NFL Preview 2011

x - wildcard team

AFC EAST
1. New England Patriots - because of Tom Brady and their depth
2. New York Jets x - because of their defense
3. Miami Dolphins - because Reggie Bush is not an every down back
4. Buffalo Bills - because they're the Bills

AFC SOUTH
1. Houston Texans - because somebody has to win this division
2. Indianapolis Colts - because even without Peyton they are better than the other two
3. Tennessee Titans - because the franchise is quietly a mess
4. Jacksonville Jaguars - because Luke McCown is the week 1 quarterback

AFC NORTH
1. Pittsburgh Steelers - because their offense is catching up to their terrifying defense
2. Baltimore Ravens x - because Ray Lewis doesn't age
3. Cleveland Browns - because Peyton Hillis and Colt McCoy are gritty, gutty, (insert white athlete cliche)...
4. Cincinnati Bengals - because Mike Brown is one of the five worst owners in sports

AFC WEST
1. San Diego Chargers - because they have way more talent than the rest of this division
2. Oakland Raiders - because they have a lot of skill players who now have experience
3. Kansas City Chiefs - because they will crash back to Earth
4. Denver Broncos - because it will take more than one year to recover from McDaniels

NFC EAST
1. Dallas Cowboys - because they will put it all together
2. Philadelphia Eagles x - because they cannot protect Michael Vick
3. Washington Redskins - because Mike Shanahan will get the running game going
4. New York Giants - because they will really quit on Tom Coughlin this year

NFC SOUTH
1. New Orleans Saints - because Sean Payton and Drew Brees get it done
2. Atlanta Falcons x - because their roster has no glaring holes
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - because it's not fair they have to play in this division
4. Carolina Panthers - because an NFC south schedule is wicked

NFC NORTH
1. Green Bay Packers - because they improved on the team that won the Super Bowl
2. Minnesota Vikings - because people forgot that they have a talented roster
3. Detroit Lions - because the offense will be explosive
4. Chicago Bears - because their defense will come back to the middle of the pack

NFC WEST
1. St. Louis Rams - because they have a sneaky good defense
2. San Francisco 49ers - because somebody has to get second place
3. Arizona Cardinals - because somebody has to get third place
4. Seattle Seahawks - because Tarvaris Jackson is playing quarterback

PLAYOFFS
AFC WILDCARD ROUND - Patriots (3) over Ravens (6), Jets (5) over Texans (4)
NFC WILDCARD ROUND - Cowboys (3) over Falcons (6), Rams (4) over Eagles (5)
Quick thoughts: Patriots win big, Jets win a tight game with their defense. For the second year in a row, I have the Cowboys getting over the hump. I am not an Eagles believer with their weaknesses on both lines.

AFC DIVISIONAL ROUND - Chargers (2) over Patriots (3), Steelers (1) over Jets (5)
NFC DIVISIONAL ROUND - Cowboys (3) over Saints (2), Packers (1) over Rams (4)
Quick thoughts: Because everybody but the Cowboys has been there before, and that matters more this season because of the lockout.

AFC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP - Steelers (1) over Chargers (2)
NFC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP - Packers (1) over Cowboys (3)

SUPER BOWL - Packers over Steelers (again)


Quick thoughts: A loss in the conference championship round is the max for a Norm Turner coached team. Whether or not you like them, it's hard not to be all in on the Packers from a football perspective.

LINKS TO OTHER NFL PREDICTIONS


Sports Illustrated - http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/football/nfl/09/01/season.predictions/index.html?sct=nfl_t11_a4

Pro Football Talk - http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/09/08/one-stop-shopping-for-pfts-season-preview/

Grantland - http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6949127/the-ultimate-nfl-preview