We made it, everyone. Football is here.
It’s officially time to plant our flag into some predictions so we can go back at the end of the year and tell our coworker at the water cooler, “I had that before the season even started!!!”
So, without further adieu, here are the official Wegryn Enterprises season predictions with a bit of a breakdown.
NFC Playoffs
- 1) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 2) Green Bay Packers
- 3) Los Angeles Rams
- 4) Dallas Cowboys
- 5) San Francisco 49ers
- 6) Seattle Seahawks
- 7) Atlanta Falcons
For the division winners, we have the Bucs and Packers dominating their weak divisions for the second year in a row, the Rams taking the West after adding Matthew Stafford at quarterback, and the Cowboys rebounding with Dak Prescott back from injury (because someone has to win that division).
In the wildcards, the Niners will get all of their playmakers back, and the Seahawks will still find a way to make it on the shoulders of Russell Wilson. The surprise team? The Atlanta Falcons will sneak in with new head coach Arthur Smith giving Matt Ryan a balanced offense and Dean Pees improving their terrible defense.
The unpredictability of the NFL is what makes it great!
AFC Playoffs
- 1 Kansas City Chiefs
- 2 Buffalo Bills
- 3 Tennessee Titans
- 4 Cleveland Browns
- 5 Los Angeles Chargers
- 6 Baltimore Ravens
- 7 New England Patriots
Photo: Ben Liebenberg/Associated PressAs long as the Chiefs have Mahomes and Andy Reid, they might never be an underdog in a game. They’ll want the 1 seed. The Bills will take the East and run it back with Josh Allen’s rocket arm. The Titans will benefit and get the 3-seed from playing what could potentially be a dumpster fire of a division in the south, and the Browns, while in a stacked division top-to-bottom, are the most complete roster in the North.
For the wildcards, Justin Herbert and the Chargers will make the leap with an improved offensive line and a new coaching staff, the Ravens will continue to be the consistent defensive monster and rely on Lamar’s legs, and the Patriots, even with a rookie quarterback, will sneak in.
Bill Belichick is on the ultimate revenge tour after Brady won without him; there’s a reason they spent $159.6 million on the first day of free agency this year. They’re going for it.
MVP // QB Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
This award ALWAYS goes to a quarterback essentially. When all things click for the offense, Mahomes is the best quarterback on the planet. He’ll have the narrative on his side as the Chiefs have a tougher schedule, so they’ll likely throw the ball frequently to inflate his numbers.
The motivation to get the 1 seed and return to the Super Bowl is what the entire team will be locked in on after they improved their glaring offensive line weakness this offseason.
Offensive Player of the Year // RB Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers
McCaffrey was injured last season, but he’s always been used so frequently in offenses that he essentially puts up offensive volume numbers of a running back AND a receiver. With new quarterback Sam Darnold likely going to be under pressure and checking it down to McCaffrey to keep the team afloat, CMC will be the entire engine in this offense.
This award also pretty much just asks, “which non-quarterback was the best this year?”
Defensive Player of the Year // DE Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns
Look, Aaron Donald has been so unanimously known as the best player in football for so long that the voters are in all likelihood just bored. Myles Garrett, when fully healthy, is built like an alien and could potentially get over 20 sacks this year.
He’s playing at the most impactful defensive position on a team that can make the playoffs carried by their defensive play.
Offensive Rookie of the Year // QB Mac Jones, New England Patriots
Mac will not only have the benefit of playing every game on potentially a consistently winning team, but he also will have the narrative working in his favor.
The man who people think is the next-coming of Brady beats out Cam Newton at training camp and takes the Patriots to the playoffs? It’s a storybook.
Defensive Rookie of the Year // DE Gregory Rousseau, Buffalo Bills
It’s the easiest defensive position to put up eye-catching numbers that stand out and make a significant impact, so if Rousseau steps in and starts the whole season, get some sacks.
The Bills look like they made improvements on the other side of the ball in their winning season; the voters will look to him- he could be their biggest upgrade on that side this offseason.
Coach of the Year // Arthur Smith, Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons are expected to win around 7 or 8 games at most, according to betting websites.
Coach of the Year typically goes to the coach who steps in, and his impact is felt, and they win a lot more than they should; Smith takes the Falcons to the playoffs in his first season and shocks the league.
Comeback Player of the Year // QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
The starting quarterback for the most-followed team in the NFL is coming off of a devastating injury?
As long as he leads the Cowboys to a competent season, it’s his award to lose.
Super Bowl // Kansas City Chiefs over Los Angeles Rams
The Chiefs have made it two years in a row and fixed what people thought their only weakness: the offensive line. They’ll take the AFC once again on their revenge tour.
The Rams fixed what people thought was their only weakness by adding Matthew Stafford at quarterback instead of Jared Goff. The bromance between McVay and Stafford sounding so in-sync makes it feel like the NFC is theirs to lose, and they’ll take down the champion Bucs in the process.
That being said, you can’t pick against Reid and Mahomes when everything is clicking.
The Chiefs get redeemed.
Featured Image: Ben Liebenberg/Associated Press
