If you're a semi-regular reader of my blog, you know I do this every September. Enjoy and Bear Down!
*notes wild card
AFC NORTH
1. Ravens (11-6) Minter knows less is/more; peak Lamar curbed by soft/wideouts, weak pass rush.
2. Bengals* (10-7) Will a competent/D be enough? Mid passing/game also concerns.
3. Steelers (8-9) Oh god, Aaron is/still here? Head coach reunion/won't turn back the clock.
4. Browns (4-13) QB room? Clown show/Bad Watson contract casts pall/on fun young talents.
AFC EAST
1. Bills (12-5) Elite squad... until/New Year's; new coaches, new field/must curb same results.
2. Patriots* (11-6) Who rushes faster/Rhamondre, or Mike Vrabel/from his estranged wife?
3. Jets (6-11) Good O-line squandered/on Geno; beefy D-line/secret saving grace.
4. Dolphins (5-12) Fins down, canned tuna/nascent rebuild wastes Achane/slightly built workhorse.
AFC SOUTH
1. Colts (11-6) Tough September sked/but healthy Jones-Taylor-Pierce/aren't horsing around.
2. Jaguars (9-8) Losing Etienne/replacing him with... Bhayshul?/At least there's Hunter.
3. Texans (8-9) Which CJ shows up/hinges on new O-line; league/best D is stingy.
4. Titans (5-12) Ex-Jets and Giants/"volunteer" for Cam; breakout/year under center?
AFC WEST
1. Broncos (12-5) We can't quit you, Vance/Joseph; well-rounded roster/now runs with Waddle.
2. Chiefs* (11-6) Was last year a fluke?/New, younger D more suspect/than aging Kelce.
3. Chargers (8-9) Beat good teams, and we'll/talk Lombardi; new tackles/should let Herbert cook.
4. Raiders (5-12) Mendoza knows how/to win; for now, he's holding/a clipboard for Kirk.
NFC NORTH
1. Bears (11-6) Behind Sweat, pass rush/toils; Ben-Caleb tandem/keeps winning close games.
2. Lions* (10-7) Can kitties land on/their feet? Lack of good corners/makes rebound tricky.
3. Vikings (9-8) Deep wideout room helps/wee Kyler; great special teams/makes them Norse sleepers.
4. Packers (8-9) Jacobs *and* Parsons/both out? LaFleur says "cheese" to/green and gold gap year.
NFC EAST
1. Eagles (11-6) Feathered drama queens/deep roster on verge of boom/bust or fire sale.
2. Cowboys* (10-7) Dependable Dak/has weapons; new-look D makes/all the difference.
3. Commanders (7-10) Blame Peters, not Quinn/if Jayden struggles; roster/has too many "ifs."
4. Giants (5-12) Can Jalen Brunson/throw a football? Poor Dart won't/make many bullseyes.
NFC SOUTH
1. Bucs (9-8) Second-half capsize/must be avoided; Baker/can't be a butcher.
2. Panthers (8-9) Is Bryce good or bad?/Yes! Chuba's chops are enough/to carry the O.
3. Saints (7-10) Shough me the second/half of last year wasn't a/fluke and I'll believe.
4. Falcons (6-11) Hawk Tua (sorry)/carried by Drake, Bijon, and/Pitts; blitz-happy D.
NFC WEST
1. Seahawks (13-4) They don't need household/names; understated talent/flies in Puget Sound.
2. Rams* (11-6) Garrett *and* Donald/insane D; sole concern is/can Puka shut up?
3. Niners (9-8) So injury-prone/the HC was on IR/at least they have Mac.
4. Cardinals (4-13) Eight-decade 'chip drought/continues; anonymous/squad behind Brissett.
MVP: Bo Nix, Broncos
OROY: Jeremiyah Love, Cardinals
DROY: David Bailey, Jets
First Head Coach Fired: Aaron Glenn, Jets
Super Bowl LXI: Seahawks 28, Broncos 20
Your thoughts are always welcome.
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