NFC East
1.
Dallas Cowboys
2.
Washington Redskins
3.
Philadelphia Eagles
4.
New York Giants
Analysis: There is no way I can pick against the defending Super Bowl Champion
Dallas Cowboys to win this division. They got better, made the correct moves, and look fully prepared to run it back again. When a championship team improves instead of simply trying to hold steady, that is usually a very bad sign for the rest of the league. Dallas enters the season as the clear favorite in the NFC East.
The second-best team in the division should be the
Washington Redskins, who are trusting David Garrard to get them to the playoffs. I think this is a tough team, and they have the ability to make a real dent in their opponents. They may not have the same championship-level certainty that Dallas has, but Washington feels like a team that can grind out wins and stay relevant throughout the season.
The
Philadelphia Eagles are also a good team, but they still may be a year away. There is talent there, and the direction feels positive, but this may be a season where patience and development are more important than immediate results. If they stay committed to the process, that patience could pay for its weight in gold down the road.
Last place is the
New York Giants, whom I have very little faith in. They have some freak athletes, and there are certainly players who can make things interesting, but I just do not see it fully working. Athleticism alone is not enough to survive in a division like this, and I have a hard time trusting the Giants to put everything together.
NFC North
1.
Chicago Bears
2.
Detroit Lions
3.
Green Bay Packers
4.
Minnesota Vikings
Analysis: This is the pick that everyone is going to balk at. The
Chicago Bears are my pick to win the division, despite there being a lot of more “obvious” choices on paper. I understand why people may not fully buy into Chicago yet, but this feels like the right year for them to take advantage of a declining division. With two teams hitting reset, the Bears have a real opportunity to surprise people and climb to the top before the rest of the division figures itself out.
The only team that did not hit reset from last year’s contenders is the
Detroit Lions, who should still be a very good team. Detroit has enough continuity and talent to remain firmly in the conversation, and I would not be shocked if they end up making this prediction look wrong. Still, I think the division around them is shifting enough that the door is open for Chicago to jump ahead.
The
Green Bay Packers hit reset, and it does not look pretty. That does not mean they are completely without hope, because there is still a fair amount of talent on the roster. They should be able to get some wins and stay competitive in certain matchups, but this feels like a transition year more than a serious push for the division. Green Bay may have enough to avoid being terrible, but not enough to stay at the top.
Lastly, the
Minnesota Vikings are yet again starting over with an even younger quarterback. Eventually, the inability to show any semblance of patience is going to catch up with this team, and I think this is the year. Constantly restarting makes it difficult to build anything stable, and in a division where Chicago and Detroit both have clearer paths forward, Minnesota feels like the team most likely to fall to the bottom.
NFC South
1.
Atlanta Falcons
2.
New Orleans Saints
3.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4.
Carolina Panthers
Analysis: GM Peter Fenger finally figured out scrambling quarterbacks last year, something so many before him tried to do, or at least Tim did. Because of that, I am picking the
Atlanta Falcons to win the division again. Atlanta proved that its formula can work, and now that Fenger seems to have unlocked that part of the game, it is hard to pick against them. They enter the season as the most trustworthy team in the division.
I do think the
New Orleans Saints will be the most improved team in the division, and quite possibly the most improved team in the league. There is a real sense that New Orleans is ready to take a meaningful step forward. They may not be ready to overtake Atlanta just yet, but they should be much more dangerous than they were before. At minimum, I expect them to make the division race more interesting.
They will definitely surpass the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have replaced aging retirees with soon-to-age retirees. Tampa Bay may still have recognizable names and enough experience to win some games, but that does not feel like a long-term solution. The roster feels like it is trying to hold off the inevitable rather than build toward something sustainable, and that makes it difficult to project them higher.
They will still be better than the
Carolina Panthers, who added some studs, but studs who need time to develop. Carolina may have improved its future outlook, but that does not always translate immediately into wins. This feels like a year where the Panthers may be more interesting than successful, with the payoff coming later rather than right now.
NFC West
1.
Arizona Cardinals
2.
San Francisco 49ers
3.
Seattle Seahawks
4.
St. Louis Rams
Analysis: I’m doing it. I am picking myself and the
Arizona Cardinals to win the division. But trust the process here. I will even go one step farther: I think Arizona gets the first seed in the conference. This is exactly why they say pride cometh before the fall, but I believe this roster is ready to make that kind of leap. The division will not be easy, but I think the Cardinals have enough to take control of it and push for something much bigger than just an NFC West title.
I do think the
San Francisco 49ers have also improved, and they finally got themselves a solid quarterback. That changes the entire outlook for them. San Francisco feels like a team of the future, but that future may be arriving right now. They have enough momentum and enough talent to be a real threat, and I would not be shocked if they make this division race uncomfortable all year long.
I also cannot, in good faith, put the
Seattle Seahawks in last place, so they come up next. Seattle is a solid team, and there is enough there to respect, but I do not know if they are much better than 8-8. They feel like the kind of team that can beat you on the wrong week, but I am not sure they have enough to consistently separate themselves from the rest of the division.
The
St. Louis Rams in last place might be more of a hopeful pick than anything, considering each of the last three years has featured them continuously shellacking us. There is probably some wishful thinking baked into this one, but I am choosing to believe this is the year Arizona finally flips that script. Until the Rams stop being a personal nightmare, though, this prediction comes with just a little bit of hesitation.
NFC Playoff Seedings
1.
Arizona Cardinals
2.
Chicago Bears
3.
Dallas Cowboys
4.
Atlanta Falcons
5.
Detroit Lions
6.
San Francisco 49ers
