NFC EAST
Washington Football Team
With a defence that should be among the league’s best and an offence that now has some stability at QB, Washington looks set to take this division. As long as Ryan Fitzpatrick keeps the ship steady, this is a playoff team.
Prediction: 11-6
Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott is back from his broken ankle, which submarined the Cowboys’ season last year. This offence should return to its high-powered ways after being severely limited by QB play in 2020. The question, as it has been for several years now, is how does the defence hold up? We expect at least some improvement, which should see Dallas return to the playoffs.
Prediction: 10-7
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles are in a tricky spot, with a QB who is more built for fantasy than real football and a lot of aging pieces, especially on the O-line. We’re not sure if new head coach Nick Sirianni is cut out for the hard task of rebuilding in Philly, either.
Prediction: 6-11
New York Giants
Daniel Jones. That’s who this season comes down to for the Giants. After two incredibly turnover-prone seasons, all the pressure is on Jones to thrive in an offence full of good weapons. Of course, we’re betting against that and New York should be looking for a new QB in the draft.
Prediction: 6-11
NFC NORTH
Green Bay Packers
After all that off-season drama, Aaron Rodgers and the Pack are back for one seemingly last ride and it should be a good one. The Pack weren’t too far off making the Super Bowl and we wouldn’t be surprised to see them back after keeping most of their key pieces – Rodgers included.
Prediction: 11-6
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikes seem to be the team that is going hardest against vaccines and we’d be surprised if it doesn’t bite them in the ass this season. While we fully expect Mike Zimmer’s defence to rebound, if key players like Kirk Cousins and Dalvin Cook (reportedly) aren’t going to get their shots, this team will suffer when cases pop up.
Prediction: 9-8
Chicago Bears
Like everyone else that’s a fan for football, we’re just waiting ever-so patiently for the Bears to come to their senses and bench Andy Dalton for Justin Fields. Chicago has the best QB on their roster in years and they seem content to let him sit for a while. Aside from Fields, there’s not much else to be excited about here.
Prediction: 7-10
Detroit Lions
It’s going to be a slow rebuild for Detroit, but they have a passionate man in charge with Dan Campbell who is dead set on changing the culture. It won’t happen this year, but it’s time to lay a foundation of toughness.
Prediction: 2-15
NFC SOUTH
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The defending champs brought back every one of their starters, made some interesting additions and are an easy pick to win this division and make some noise in the playoffs. The question is if Tom Brady can do it again now at age 44, but he hasn’t shown any sign of slowing down yet. The Bucs are going to be a very tough out.
Prediction: 12-5
New Orleans Saints
While the main story about the Saints is Drew Brees’ retirement and Jameis Winston stepping in to replace him, many forget that the legendary QB isn’t their only departure. New Orleans saw a lot of important players leave and the team still remains with cap issues. This team could struggle mightily unless Sean Payton works some real magic.
Prediction: 8-9
Carolina Panthers
With average QB Teddy Bridgewater last year, the Panthers were a fairly average team. And that says a lot when you consider that superstar Christian McCaffrey played just three games. Now, with Sam Darnold under centre, can he see a similar jump in quality after escaping Adam Gase and the New York Jets? That, we’re not so sure about.
Prediction: 7-10
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons have a new man in charge and there’s some hope for a bounce-back after a rough season, but did they do enough to fix their biggest problem, the defence? This is a team that should be able to put up points, but making real progress might still be a year away.
Prediction: 6-11
NFC WEST
San Francisco 49ers
After having some of the worst luck in the league last season – getting absolutely decimated by injuries and later having to relocate home games to Arizona – the Niners are a prime candidate to bounce back. They also have third-overall pick Trey Lance to work into the offence, which should make it even more dynamic under offensive guru Kyle Shanahan.
Prediction: 12-5
Los Angeles Rams
Take one of the most innovative offensive minds in the game, a rock-solid defence with two elite players and then add a QB that is leaps and bounds better than the former starter – that’s what we have with the Rams this season. This is one of the top contenders in the league unless the injury bug strikes.
Prediction: 12-5
Seattle Seahawks
Will new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron finally let Russell Wilson cook? The more important question is if this team can find a balance on offence while keeping up the solid defence that led it to the playoffs in the second half of the 2020 season.
Prediction: 11-6
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have an excited offence built around young stud QB Kyler Murray and elite WR DeAndre Hopkins, but it’s the rest of the team that gives cause for concern. New addition J.J. Watt isn’t what he once was and the secondary has its issues, too. In his third year, this could be a make-or-break season for coach Kliff Kingsbury and we’re not sure he’s up for it.
Prediction: 6-11
DIVISION PREDICTIONS
NFC EAST: Washington Football Team
NFC NORTH: Green Bay Packers
NFC SOUTH: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC WEST: San Francisco 49ers
NFC WILD-CARDS: L.A. Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP: L.A. Rams over Tampa Bay Bucs
SUPER BOWL: Los Angeles Rams over Cleveland Browns
MVP: Josh Allen, BUF
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Myles Garrett, CLE
WORST RECORD: Houston Texans
PRIME TIME PICK
TAMPA BAY (-8) over Dallas
The champs were a solid pick even before the Cowboys lost to Zack Martin to COVID for the opener. There’s just too much talent on the Bucs offence for the untested Dallas D to contain. The most likely finish here is some garbage time points from Dak Prescott and Co., but Tampa should still manage a cover.
Last season: 112-124-9
Playoffs: 8-5
2019: 129-114-7