Who do you guys see in the Bowl? Ive been thinking about it for a while and ive gotta go with Seahawks - Broncos. Im very convinced the Broncos will win the AFC, they are the only "great" team in the AFC. The Seahawks ive been sold on since they drafted Wilson, I believe they will get to NJ. Ill post the playoff teams once when I get some more time to think about it.
Seahawks - Broncos is as good a guess as any. I can't think of any AFC that could be called a solid favorite. NFC : Seahawks, 49'ers, Redskins The Redskins might get there. I'm not just jumping on the RG3 bandwagon. The Skins have a solid defense, a good O-Line, a good running game and Kirk Cousins has demonstrated that he can carry the team if RG3 goes down. ~~~
The best teams in the NFC and AFC = 49ers and Broncos. The teams in the Super Bowl are probably one of those plus another 10 win team that got hot at the end and could easily win it all. I really don't like what the parity schedule and 12 teams in the playoffs produces. It was frustrating watching the dynasties at work in the 70's, 80's and 90's but one of the two best teams in the NFL won the Super Bowl most years. I haven't watched the Super Bowl regularly in nearly a decade. That's the point at which the 10 win teams started winning it all more often than not. That phenomenon makes the Super Bowl about as much fun to watch as a MNF game between two contenders.
I agree, this applies to Baseball to, the regular season loses credibility when the playoffs become a complete crap-shoot.
The way I see it for the AFC... Ravens-No chance of getting back, they might be good but its not happening Patriots-Sorry, big NO Steelers-Are they even good anymore? Ill give them a shot just because... Bengals-Ehh they might get to the Championship game but not the Super Bowl Texans-Ill give them a shot to Colts-NO, i read somewhere that last season they became the first 11-5 team despite being outscored by 30 points Teams that get outscored by 30 end up with 6-9 wins, not 11 the article said. Anyone else? Not really... Phins? heck no, Chargers? blah, and thats about it.
Fantasy land: Jets vs Giants with Jets asserting superiority over Giants once and for all. Realistic: Broncos and 49ers. Broncos are far and away the best team in the AFC, and it's not even close. Over on the NFC it'll be tight between Niners, Seahawks, and Falcons. Niners win NFC Champ and win close one in Superbowl. I enjoy the parity. Especially if that 10 win team becomes the Jets someday.
AFC has an easier path to Superbowl than NFC In AFC Broncos and Pats are the favorites and I will be surprised if any other team makes it to Superbowl. Ravens and Steelers are weaker and Texans is overrated etc. In NFC, I won't be surprised if any of the following teams make it to the Superbowl 49'ers, Packers, Saints, Seahawks, Falcons. There are also second tier NFC teams like Cowboys, Giants and Redskins that can get hot and make it to the Superbowl.
I actually did my picks last night, and I ended up some how with the Patriots VS Redskins in the Superbowl, but if you asked me flat out that is not what I would say. This year I really am just unsure. AFC The Patriots just aren't the same..probably not them. The Broncos are the heavy favorite, and the main favorite never wins it it seems. I can't see any other team making a legitimate effort in the AFC. NFC The 49ers won't be quite as good, and will have a SB hangover. The Seahawks are vastly overrated. The Packers d will be their failure like always. The Saints d will fall as well. The Falcons just aren't good enough. etc... I just don't see anybody in this conference either. If this thread becomes a hit I'll post my actual team by team predictions.
So here's my list of 10 win Surprise teams that could wind up in the big show at the end: AFC 1. Cincinnati Bengals. Marvin Lewis has to win a big game sooner or later. The Bengals talent says they are middle class but they've been knocking on the door for a couple of years now and Andy Dalton has quietly established himself as a good QB and leader. 2. Indianapolis Colts. This looks like a no-brainer since the Colts won 11 games last year and they have the widely acknowledged best prospect at QB in Andrew Luck. If you look behind the numbers though the Colts appear destined for a fall this season. They went 11-5 last year despite being outscored by 30 points on the season, beating their expected wins by 4. Usually a team in that situation rubber bands back to the pack. I think the Colts instead have a good shot at 10 wins and an upset playoff run. NFC 1. Minnesota Vikings. Decent balanced team poised to make a move in Christian Ponder's third season. He'll either take a step up this year and become the Viking's long-term answer or they'll be drafting a QB next year. The defense is high pressure and reminds me of the defenses the Giants won with. Lots of defensive linemen who can bring pressure and good depth in case somebody goes down. 2. NY Giants. They've done it twice before. They know the formula and they're right back where they were in 2011 with a strong pass rush and Eli Manning to keep things together on the offensive side. I don't like the Washington Redskins because I don't think the Shanahan's can keep RGIII healthy and it's unreasonable to think that Albert Morris can repeat his rookie season now that he has a target on his back.
