.
AFC East:
Buffalo Bills: First Team to Reach 2,000 Rushing Yards
With the three headed monster of quarterback Tyrod Taylor and running backs LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams, the Bills are primed to be the top rushing team next season. While it is said that Williams has been dealing with weight issues, the Bills have the depth to get another guy to be their number two running back.
Miami Dolphins: Tunsil is the Last Piece to Bring Offense to Elite Status
Ryan Tannehill has been getting better every season since entering the league. With Breakout Player of the Year candidate Jay Ajayi at running back and Jarvis Landry at the top of the skill positions, this offense has a high ceiling. First-round pick Laremy Tunsil will help them to reach that point. Tunsil's addition to the line will finally offer some consistency to the team's run game and pass protection.
New England Patriots: Team Starts 0-4 Behind Jimmy Garoppolo
Tom Brady is not going to win this appeal and will sit out the first four games of the season. Third-year quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from Eastern Illinois will be handed the reigns for those games. Here is the problem: the schedule is not favorable. Three home games will be played, and this includes two of their division rivals (MIA & BUF). They also will face the Cardinals away in week one and the Texans week three. They face three of the top defenses heading into this season. Garoppolo better learn quickly, or the Pats could be in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time this millennium.
New York Jets: Christian Hackenberg Starts 10 Games
Ryan Fitzpatrick is not anywhere close to signing a deal with the Jets. With him out, New York is left with three options. Geno Smith is not a very attractive option looking at his history. Bryce Petty has not played a snap in the NFL officially. Hackenberg was taken with the Jets' second pick. They like the guy. Putting him with one of the best receiving cores today and a veteran running back in Matt Forte and he could win.
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens: Three Veterans Will Be Cut By Week 12
The Baltimore Ravens suffer greatly from having many injury prone players on their roster. Mostly on defense. The team is not going to get younger or less injury prone with the players they have. I'm eyeing three vets to be cut: Safeties Matt Elam and Kendrick Lewis and Defensive Tackle Brandon Williams. All injury prone and all in the league for at least four years. Elam did not produce the numbers he promised and the other two have been around for too long. It is time to make Baltimore young again.
Cincinnati Bengals: Team Goes 3-1 in Prime Time
The Bengals are known to choke more often than a toddler surrounded by LEGOs. Especially when the game is in prime time. As of right now, Cincinnati is slated for four night games against the Dolphins, Giants, Steelers, and Texans. With Hue Jackson moving on to Cleveland, the organization promoted Ken Zampese to Offensive Coordinator. He was the Cincinnati Quarterback Coach since 2003. Considering he knows Dalton better, he will help this team get over their fear of night games. But they will still lose in the wildcard round of the playoffs.
Cleveland Browns: Will Have the First Pick in 2017 NFL Draft (But not because of their record) and the Fifth Pick
That's right, the Browns will have the first overall pick because the Eagles are going to take a nose dive as an organization. Cleveland will not do much better, barley making it to five total wins as they do every season. But this just sets up the Browns to make this their most important draft. Grabbing DeShaun Watson and Myles Garrett would be the draft this team needs to turn themselves around.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Martavis Bryant's Absence Will Mean Nothing to Offense
Bryant is out for the year due to a violation of the substance abuse policy. Enter Sammie Coats. He is 6-1 and is a former Auburn Tiger. His role in the Auburn offense is very similar to Bryant's role with the Steelers. He will have three catches, but one of them will be for a 60-yard touchdown. Not a bad guy to have on your bench in fantasy.
AFC South
Houston Texans: Lose AFC Championship Game
Yes, Brock Osweiler and company will go all the way to the AFC Championship. JJ Watt will be leading the team on defense and have a similar season to that of his 2014 campaign where he doubles as a tight end. With other added weapons in rookie wide out Will Fuller and veteran running back Lamar Miller, this team can get close to the promised land, but just fall short of the line due to some small inconsistencies at linebacker.
Indianapolis Colts: Very Active Before NFL Trade Deadline
Most teams in the NFL are very quiet when it comes to mid-season trades. We only ever see one or two a year. Not like the NBA where everyone deals someone to another team. The Colts still have some work to do on defense. Outside of D'Quell Jackson and Vonte Davis, the team is sub-par. I see the Colts trading away future picks to get some key role players at safety and middle linebacker.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Will Not Have Top 10 Draft Pick
Notice: I did not say they were playoff bound. But for the first time since the 2007 NFL Draft, the Jags will not have a pick in the top 10. The Jags had the best draft this past year and an incredible free agency. With a newly improved defense and one of the better wide receiver duos in the league, the Jags are on their way to returning to the playoffs.
