2011-2012 NFL Preview

Well, the strike is over (Yes, it was a strike.) which means it's that time again! Time for another edition of JMO's NFL preview! (Is it unfortunate that few things get me to post now a-days? If you think so, skip the post and comment. Let me know what you'd like to read about on JMO) For those of you still reading: Get out those pencils and jot down what you'll read here because it's sure to be completely incorrect by week 5!

As you've become accustomed, I'll be going division by division predicting the winners of each. We'll begin with the NFC seeing as they won the Super Bowl last year.

NFC North (Bears, Lions, Packers, Vikings)
The Lions have been making great strides over the past few off-seasons. They are a very trendy pick to make the post season this year. However, I don't think they'll be able to overcome the powerful Packers and I don't think they'll wind up as one of the two best non-division-winning teams in the NFC. It will be close, but I expect them to be watching the game come January. And while Chicago and Minnesota (who acquired a younger QB in 34 year old McNabb) have made some improvements, Green Bay is going to run away with this division.

winner: Packers

AFC North (Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Steelers)
There are some questions in this division. But they mostly are regarding if the Browns and Bengals will win more games combined than the Steelers. Big Ben managed to stay out of hand-cuffs and courtrooms in this off-season so they won't have those distractions. Considering how they did last year, maybe that's a strike against them. The Ravens do stand a chance at the playoffs. But Flaco will likely only be able to get them there as a wild card.

winner: Steelers

NFC East (Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, Redskins)
Here is a division that's gotten lots of attention in the off-season. I'd be remiss if I started by discussing any team other than the Eagles. They've certainly become the Miami Heat/New York Yankees of the NFL. The question is can this team of divas mesh into a cohesive unit? If not, will the on-again/off-again Giants or the they're-so-full-of-talent-but-can't-win-when-it-counts Cowboys take 1st in this division. The problem is, like the Miami Heat, the Eagles have now set them up with expectations: The season will be a failure if they don't win the Championship. The Heat couldn't live up to it. Will the Eagles learn from their mistakes?

winner: Eagles

AFC East (Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Patriots)
Wow! This is a division that had an off-season chess match. The Jets and the Patriots both improved their rosters. If any team other than New England signed both Albert Haynesworth and Chad Johnson Ocho-Cinqo I'd say they were headed for disaster. However, somehow Belichick and company manage to succeed with characters such as these (see Corey Dillon and even Randy Moss for a season and a half. And remember, they got Randy for a 4th round draft pick and traded him for a 3rd round pick!) Yes, you can infer from these comments that the Bills and Dolphins will be irrelevant this year. When all is said and done, I'm not drinking the Sanchez kool-aid.

winner: Patriots

NFC South (Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers, Saints)
This may become one of the hottestly contested divisions in the NFL. With Matt Ryan at the helm the Falcons are poised to take the division back from the red hot Saints. You can't even count out the Buccaneers this year. It will be interesting to see how Cam Newton does for the Panthers, but they are in a rebuilding year. The Saints have not fared as well this year in free agency as some other teams. I think they'll make it to the playoffs -- but not as the division winner.

winner: Falcons

AFC South (Colts, Jaguars, Texans, Titans)
This division is shrouded in uncertainty more than any other time in recent memory! Peyton had neck surgery over the summer and was not able to work-out with his regular trainer due to the strike. Everyone expects him to start week 1, but can he be effective? And if he's not, who takes first in this division? The Texans, who everyone loves in the preseason but who collapses in the regular season? The Titans, who some think are in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes? The Jaguars, who are built to beat the Colts but no one else? Even if they lose the first 4 games, they will still make the playoffs -- but can the Schaub/Johnson tandem make it so that the Colts slip into the post season as a wild card? Nope.

winner: Colts

NFC West (Cardinals, 49ers, Rams, Seahawks)
Can the Seahawks ride the wave they created when they became the first team to enter the playoffs with a losing record, and then advanced past the first round? Kolb to the Cardinals, Rice to the Seahawks, McDaniels with the Rams, a complete defensive overhaul for the 49ers. Which of these teams will become first round fodder in the playoffs? The team with the most weapons is Arizona.

winner: Cardinals

AFC West (Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs, Raiders)
It is still a quarterback driven league and this division is rife with quarterback controversy. Can Campbell be the hero for Oakland? Cassel lost his major supporter (McDaniels) in Kansas City, the Broncos have three quarterbacks: the coach wants one, the locker room the second, and the fans the third! And then there is Rivers. And while his supporting cast may have changed, he is still an excellent quarterback who just seems to have some difficulty delivering when it counts. But this is, after all, a quarterback driven league.

winner: Chargers

NFC Wild Card Teams: Cowboys & Saints

AFC Wild Card Teams: Jets & Ravens

And here's how the playoffs would play out:

NFC:
BYE: Packers & Eagles
Wild Card Weekend: Saints defeat the Cardinals in a thriller and the Cowboys fall to the Falcons.
Divisional Round: Eagles beat the Falcons in the battle of the birds and the Packers send the Saints packing
Conference Championship: Eagles over Packers

AFC:
BYE: Patriots & Steelers
Wild Card Weekend: The Ravens beat the Chargers and the Jets shock the Colts
Divisional Round: Patriots end the Ravens' season and the Jets beat the Steelers
Conference Championship: Brady gets his revenge on Sanchez and sends the Jets home

Super Bowl:
Patriots vs Eagles

And in the rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX the result is the same. The Eagles fall to the Patriots and suffer the same fate as their NBA counterpart -- a stacked deck that folds on the river.

Those are my predictions. What are yours?