2008 NFL Season Forecast

At this point, all of the preseason games, if you want to call them games, have been played. We are two days away from the Thursday night kickoff to the '08-'09 NFL season. That means it is time for me, like every other fan who has way too much time on their hands, to not only make my predictions for the season, but also make them known to everybody who can read.

So let's get started with division-by-division predictions.

Starting in the AFC.

AFC North

I think that this is probably the most difficult division in all of football to predict. Perennial division-power Pittsburgh stands as the favorite right now, but they have a brutal schedule, as does the rest of the division. I think only one team will be able to come out of this particular division.

Baltimore is a team that won 13 games two years ago, but was awful last year. Those struggles were in large part because of a lot of injuries on the defense. That defense, however, is not getting any younger.

Cincinnati made the playoffs three years ago but has not been the same since. They still cannot play defense, despite having a defensive genius as a head coach. They got some help with Keith Rivers coming in, but he's not enough.

Offensively, who knows what you are going to get with them. They could play in barnburners like the Cleveland game last year, or they could be the offense that has Palmer throw pick after pick.

Cleveland is the popular pick to either win the division or make the wild card, because of the improvements they made last year and the defensive additions they have coming in, with Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams.

I still have a lot of questions about Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn though.

Pittsburgh has been the most consistent team in this division. They added Rashard Mendenhall to the offense, but he has looked fumble happy in the preseason. It is hard to find faults with this team though, so long as they have fixed the run-defense problem they had at the end of the year last year.

AFC East

This division has two of the worst teams in football in it: the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills. Because of that fact, one of the wild-card teams could easily come from this division. For the Jets' sake, let's hope so, because the Patriots still reside on top.

Miami made a great pick up when they got Chad Pennington. I think Chad Henne could be a future star, or at least a solid starter one day in the NFL, but he can't be rushed.

Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams should be smiling ear to ear with the addition of the Jake Long. Unfortunately, once you get past the run game of the Dolphins, there is not much else there, especially after losing Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas.

Buffalo is a team that confuses me. I just cannot see how they are going to score points. I think the defense is going to be solid, but they are going to lose a lot of low-scoring games.

Marshawn Lynch may be the most-overrated player in the NFL right now (I don't care how many yards you rush for when you average under four-yards per carry).

New York Jets fans are hoping that Brett Favre is the solution to all of their problems. I won't promise that, but he is going to help a bunch. Favre inherits a great group of wideouts, and nobody in New York is happier than Thomas Jones about having a hyped passing attack.

Look for a revived Jones this year. Last year, New York may have gotten the best value draft pick of anybody with David Harris in the second round. Look for Harris to make his first Pro Bowl this year.

New England is one year removed from Spygate and the Super Bowl loss. All of Tom Brady's injury talk is overdone. Don't count on another 50-touchdown season, but he still probably gets 40. The real questions come on defense, where they just keep getting older and older.

AFC West

Once again, this is the Chargers division to lose. Denver looks to challenge, with a quarterback that is one year more experienced. The Chiefs will be worse this year. And Oakland is still a year or two away.

Kansas City lost a great DE in Jared Allen and picked a top prospect in DT Glen Dorsey. It doesn't matter. They still lack an offensive line to block for Larry Johnson, and a quarterback to get the extra man out of the box. Also, a mini prediction, Dorsey goes down with an injury by Week Six.

Oakland is a team that is intriguing. I think that JaMarcus Russell could have a big year, because of the addition of Javon Walker. I wouldn't be surprised if this turns into somewhat of a Culpepper-to-Moss connection. If this team keeps building, they could be a force in a couple years.

Denver is a team that is going to score a lot of points. They always run the ball well, and Cutler to Marshall was becoming a lethal connection towards the end of the season last year.

However, I don't think the Broncos are going to be able to stop their opponent, and Cutler is still going to turn the ball over too much.

San Diego better hope that nothing happens to Shawne Merriman. If it does, that defense loses its intensity and becomes much less effective. They are going to score points with LT, Gates, and Chambers. However, I still am not convinced that Philip Rivers is an elite quarterback.

AFC South

This is, without question, one of the top two divisions in all of the NFL. Having said that, I still think that the top two teams still have some space between the bottom two. Because of that, this division gets a wild-card berth.

Tennessee is going to struggle to score points once again. I also think that they will have trouble stopping the pass. I am going to make the prediction that this is the year that Vince Young has a serious injury about halfway through the season.

Houston has been up and coming for a few years now. This is the year that they need to do something. If Mario Williams has another big year, it might happen. They also need Matt Schaub to stay healthy and one of their running backs to step up.

Jacksonville has been battling with Indianapolis for a couple years now. Many experts think this is the year that they will overtake the Colts. I am not convinced, however, they helped themselves out enough at corner by bringing Drayton Florence.

Derrick Harvey holding out as long as he did was another big blow. Jacksonville will be able to score with the Colts this year, though.

Indianapolis has a lot of questions coming into this year. Many of those questions center around health. Peyton Manning will be just fine, and we all know that. The word from the Colts is that Marvin Harrison looks really good as well.

Defensive health may be the bigger concern. Will Dwight Freeney be able to come back? And how is Defensive MVP Bob Sanders doing?

