Breaking Down Your 2011 NFL Division and Wild Card Winners

The NFL's first preseason games are just days away, and the start of the regular season is just around the corner. After an offseason full of doubt, fans are just happy they have a season to cheer for their favorite teams. 

That doesn't mean it's too soon to make playoff predictions, does it? Of course not. Without further ado, here is a look at how the 2011 playoffs will shape up. 

AFC North

The Pittsburgh Steelers

After missing the playoffs in 2009, the Steelers were picked to finish as low as third place in the division for 2010. The Steelers rode that chip on their shoulder all the way to the Super Bowl.

This is a season rarely seen from Pittsburgh, coming of a championship loss. They suffered from Super Bowl hangovers in each of the last two seasons when they defended their titles, missing the playoffs in 2007 and 2009. The question is will they again be overconfident and lose to bad teams, or will they be on a mission to reclaim the glory they were so close to in 2010?

The Steelers had a quiet offseason that saw them sign their own guys, release some veterans and not bring in anyone of note. They locked down Ike Taylor, their solid but-not-spectacular No. 1 corner.

Most importantly, they have budding superstar outside linebacker Lamar Woodley locked down for the next six years. Woodley has had at least 10 sacks in each of the last three seasons, as well as 10 combined fumble recoveries and interceptions to go with all of those hits on the quarterback.

The smart money here is on the boys being hungry after getting so close to number seven, and a third for Roethlisberger, Polamalu, Hines and Harrison, which would put them in hallowed NFL ground. Another Division Championship and Super Bowl run should be expected.

AFC South

The Houston Texans

Peyton Manning can’t carry the Colts to the playoffs again, can he? Each of the last several seasons was supposed to be the year for the Texans to overtake the Colts and win the AFC South. Better top to bottom at every single position but quarterback, this should finally be the season they do it.

The Texans just may have had the best offseason that no one is talking about. They brought in pro bowl cornerback Jonathan Joseph, and a safety with pro-bowl potential in Danieal Manning.

For a team who has been tormented by Peyton Manning since their inception, these are two great moves that should push them over the edge and get them that elusive division crown.

AFC East

The New England Patriots

Strategic or desperate? That is the question in grading the New England Patriots’ 2011 offseason. The addition of Chad Ochocinco looks great on paper, but when it is all said and done, that is probably all it will look good on. These days, Ochocinco only talks like an elite receiver.

No. 85's only two games in which he eclipsed 100 yards receiving last season were against the 22^nd and 30^th ranked passing defenses. In both games the Bengals trailed big early, and there was little choice but to chuck the ball around.

The move that should scare the NFL the most is bringing in Albert Haynesworth. A small-risk, high-reward move, Haynesworth may be the most disruptive defensive force in the league when motivated. If playing for a Super Bowl contender after embarrassing yourself for two years with the bottom-feeding Washington Redskins cannot get you motivated, you need to find a new profession.

Signing Shaun Ellis is little more than a slap to the Jets, as he had only 4.5 sacks last year. However, Ellis had two sacks in the Jets’ playoff victory over the Patriots. A clutch performance like that in the playoffs would justify the $4 million they spent on the 34-year-old defensive end. The Patriots took a similar flyer on the 49ers' 32-year-old former end, Andre Carter.

 The Patriots may have remade their defensive line, but have done nothing in terms of shoring up a pass defense that ranked 30^th in the NFL in 2010. Furthermore, the book is out on Tom Brady: the man simply does not like to be hit. Few teams have the capability to beat the solid Pats’ offensive line. This should be fine for another dominant regular season and division crown, but will be a problem come playoff time. 

AFC West

San Diego Chargers

The Chargers had owned this division before slipping up and missing the playoffs in 2010. The team was in a weird state, as they said goodbye to arguably the greatest player in franchise history, LaDanian Tomlinson. They also were engaged in lengthy contract battles with Pro Bowlers Marcus McNeill and Vincent Jackson.

Jackson ended up playing in only five games last season. Now he and McNeill are locked up for the foreseeable future, and franchise quarterback Phillip Rivers will have his full stable of offensive weapons to play with for the entire season.

Tomlinson’s replacement, Ryan Mathews, had a solid rookie season that saw him reach the end zone seven times and average more than four yards per game. Like many second-year players, consistency and durability should be Mathews’ focus, as he missed four games and had five fumbles. 

