Wow. Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday that Mario Manningham made the sideline grab to help the Giants defeat the Patriots for the Super Bowl. Now, in just two days, the NFL season officially kicks off when the aforementioned Giants will take on the Cowboys to kick off the season.
How will your favorite team do? How will your favorites teams offseason moves or draft moves help your team?
Here are my NFL power rankings and predictions for the upcoming NFL season.
1. New England Patriots – One Tom Brady overthrow and one Rob Gronkowski injured ankle stalled the Pats against the Giants in the Super Bowl. Even so, Brady is still one of the top two quarterbacks in the league and with the addition of Brandon Lloyd who will be able to stretch the field, along with the easiest schedule, the Patriots look poised to repeat going 14-2.
2. Green Bay Packers – Aaron Rodgers has gotten better each year that he plays. That’s scary for the rest of the league. While the Packers missed perfection by one game, they bowed out in their first playoff game. With a tough division, I don’t see a 15-1 record again, but 13-3 is very possible.
3. New York Giants – The Giants got hot at the right time as the playoffs approached. Losses of Manningham and Jacobs won’t slow down the offensive attack as a healthy Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz make up one of the most dynamic duos in the league at receiver. A defensive attack led by one of the most vicious front four in the league will lead the Giants to a 12-4 record.
4. San Francisco 49ers – Was last year a fluke? I don’t believe so. Even if it were, the division isn’t good and the 49ers should cruise to another division title. Manningham, Jacobs and Randy Moss were brought in to bring the offense up to speed with their tenacious defense. 49ers will go 12-4
5. Baltimore Ravens – The Ravens are getting older, but it isn’t just Ed Reed and Ray Lewis. Their offensive line is one of the oldest in the game and overall, they are the third oldest team in football. With Joe Flacco in a contract year and Ray Rice proving to be one of the best overall players in the game, the Ravens window is closing but at 12-4, it’ll be open just long enough.
6. Houston Texans – People forget that TJ Yates was starting the first playoff game in Texans history last year. With a healthy Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson to stretch the field with Arian Foster in the running game, the Texans could make a serious run in the playoffs. Look for them to take the weak AFC South at 11-5
7. Atlanta Falcons – The Falcons improved their defense, especially their secondary with the acquisition of Asante Samuel from the Philadelphia Eagles. On offense, the Falcons are going to shift their focus from the aging Michael Turner to receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White. The team will go as far quarterback Matt Ryan takes them. With the problems in New Orleans, the Falcons will be advantageous and take the division at 11-5.
8. Pittsburgh Steelers – Like the Ravens, the Steelers aren’t young anymore. They are the fifth oldest team in the league and have plenty of question marks. When will Mendenhall play? Will Mike Wallace’s holdout cause him to start off slow? Could this be the last year we see Troy Polamalu and James Harrison in a Steelers uniform? Despite all the questions, they still have a great front seven on defense and most importantly, a winner at quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger. Steelers will benefit from an easy schedule at 11-5.
9. Chicago Bears – The Bears have reunited Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall in Chi-town from their days in Denver. With new offensive coordinator Mike Tice in the fold, the Bears are going to look to run the ball often as well with Matt Forte and Michael Bush. If Cutler and Forte can stay healthy and if Brian Urlacher can return to form, the Bears could be a serious contender at 10-6.
10. Philadephia Eagles – The Dream Team was anything but last year with an 8-8 record. With the team having a year together and without DeSean Jackson moping around about a new contract, the Eagles should have a much better showing this year. If Michael Vick can play even 14 of the team’s 16 games, then the Eagles should save Andy Reid’s job at 10-6.
11. New Orleans Saints – No Sean Payton, no Jon Vilma, no Joe Vitt. The Saints will still be powerful, but will take a slight step back this season. Drew Brees will still spread the ball around to his favorite targets and the trio of backs will get their touches, but how will the defense and the play calling affect the team? Look for them to finish second in their division at 10-6.
12. Denver Broncos – If Peyton Manning is the Peyton Manning that we’ve all come to know and respect, then the Broncos go from a mediocre team in a wide open division, to a team that could run away with it. Their defense is very underrated in the mile high city and Manning has the ability to make Eric Decker, DeMaryius Thomas and Jacob Tamme into household names. Broncos should take this division at a 10-6 record.