Tennessee Titans: Dorial Green-Beckham Becomes a Top 10 Receiver
Green-Beckham was taken in the beginning of the second round in the 2015 Draft. He is a stout 6-4 and had a nagging leg injury for the better part of last season. He was barely able to contribute to Mariota's rookie campaign. With a full off-season to recover and the Titans organization making moves left and right to bring in new talent, it will help elevate Dorial to near elite company.
AFC West
Denver Broncos: Miss the Playoffs Due to Week 17 Loss
The Broncos will be greatly hurting from this season's departures of linebacker Danny Trevathon, defensive tackle Malik Jackson, and quarterback Payton Manning. With the looming threat that Von Miller could leave Denver before preseason, the Broncos have their backs against the wall entering the regular season. Sanchez will start for the first few weeks, but the reigns will be handed over to rookie quarterback Paxton Lynch by week eight. Coming into the final week of the season, the Broncos and Chiefs will be tied at 8-7 with Broncos having the tie breaker over Kansas City. This does not matter for the AFC West Champs Oakland Raiders, who hand Denver their last loss of the season as the Chiefs take the 6 seed Wildcard Spot in their win over San Diego.
Kansas City Chiefs: Travis Kelce Leads Team in Touchdowns, but Jeremy Maclin Leads Receiving Yards
Kelce has been one of the top scoring tight ends of the past few years. He is a beast to tackle and has great hands. He will surely be the top target in the red zone. But I believe this is the year for Alex Smith to shine a truly use his receivers, the problem will be that the receivers themselves won't make it to the endzone. Maclin will average nine catches for around 95 yards a game with the occasional touchdown. Kelce will lead the team with 12 total touchdowns.
Oakland Raiders: Top Defense in 2016
The Raiders made all of the right moves this off season. Curtis Lofton, Charles Woodson, and Justin Tuck are gone. Enter Karl Joseph, Bruce Irvin, and Jihad Ward. This new, young defense will balance out the talent on offense and make the Raiders the dark horse of the AFC. Kalil Mack will tie in total sacks for the year with JJ Watt and Sean Smith will lead the NFL in interceptions.
San Diego Chargers: Melvin Gordon Scores First Touchdown in Week 3, 4, or 16
The former Badger didn't score a touchdown in his rookie year. He also never had a 100 yard game. Both of which Todd Gurley had multiple of last year. The Chargers neglected to address their offensive line until the third round of the draft. The teams they play in these weeks are the Colts, Saints, and Browns. These are arguably the three worst defensive lines today. If he doesn't score in these weeks, it could be too late for the former first-rounder.
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys: Ezekiel Elliot Will Be #1 Running Back
The Cowboys chose to take the explosive running back from Ohio State with the fourth pick of the draft. He is regarded as the best running back of the past five draft classes. With the Dallas offensive line being the best in the NFL, Elliot will see at least 1,400 yards his rookie season. With a healthy Romo and Bryant to back him up, you can add an extra 300 to that total.
New York Giants: Addition of Sterling Shepard Makes Receiving Core Top 5
The problem with the Giants the past few years is inconsistencies with varying parts of the offense. Eli has an off year, the receivers aren't good, the run game is non-existent. Shepard provides Manning with a solid second option at wide out. This will make Beckham, Donnell, and even Jennings better overall.
Philadelphia Eagles: Last in the League
A new head coach, a quarterback competition, and a complete overhaul of the defense will not be enough for the City of Brotherly Love. Bradford will crack under the pressure of being replaced by rookie quarterback Carson Wentz. Wentz will end up starting at one point, but it will be too late. Murray is gone at running back. The offensive line is a wreck. Nelson Agholor will not flourish. This offense may be the worst it's ever been.
Washington Redskins: Cousins Underachieves Under Franchise Tag
While Cousins is being paid like a top quarterback, it was the smart decision. The NFC East was abysmal last season, making Cousins look good. This season, Washington will realize tagging Cousins was better, because now they know that he would not be worth the payment over over $17 mil for the next four years.
NFC North
Chicago Bears: Cutler Has His Best Season Ever, But Still Misses Playoffs
Jay Cutler has been in the league 11 years and he has never hit 4,000 yards. That changes this year. Adding some more depth to the offensive line, two young running backs, and a healthy Kevin White opposite Alshon Jeffery will elevate him to over 4,000 passing yards for the first time in his career. He will also reach 28 touchdowns for the second time in his career and throw only 10 picks.
