It’s that time of the year where I make my Predictions for the upcoming NFL Season. It’s become pretty clear over the past year that I’m not a very good predictor, but maybe it’s a good thing that I’m usually wrong because it means the sport is more exciting! Anyway, I will go through all 8 Division’s/2 Conferences and I will then move on to the Playoffs before I eventually say who I think’s going to end the year as Super Bowl Champions!
AFC:
AFC East
The AFC East contains the Buffalo Bills, the Miami Dolphins, the New England Patriots, and the New York Jets. In my Power Rankings, I had the Bills 2nd, the Dolphins 7th, the Patriots 16th, and the Jets 5th. I feel like the AFC East is going to be a really competitive Division this year, and in the end, I’ve gone with the New York Jets to take the Division title. The Jets have a really tough schedule in 2023 as they’ll be playing 10 games against teams that I’ve got to end up with a positive record. The Jets will end up with a very impressive 14-3 record and will take the Number 2 seed in the AFC.
Second place in the AFC East and also qualifying for the Playoffs are the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo have also got 10 games against teams with a positive record in the league, but they have a tougher task as they have to play more of those games on the road. After the Bills play away to the New England Patriots, Buffalo’s next 3 road games are in Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and Kansas City which is going to be incredibly difficult for them to pick up a victory. However, I still have the Bills ending up with a 12-4-1 record and they take the Number 5 seed in the AFC.
Next comes the Miami Dolphins who finish with a pretty good 10-6-1 record, yet they fail to make the Playoffs. Whilst the Dolphins aren’t playing as many games against teams with a positive record (9 in total), Miami still have a pretty tough away schedule as 6 of their 8 games on the road are against teams that I had in the Top 10 in my Power Rankings. I still think they’ll have a good season, but I can’t quite see them making the Playoffs because of it.
Finally, I have the New England Patriots to finish bottom of the AFC East with a very disappointing 4-13 record. I think the Patriots have a solid team and if they were in a different Division with an easier fixture list, I think they could have a pretty good year. However, neither of those things are the case and New England have 12 games against teams that I have to end the year with a positive record. It’s an unfortunate place to be in and that’s why I have New England as low as I do.
Final Division Standings
2. New York Jets: 14-3
5. Buffalo Bills: 12-4-1
9. Miami Dolphins: 10-6-1
14. New England Patriots: 4-13
AFC North
The AFC North contains the Cincinnati Bengals, the Baltimore Ravens, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Cleveland Browns. In my Power Rankings, I had the Bengals 6th, the Ravens 8th, the Steelers 19th, and the Browns 11th. I think the AFC North is going to be a pretty good Division this year and I’ve got the Cincinnati Bengals to end up as Division winners with a record of 13-3-1. Cincinnati have a nicer schedule than others, with more games against teams that I have to finish under .500 than over .500. The Bengals do have to play on the road against both the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers though which is why I have them as the Number 3 seed in the AFC.
I have the Baltimore Ravens to finish second in the AFC North this year with a 12-4-1 record. Baltimore have a slightly harder schedule than the Bengals which is why I’ve got them finishing below them, but I still have the Ravens making the Playoffs as the Number 6 seed. It’s also worth mentioning that Baltimore are seeded below the Buffalo Bills because Buffalo have a better record against common opponents (2-2-1 compared to Buffalo’s 3-1-1).
Next, I have the Cleveland Browns and their 12-4-1 record is enough for them to take the final spot in the Playoffs (for AFC teams). The Browns may play the same amount of games against a team with a positive record as the Bengals, but the Browns are lucky in the fact that most of those games are at home. The reason why Cleveland is seeded below the Ravens is because the Browns have a worse record against teams in their Division (3-2-1 compared to Baltimore’s 4-2).
Finally, I have the Pittsburgh Steelers to finish bottom of the AFC North with a record of 7-10. Pittsburgh have a decent schedule, but the problem for them is they’re in a pretty tough division which gives them 6 games against teams that I think are going to finish over .500. A 7-10 record isn’t even that bad, but it’s nowhere near good enough to get the Steelers into the Playoffs.
