(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
The NFL season is fast approaching with the first kickoff Sept. 10. The Pittsburgh Steelers are the defending champions.
Before you start thinking repeat in Steelers land, remember there have only been seven repeat champions. The Steelers have the players to repeat and can certainly win it all again.
The problem is, no matter if you are an NFC supporter or an AFC supporter, the Steelers play in the tougher conference.
The Steelers will have to get past the Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, San Diego Chargers, and the New England Patriots. The Steelers will be well tested before they make it to Miami for Super Bowl XLIV.
Now let’s try to break every team down and see who will challenge the Steelers for their Super Bowl Crown. Starting with the AFC East and moving though the AFC in each post.
This time we will look at teams in order of finish.
New England Patriots: Prediction 12-4
The Patriots hope to turn the calendar back to 2007, when they rode roughshod over the NFL and went perfect until the Super Bowl. That was before the first game of 2008, when quarterback Tom Brady went down for the season.
As long as the offence can return to a close resemblance to the 2007 offense New England will be fine. The biggest question for this team is how Tom Brady plays after the injury.
The retirement of Tedy Bruschi and the trade of Richard Seymour and other players will leave some holes in the defense that will have to be replaced. The Patriots are moving to a younger defense.
New England’s defense has been spotty during the pre-season but should come together. The first four games of the season are very winnable, so the Patriots can get off to a fast start.
New England has one of the best coaches in the NFL. Head coach Bill Belichick always has his team ready to play and a good game plan.
The schedule looks nice for the Patriots. They get three of the first four games at home, and the rest of the season does not look too bad.
New England opens up at home against the Bills who have fired their offensive coordinator and Terrell Owens has not even started up yet. The Patriots go to the Jets in week 2 and a rookie quarterback in his second game.
The next two games are against two playoff teams from last year. The Falcons and the Ravens will be a good early-season test for the Patriots.
There is no question that the Patriots could be 4-0 or 3-1 in their first quarter of the season. The next stretch of four games is all winnable.
The first road game of the year is against Josh McDaniels and the Denver Broncos. Denver could be down this year after all the off-season drama.
The Patriots return home to play the Titans, another playoff team from last season. New England heads across the pond for a game in England against Tampa Bay.
New England gets a bye week next, then the Dolphins at home. The Patriots could be 8-0 to 6-2 half way through the season.
The next four games feature road tests against the Colts, Saints
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