Divide and Conquer: Predicting the Winner of Each NFL Division

We're about a month away from one of the highlights of an American sports fan's year.  That's right, the beginning of a brand new NFL season.  Every single team has the exact same record, and no one can be ruled out of playoff, or Super Bowl, contention.  Throughout the season, there will be many great finishes and unbelievable highlights.  I'm here to separate the pre-season contenders from the pretenders and pick the winner of each of the eight NFL divisions.

AFC East

The AFC East is a division that has been out of reach for the Buffalo Bills for years.  With no major upgrades, combined with the loss of Paul Posluzny, it looks like another tough season up north.  The Miami Dolphins were unable to get Kyle Orton, and even Brandon Marshall can't make a Chad Henne-quarterbacked team a playoff team.  The New York Jets have high expectations set, with Rex Ryan again stating this year is Super Bowl or bust.  With a stiff defense and improved Mark Sanchez, they have a decent shot.  The New England Patriots have dominated this division for a decade, and with new signings Chad Ochocinco (who doesn't have to play a major role) and Albert Haynesworth (who has a huge chip on his shoulder) this team is still as dangerous as ever.

The Verdict: The division title, again, goes to the team in Foxboro.  Luckily for the Jets, they get a Wild Card berth.

AFC North

The AFC North is always an interesting division, to say the least.  This year the Baltimore Ravens are looking to finally win another Super Bowl, and the division crown as well.  Even though they lost Kelly Gregg, this is a very strong defensive team and above average offensive team.  The only real concern is injures to some of the older players. the Cincinnati Bengals are in complete rebuilding mode, and could be the worst team in the NFL.  The front office has been giving away players for practically pennies.  The only good deal they made was re-signing Cedric Benson.  The Cleveland Browns are looking to rebound from another bad season, and have made some nice moves under the radar.  The loss of Eric Wright is tough, but with Colt McCoy in his second season and Eric Mangini out of town, this team could make some noise.  Finally, we have the Pittsburgh Steelers.  This team looks to have another great season, and James Harrison shouldn't be a big distraction.  After a subpar Super Bowl, clutch Big Ben should respond and lead the Steelers to many wins.

The Verdict: The Ravens overtake the Steelers in the division, but the Steel Crew nab a Wild Card berth.

AFC South

The AFC South is a division that has, for the last decade, been dominated by the Indianapolis Colts.  Peyton Manning does have injury concerns, and alot of the players have passed the peak of their careers.  This will be a tough year in Indy.  The Houston Texans had several heartbreaking finishes last year, and hope this year will be different.  Andre Johnson's broken finger could be huge, but Texans have tons of firepower on offense with Matt Schaub and Arian Foster, this explosive team is ready to break out. Jacksonville will try to finally get in the playoffs and win a game or two.  The addition of Paul Posluzny is huge, but there are still many holes and concerns on defense.  A lot of the games the Jags won last year could have gone either way, and this year they may be on the wrong end of a lot of those games.  The Tennessee Titans parted ways with former franchise quarterback Vince Young, essentially ushering in a new era at LP Field.  Combine that with the loss of Jason Babin, and this could be a tough campaign in Nashville.

The Verdict: The Texans and new corner Jonathan Joseph finally get that elusive playoff berth and division crown, while the Colts miss the playoffs for the first time in a long time.

AFC West

The Denver Broncos were not successful under offensive-minded Josh McDaniels.  They are hoping former Panthers coach John Fox will be able to replicate the success of Mike Shanahan.  Everyone was expecting Kyle Orton to move, but the Broncos will be a lot better with him as starter.  That still doesn't make them good, though.  The Kansas City Chiefs were one of the surprises of 2011.  Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones made a great 1-2 punch at the RB position.  This year, though, they may not be as lucky.  The San Diego Chargers had an average season last year.  They started off slowly, then went on a tear.  If Philip Rivers and Co. can start of the season well, winning the division should be a breeze. The Oakland Raiders lost their best player in Nnamdi Asomugha.  So much for them getting to .500 this season.

The Verdict: The Chargers start slowly again, but recover to win this weak division.

NFC East

In the words of Rob Ryan, "The Philadelphia Eagles are the all hype team."  With the signings of Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, among others, the Eagles have quickly become the NFC favorite, and they have the roster to do it.  The Dallas Cowboys, however, with re-emerging quarterback Tony Romo are looking to change that.  A horrible season last year led to the sacking of Wade Phillips, and Jason Garrett will look to avoid a similar fate.  The New York Giants are also sticking around, with their always solid defense ready to stop these high-powered offenses.  As for the Redskins, lets just say this may be a long season.

The verdict: The Eagles win the division but DO NOT MAKE IT TO THE SUPER BOWL. The Giants just barely get a wild card. 

NFC North

The Green Bay Packers may be the Super Bowl Champions, but remember, they aren't the NFC North Champions.  The Chicago Bears are.  The two old rivals will be the main competitors in this divisional race, with Aaron Rodgers and the explosive Packers offense versus Brian Urlacher and the rock hard Bears defense.  A lot of people like the Detroit Lions as a playoff dark horse, but I disagree.  Ndamukong Suh will lead his team to a decent season, but not a playoff one.  Add the Vikings in to the mix with new quarterback Donovan McNabb, and this is probably the most interesting division in all of football.

The Verdict: The cheese heads win the division but DO NOT MAKE IT TO THE SUPER BOWL.

NFC South

The NFC South had three teams in contention for a playoff spot last year: the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  The Carolina Panthers had the worst record in the league, and won't be much better under Cam Newton (this will finally be the year that the team that finishes last the year before doesn't win the division!).  The Buccaneers will not be as good this year, as I think Josh Freeman will be tested more this campaign.  That leaves the Falcons and Saints.  Both teams rely on their high powered offenses, but both have serviceable defenses.  This race should be neck and neck.

The Verdict: The Falcons defense is slightly better and they get the NFC South crown again.  New Orleans take the Wild Card as a consolation.

NFC West

The NFC West has for years been the worst division in the NFL.  Last year, the Seattle Seahawks, with an under .500 record, still won the division and made the playoffs.  The Seahawks recently made a huge move by landing big tight end Zach Miller, who will give Tarvaris Jackson a big target in the red zone. The Arizona Cardinals lost star corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, but it was worth it to get Kevin Kolb and allow Larry Fitzgerald to be, well, Larry Fitzgerald.  The Rams are gradually improving and Sam Bradford will be much better the second time around.  The 49ers are an underrated team.  They have a tackling machine in Patrick Willis to plug up the holes and I think playmaker Brian Westbrook could be reborn this year, with Frank Gore's constant injury problems.

The Verdict: The 49er's win a bad division with a .500 record.