Wild Card

The Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens have now seen two Super Bowl opportunities thwarted by the hated Pittsburgh Steelers in the last three seasons. Once again, the determining factor in capturing the ultimate prize will likely come down to how they match up against their bitter rivals.

Baltimore has bolstered their run game, re-signing integral lineman Marshal Yanda, and now has added former pro bowl back Ricky Williams to the mix. Williams has averaged more than four yards per carry and played in all 16 games the last three seasons.

Williams' 230-lb frame should prove to be a good change-of-pace to featured scat back Ray Rice. In an underrated move, the Ravens also brought in Pro Bowl fullback Vonta Leach, a devastating lead blocker.

Solid moves from a solid franchise, yes. However, the Ravens will go as far as quarterback Joe Flacco takes them. The fourth-year pro set career highs in passing yards, touchdowns and QB rating, as well as a low for interceptions in 2010.

However, Flacco still gets the deer-in-the-headlights look when the moment comes. Maddening to Ravens fans, thus far it seems like Flacco is good enough to get you close, but not good enough to get you over the precipice. Only time will tell if he can take that next step. 

Wild Card

The New York Jets

The Jets have had one the loudest offseasons in the NFL, but it is hard to tell if all the noise has actually improved the club. Plaxico Burress could be better than Braylon Edwards, but after missing two-and-a-half seasons, it is impossible to tell.

Re-signing Antonio Cromartie was an important move, as the duo of Cromartie and Darelle Revis should shut down all but the most elite receiving corps. However, New York lost two popular veterans in Shaun Ellis and Jerricho Cotchery.

Like Burress, there is no guarantee that the 14-year veteran Derrick Mason, brought in from the Ravens and coming off of his least productive season in 11 years, is going to be a better third receiver than Cotchery was.

To add injury to insult, Shaun Ellis signed with the Jets’ biggest rival, the Patriots. Ellis is a far cry from the Pro Bowl player he once was, but was the biggest Patriots hater on the club and, again, a great locker room guy. Ellis was insulted by the Jets’ attempt to bring him back for the veteran minimum. Just another wrinkle in one of the sport’s most entertaining rivalries.

In New York, however, it is all about the wins. In six playoff games, Sanchez has posted nine touchdowns against just three interceptions. A so-so quarterback riding a dominant defense and running game to wins, or a winner where stats are just a number? Only time will tell for Sanchez and the Jets. 

NFC North

The Green Bay Packers

It is scary to think, but the Green Bay Packers might be better than their Super Bowl-winning 2010 version. While the team has not done much via free agency, the Packers had 17 players land on the injured reserve last season. So welcoming back key players like featured back Ryan Grant can be considered their free agent spending.

The “addition” of Ryan Grant should bolster a running game that ranked 24^th in the NFL last season. Grant was coming off of back-to-back seasons in which he eclipsed 1,200 yards. Even if Grant is not the same player, James Starks impressed during the Super Bowl run, rushing for 315 yards on four yards per carry in four playoff games.

Rookie first-round pick Derek Sherrod will likely replace the departed Daryn Colledge at left guard. Other than that, it is business as usual for the defending Super Bowl Champs. Expect another huge season for A-Rodg, as the Packers take the division and have a run at back-to-back championships.  

NFC South

The New Orleans Saints

The Saints ended their Super Bowl-defense season in disappointing fashion, losing to a team most felt did not belong in the playoffs—the Seattle Seahawks. Saints' brass has made positive moves in getting the team back on track. 

Their work in the offseason points to a new-found commitment to the running game. The selection of power back Mark Ingram was only the beginning. The team also brought in road-grading, Pro Bowl center Olin Kreutz.

The team then spent their offseason cash on tackle Alex Barron. Barron will protect Brees' blindside as well as help Ingram and the running game. The addition of a 20 carry per game, grind-it-out back will give Drew Brees something he has not had in New Orleans: an effective play-action game. 

With their other first-round pick, 6'4", 290-lb defensive end Cameron Jordan, the Saints clearly have dedicated 2011 to winning the battle in the trenches. You have to love a team that goes back to the basics in its quest to return to Super Bowl glory. 

