It’s hard to believe, but the 2019 NFL season is almost upon
us. This has been a very precarious preseason, and most teams have been very
careful with their star players. As I look at the landscape to begin this
season, I see a league that is potentially wide open, thanks to one very
important off season injury, which I will get to when I get to that player’s
team. Once we get to the playoffs, match ups will matter more than ever.
Part One, the NFC
Regular Season.
NFC East
1. Eagles (11-5)- The Eagles elected to let Nick Foles walk
away and stuck with their original plan. However, Carson Wentz is one more
major injury away from his career potentially coming to an end early and the Eagles
will be short one major player, their QB.
2. Cowboys (10-6)- This is a very cautious 10-6 prediction.
Ezekiel Elliot is holding out, but the reports are he will sign soon.
3. Redskins (5-11)- We could potentially see four different
men start at quarterback for the Redskins this season- Case Keenum, Colt McCoy,
rookie Dwayne Haskins, and Alex Smith.
4. Giants (3-13)- The Giants are rebuilding. At some point
during the season, they could possibly turn to first-round draft choice Daniel
Jones as they look to the future.
NFC South
1. Saints (11-5)- Drew Brees is on his final legs, and the
Saints magic they have had the last two seasons could run out at any moment. I
know that I have predicted his drop off for the past two seasons, but Brees
just keeps ticking along.
T-2. Falcons (10-6)- This is forgotten team due to their
performance since the Super Bowl meltdown. They are ready to put that behind
them. Matt Ryan is going to have a really good year.
T-2. Panthers (10-6)- Some say that if “Cam Newton is
healthy, the Panthers can beat anyone on any day.” or “As Cam Newton goes, so
go the Panthers.” Cam didn’t crack the top five in quarterback stats last
season, falling below Rodgers, Brady, Big Ben, Matt Ryan, Kirk Cousins, Matt
Stafford, and Drew Brees. So is he still a top ten QB in the league? We’ll find
out this season.
4. Buccaneers (5-11)- They have never really been able to
find their footing with Jameis Winston, and one must begin to wonder if they
ever will.
NFC North
1. Bears (12-4)- Are the Bears a one-hit-wonder? Probably
not. They have taken control of this division, and that defense is scary. For
them to take the next step, so must Mitch Trubisky.
2. Vikings (10-6)- The Vikings are all in for 2019. But how
far can they actually go?
3. Packers (8-8)- Aaron Rodgers and new head coach Matt
LaFleur have been arguing all off season about this, that, and the other. First
it was play calling, then it was joint practises, now, well, who knows. 8 wins
could be optimistic, as this could be a car wreck waiting to happen. However,
this preseason has shown that the offensive line is giving the back up
quarterbacks time in the pocket, and if that keeps up in the regular season,
Rodgers will shred opponents with the core of wide outs that the Packers has. I’m
sticking with my 8-8 record, but hoping for a nice surprise.
4. Lions (4-12)- Another year, another bad season in the
Motor City. At some point, they are going to have to accept that this is not
working with Matthew Stafford, trade him for a load of draft choices, and try
something else.
NFC West
1. Rams (12-4)- The Rams are coming off one of the most
embarrassing Super Bowl performances by an entire team in recent memory. How
much will that affect them going into 2019?
2. Seahawks (8-8)- Russell Wilson is going to somehow keep
this team afloat for another season, but at some point, they are going to have
to lay the dynamite and push the lever.
3. 49ers (6-10)- Jimmy G looked bad in his return to the
field, posting a 0.0 QB rating last week in limited playing time after a torn
ACL caused him to miss almost all of 2018. Is that a mirage, or a bad omen?
4. Cardinals (2-14)- The Arizona Cardinals have become football’s
great experiment. They are the first team that is going to try a true “college”
offense in the NFL. Will it work, or will it be just another fad that will end
up on the wayside of NFL lore? Either way, we won’t know this season.
NFL Side Notes
Good Team Likely To Take A Fall - Rams: The Rams are facing
a potential Super Bowl hangover that every other loser of the big game goes
through. Do they use the loss as inspiration, or does the team fold like a
house of cards.
Bad Team Likely To Rise - 49ers: We shouldn’t put too much
stock in six pass attempts in a preseason game. Jimmy G is the real deal, and
we know that.
Cautious Optimism Team – Falcons: Looking at this Falcons
team over the last 7 or 8 years or so, outside of the Super Bowl run, this team
is much better on paper than their performances show them to be. They aways
seem to be on the cusp of something great.
Dark Horse Team - Cowboys: Now that it appears the Ezekiel
Elliot situation is about settled, this is a very dangerous team once he gets
back on the field, and Jason Garrett is finding his mojo as a head coach.
