AFC EAST
New England Patriots
Another year, another division title for the Patriots. The only thing that could derail this train would be an injury to Tom Brady. This is a dynasty and there’s no reason to expect it to falter this season with a lot of the key pieces returning.
Prediction:Â 12-4
Buffalo Bills
The hardest part to figure out about the Bills is Josh Allen. We know he can make plays with his feet, but can he throw the ball efficiently when needed? Buffalo’s defence should be a top-10 unit in the league, but this season will lie on whether the offence can get it done consistently.
Prediction:Â 7-9
New York Jets
I don’t get the hype for the Jets this year. Marquee signing Le’Veon Bell hasn’t played in a year, their first-round pick hasn’t impressed in pre-season and shouldn’t the jury still be out on Sam Darnold after his 15-INT season? It’s hard to buy them as a playoff team.
Prediction:Â 7-9
Miami Dolphins
The firesale has already begun and there’s no point in even trying to argue that the Dolphins could surprise some this season. It’ll be another rough ride for Josh Rosen after his rocky rookie season in Arizona and Brian Flores’ first campaign as a head coach will end with a high draft pick.
Prediction: 2-14
AFC NORTH
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers were on the outside looking in at the playoffs for the first time in what seems like forever. And even with Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell officially out of the picture, we still like them to bounce right back. The defence is actually underrated and the aforementioned duo have stellar replacements ready to step in. This is a contender as long as Big Ben is healthy.
Prediction: 10-6
Cleveland Browns
Everybody’s hot pick to make a big leap is in that position for a reason. Baker Mayfield has a full season under his belt, Nick Chubb won’t be wasted for half of a season and Odell Beckham Jr. is one of the league’s best WRs. The Browns showed notable growth after firing Hue Jackson last year and that trend should continue.
Prediction: 10-6 (first wild card)
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens overhauled an already-decent defence and now we’ll be interested to see how the turnover impacts the unit. But it’s the extremely run-heavy scheme on offence that’s interesting. Will Lamar Jackson be able to hold up to all the hits and does this gameplan have legs after being shut down by the Chargers in the playoffs?
Prediction: 9-7
Cincinnati Bengals
It was going to be a rough season before star WR A.J. Green got hurt and now it’s even more difficult. The Bengals should be starting a rebuild under new coach Zac Taylor, but first they’ll have to move on from the utterly average Andy Dalton, which won’t happen this season with no true replacement waiting in the wings.
Prediction: 3-13
AFC SOUTH
Houston Texans
The Texans went a bit nuts with their trades this past week, going into win-now mode by mortgaging the future for much-needed help at LT. Losing Jadeveon Clowney hurts the pass rush, but J.J. Watt’s presence can’t be overlooked. It’s a make-or-break season for coach Bill O’Brien and the division is there for the taking.
Prediction: 10-6
Jacksonville Jaguars
Replacing Blake Bortles with just about any warm body is a marked improvement. Nick Foles is a Super Bowl winner, but looked awful in limited time last year. As long as he’s average, it’s an improvement. But after the defence was plagued by off-field issues, are we certain the Jags can return to 2017 playoff form?
Prediction: 9-7 (second wild card)
Tennessee Titans
The Titans nearly made the playoffs last year on the back of Derrick Henry’s miracle run down the stretch. If he’s anywhere closer to what he was to begin last season, that’s trouble. The Titans seem to be in no-man’s land, with an aging defence and an offence that can be described as non-descript.
Prediction: 7-9
Indianapolis Colts
Losing your franchise QB a week before the season starts is pretty rough, but the Colts aren’t in terrible shape. This was a team that many pegged as a Super Bowl contender thanks to a deep roster. While Jacoby Brissett is an obvious step down from Andrew Luck, we’re not expected as bad of a regression as you’d think.
Prediction: 6-10
AFC WEST
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs were literally inches away from the Super Bowl last season thanks to a daft offside call against Dee Ford. It’ll be hard to even slow down K.C.’s offence once again though the defence may be a concern at times. It would take an injury or a major regression from Patrick Mahomes to see this team miss out on the division crown.
Prediction: 12-4
Los Angeles Chargers
Health and a holdout are the biggest concerns for the Chargers heading into the season and they are weighing down our expectations. Derwin James was the key to L.A.’s defence last season and will be sorely missed while starting LT Russell Okung will miss time and top RB Melvin Gordon remains a holdout. Is this really still a playoff team?
Prediction: 8-8
Denver Broncos
After turning the Bears defence into an elite unit, Vic Fangio now sets his sights on a Broncos defence with a lot of solid pieces to work with. The problem is that Joe Flacco is the main man leading the offence. He has been average at best for years and shouldn’t provide much, if any, improvement over what Denver had at QB in 2018.
Prediction: 7-9
Oakland Raiders
Does Jon Gruden know what he’s doing? The jury is still out. But with a much-improved roster, he can do a bit better than 4-12, right? Talented problem child Antonio Brown is bringing the drama, but should also bring it on the field. At the very least, it’ll be interesting to watch what happens in Oakland.
Prediction: 5-11
BIG PREDICTIONS
NFC EAST: Philadelphia Eagles
NFC NORTH: Minnesota Vikings
NFC SOUTH: Atlanta Falcons
NFC WEST: Los Angeles Rams
NFC WILD CARDS: New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears
AFC EAST: New England Patriots
AFC NORTH: Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC SOUTH: Houston Texans
AFC WEST: Kansas City Chiefs
AFC WILD CARDS: Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP: New England over Kansas City
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP: Philadelphia over Atlanta
SUPER BOWL: New England over Philadelphia
MVP: Matt Ryan, ATL
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Alvin Kamara, NO
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Von Miller, DEN
FIRST-OVERALL PICK: Miami Dolphins