Final Division Standings
3. Cincinnati Bengals: 13-3-1
6. Baltimore Ravens: 12-4-1
7. Cleveland Browns: 12-4-1
12. Pittsburgh Steelers: 7-10
AFC South
The AFC South contains the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Tennessee Titans, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Houston Texans. In my Power Rankings, I had the Jaguars 13th, the Titans 23rd, the Colts 32nd, and the Texans 30th. I think the AFC South is the weakest Division in the NFL (certainly in the AFC) and I’ve got the Jacksonville Jaguars to comfortably win the Division with an 11-5-1 record. The Jags have a pretty nice schedule, playing 11 games against teams that I have to end up with a negative record. The Jags are also lucky in the fact that nearly all of their games against the top teams are at home. It’s worth mentioning that Jacksonville will enter the Playoffs as the Number 4 seed.
I have the Tennessee Titans to comfortably finish second in the AFC South with a mediocre 6-11 record. Tennessee does have an easier schedule than the Jaguars, but most of their 9 games against teams with a positive record are at home. I’ll be very honest and just say that I don’t have much confidence in the Titans, but they are much better than two of the other teams in their Division.
I then have the Houston Texans in 3rd with a not very good 3-14 record whilst I then have the Indianapolis Colts to finish bottom of the AFC South with a pretty bad record of 2-14-1. The Texans actually have a pretty solid schedule, but I just don’t think they’re good enough to pick up many victories. As for the Indianapolis Colts, they actually have a nice schedule, playing 11 games against teams that I have to end up with a negative record. However, I think the Colts look pretty bad and will really struggle to pick up victories.
Final Division Standings
4. Jacksonville Jaguars: 11-5-1
13. Tennessee Titans: 6-11
15. Houston Texans: 3-14
16. Indianapolis Colts: 2-14-1
AFC West
The AFC West contains the Kansas City Chiefs, the Los Angeles Chargers, the Las Vegas Raiders, and the Denver Broncos. In my Power Rankings, I had the Chiefs 4th, the Chargers 9th, the Raiders 20th, and the Broncos 12th. I think the AFC West is pretty strong this year, but I’ve got the Kansas City Chiefs to comfortably win the Division with a dominant 15-1-1 record which is enough for them to take the Number 1 seed in the AFC. The Chiefs actually have a slightly tough schedule this year, playing 10 games against teams that I have to end the season with a positive record. Kansas are slightly lucky in the fact that they get to play at home against the Eagles, Bills, and Bengals, but they do still have to play on the road against the Jets and the Jaguars.
I have the Los Angeles Chargers to finish second in the AFC West this year, but disappointingly for them, a record of 11-5-1 isn’t enough for them to make the Playoffs. The Chiefs do have a tough schedule as they play 10 games against teams with a positive record, even though it does feel like most of those are at home. However, they do play 4 of the 5 teams that I had in the Top 5 of my Power Rankings which doesn’t help.
Next, I have the Denver Broncos who finish with a pretty good 10-7 record, however, it’s obviously not enough for them to make the Playoffs. The Broncos play 9 games against teams with a winning record, but trips to Miami, Buffalo, and Detroit aren’t great, especially when they’ve automatically got to play the Chiefs and the Chargers. Still, I think it will be a much better year for Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos than it was last year.
Finally, I have the Las Vegas Raiders to finish bottom of the AFC West with a 7-10 record. Las Vegas are in a tough position where they play 10 games against teams with a positive record (6 from their Division) and more of them are on the road than at home. I still think the Raiders are a good team and will definitely win a decent amount of games, but not nearly enough to challenge for a Playoff spot.
Final Division Standings
1. Kansas City Chiefs: 15-1-1
8. Los Angeles Chargers: 11-5-1
10. Denver Broncos: 10-7
11. Las Vegas Raiders: 7-10
NFC:
NFC East
The NFC East contains the Philadelphia Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants, and the Washington Commanders. In my Power Rankings, I had the Eagles 1st, the Cowboys 3rd, the Giants 24th, and the Commanders 21st. I think it’s going to be a very exciting battle for the NFC East crown, but I’ve got the Philadelphia Eagles to just edge it. The Eagles play 8 games against teams that I have to finish with a positive record, but games on the road against the Jets, Chiefs, and obviously the Cowboys aren’t particularly easy at all. A record of 14-3 is enough for Philadelphia to win their Division and take the Number 2 seed in the NFC as a result.
Just missing out on the NFC East title are the Dallas Cowboys who also finish on a 14-3 record. The reason why Dallas are seeded below the Eagles is because they don’t have as good of a record against common opponents (10-2 compared to Philly’s 11-1). Dallas has a slightly harder schedule than the Eagles as they play 9 games against teams with a positive record and they have road trips to San Francisco, Los Angeles (Chargers), Buffalo, and Miami. Still, a very good Regular Season for the Cowboys and they take the Number 5 seed heading into the NFC Playoffs.
