Last year, I called for the Kansas City Chiefs to three-peat… and four-peat. Well, Philadelphia messed that up, didn’t they? And thankfully so, because the Green Bay Packers remain the only franchise in NFL history to three-peat (although the Cleveland Browns four-peated in the AAFC). In any case, the Chiefs aren’t going for a fourth straight Super Bowl win this year, but they remain just as much a threat as ever to end up with the Lombardi Trophy once again.
AFC:
AFC East:
- Buffalo Bills (13-4): It’s hard to find many faults with the Bills, but you know that when the chips are down, they find a way to lose. Well, maybe not this time around.
- Miami Dolphins (8-9): I don’t know why, but I just don’t see the Dolphins collapsing like many people are expecting. That being said, a near-.500 finish may be enough to cause Mike McDaniel to get fired anyway, which would be the same thing.
- New York Jets (7-10): Is Justin Fields the answer in New York? Not sure, but I thought he might have been the answer in Pittsburgh if given the chance. Now it’s all about picking up the pieces from the disastrous Aaron Rodgers era.
- New England Patriots (4-13): I see Mike Vrabel needing some time to fix things up in New England. Drake Maye might be good, he might not. I have no clue, because I didn’t watch much of the Patriots after their season went south. If he’s any good, the turnaround may come sooner than later.
AFC North:
- Pittsburgh Steelers (12-5): Aaron Rodgers might be the perfect quarterback for Mike Tomlin. Great in the regular season, disappears in January. I think a lot of people in Pittsburgh are going to fall in love with Rodgers. But it’s going to be a real trainwreck if Rodgers puts out a playoff performance like he did in those final few years in Green Bay.
- Baltimore Ravens (11-6): I don’t doubt that Lamar Jackson is a great quarterback. What I doubt is whether he can handle a 21-game ride when he has to carry the ball that much during the regular season. Unless Baltimore clinches the #1 seed early, Jackson is likely to run out of gas by the time he reaches January, and this has happened again and again.
- Cincinnati Bengals (9-8): I don’t believe in the Bengals. Joe Burrow puts up great numbers, yet the team has no defense and manages to lose the big games. Are you sensing a theme here? Many of these AFC teams are good, but can’t get it done in January; there’s only one who does.
- Cleveland Browns (3-14): As the old saying goes, if you have five quarterbacks, you really have none.
AFC South:
- Houston Texans (10-7): Is it sad that I completely forgot what the Texans did last year in the playoffs? They were never really a threat. But with C.J. Stroud entering his third year, the Texans are poised to potentially make a big jump, especially since they play in such a poor division.
- Indianapolis Colts (8-9): No matter who’s at quarterback for Indy, they still are going to have a chance, thanks to a good running game. But ultimately I can’t see them as a real contender.
- Jacksonville Jaguars (7-10): If the Jags turn it around, I’ll be thrilled for my sister, because this is her team. Hopefully the Jaguars are two or three games better than this, and on the way toward becoming a true contender.
- Tennessee Titans (4-13): It’s very hard to rank a team with a #1 overall pick. They could be great, they could be terrible. I’m leaning more towards the latter here.
AFC West:
- Kansas City Chiefs (12-5): It was so easy to pick them in prior years, but after seeing them get blown out in the Super Bowl, it’s clearly that they’re not the invincible juggernaut that they once were. Even so, I can’t imagine the Chiefs not being in the AFC Championship Game. Is that because of some nefarious reason? Maybe. But either way, they’re going to be in the playoffs once more.
- Los Angeles Chargers (11-6): Jim Harbaugh has been banned from college football for 10 years!! That’s really going to make a dent, because he’s building a contender in Los Angeles that may last 10 years. Yeah, Harbaugh looks like a genius right now. Got a championship and then got out. Maybe if he wins the Super Bowl, the Chargers will have the next Deflategate and Harbaugh will retire before getting suspended.
- Denver Broncos (10-7): Am I a closet Broncos fan? I want to see Bo Nix thrive in Sean Payton’s offense, and the defense continues to be strong. I would love to see any other team win the division besides KC. Hopefully it’s the Broncos who are the ones to do so.
- Las Vegas Raiders (5-12): Pete Carroll will make things exciting in Vegas, but Geno Smith is not the guy to lead a team up against Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert. What can I say? I’m a big Geno guy in the NHL (Evgeni Malkin), but not so much one for the NFL.
NFC:
NFC East:
- Washington Commanders (12-5): Going with my first big upset of this exercise. The “Hogs” upset the Eagles and end up on top of the NFC East as division champions and as the #2 seed in the NFC. Washington will be just fine no matter what happens with Terry McLaurin, and the “Hogs” will contend for a ring.