13. Detroit Lions – I love the talent on this team with Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and Titus Young on the offensive side, but can the players stay focused? Multiple arrests in the offseason have made the Lions this decades Bengals or Raiders from the past. Also, can Stafford stay healthy two consecutive years? I look for a good season, but a slight falloff from last season at 9-7.
14. Cincinnati Bengals – I hate picking the Bengals in consecutive seasons. They seem to alternate between being good and being bad every other year. That was in the Cedric Benson, Carson Palmer and Chad Johnson days though. This time, they have A.J. Green, Andy Dalton and BenJarvus Green-Ellis leading the offense to go with a stingy defense. If Dalton can avoid the sophomore slump, then the Bengals could be players once again at 9-7.
15. San Diego Chargers – This was supposed to be Ryan Mathews breakout year, but that went down after one carry in the preseason as the third year back went down with a broken collarbone. Mathews will only miss a couple of weeks, but can he stay healthy for the majority of a season? Philip Rivers lost Vincent Jackson, but gained Robert Meachem to go with Malcolm Floyd and Antonio Gates. The question for the Chargers is health, defensive ability and needing Rivers to bounce back from a down year last season. If the Chargers miss the playoffs at 9-7, the Norv Turner era will end in San Diego.
16. Dallas Cowboys – There are many questions in the Big D and the first is how will they play down the stretch? How much time will Jason Witten miss with his spleen injury? Will Miles Austin and DeMarco Murray be able to stay healthy for the majority of the season? And will Dez Bryant be able to finally mature mentally to go with his physical talents? Knowing the luck of the Cowboys, at least two of these questions will go unanswered on their way to a 8-8 performance.
17. Buffalo Bills – The Bills were a surprise team at the beginning of last season before tailing off at the end of the year. The Harvard grad Ryan Fitzpatrick will officially be in the first year of his newly signed deal and will need all the help he can get. Fred Jackson may be old, but hasn’t taken the hits a normal 31-year-old running back has and with C.J. Spiller to spell him, the offense will be fine. The Bills have also improved their defense with the addition of Mario Williams to go with Marcel Dareus. The Bills should finish second in the AFC East at 8-8.
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Josh Freeman won’t have the pressure of being the man anymore and trying to do too much. Under first year coach Greg Schiano, the Bucs added Vincent Jackson to free up Mike Williams on the outside of the field. Rookie Doug Martin from Boise State will be a good counter attack to LeGarrette Blount, who thrived in a split-duty role two years ago with Cadillac Williams. With Adrian Clayborn and Gerald McCoy up front, to go with Aqib Talib, Eric Wright, Ronde Barber and rookie Mark Barron in the secondary, the Bucs could be a sleeper this year at 8-8.
19. Kansas City Chiefs – Speaking of sleeper teams, I like the Chiefs in the West this year. Their defense needs major work still, but a healthy Matt Cassel with a paid Dwayne Bowe and Jon Baldwin will mean a good passing attack to go with a great running game. Jamal Charles and Peyton Hillis will look to carry the Chiefs to a 8-8 record.
20. New York Jets – It’s hard to believe that the Jets have gone to the AFC Championship Game two of the past three years. After missing the playoffs last year, the team fell down everyone’s rankings including mine. The problem? The offense can’t move the ball. Mark Sanchez isn’t as bad as people make him out to be as he was quietly in the upper half of quarterbacks last season. If the Jets lose early however, the blame could go to Sanchez and the marketing ploy that is known as Tim Tebow will try to save the day. With their offensive performance in the offseason, look for the Jets to go 7-9.
21. Washington Redskins – The Skins are stuck in one of the toughest divisions in football and will be relying on Robert Griffin III to lead the way. RGIII will be throwing the ball often to Pierre Garçon this year, but without a true No. 1 back in the backfield, the Skins will go 7-9 which isn’t bad for a rookie led team.
22. Carolina Panthers – If there is any quarterback that will regress this year, it’s Cam Newton. Newton looked clueless in his preseason game against the Jets and is a guy other teams will learn to contain. With the addition of Mike Tolbert, Newton’s rushing total will also go down as Ron Rivera realizes it may not be the greatest idea to have their franchise quarterback plowing into the line at the goaline. Panthers will finish 7-9 and last in their division.
23. Tennessee Titans – The Titans could be a .500 or above team this year if Chris Johnson returns to form and Jake Locker has a terrific first season under center. I look for Johnson to rebound, but Locker will need some time. No. 1 receiver Kenny Britt will only be out for one game instead of multiple which will help Locker, but the defense has major question marks that will result in the team finishing 7-9.
