It’s that time of the year again, and I’m slightly behind. Still, I will join the prediction extravaganza and provide you with my picks for division winners, playoff teams, NFL award winners, and the Super Bowl Champion.
Let’s begin with the winners of each division, starting with the AFC:
AFC East: Miami Dolphins
AFC North: Baltimore Ravens
AFC South: Jacksonville Jaguars
AFC West: Kansas City Chiefs
Now, the NFC:
NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles
NFC North: Detroit Lions
NFC South: Atlanta Falcons
NFC West: Seattle Seahawks
When it comes to the winners of each division, I considered several factors, such as the Seahawks winning, because I believe the Brock Purdy sophomore slump will hit harder than most people think. I think the Jaguars, Chiefs, and Eagles are locked for most across the board. I think the Ravens end up having a bounce-back year, and for some reason, Joe Burrow’s leg injury and lack of practice are scaring me a bit. The NFC North and South are wide-open divisions, and I have the Falcons as a dark horse in that entire conference. As for the Dolphins, just check out the website you’re reading this on, but I believe they have the talent to knock the Bills down a notch, finally.
Now we enter the juicy part of the predictions, the playoff teams. Once again, we will start with the AFC:
1) Kansas City Chiefs 2) Miami Dolphins 3) Baltimore Ravens 4) Jacksonville Jaguars
5) New York Jets 6) Cincinnati Bengals 7) Buffalo Bills
As you can see, I have three teams coming out of the AFC East, I believe the division will be the strongest in the NFL, and three teams making the playoffs proves that.
For the NFC:
1) Philadelphia Eagles 2) Seattle Seahawks 3) Detroit Lions 4) Atlanta Falcons
5) San Francisco 49ers 6) Dallas Cowboys 7) New Orleans Saints
As far as this playoff field goes, I don’t imagine anyone other than the Eagles having a standout record, Every other team will be very close, and the positions can easily change.
The AFC championship game will feature a rematch of the Germany game between the Chiefs and Dolphins; I have the Dolphins losing that game but getting revenge in the playoffs and advancing to the Super Bowl. The NFC championship game will be the Eagles vs. Cowboys, who split the division matchups during the season; the Eagles will advance to the Super Bowl for the second time in as many seasons.
Before we get to the Super Bowl champion prediction, we will follow the schedule of the NFL, and I will list my thoughts on who will receive the following honors:
Offensive Player of the Year: Tyreek Hill – Hill will eclipse 2,000 yards receiving, and it will be difficult to go in any other direction.
Defensive Player of the Year: Nick Bosa – Fresh off a new contract extension, Bosa will reward the 49ers by leading the league in sacks.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Jahmyr Gibbs – the Lions’ running back, will edge out draft mate Bijan Robinson due to becoming the focal point of the Lions’ offense.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Jalen Carter – Carter will be the benefactor of playing alongside Fletcher Cox and Hassan Reddick and will shine in his first season.
Comeback Player of the Year: Damar Hamlin – it goes without saying, Hamlin even stepping on a field again after what happened last season is good enough to secure this award.
Coach of the Year: Arthur Smith – the second-year head coach of the Falcons, takes the award here due to his ability to coach a team of young men to an NFC South division title and playoff berth.
Most Valuable Player: Tua Tagovailoa – This award will come down to the wire between Tua and Mahomes. Still, ultimately Tua will get the nod here because of his leadership and game-winning ability.
Now, last but not least, my Super Bowl prediction:
The Super Bowl will feature a battle between former Alabama teammates Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts. The matchup will contain two explosive offenses and shut-down defenses and will ultimately come down to a game-winning drive led by Tua and Tyreek Hill that will see the Dolphins edge out the Eagles 28-24.
Bonus: Tua Tagovailoa – Super Bowl MVP
There you have it, everyone, my first-ever prediction that will be out in public to be critiqued and possibly laughed at. Enjoy the season!