- Philadelphia Eagles (12-5): A slight step back from their Super Bowl run, but the Eagles will still be contending come January. They’re going to be one of the top teams in the league, but I’m expecting the “Hogs” to catch them this year and keep the “no-repeat” rule in the NFC East going.
- Dallas Cowboys (9-8): After all this, Micah Parsons will sign with the ‘Boys, and they’ll be a playoff contender. Sorry to all of you hoping to be spared from Cowboy talk all year from ESPN; they’re actually only going to be more ubiquitous.
- New York Giants (4-13): Someone has to be on the losing side of all these other teams’ success. Russell Wilson may not last very long, and Jaxson Dart might get an earlier start to his career than you think. It’s not going to be pretty, either way.
NFC North:
- Detroit Lions (14-3): The Lions lose both coordinators yet will be the juggernaut of the NFL in 2025. They are going to steamroll their way to the Super Bowl. Why? Because they’ve been building a winning culture in Detroit for a while now and are finally in position to make all their hard work pay off. Who needs carryover at the coordinator positions? The Lions will win it all.
- Green Bay Packers (10-7): I’m cautiously optimistic about the Packers. I believe in Jordan Love, but if he can’t stay on the field, he’s never going to reach the lofty highs of the two previous quarterbacks. Same goes for the other players. The only thing stopping the Packers is themselves, and injuries. Unfortunately, those two “opponents” tend to be on the winning side in January.
- Chicago Bears (9-8): Caleb Williams is going to be good. Sorry, Packers fans, he’s someone to worry about. The Bears are going to surprise a lot of people this year, but they won’t surprise me. They will be in the playoffs.
- Minnesota Vikings (5-12): J.J. McCarthy proves to be a downgrade from Sam Darnold, and the Vikings’ luck runs out as they go from one win from the #1 seed, to last place in the NFC North.
NFC South:
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-6): Is Baker Mayfield really a superstar? And if so, how is that even possible? The guy’s been dumped several times, and now looks like one of the better quarterbacks in the league. As much as I cheer against the Bucs, it would be sweet to see the Browns look like even bigger idiots for giving up on Baker.
- Atlanta Falcons (8-9): The Falcons will compete for a playoff spot with Michael Penix Jr. I think they’ll come up short, but they’re going to make some noise this season.
- Carolina Panthers (7-10): Bryce Young is going to put it together, and the Panthers are also going to make some noise. The NFC South is going to be surprisingly competitive against the other divisions.
- New Orleans Saints (3-14): Except for the Saints, that is. It’s going to be a long road back to getting back to being competitive for New Orleans.
NFC West:
- San Francisco 49ers (10-7): The 49ers return to prominence, taking the NFC West title in a down year for the rest of the division. They’ve got way too many good players to not be in contention. It may be a bumpy ride, but the cream will rise to the top, and they’ll be back in the playoffs as a division champion.
- Los Angeles Rams (9-8): The Rams will be a playoff contender, certainly, battling it out for the NFC West. But Matthew Stafford is getting older, and time is running out on this window of the Rams’ contention.
- Seattle Seahawks (9-8): I think Sam Darnold again proves his worth, making the Jets look stupider, but even so I just don’t think the Seahawks are going to make it very far, should they even reach the playoffs.
- Arizona Cardinals (6-11): Kyler Murray has been around for how long now? It’s about time for him to show that he was worthy of that #1 overall pick. Hanging around the edge of the playoffs is simply not good enough.
Regular-season awards:
MVP: Josh Allen, Buffalo
Offensive Player of the Year: Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati
Defensive Player of the Year: T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Matthew Golden, Green Bay
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Travis Hunter, Jacksonville
Comeback Player of the Year: Dak Prescott, Dallas
Coach of the Year: Dan Campbell, Detroit
AFC Playoffs:
Wild Card:
#2 Kansas City defeats #7 Denver
#3 Pittsburgh defeats #6 Baltimore
#5 Los Angeles defeats #4 Houston
Divisional:
#1 Buffalo defeats #5 Los Angeles
#2 Kansas City defeats #3 Pittsburgh
Conference Championship:
FINALLY! #1 Buffalo defeats #2 Kansas City
NFC Playoffs:
Wild Card:
#2 Washington defeats #7 Dallas
#6 Green Bay defeats #3 Tampa Bay
#5 Philadelphia defeats #4 San Francisco
Divisional:
#1 Detroit defeats #6 Green Bay
#5 Philadelphia defeats #2 Washington
Conference Championship:
#1 Detroit defeats #5 Philadelphia
Super Bowl LX:
Detroit 34, Buffalo 27 (MVP: Jared Goff)
Tommy A. Phillips 