Can't believe its been over six months since our last NFL game. I blinked and was already preparing for NFL fantasy drafts, and I blinked again and the Buccaneers and Cowboys were playing each other on Thursday Night Football. I've watched enough NFL Live and read a couple of Star Tribune articles, so I'm going to take a shot and see if I can get the Super Bowl right for the first time in 9 years.
NFC East:
1. Washington Football Team (4)
2. Dallas Cowboys (7)
3. New York Giants
4. Philadelphia Eagles
NFC North:
1. Green Bay Packers (2)
2. Minnesota Vikings
3. Chicago Bears
4. Detroit Lions
NFC South:
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1)
2. Carolina Panthers
3. New Orleans Saints
4. Atlanta Falcons
NFC West
1. Los Angeles Rams (3)
2. Seattle Seahawks (5)
3. Arizona Cardinals (6)
4. San Francisco 49ers
NFC Playoffs:
Dallas Cowboys vs Green Bay Packers
Winner: Packers
Arizona Cardinals vs Los Angeles Rams
Winner: Cardinals
Seattle Seahawks vs Washington Football Team
Winner: Seahawks
Arizona Cardinals vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Winner: Buccaneers
Seattle Seahawks vs Green Bay Packers
Winner: Packers
NFC Championship Game:
Green Bay Packers vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Winner: Buccaneers
AFC East
1. Buffalo Bills (2)
2. New England Patriots (5)
3. Miami Dolphins
4. New York Jets
AFC North
1. Baltimore Ravens (3)
2. Cleveland Browns (6)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (7)
4. Cincinnati Bengals
AFC South
1. Tennessee Titans (4)
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. Jacksonville Jaguars
4. Houston Texans
AFC West
1. Kansas City Chiefs (1)
2. Los Angeles Chargers
3. Vegas Raiders
4. Denver Broncos
AFC Playoffs:
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Buffalo Bills
Winner: Bills
Cleveland Browns vs Baltimore Ravens
Winner: Browns
New England Patriots vs Tennessee Titans
Winner: Titans
Cleveland Browns vs Kansas City Chiefs
Winner: Chiefs
Tennessee Titans vs Buffalo Bills
Winner: Titans
AFC Championship Game:
Tennessee Titans vs Kansas City Chiefs
Winner: Titans
The championship games I struggled with the most. Those and the AFC North. All three teams are really set up to win now, but it's going to be a dogfight of a division and at the end of the day, any of the three could end up being a top 2 or 3 seed in the AFC. I went with the Titans because they were able to make great improvements on the defensive side of the ball, signing Denico Autry, Janoris Jenkins, and Bud Dupree. Then of course Julio Jones on offense. If Derrick Henry can push for another 1,500+ yards, and AJ Brown continues to be a top 15 receiver, I think they can keep up with the Chiefs. But can they beat the Buccaneers? I'm not sure Ryan Tannehill can outduel Tom Brady, but then I never imagined Nick Foles could do it either.
Nate's 9 Rookies to watch:
9. Kyle Pitts - Atlanta TE. They must have some fun plans for him, as TE's never go in the top 5 of an NFL draft. Even Vernon Davis went 6th.
8. Jamin Davis - Washington ILB. Playing behind NFL's best D-line, could tackle RB's for fun.
7. Trey Lance - San Francisco QB. Maybe the biggest unknown since he played in the FCS, but if he hits, 49ers have their very own Patty Mahomes.
6. Devonta Smith - Philadelphia WR. Probably my favorite college player last year, a threat to score on every catch. A little undersized, hopefully he can withstand the punishement.
5. Najee Harris - Pittsburgh RB. Alabama sure had some weapons last year. Could win the Rookie of the year.
4. Micah Parsons - Dallas ILB. I always thought LaVar Arrington would be best Penn State Linebacker I ever watched, Parsons was probably a little better. Cowboys have a guy for 10 years.
3. Greg Newsome - Cleveland CB. Thought it was interesting he claimed best defensive back in the draft. I thought maybe Patrick Surtain Jr, but I'll let it play out.