I then have the Washington Commanders to finish on a 4-13 record ahead of the New York Giants who finish bottom of the NFC East with a record of just 3-14. Washington are unlucky as they have to play 10 games against teams over .500, even though more of them are at home than away. I’m just not sure the Commanders are good enough to pick up lots of victories this year (unfortunately for them). As for the New York Giants, they also have to play 10 games against teams with a positive record, even though they do have more of those games on the road. A potentially tough year incoming for both sets of fans.
Final Division Standings
2. Philadelphia Eagles: 14-3
5. Dallas Cowboys: 14-3
10. Washington Commanders: 4-13
14: New York Giants: 3-14
NFC North
The NFC North contains the Minnesota Vikings, the Detroit Lions, the Green Bay Packers, and the Chicago Bears. In my Power Rankings, I had the Vikings 18th, the Lions 14th, the Packers 29th, and the Bears 26th. The NFC North is definitely one of the weaker Divisions in the NFL, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a couple of teams that could challenge for a Playoff spot. I have the Detroit Lions to end up as Division winners with a record of 11-6 which is pretty good. Detroit are lucky in the fact that they only have to play 7 games against teams that I have finishing over .500, even though away trips to Kansas, Baltimore, Los Angeles (Chargers), New Orleans, and Dallas aren’t particularly friendly. However, I still expect the Lions to have a good season and they take the Number 4 seed in the NFC as a result.
I have the Minnesota Vikings to finish second in the NFC North with maybe a slightly disappointing record of 8-9. Minnesota arguably have a harder schedule than the Lions as they play nine games against teams with a positive record, but most of them do come at home. I find the Vikings to be an odd team and I don’t think they’ll nearly be as good as they were last year, but despite that, they’ve still managed to get into the Playoffs as the final seed in the NFC.
I then have the Chicago Bears to finish third with a 4-13 record ahead of the Green Bay Packers who finish bottom of the NFC North with a very disappointing 3-14 record. Chicago have a decent fixture list, playing only 7 games against teams with a positive record, but I’m not that confident that the Bears are good enough to get enough victories against teams with a negative record. As for the Green Bay Packers, they only have to play 6 games against teams that I have to finish over .500 (and five of them are at home), but I also think they’re weaker than a lot of the teams around them, and will struggle to get results with Aaron Rodgers. It’s crazy to think that I had the Packers to make the Super Bowl last year.
Final Division Standings
4. Detroit Lions: 11-6
7. Minnesota Vikings: 8-9
12. Chicago Bears: 4-13
15. Green Bay Packers: 3-14
NFC South
The NFC South contains the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Carolina Panthers, the New Orleans Saints, and the Atlanta Falcons. In my Power Rankings, I had the Buccaneers 27th, the Panthers 22nd, the Saints 15th, and the Falcons 25th. In my opinion, there’s only one decent-to-good team in this Division and that’s why I’ve got the New Orleans Saints comfortably winning the NFC South. The Saints have the nicest fixture list in history as if my predictions come true, New Orleans will only have to play 2 games against teams with a positive record which is just insane! Both of those games also happen to come at home (VS the Jaguars and the Lions) and with all of these things considered, I have the New Orleans Saints to finish with an amazing 15-2 record which is enough for them to take the Number 1 seed in the NFC.
I then have the Carolina Panthers to finish second with a 6-10-1 record, just ahead of the Atlanta Falcons who end up with a record of 6-11. The Panthers have a nice-ish schedule as they only play 7 games against teams over .500 and that’s why I think they’ll have a decent first season with Bryce Young at QB. As for the Atlanta Falcons, they have a nice schedule as they only have 5 games against teams over .500, and I think they’ll be good enough at home to get results against teams of a similar ability.
Finally, I have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to finish bottom of the NFC South with a very disappointing record of just 3-12-2. The Bucs also have a decent schedule with just 7 games against teams with a positive record, but I don’t rate their chances of actually being able to pick up many wins. Considering Tampa struggled last year with Tom Brady at Quarterback, I think it could be pretty hard for them with Baker Mayfield in that role.