The Bengals upgrade in offensive skill talent should have them among the elite in the league this year. You add Eifert to a healthy Gresham and they could be the best pass catching TE duo in the league. Not to mention Gio Bernard catching passes out of the backfield along with AJ Green and they should have one of the better offenses in football this year. Another year of seasoning for Dalton who I can see making the Pro Bowl this year. Bengals have a good shot of winning the AFC North this year.
but what does their oline look like? i really dont know but i have always felt their line was suspect in the past number of years.
Yeah their oline has definitely been a little suspect the last few years. However this is supposedly their deepest oline in Marvin Lewis' tenure. They've got some experienced backups, there are young guys starting to blossom and they have guys that have played multiple positions. Unless something whacky happens before the season, I have the Bengals as one of my favorites to win the AFC this year. However we're talking about the Bungles here so something most probably will happen.
Bengals are the favorites to win AFC North imho. Steelers D is not the same and Ravens lost many key players. Also I think AFC North ill only have 1 team in the playoffs.
Agreed. I think the Bengals will win the AFC North as well. The Ravens lost a lot of quality players, but I think they will be able to compete for a WC up until the last week of the season -- Not sure if they will get in or not though.
Agreed on the Bengals winning the AFC North again. they are becoming a good team, but i think still lack enough defensive toughness to advance far in the playoffs. Also think the Steelers make the WC, and avoid missing 2 straight post seasons. The Ravens i think end up odd man out. they've have lost far too many leaders in what has essentially been a rebuild.....but they will remain competitive. My dark horse team is the Saints. They have Payton back, and have added Rob Ryan. They still have Brees, a ton of offensive weapons, and a home field advantage perfect for that offense. The biggest question marks to me are the personnel on the Oline and Defense (as they convert to a 3-4). Losing Butler certainly didn't help. My favorites are the Broncos and Seahawks.....and certainly wouldn't count the Packers out.
Broncos and Niners is the obvious matchup but as Bradway said, that makes it unlikely to happen. Broncos always have a good shot at missing given how Peyton likes to make dumb mistakes in the playoffs. As for the Niners, Kaepernick may struggle in his 2nd year starting. I'll go with Broncos, Falcons in the SB
Division winners AFC East- Patriots West- Chiefs North- Bengals South- Texans Wildcard teams- Dolphins and Broncos NFC East- Giants West- 49ers North- Packers South- Falcons Wildcard teams- Bucs and Seahawks
AFC is a toss up. Denver is the clear favorite, but I just don't think they'll get there. Houston is my guess. As long as their important starters stay healthy and the rest of their defense not named JJ Watt improve, they should be really good. NFC, I still like the Falcons, but Seattle I think will be the team to beat.
There will be some surprise teams this year. Tampa Bay will turn some heads and be a wildcard contender while Atlanta has a rough season. Saints will also be in the picture and I think they win the division. Giants won't make it. Russel Wilson gets hit by sophomore curse, and defenses adjust. He is less effective and they struggle to make the playoffs. Cowboys win the division in the last week of the season at 9-7 edging the Redskins, who blow it and lose to the struggling Giants. Sanchez finally gets it and the Jets make an unexpected run to the playoffs. Stafford to Calvin Johnson will be strong and the Lions will have a winning season AFC 1. Broncos (12-4) 2. Bengals (11-5) 3. Texans (11-5) 4. Patriots (10-6) 5. Colts(10-6) 6. Jets(9-7) NFC 1. Packers (13-3) 2. Saints (12-4) 3. Niners (12-4) 4. Cowboys (9-7) 5. Bucs (11-5) 6. Lions (10-6) SB = Saints vs Broncos Broncos win. Manning is happy and everyone lives happily ever after. Jets make AFC title game again but lose to Broncos in OT.