2. Trevor Lawrence - Jacksonville QB. Finally. Not since Rodgers have I been this pumped for a QB. Projects just as good for me, but will the Jaguars do what it takes for him to succeed?
1. Mac Jones - New England QB. Bill had Brady for 20 years. Putting Mac in the same spotlight. Can he bring the organization even one title for Bill? All eyes on the Patriots.
Nate's 9 Storylines
1. NFC East. This division is begging for a team to take over for awhile. Giants might have missed on the Daniel Jones pick. Washington has hit on every pick outside of QB (Dwayne Haskins, oh my goodness). Dallas is in a bit of a flux with their O-Line and secondary, and the Eagles are a hodgepodge of different types of players and ideas. I love WFT and their defense, but this division could end with any of the four pushing towards the top.
2. Chicago and SF quarterback battles. So far the veterans have won. But for how long? With the 5 year rookie deals, you only get 80 games to see if the QB you drafted is for you. The Jaguars, Jets and Patriots have already decided to give the 80 to their rookies, how long before all 5 are getting a shot to be the next Mahomes/Trubisky?
3. Los Angeles Chargers. Maybe my favorite roster in the NFL. I liked Herbert more than I liked Burrow and I'll stick by that opinion. Joey Bosa can be one of the best pass rushers in the league, Derwin James is ready for stardom too. And getting Corey Linsley was huge. They could go 10-7, and just miss the playoffs, but I like their upside. Brandon Staley seems like the real deal.
4. Tom Brady. Will it ever end? The guy is 44 years old, and as I'm typing this is on his way to being 1-0 with 4 touchdowns passes. It's insane. You gotta respect it and enjoy the ride.
5. Miami Dolphins. They may have the trickiest schedule in the league. When I started prepping, I thought Miami could win 11 games and get into the playoffs. But their schedule is really tough until November. Two division games to begin, a weird trip to Vegas, and then the Colts and Tampa Bay. Tua won't really have time to develop, a 1-4 start could be disasterous. They did provide him with plenty of weapons though.
6. Ryan Tannehill. I still don't care for this guy as an NFL starting QB, but he did come off of a career year last year. 33 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions is nothing to scoff at. He worked hard and his teammates really seem to be behind him. My issues were always the professional side; I didn't think he had the personality to win a championship, nor did I think he would fight through the mud. He's got both now, and maybe he takes them to the end.
7. Kirk Cousins. What an interesting character he has turned out to be. Coming in, I thought he would be a great pick up for the Vikings, because he is able to hit those deep balls and the Vikings had Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. But Diggs got angry, and the Vikings chose to move on. But it's never really clicked. His cap hits have been really high, and it's made it difficult for the Vikings to keep together really deep teams. Now he is entering the twilight of his career, and doing it in a fuss. No vaccine, which whatever. But in this industry where one game can make or break you, he's going to have to be very solid in his bubble. The Vikings thought he was the key to unlock the super bowl drought, but they might have to move on from this heavily paid individual.
8. Aaron Rodgers. So much drama. To the point, where I was ready to go with Jordan Love. But, low and behold, with a new contract, number 12 will be throwing passes for the Green Bay Packers again. With Rodgers, they have a really good shot at making the NFC Championship game. Without him, I'm not sure they can win 6 games. The secondary is really good, but the front 7 still needs a bit of work. This does have a feel of a "Last Dance" type season for the Packers.
9. Jameis Winston vs Taysom Hill. One of the league's most prepared franchises is going into the season with what might be the strangest situation at the starting QB position. They knew pretty early that Drew Brees was retiring, and didn't really achieve any success at finding a replacement for him. I am a fan of Jameis, but I think the NFL is one level too much for him. He was the perfect college QB. Use your talent, and beat the weak. He was able to do it every week. The NFL forces you to beat top players after top players, and talent isn't something that he can just rely on. Taysom Hill is still a gadget player in my mind, and I'm not sure they can go 16 games with him in the role. They have too much talent to only win 4 games, which might force them to play the QB merry-go-round again next year.
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