Final Division Standings
1. New Orleans Saints: 15-2
8. Carolina Panthers: 6-10-1
9. Atlanta Falcons: 6-11
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3-12-2
NFC West
The NFC West contains the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks, the Los Angeles Rams, and the Arizona Cardinals. In my Power Rankings, I had the 49ers 10th, the Seahawks 17th, the Rams 31st, and the Cardinals 28th. The NFC West is very split this year and I have the San Francisco 49ers winning the NFC West with a 13-4 record. The 49ers have more games against teams with a negative record than a positive which is always nice and most of them are also at home. I feel like San Francisco are a safe bet to make the Playoffs and they will enter it as the Number 3 seed.
I have the Seattle Seahawks to comfortably finish second in the NFC West, and a positive record of 9-8 is enough for them to make the Playoffs. Seattle have nine games against teams with a positive record this year, and away trips to Cincinnati, Baltimore, and Dallas don’t look particularly friendly. However, both the Seahawks’ home and away schedules are pretty evenly balanced (in terms of the talent of the teams they’re facing) so Seattle should have more than enough to take the Number 6 seed (on the NFC side of things).
I then have the Arizona Cardinals to end up with a pretty poor 3-14 record, but they will finish ahead of the Los Angeles Rams who I have to finish with a torrid record of just 1-16! Arizona’s schedule isn’t great, but I don’t think that would matter too much because they just aren’t a very good Football team heading into this season. Also, having your Bye Week at Week 14 isn’t going to help matters much. As for the Los Angeles Rams, they play 10 games against teams over .500, and a good chunk of them are on the road. However, I also think the LA Rams are a pretty poor team and that’s why I’ve got them to end up with the worst record in the entire NFL this season.
Final Division Standings
3. San Francisco 49ers: 13-4
6. Seattle Seahawks: 9-8
13. Arizona Cardinals: 3-14
16. Los Angeles Rams: 1-16
NFL Playoffs:
Wildcard Weekend
In the first of three AFC Games on “Super” Wildcard Weekend, the 12-4-1 Buffalo Bills travel to Jacksonville to play the 11-5-1 Jaguars. Buffalo should be sharp for this as they’ve played a lot more tougher matches than the Jags, and when you also consider that I’ve got the Bills to beat the Jaguars in Week 5 in London, I expect Josh Allen’s Bills to pick up a big road victory against Trevor Lawrence’s Jags.
The second AFC Playoff Game on Wildcard Weekend is between two Division rivals as the 13-3-1 Cincinnati Bengals welcome the 12-4-1 Baltimore Ravens back to Paycor Stadium. These are two pretty evenly matched teams that have both beaten each other earlier in the season. However, those wins both came at home, and that’s why I think the Bengals will have enough to defeat the Ravens and advance to the Divisional Round.
The final AFC Wildcard Playoff Game sees the 14-3 New York Jets play their first Playoff game since the 2010 AFC Championship game as they welcome the 12-4-1 Cleveland Browns to MetLife Stadium. The Jets had a tougher schedule than the Browns in the Regular Season, yet they finished with a better record and have the home-field advantage for this game. That makes it pretty easy for me to choose New York to win this one.
The first Game of “Super” Wildcard Weekend from the NFC sees the 14-3 Dallas Cowboys go to Detroit to take on the 11-6 Lions. Detroit definitely had a nicer schedule in the Regular Season than the Cowboys and they also had a nicer division. It’s also worth mentioning that Detroit are on a 9-game losing streak in the Playoffs and they haven’t made it to the Divisional Round of the Playoffs since 1991. Combine that with the fact that I have Dallas to beat Detroit in Week 17 (even though that is at Home) and I can’t see any other result than the Cowboys picking up the victory.
The next NFC Matchup on Wildcard Weekend is a rematch from this time last year as the 9-8 Seattle Seahawks go to Division Rivals San Francisco to play the 13-4 49ers. You’d have to go back to 2001 for the last time San Fran lost in the Wildcard Round and whilst I do think Seattle are a decent team that deserve to be in this spot, I expect the 49ers to go 3-0 against the Seahawks over the course of the 2023 Season.
The 6th and final Game on “Super” Wildcard Weekend sees the 8-9 Minnesota Vikings take on the 14-3 Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. The Vikings played the Eagles in Philadelphia back in Week 2 and I had the Eagles to win that one. Because of that, I don’t see any reason why the Eagles won’t beat the Vikings again, however this time it’s on a bigger stage.