Playoffs

(5) Jacksonville beats (4) Pittsburgh.
(3) Indianapolis beats (6) New York.

(5) Jacksonville beats (1) San Diego.
(2) New England beats (3) Indianapolis.

(2) New England beats (5) Jacksonville. (It isn't going to snow enough for Jacksonville this year either.)

Now, to the NFC.

NFC North

This division is known for its unknown quarterback-play coming into this season. Jon Kitna is actually the most proven QB. How will Rodgers do? Will the Bears be able to score? Can Tarvaris Jackson be good enough?

Chicago should have a good defense. That is about the only good thing they will have though. They have an offensive line that is shaky at best. They lack a running game, again, thanks to the offensive line. Kevin Jones should help out, though.

They do not have any receivers, and they lack a QB to get it to them anyways. This may be the worst offense in football.

Detroit should score a lot of points. Especially if Calvin Johnson can break out this season. They will also turn the ball over a lot. And their defense, if it is possible, is actually worse this season than last season, thanks to the loss of Shaun Rogers.

Minnesota needs decent quarterback play from Tarvaris Jackson to make the playoffs. Their defense is one of the best in the league. Their offensive line is the best in the league, as is their defensive line. If they only had more help at receiver.

Green Bay also just needs solid-but-not-great quarterback play to make the playoffs. However, in this case, I think they will get great quarterback play out of Aaron Rodgers. He may have a bad game or two, but as a whole, he will be the breakout player of the year.

NFC East

This is the other division where one can argue that it is the best division in the NFL. Picking which two teams will make the playoffs from this division is a crapshoot every year. Injuries have deflated the Giants a bit, though.

New York Giants fan will be able to tell of the pain that comes with the fall from grace. The defense that got them a Super Bowl trophy is not even close to the same. I am still not ready to call Eli Manning an elite quarterback, yet.

He hasn't put together a full season yet. It is hard to believe that this team could have easily missed the playoffs last year. They won so many "ugly" games. This year, they lose those games.

Washington reloaded their offense for Jason Campbell. They added Devin Thomas to a group of small receivers. The hope is that the defense will continue to be as good as it has been. From there, the offense just needs to provide a little bit. I don't think they will be able to provide enough, though.

Philadelphia is hoping that Donovan McNabb comes back 100 percent. If he does, they are a playoff team. He was having an MVP-caliber season last year, before the injury, and Philly would have made the playoffs.

Be ready to see McNabb lead them to the playoffs this year and get himself named the Comeback Player of the Year.

Dallas is a team we all know is bound for the playoffs. The question with them is whether or not they can do anything once they get there. Fortunately for Tony Romo and the 'Boys, the NFC is even weaker this year.

NFC West

This is a division that the Seahawks have owned lately. The question is whether St. Louis will be last year's Rams or the Rams that everybody thinks they can be.

San Francisco is rebuilding. And doing a good job of rebuilding for the future. The one piece that they still lack is a QB. The defense will be good. The offense won't. And I am not sure that it is a good thing that Mike Martz is now there.

Arizona has an explosive offense. Their only hope of making the playoffs, though, is if the defense can create a lot of turnovers, because they will not be creating a lot of stops. Expect Arizona to lose a lot of shootouts. They are a great fantasy team, just not that good of an NFL team.

St. Louis will be better this year. They still will not be good enough. The offensive line will get banged up, and they will be wishing they could have gotten Jake Long. The defense is where they will struggle more, though. The front four will get the job done, but they will have problems behind them.

Seattle will win this division because somebody has to. They are really banged up at the receiver position, but look for Nate Burleson to have a breakout year. On defense, they should be good enough. They still have the 12th man, and that should be good enough to get them at least six wins. If they can still three road games, they are solidly in the playoffs.

NFC South

Welcome to the worst division in the NFL. This is a division of "what ifs." What if Mike Vick wasn't in prison? What if Carolina could stay healthy? What if Deuce McAllister didn't get hurt last year?

Atlanta has a horrible offensive line. Michael Turner could not have chosen a worse destination. Matt Ryan is going to know how David Carr felt after a couple of weeks. And the defense, well, it isn't very good either.

Carolina...What is there to say about the Panthers? Everything that anybody ever thought about this team never happens. If they can stay healthy, they should be a contender in the division. I just don't think they will stay healthy.

Tampa Bay does not have any gaping holes. The problem with them is that they aren't really great anywhere, either. Jeff Garcia doesn't turn the ball over. He also doesn't throw the ball down the field very well, which makes it tough to establish the run.

New Orleans should have won this division last season. They will win it this season, as long as Drew Brees is the Brees from the last 12 games, not the first four. It will also help if McAllister stays healthy, because Reggie Bush is not a RB. He is a WR out of the backfield. Shockey should help out a bunch.

Playoffs

(3) Green Bay beats (5) Philadelphia.
(6) Minnesota beats (4) Seattle.

(1) Dallas beats (6) Minnesota.
(3) Green Bay beats (2) New Orleans.

(1) Dallas beats (3) Green Bay.

And the Super Bowl Champions will be:

The New England Patriots (38) beat the Dallas Cowboys (31).