Early NFL Season Predictions Heading into Camp

Although it seems like it was just yesterday when the Patriots failed to shock the world and Falcons‘ fans all over the world (read Atlanta) engaged in a collective facepalm, the Super Bowl was actually played months ago and training camp is set to open soon. That means it’s time to be absolutely wrong about some way early NFL season predictions. Let’s have a look into the complete obscurity of our crystal ball and see what presents itself for the 2017-18 NFL Season.

Prognosticating the AFC

We’ll start with the AFC. But unfortunately for everyone outside of the New England area, that means stating the irritating, er obvious. As long as Darth Hoodie roams the sidelines and Tom Brady is their starting quarterback, the Patriots are guaranteed at least 11 wins and a slot in the AFC Championship game. This is the one certain point in the ambiguous parity of the NFL cosmos, the solid ground upon which everything else can be built. After that though, it’s a free-for-all!

The Raiders and The Chiefs are the early favorites to challenge the Pats for AFC supremacy. The Raiders should come into the season with a healthy Derek Carr, an improved defense, and a heck of a lot to prove. The Chiefs seem to get incrementally better each year under Andy Reid and with some injury luck, they might have just enough playmakers to make a push as they wait for Patrick Mahomes to supplant Alex Smith as their starting QB.

Next page for the NFC

NFC Predictions

In the NFC, look for the Falcons to be the next losing Super Bowl team that fails to make a playoff dent after their ignominious defeat. Yes, they still have the talent to contend, but when you add constant change and the laws of parity to their devastating Super Bowl hangover, it’s hard to imagine the Falcons still standing come February. Look for them to come out of the AFC South and fade quickly in the playoffs.

The three top NFC teams right now seem to be the Packers, the Cowboys, and the Seahawks. The Packers bring back Aaron Rodgers of course, which is enough to pencil them in for 10 wins right off the bat. And while the Cowboys did take advantage of a soft schedule for their 13 wins from a year ago, their backfield talent immediately makes them a co-favorite. And what can you say about the Seahawks except that they’re going to be in running for the next five years? They’ll need a slight increase in big plays on the defensive side of the ball and a bit of improvement from Russell Wilson to be a guaranteed contender but expect them to be in the hunt come January.

And our Super Bowl Prediction? Well, we have decided to be wrong about the Patriots differently this year and pick them to bow out in the second round, thus paving the way for the Raiders to face the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl and another Lombardi Trophy for the Packers in Title Town.