TalkingFilmTalkingSports

I am beyond ecstatic for the NFL to begin tomorrow. What I love about the NFL is that you only get 17 Sundays — just 4 months to soak in as much as you can. It’s like going to your favourite restaurant that you only visit once a year, or drinking your favourite Christmas beverage around the holidays, or the annual weekend away trip with your buddies. It’s a rare treat that you look forward to all year long.

With that all said, I wanted to provide my NFL predictions for this upcoming season — beginning with the NFC. Below I have listed my predictions for the division standings, playoff teams, AP Awards, some made up awards of my own, and a few notes about my predictions. I hope you enjoy and please leave your bold NFC predictions down below.

NFC North

1 — Green Bay Packers (12–5)
2 — Detroit Lions (12–5)
3 — Minnesota Vikings (9–8)
4 — Chicago Bears (8–9)

NFC East

1 — Philadelphia Eagles (12–5)
2 — Washington Commanders (9–8)
3 — Dallas Cowboys (7–10)
4 — New York Giants (6–11)

NFC South

1 — Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10–7)
2 — Atlanta Falcons (7–10)
3 — Carolina Panthers (6–11)
4 — New Orleans Saints (3–14)

NFC West

1 — Los Angeles Rams (11–6)
2 — San Francisco 49ers (10–7)
3 — Seattle Seahawks (10–7)
4 — Arizona Cardinals (7–10)

AP Awards:

MVP: Jordan Love (GB)
OPOY: Saquon Barkley (PHI)
DPOY: Micah Parsons (GB)
OROY: Matthew Golden (GB)
DROY: Abdul Carter(NYG)
CPOY: Aidan Hutchinson (DET)
COTY: Sean McVay (LAR)

Playoff Teams:

1. Philadelphia Eagles
2. Green Bay Packers
3. Los Angeles Rams
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5. Detroit Lions
6. San Francisco 49ers
7. Seattle Seahawks

More Awards:

First Coach Fired: Jonathan Gannon (ARI)
Biggest Underachieving Team: Washington Commanders
Biggest Underachieving Player: Caleb Williams (CHI)
Biggest Overachieving Team: Los Angeles Rams 
Biggest Overachieving Player: Jackson Smith-Njigba (SEA)
Super Bowl Favourite: Green Bay Packers
Super Bowl Sleeper: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Might Actually Be Decent Award: New York Giants
Don’t Buy the Hype Award: Chicago Bears
Will Levis Award (Most Likely to be Entertainingly Bad): Dallas Cowboys
Avoid Ever Betting on This Team Award: Any NFC West Team
Indianapolis Colts Post-Andrew Luck Award (Team to Start the Most Quarterbacks This Season): New York Giants

A Few Notes:

• I’m a big fan of Jayden Daniels and what the Washington Commanders did last season. However they won games they had no business in winning (versus Philly and Chicago comes to mind), they converted an almost impossible 87% of their fourth downs, and they had a much easier schedule in comparison to what they will face this year. I still think they will be a good football team, yet there will be a regression to the mean. Also they’re the oldest team in the NFL by a considerable margin. I don’t love that.
• As you can see I think the Rams will be very good. However that completely depends on the Matt Stafford back injury. Even if he misses a few games I trust McVay to grab some wins with Jimmy Garoppolo, hence the COTY pick.
• I’m so high on Green Bay. Even before the Micah Parsons trade I was high on them. I really fancy this team to go all the way.
• Now I do think Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams will eventually workout together in Chicago, however it will take them a year. I do not expect an immediate 180 degree turn from the Bears and their offence. I think this year will be an improvement from the previous , but not the final and polished product.