Divisional Round
The first of two very exciting AFC Divisional Round Games sees the 13-3-1 Cincinnati Bengals take on the 14-3 New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Cincinnati definitely had a slightly easier schedule than New York in the Regular Season, but it’s fair to say that the Bengals had a tougher match in the Wildcard Round. Both of these teams are superb and have excellent Quarterbacks, but in the end, I’m going with the New York Jets as the first team into the AFC Championship Game.
The second Divisional Round matchup from the AFC sees the 12-4-1 Buffalo Bills travel to Kansas City to take on the 15-1-1 Chiefs. Whilst both teams had a somewhat difficult schedule in the Regular Season, Buffalo played a lot more of their “big games” on the road which could actually help them in this situation. However, the Bills played and lost in Kansas City in Week 14 and I don’t see anything changing in this one as Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs return to the AFC Championship game for the 6th consecutive year!
The first Game in the Divisional Round in the NFC is a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship Game as the 13-4 San Francisco 49ers travel to Philadelphia to take on the 14-3 Eagles. Both teams had a similar schedule in terms of difficulty and it’s worth mentioning that I have the Eagles to beat the Niners in Week 13 (in Philadelphia). Whilst you would have to go back to 2002 to see the last time that San Francisco lost in the Divisional Round, I think that streak may well come to an end here which is why I have the Philadelphia Eagles to return straight back to the NFC Championship game.
The final Game in the Divisional Round of the Playoffs sees the 14-3 Dallas Cowboys take on the 15-2 New Orleans Saints. New Orleans had the privilege of skipping straight to the Divisional Round due to the fact that they were the Number 1 seed in the NFC. However, the problem with the Saints is they've only played 2 games against good teams this season compared to 9 games for the Cowboys. Whilst it is worth mentioning that I have New Orleans to win both of those games, I think it’s a much tougher ask against Dallas and it’s one I can’t see them overcoming. That’s right, I have the Dallas Cowboys to return to the NFC Championship game for the first time since 1995.
Conference Championship
The AFC Championship is on the line as the 14-3 New York Jets take on the 15-1-1 Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead. This is the first time the Jets have been in the AFC Championship game since 2010 whilst the Chiefs have made it to this stage of the Playoffs in all 6 years with Patrick Mahomes as Starting Quarterback. These were the two best teams in the AFC this year and both teams had a pretty similar schedule in terms of difficulty. The big thing coming into this game is Kansas City’s only loss in the 2023 Season came in New York, against the Jets, in Week 4 which gives the Jets a massive psychological advantage. However, despite this, I still can’t look past the Kansas City Chiefs from making it back to another Super Bowl. Sorry Jets fans, but I think your 54-year wait to make the Super Bowl is going to continue for at least another year.
NFC East Rivals do battle in the NFC Championship Game as the 14-3 Cowboys take on the 14-3 Eagles in Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field. Both teams beat one another on their home field during the Regular Season and the only reason Philly won the NFC East over Dallas was because they had a better record against common opponents which is mad when you think about it. Philadelphia will be fired up for this one as they want to make it straight back to the Super Bowl whilst Dallas will be just as fired up as they haven’t been to the Super Bowl since Super Bowl XXX! In the end, I think the fact that the Philadelphia Eagles have home-field advantage is enough for them to defeat the Dallas Cowboys and head to Las Vegas for Super Bowl 58!
Super Bowl LVIII
Super Bowl 58 takes place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada as the AFC Champions the Kansas City Chiefs take on the NFC Champions the Philadelphia Eagles. This is also a rematch of Super Bowl 57 which is interesting so the Eagles will really want to get revenge on the Chiefs. These two teams also played each other in Week 11 and I had Kansas City winning at home. Both teams have pretty amazing Offenses, but Philly’s Defense is clear which feels quite important. Also, an interesting fact since Patrick Mahomes became the starting Quarterback in KC, their Playoff Record has gone like this; Lose in the AFC Championship, Win the Super Bowl, Lose in the Super Bowl, Lose in the AFC Championship, Win the Super Bowl, Lose in the Super Bowl? Another half fact for you all is WrestleMania 37 (I know I’m stretching) took place in Tampa Bay and the same year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl. The LA Rams then won the Super Bowl in 2022 and the following year, SoFi Stadium played host to WrestleMania 39. Whilst I feel like the Kansas City Chiefs are inevitable, I believe that the Philadelphia Eagles will get revenge for last year’s defeat by winning Super Bowl LVIII in style!
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