Predicting the Unpredictable!

Here is my educated guess on how each NFL team will finish this season. I set forth some criteria for making these predictions because things are so uncertain in the NFL from week to week and one major injury, like Aaron Rodgers going out for the season, would mean less than the 11 wins I have predicted for the Green Bay Packers and change everything in the NFC.

I assume that every player in completely healthy all season long and that all games are played under normal weather conditions with professional officials who will get the calls right. Home Field is considered a big advantage. The planned starting Quarterback for Week 1 for each team will start for that team all season long. If I find a game too close to call I look at which team is better at the Quarterback position.

So if you happen to think that the 10 wins I have predicted for the Philadelphia Eagles is too many, remember, I am predicting under the assumption he plays every snap of all 16 games. Yes, this means that Peyton Manning will be the Peyton Manning that we know from the past, therefore the Denver Broncos should also win 10.

KEY:
1*=First Round Bye and Home Field throughout the playoffs
2*=Division Winner with a first round bye
3*=Division Winner #3
4*=Division Winner #4
5w=Wildcard #1
6w=Wildcard #2

Here we go:

AFC East
4* New England Patriots 10-6
     Buffalo Bills 8-8
     New York Jets 8-8
     Miami Dolphins 5-11

AFC North
3* Baltimore Ravens 9-7
     Pittsburgh Steelers 9-7
     Cincinnati Bengals 7-9
     Cleveland Browns 4-12

AFC South
2* Houston Texans 10-6
5w Tennessee Titans 9-7
      Jacksonville Jaguars 6-10
      Indianapolis Colts 5-11

AFC West
1* Denver Broncos 10-6
6w Oakland Raiders 9-7
     San Diego Chargers 8-8
     Kansas City Chiefs 7-9

NFC East
4* Dallas Cowboys 10-6
     Philadelphia Eagles 10-6
     New York Giants 9-7
     Washington Redskins 6-10

NFC North
1* Green Bay Packers 11-5
5w Detroit Lions 10-6
     Chicago Bears 9-7
     Minnesota Vikings 5-11

NFC South
3* Atlanta Falcons 10-6
6w Carolina Panthers 10-6
     New Orleans Saints 9-7
     Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5-11

NFC West
2* San Francisco 49ers 11-5
     Seattle Seahawks 8-8
     St. Louis Rams 6-10
     Arizona Cardinals 3-13

So there it is balanced at 256-256.
The NFC has 8 more wins overall than the AFC.
The best division is the NFC North 36-28.
The AFC North is now the worst division at 29-35.

The Philadelphia Eagles go 10-6 but still miss out on the playoffs.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints just miss as well after winning 9 games and losing 7. There is more parity than ever in today's NFL.

January 2013 will bring us the 2012 NFL Playoffs and I expect these games to be close but go true to form. I predict that we will not have a Wildcard team getting hot and knocking off better teams on the road to the Super Bowl this season. In the end the leagues two best Quarterbacks will vie for the title On February 3, 2013 in New Orleans.


SUPERBOWL XLVII will feature:
The GREEN BAY PACKERS over
THE DENVER BRONCOS                                                                 

The 11-5 record that I predicted for the Green Bay Packers assumes losses in five tough road games. All five might not be lost but someone might pull off an upset at Lambeau like the Chiefs did last year. I am going with 11 wins but think that more is very possible. The main thing is no losses once playoff time comes around! Aaron Rodgers vs. Peyton Manning will be one of the best championships of all-time!

Peter King could be right!

As I nudge closer to making my picks for Super Bowl XLVII, selecting one out of 16 teams in each conference, I am taking into account the predictions of people like Peter King. In the Sports Illustrated NFL preview issue Peter has picked the Packers to beat the Broncos in New Orleans when the season culminates in February.

Interestingly, he has the Chicago Bears winning the NFC North with an 11-5 record. He has the Packers finishing 11-5, but advancing to the playoffs as a wild card. I really don't think the Bears will beat out the Packers for the division but they might make the playoffs.

He has the Packers beating the Cowboys, Bears and Saints to reach the Super Bowl.

King predicts Aaron Rodgers will be voted offensive player of the year, but that quarterback Peyton Manning of the Broncos will be selected most valuable player.

King has a story in the magazine about the astonishing number of passing yards put up by NFL offenses last season and wonders if a 6,000-yard passing season is on the horizon. The no-huddle offense is one reason for the increased productivity of passing offenses, and he quotes Packers coach Mike McCarthy on his use of no-huddle.

“I believe in attacking," McCarthy says. "I’m not trying to shorten the game when we run the no-huddle. I’m not trying to win by three, or win by making fewer mistakes. That’s not us.”

Denver is not a bad choice. It assumes, of course, that Peyton Manning will be Peyton Manning again. And Peter thinks that will happen, as evidenced by the fact that he thinks Peyton will be the MVP again, for a fifth time. On this I can not agree. I expect Aaron Rodgers to take that again.

 

I will unveil my picks only after all of the pre-season is over, all the cuts are made, and I have looked through the entire schedule, game by game. You can complain about Peter's picks, my picks, or anything else in the comments section below. Also if you like my blog, become a follower!