AFC EAST

1. Buffalo Bills (12-5)- The Bills still rule the division, and as long as Josh Allen is healthy, nobody will challenge them.
2. New York Jets (8-9)- I’m a Justin Fields believer and I think Aaron Glenn will help the Jets make strides, but the AFC is just too stacked for them to make a breakthrough.
3. New England Patriots (6-11)- The Patriots will be better, and Mike Vrabel will make them competitive, but the talent deficit is just too great.
4. Miami Dolphins (5-12)- I hate to predict injuries, but Tua Tagovailoa just can’t stay healthy and the Dolphins will implode without him.

AFC NORTH

1. Baltimore Ravens (13-4)- The Ravens are the most loaded team in the AFC & Lamar Jackson is a perennial MVP candidate.
2. Cincinnati Bengals (10-7)- If they can avoid the slow starts they’ve had the past couple years, Joe Burrow should lead the Bengals back into contention, but the defense (or lack thereof) will keep them from the peak.
3. Cleveland Browns (7-10)- The Browns are the opposite of Cincy, they have a playoff caliber defense, but how much can a Joe Flacco led offense produce.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-12)– The streak of winning seasons comes to a crashing halt. Aaron Rodgers is a first ballot Hall of Famer, but he’s been washed for a couple years. Will this catastrophe cost Mike Tomlin his job?

AFC SOUTH

1. Houston Texans (10-7)- CJ Stroud should rebound from uneven sophomore campaign, enough for the Texans to carry the weakest division.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-9)- Will Trevor Lawrence finally reach his full potential? If he does, the Jaguars could dominate this division.
3. Indianapolis Colts (5-12)- The Colts will realize quickly that Daniel Jones is not the answer at quarterback.
4. Tennessee Titans (4-13)- If Cam Ward can prove worthy of the number one pick, the Titans could surge out of the division basement.

AFC WEST

1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-6)- This division still belongs to Patrick Mahomes & the Chiefs until someone takes it from them.
2. Denver Broncos (10-7)- Bo Nix & the Broncos could give KC their first serious challenge for division supremacy in years.
3. Los Angeles Chargers (9-8)- Justin Herbert & Jim Harbaugh will keep the Chargers in contention until the very end.
4. Las Vegas Raiders (7-10)- The Raiders will be better under Pete Carroll, but it won’t be enough to get them out of the basement in a tough division.

AFC PLAYOFFS

#2 Buffalo over #7 Chargers

Allen & the Bills are just too much for LA.

#3 Kansas City over #6 Broncos

Mahomes isn’t going out in the first round against upstart Denver.

#5 Cincinnati over #4 Texans

The Bengals offense will overwhelm Houston.

#3 Kansas City over #2 Bills

Buffalo still can’t beat the Chiefs when it matters.

#1 Baltimore over #5 Bengals

Cincy’s lack of defense will be their Achilles heel against the Ravens.

#1 Baltimore over #3 Chiefs

The Ravens are the team to finally dethrone KC.

NFC EAST

1. Philadelphia Eagles (13-4)- The defending champs are still the most complete team in the NFL, in my opinion.
2. Washington Commanders (10-7)- Washington went all in behind Jayden Daniels, but they’re no closer to Philly.
3. New York Giants (7-10)- The Giants have a ferocious defense, but the Jaxson Dart era won’t start soon enough to save them this season.
4. Dallas Cowboys (5-12)- I just feel an implosion coming in Dallas this year.

NFC NORTH

1. Green Bay Packers (11-6)- I’m not convinced that Jordan Love is an elite QB, but the Pack has enough talent to win this division.
2. Detroit Lions (10-7)- Detroit will have an uneven season after losing both their coordinators.
3. Chicago Bears (9-8)- There will be hiccups in Ben Johnson’s first season at the helm, but the improvement in Chicago will be evident.
4. Minnesota Vikings (8-9)- JJ McCarthy being essentially a rookie will relegate the Vikings to the basement in the toughest division in football.

NFC SOUTH

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)- This is the Bucs division until someone takes it from them.
2. Carolina Panthers (8-9)- Bryce Young continues to ascend but the Panthers fall short of the playoffs.
3. Atlanta Falcons (7-10)- The Falcons are perennially one of the most underachieving teams in the NFL.
4. New Orleans Saints (3-14)- The number one pick in the 2026 draft will belong to New Orleans. Arch Manning, anyone?

NFC WEST

1. Los Angeles Rams (11-6)- As long as Matthew Stafford can stay healthy, the Rams are legit contenders.
2. Arizona Cardinals (8-9)- The Cards will show flashes, but I don’t trust Kyler Murray enough to put them in the playoffs.
3. Seattle Seahawks (7-10)- I think Sam Darnold comes back down to earth and takes the Seahawks with him.
4. San Francisco 49ers (6-11)- The Niners lost too many key pieces for Brock Purdy to carry them into contention.

NFC PLAYOFFS

#7 Chicago over #2 Packers

Start building the statues of Caleb Williams & Ben Johnson after they oust their bitter rivals.

#3 Los Angeles over #6 Commanders

The Rams end Washington’s Super Bowl dreams.

#5 Detroit over #4 Buccaneers

The Lions will start cooking at the right time of the season.

#5 Detroit over #3 Rams

The Lions oust LA & their old friend, Matthew Stafford.

#1 Philadelphia over #7 Bears

The Birds steamroll Chicago, who is still giddy over their victory in Lambeau the week before.

#1 Philadelphia over #5 Lions

As I said earlier, Philly is the most complete team in the NFL.

SUPER BOWL PREDICTION

Philadelphia Eagles over Baltimore Ravens

On paper, this could be one of the best Super Bowl matchups ever.

Some Awards Predictions

MVP- Lamar Jackson, Baltimore

Some might argue that he should be going for a three peat here.

Offensive Player of the Year- Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit

He won’t put up Saquon Barkley numbers, but I think Gibbs will lead the league in total yards.

Defensive Player of the Year- Jalen Carter, Philadelphia

This is the year I think Carter becomes the second coming of Aaron Donald.

Offensive Rookie of the Year- Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas

The Raiders will lean on Jeanty and it will pay off.

Defensive Rookie of the Year- Abdul Carter, NY Giants

Carter will become another Penn State alum wreaking havoc in NFC East backfields.

Protector of the Year- Pennei Sewell, Detroit

I feel like this first time award will go to a tackle and I’m picking Sewell.

Comeback Player of the Year- Isaiah Pacheco, Kansas City

Tough award to pick, because what actually constitutes a comeback?

Coach of the Year- Ben Johnson, Chicago

Getting the Bears to the playoffs should be enough to get Johnson this award.