On the heels of my AFC Predictions, it’s time to delve into the (arguably more interesting) NFC. Here are my official Projected NFC Divisional Rankings for next season:
NFC East:
1. (z) Philadelphia Eagles (12-4)
2. Dallas Cowboys (9-7)
3. Washington Redskins (5-11)
4. New York Giants (4-12)
A Super Bowl hangover would be somewhat surprising for this Eagles team, who only got better this offseason––they added Michael Bennett and upgraded at cornerback (Darryl Worley) and wide receiver (Mike Wallace). Not to mention that Carson Wentz will return from injury next year as well. Expect another dominant year from the Eagles in what used to be the most competitive division in the NFL but is now composed of washed up, paper-thin teams.
NFC North:
1. (z) Minnesota Vikings (13-3)
2. Green Bay Packers (9-7)
3. Detroit Lions (7-9)
4. Chicago Bears (3-13)
I’ve gone back and forth about whether or not the Packers will be back in the playoffs next year, and it’s absolutely possible that they surprise me, but I think don’t think they have enough pieces around Aaron Rodgers to compete, especially after they got rid of Jordy Nelson. The Vikings are looking like a scary team next year––a strong defense, Kirk Cousins at the helm, a full year out of Dalvin Cook, and a strong receiving corps make Minnesota one of the favorites for the Super Bowl next season.
NFC South:
1. (z) Atlanta Falcons (11-5)
2. (x) New Orleans Saints (10-6)
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8)
4. Carolina Panthers (5-11)
The NFC South is one of the wishy-washiest divisions in all of professional sports. In any given year, one team could go from winning the division to falling down to last place. Next season, I like the Falcons for a bit of a comeback year and the Saints to clinch a Wild Card berth. Atlanta has all of the pieces to get it done and remains largely unchanged; let’s see if they can make it back to the ‘offs.
NFC West:
1. (z) Los Angeles Rams (13-3)
2. (x) San Francisco 49ers (10-6)
3. Seattle Seahawks (6-10)
4. Arizona Cardinals (4-12)
Todd Gurley, Jared Goff, Brandin Cooks, Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters, Aaron Donald, and Ndamukong Suh: the Los Angeles Rams. Needless to say, the Rams are gearing for a Super Bowl win in 2019, but they’re also completely disregarding the salary cap; it’s Super Bowl LIII or bust for LA. The other interesting story in the NFC West is San Francisco, who has its new franchise QB in Jimmy Garoppolo, feature back Jerick McKinnon, star cornerback Richard Sherman, and a top-10 pick in the upcoming draft. I’m excited to see the product that comes out of San Francisco next year, and I’m rooting for my guy Jimmy G to clinch that second Wild Card spot.
x = Clinched Division
z = Wild Card
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