24. Oakland Raiders – The Raiders have yet another new coach this year in Dennis Allen, but how long of a leash will he have? In the first post-Al Davis season, the Raiders will rely on Palmer at quarterback to help mentor the young receivers and Terrelle Pryor as well. If Darren McFadden can stay healthy, this team can build off of their 8-8 finish last year. If he can’t, which he hasn’t since entering the league, there is no Michael Bush to pick up the slack. 7-9 it is.
25. Arizona Cardinals – The Cardinals defense will be an exciting one to watch with Patrick Peterson entering his second year, but on offense, who is going to throw Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd the ball? If John Skelton or Kevin Kolb can step up, then the Cardinals could compete. Don’t count on it though as 7-9 looks likely.
26. Indianapolis Colts – While they have different names and numbers, there really is no difference between Manning and Andrew Luck in a Colts uniform. Luck has been impressive in the preseason and has done a good job of making adjustments at the line of scrimmage. The Colts did a fire sale this season though, so a complete turnaround is a few years off yet. Colts finish 6-10.
27. Seattle Seahawks – Last year, beast mode Marshawn Lynch took the league by storm with his nine straight games with a touchdown. But with a D.U.I. in the offseason, can Lynch stay focused enough to help rookie quarterback Russell Wilson? The defense is very underrated, but there’s just not enough there on the offensive side of the ball to help the Seahawks this year at 6-10.
28. Miami Dolphins – The Dolphins hope to have found their new Dan Marino with quarterback Ryan Tannehill. While some are high on on the Texas A&M product, I can’t buy into an ex wide receiver who has started only 13 games at quarterback. Not only does Tannehill lack the experience at the position, but with the release of Chad Johnson, he has no true No. 1 receiver to bail him out. It’ll be another long year in Miami for Fins fans as they will go 5-11.
29. St. Louis Rams – I still like Sam Bradford. Even after another losing season this year, he is still the guy that Jeff Fisher needs to build around in St. Louis. Again this year, he won’t have a receiver to help him out in the passing game, but Danny Amendola should pull in around 90 catches this season. Steven Jackson has a few years left in the tank, but the gauge won’t be full as the Rams will struggle in Fisher’s first year going 4-12.
30. Cleveland Browns – Tim Couch, Luke McCown, Brady Quinn, Derek Anderson, Seneca Wallace, Colt McCoy, etc. The list of failed Cleveland quarterbacks is longer than most team’s active rosters. This year, it’s 28-year-old rookie Brandon Weeden’s turn. Weeden is one of two first round picks by the Browns this year as they also selected Alabama running back Trent Richardson who has missed the whole preseason with a leg injury. Jabaal Sheard and Joe Hayden will help the defense, but let’s face it; Nothing good ever happens in Cleveland. The Browns will struggle again at 4-12.
31. Minnesota Vikings – Is Christian Ponder the quarterback of the future? I think he’s a bright guy, but I’m not sold on him. Jared Allen will cause havoc for opposing quarterbacks again, but that’s where they stop on defense. Adrian Peterson is coming off a torn ACL injury in the final week of the season and while he’s supposed to play week one, he’s only human. The Vikings will bring him along slowly and cut his workload in half with Toby Gerhart early on. Outside of Percy Harvin, the Vikings don’t have a threat in the passing game to help Ponder. Vikings will finish at the bottom of the NFC North again at 3-13.
32. Jacksonville Jaguars – Maurice Jones-Drew finally ended his holdout, but even if Pocket Hercules avoids the holdout curse that has affected so many before him, the Jaguars will have no shot. Blaine Gabbert enters his second season as the starter and while I wasn’t a fan of the Missouri product from the beginning, the Jaguars offensive line is going to struggle to keep him upright. They drafted Justin Blackmon this year to give Gabbert a main target along side the newly acquired Laurent Robinson, but it won’t be enough as the Jags will be first on the clock in this April’s draft after a 3-13 record.
NFC Playoffs –
East – Giants
West – 49ers
North – Packers
South – Falcons
Wild Card teams – Eagles, Bears
NFC Championship Game – Falcons over Packers
AFC Playoffs –
East – Patriots
West – Broncos
North – Ravens
South – Texans
Wild Card teams – Steelers, Bengals
AFC Championship Game – Patriots over Texans
Super Bowl – Patriots over Falcons
Photo Credits: Beyond the Bets