Detroit Lions: Matthew Stafford Outed as Non-elite Quarterback
Calvin Johnson is gone and has not intention of returning. So who is Stafford throwing to now? Golden Tate III, Marvin Jones, and Eric Ebron. Not exactly the best situation. Stafford has been seen for years as worthy of a top pick in fantasy and as part of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Without Johnson at the other end of his pass, Stafford will show that he is one of the bottom 10 quarterbacks this season.
Green Bay Packers: Super Bowl Champions
Yeah, this is pretty much the easiest pick for me. A healthy Jordy Nelson, a slimmer Eddy Lacy, and new tight end in Jared Cook mean one thing for the opponents of these cheeseheads. Can we outscore them? This will be the only way teams will win. Unfortunately for them, they cannot; and the Pack will ride off into the sunset as Super Bowl Champs for the second time in six years.
Minnesota Vikings: Adrian Peterson Leaves/Retires
This will be Peterson's final season. After getting back to the wildcard round of the playoffs for the second year straight, they will be embarrassed by the Cardinals. After this, Peterson will contemplate retirement, seeing that his team will not get him a ring. He would then entertain possible offers to join contenders, but none are to his liking, forcing him to hang up his cleats for good.
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons: Justin Hardy Shines at WR3 Position
With Roddy White gone and Mohammud Sanu taking his place, Julio Jones will finally have some breathing room. He will still have a stellar season, but Hardy will will shine. Picked in the 4th round out of East Carolina, Hardy is a small slot receiver that the Atlanta offense has been missing. Hester was alright in his time with the Falcons and so was Douglas. Hardy provides a small guy that could be the Julian Edelman type player Ryan needs to get the Falcons to the playoffs.
Carolina Panthers: Norman's Absence Won't Affect Defense
When Josh Norman jumped ship for Washington this off season, people were shocked. But the Panthers were fine before him, and they will be after. Carolina still has some of the best defensive players from around the league. Especially in their front seven. Ealy, Short, Johnson, Kuechly, Davis, & Thompson. Yeah, the Panthers are going to be just fine.
New Orleans Saints: Brees Suffers Due to Defensive Short Comings
It is no secret that the New Orleans defense is statistically one of the worst in the league. Despite their rankings, Brees is consistent in his stats. That changes this season. The defense will continue to suffer, forcing Brees to make some costly errors at the end of the games in the beginning of the season. This will transfer to Brees making errors at the beginning of the games because he will be trying to get his team ahead before the defense screws it up. All in all, Brees will have the worst season of his life.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Top 3 Offense by Season's End
The Bucs improved greatly last year moving from 23rd to 6th overall. They will move even higher this year. Now that the Bucs have secured Martin, bolstered the offensive line even more, and will have a completely healthy Mike Evans and Austin Sefarian-Jenkins at their disposal, Winston will thrive at quarterback once again. Will they make the playoffs? Let's see how that new defense works out first.
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals: Lose NFC Championship (Again)
The Cards may have lost a few pieces this off season like Rashad Jones and Johnathan Abraham, but they will still be one of the leagues top teams. David Johnson will likely become a top five rusher and the receiving core will be the best with west has ever seen. Palmer will again have an amazing year. It will come crashing down once the Cards play the Pack in Green Bay on a cold January day.
Los Angeles Rams: Goff Finishes With Losing Record, But City Still Trusts Him
Jared Goff was gifted an interesting situation. He has one of the best running backs today and a top tier defense. The problem is that he has no one to throw the ball to now. Tavon Austin is only good for wildcat type plays. Lance Kendrick is not a reliable tight end. The rest of the receiving core is a revolving door of whoever seems to be healthy on game day. Goff will end up with a 6-10 record, but the people will trust him enough that they will grab a true receiver to help him out in the next year.
San Francisco 49ers: Kaepernick Sees Revival
While the 49ers may have the worst looking offensive roster in the NFL, Colin Kaepernick will thrive in a Chip Kelly offense. Moving back to how he played during the 2012-13 season will be a revival he needs to be seen as a good starting quarterback. It will be just enough that the organization will pass on taking a quarterback in the first round.
Seattle Seahawks: Miss the playoffs
The Seahawks are a mess on offense right now. They have no offensive line, which means that Thomas Rawls will suffer in the run game. Wilson can run out of the pocket all he wants, but it will be easy to defend if that is what he is doing from week one. Plays will be easier to read and not even the Legion of Boom can stop these offenses often enough to pull out enough wins. They will still have a winning record, but they will just narrowly miss the playoffs.
