Ready or not, here comes another action packed NFL season. It’s been 7 months since the classic ending to Super Bowl XLIX where the New England Patriots hoisted yet another Lomardi Trophy. Tom Brady’s offseason was anything but ordinary as he was questioned, suspended and ultimately unsuspended for which is now known as “Deflategate”. Lots of excitement surrounds kickoff of the 2015 NFL season tonight. Let’s see what we should be looking out for.
AFC
Let’s just get the perennial contenders out of the way. Of course the Indianpolis Colts, Denver Broncos and New England Patriots are poised to reach the postseason yet again, but who will join them? The Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs have been close but can one of these AFC teams top the big dogs? Why not the Miami Dolphins? Ryan Tannehill has progressively improved in his first two seasons and he has a running game and strong defense led by offseason pick up, Ndamakoung Suh. What about Rex Ryan’s Buffalo Bills? They have made some noise in the AFC East but seem to fizzle as the calendar turns. I would not count out the veteran San Diego Chargers making noise on a contract year for Philip Rivers. They also boast a talented roster and have college sensation, Melvin Gordon in the backfield. The AFC also boasts top draft picks: Marcus Mariota (TEN), Amari Cooper (OAK), Leonard Williams (NYJ). Who do we think will win? Well, it’s a little bit early but I would not be surprised if Andrew Luck continues to inch his Colts a step further and reach the Super Bowl.
Other AFC Predictions
MVP – Antonio Brown (PIT)
Rookie of the Year – Amari Cooper (OAK)
Coach of the Year – Rex Ryan (BUF)
NFC
Aaron Rodgers was the best player on the planet in 2014 and 2015 appears to be the same case for Rodgers and the Pack. Green Bay is the favorite to win the Super Bowl and rightfully so, they return a talented core that was minutes away from an NFC Title last season. Who can compete with them? How about the team who beat them, the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle has a similar team strapping up for the new season, led by recent multi-millionaire, Russell Wilson. The Seahawks added Pro Bowl TE, Jimmy Graham and retained key pieces to their back-to-back NFC winning core. Dallas finally got past their playoff problems and advanced only to be heartbroken by a disputed call by the referees. Last season the NFC South was a division nobody wanted to win as they all limped in around .500 or below. The Falcons, Bucs Panthers and Saints all seem to be even entering the new season. Rookie Jameis Winston will be the biggest rookie to watch this season, he is a boom or bust type talent. A team to look out for is the New York Giants. The Giants seem to take a year off then come back better than ever, they enter 2015 with a healthy and talented offense. It is hard to argue with the experts, we will take Green Bay to win the NFC.
Other NFC Predictions
MVP -Eddie Lacy (GB)
Rookie of the Year – Tevin Coleman (ATL)
Coach of the Year – Jeff Fisher (STL)
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