My picks did quite well last year. I picked the Super Bowl winner and like 75% of the Division winners. I will up the difficulty this year and pick records as well.
AFC
| EAST | NORTH | SOUTH | WEST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bills (12-5) | Steelers (12-5) | Titans (12-5) | Chargers (12-5) |
| Patriots (9-8) | Bengals (11-6) | Colts (9-8) | Chiefs (11-6) |
| Jets (8-9) | Ravens (10-7) | Jaguars (7-10) | Broncos (10-7) |
| Dolphins (4-13) | Browns (8-9) | Texans (3-14) | Raiders (10-7) |
The AFC will be a tight battle this year. I think most teams are getting better and trending upward. Obviously injuries can change things drastically. Over in the West, I think any team could win it. The same goes with the North, which I decided to go the total homer route and take the Steelers. Look, if the defense improves on stopping the run and the offense focuses more behind Harris and uses the pass game to compliment (whoever ends up being the starter), I think they could rack up a bunch of wins.
WILD CARDS: Bengals, Chiefs, Broncos
NFC
| EAST | NORTH | SOUTH | WEST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles (11-6) | Packers (13-4) | Buccaneers (13-4) | Rams (13-4) |
| Cowboys (10-7) | Lions (8-9) | Saints (10-7) | Cardinals (11-6) |
| Giants (8-9) | Bears (8-9) | Panthers (7-10) | 49ers (9-8) |
| Commanders (7-10) | Vikings (6-11) | Falcons (4-13) | Seahawks (6-11) |
I think the Eagles take a big step forward and end up winning the East. The Packers have an easy division, so racking up six wins against the rest of the North should be easy. I think the West will be the most competitive. I still think the Bucs and Rams are the best two teams, but maybe time will finally catch up with Tom Brady and we will see a huge collapse from them. I doubt it though.
WILD CARDS: Cardinals, Saints, Cowboys
PLAYOFF SEEDING
| AFC | NFC |
|---|---|
| Bills (BYE) | Packers (BYE) |
| Chargers | Rams |
| Steelers | Buccaneers |
| Titans | Eagles |
| Bengals | Cardinals |
| Chiefs | Saints |
| Broncos | Cowboys |
AFC WILD CARD ROUND: Chargers over Broncos, Steelers over Chiefs, Bengals over Titans
NFC WILD CARD ROUND: Rams over Cowboys, Saints over Buccaneers, Eagles over Cardinals
AFC DIVISIONAL ROUND: Bills over Bengals, Chargers over Steelers
NFC DIVISIONAL ROUND: Packers over Saints, Eagles over Rams
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Bills over Chargers
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Eagles over Packers
SUPER BOWL: Bills over Eagles
Bills over Eagles…Philly vs. Buffalo. I just feel like that has the prospects of an epic clash between fanbases. Or if I were betting, I would just put money on the Bucs and Chiefs, haha.
AWARDS
| MVP | Josh Allen-Buffalo Bills |
| Coach of the Year | Nick Sirianni-Philadelphia Eagles |
| Offensive Player of the Year | Ja’Marr Chase-Cincinnati Bengals |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Micah Parsons-Dallas Cowboys |
| NFL Rookie of the Year | Aidan Hutchinson-Detroit Lions |
| Offensive Rookie of the Year | Kenny Pickett-Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Defensive Rookie of the Year | Aidan Hutchinson-Detroit Lions |
| Comeback Player of the Year | Mitch Trubisky-Pittsburgh Steelers |
I know what some of you are thinking, how can Pickett and Trubisky both win awards? Well, if the Steelers have any success it will be because either of them played well. If Trubisky plays well, I think he ends up winning comeback player (and it would be nice if it went to someone who was not just injured the year before). If Trubisky sucks and Pickett plays and they win, then he will probably win ROY. Make sense? Just me hedging my bets.
