See, I'm the type of cat that can admit when he's wrong. And pretty much everyone had some wrong in their preseason NFL picks. So, let's go back to my prediction post to see how well I did:
NFC EAST
1-Giants (12-4)*
2-Eagles (11-5)*
3-Cowboys (11-5)*
4-Redskins (6-10)
I think that the NFC's three best teams reside in this division. So it will be one heck of a battle to sort them out. I think they all get into the playoffs since the NFC East gets to play the AFC West this year and will get a chance at stockpiling some extra wins.
Well, both Philly and Dallas made the playoffs and I was dead-on with their records. My disappointment was the Giants who just fell off the face of the earth in the middle of the season.
NFC SOUTH
1-Panthers (10-6)*
2-Falcons (8-8)
3-Saints (8-8)
4-Buccaneers (4-12)
This was a tough division to figure out. Carolina's schedule is brutal and I have them getting off to a poor start. I'm not as trusting in Atlanta as everyone else is (I don't think Turner is going to turn in another outstanding season ... just a hunch). I love the Saints offense but loathe their defense. And this is finally the year when Tampa bottoms back out.
Well, the Saints defense did enough to vault the Saints to the NFC's elite. I'm satisfied with every other pick in this division, despite Carolina not winning the division as I predicted. Yet, they were only two wins off what I thought.
NFC NORTH
1-Vikings (11-5)*
2-Packers (9-7)
3-Bears (8-8)
4-Lions (4-12)
I'm not a big fan of Minnesota bringing in Brett Favre, but the Vikings have a very easy schedule to open up the season. I think they start off hot and then cool off a bit down the stretch. I think the Packers will give them a fight but come up a few wins short. The Lions finally win a few games!
I did pretty good here. The Lions and Bears didn't win as much as I thought they would, but the rundown is spot on.
NFC WEST
1-Cardinals (10-6)*
2-Seahawks (7-9)
3-Niners (7-9)
4-Rams (4-12)
I think Arizona easily has the best talent in the division. The Rams and Seahawks defenses are poor enough that Kurt Warner and the gang run through the division again. Seattle and San Francisco will attempt to battle for a wildcard spot but just won't have enough balance to do so.
Arizona won this division pretty handily and I was spot on with their record. Seattle disappointed me a bit ... while the Rams stunk it up worse than predicted.
NFC PLAYOFFS
Wildcard: Cowboys over Panthers, Eagles over Cardinals
Divisional: Cowboys over Vikings, Eagles over Giants
NFC Championship: Eagles over Cowboys
Not too shabby. I have the Cowboys and Vikings facing off in one Divisional game. Too bad the Eagles won't be in the Super Bowl.
AFC EAST
1-Patriots (14-2)*
2-Dolphins (8-8)
3-Jets (6-10)
4-Bills (5-11)
After the one-year hiccup with Tom Brady out for pretty much the entire season, New England will be back to their old ways. I think they could actually go undefeated again which would be simply remarkable. There are just a couple games out there that I think could slip them up. The Dolphins regress a bit since the schedule just got tougher and New England getting back on top. The Jets start off slow but build it up as Mark Sanchez and the Rex Ryan defense get rolling in the second half of the season.
The Pats won the division but didn't look as mighty as I thought. Obviously the Jets were the big surprise in this division. Everything else was pretty solid.
AFC SOUTH
1-Colts (12-4)*
2-Titans (12-4)*
3-Texans (6-10)
4-Jaguars (5-11)
I am surprised that I have the Colts winning 12 games, too. But there they are in a fight with the Titans. I guess that's my faith in a healthy Peyton Manning and a Haynesworth-less Tennessee team. Houston gets off to a good start and then flounders. The Jack Del Rio era in Jacksonville will end.
I was right to keep my hunch about the Colts. I was wrong in thinking the Titans would be back near the top. Houston and Jacksonville were much better than I had thought.
AFC NORTH
1-Steelers (13-3)*
2-Ravens (11-5)*
3-Bengals (5-11)
4-Browns (4-12)
Pittsburgh with Baltimore tailing them again. These are easily the class of the division and both have a good shot at getting to Miami for the Super Bowl. The Bengals will be a bit improved but not drastically.
Not to happy here. The Steelers flamed out and the Bengals came out of nowhere to win the division. B-more wasn't as strong as I thought, but they did come through with a wildcard berth.
AFC WEST
1-Chargers (10-6)*
2-Chiefs (7-9)
3-Broncos (5-11)
4-Raiders (4-12)
San Diego easily wins this but takes a few hits from the shock of facing good NFC East teams. Don't ask me why or how Kansas City wins seven games but that's what I have. Denver will really sink since they don't have that high powered offense to outgun their horrible defense.
San Diego did win the division with even more ease than I thought. The surprise was the Broncos who went 6-0 before crashing down the standings.
AFC PLAYOFFS
Wildcard: Titans over Chargers, Colts over Ravens
Divisional: Steelers over Colts, Patriots over Titans
AFC Championship: Patriots over Steelers
Of the divisional teams, I only got the Colts right ... though I did predict a Ravens-Colts playoff matchup. Does that count for something?
SUPER BOWL CHAMPION: Patriots over Eagles.
Well ....
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