NFC East

The Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles have undoubtedly been the biggest players on the free agent market. The “Dream Team” is already garnering comparisons to what the Miami Heat did in last year’s NBA offseason.

We all know about the secondary. On paper they have the best cornerback trio of all time, with three Pro Bowlers in Asante Samuel, Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Samuel and Asomugha are absolute shutdown corners.

The defensive line, even with the loss of starting tackle Mike Patterson, is stacked as well. The addition of Anthony Hargrove, a starter on the Saints’ Super Bowl-winning team, will all but take care of Patterson’s loss.

Of course, the Eagles brought in Cullen Jenkins and Jason Babin as well. Holdovers Juqua Parker and Trent Cole are solid producers in their own right. Jenkins, Hargrove and underrated signee Derek Landri should hold down the defensive tackle spots, while the rest rotate at the defensive end positions.

With playmakers at every skill position and a solid line, the offense is set as well. The remaining question marks on this team are the linebackers, as a starting threesome of Ernie Sims, Jamar Chaney and Moise Fokou scares no one. The Eagles will have to hope rookie Casey Matthews can prove to be half the playmaker his brother Clay has been for the Packers.

If the linebackers hold up their end of the bargain, the Eagles will be in position to get to the Super Bowl. Then it will all be on Andy Reid and Michael Vick to take them the rest of the way. 

NFC West

The St. Louis Rams

The West is wide open this season. A lot of the results will depend on the effectiveness of Kevin Kolb in Arizona. I think we see a season from Kolb much like we saw with Matt Cassell when he went to Kansas City: the flashes are there and it is evident he will be a good quarterback, but there will be bumps along the road.

The Rams, however, seem poised to take the division now. They had a nice little offseason themselves, getting proven role players in Jerious Norwood and Mike Sims-Walker. Norwood will hopefully help extend Steven Jackson’s career. It would be a real shame if a talent like Jackson, who never got in trouble or created any distractions, spent the majority of his prime with an awful team with nothing to show for it.

Mike Sims-Walker will step in and be the number one option for promising quarterback Sam Bradford. Sims-Walker is hardly elite, but is a huge improvement over an uninspiring trio of Laurent Robinson, Brandon Gibson and Danny Amendola that the Rams rode to within a game of the playoffs last season. 

Look for Sam Bradford to make a huge step forward in his second season. He completed 60 percent of his passes and threw for over 3,500 yards as a rookie, with some of the worst offensive options in the NFL. Another year of experience—plus some proven talent—should help Bradford progress into the elite quarterback it looks like he will become. 

Wild Card

The Buccaneers did not do anything of note in the offseason, but their improvement should come from within, as the Bucs have young playmakers all over the field. As usual, it all starts with the quarterback, Josh Freeman.

Freeman was only 22 years old last season and finished with an astounding 25 touchdowns, against only six interceptions. A quick glance at the other elite quarterbacks' second seasons: Peyton Manning: 26/15, Drew Brees: 17/16, Tom Brady: 18/12, Ben Roethlisberger: 17/11.

Freeman only heads a list of young offensive weapons. Mike Williams had 964 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns as a rookie, and running back LeGarrette Blount had more than 1,000 yards on five yards per carry and six touchdowns in his rookie season.

The Bucs took steps in the draft to shore up the team’s biggest weakness: rushing defense. They drafted a pair of defensive ends in Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers. Clayborn was a four-year producer for Iowa, a conference that knows how to run and, subsequently, how to stop the run.

Bowers would have been a top 10 pick if not for a known medial condition with his knees that will likely make him the Brandon Roy of the NFL. While his knees hold out, he will be a force for a team that is truly on the rise. 

Wild Card

The Dallas Cowboys

Dallas will get the highly competitive sixth and final playoff spot. It is tough to pick against the Bears, as I do like what they did in the offseason. However, there is a good chance they could start the season out one and three, whereas the Cowboys should start out three and one.

The Cowboys’ improvements will come from within, as they had an unusually quiet offseason. Dez Bryant will make the jump to an elite receiver, giving the Cowboys dual 1000-yard threats for Tony Romo to throw to on the outside, while tight end Jason Witten works the inside. As long as Felix Jones and Tashard Choice keep the running game going, this should be a potent offense.

The biggest improvement on defense will come from the addition of coordinator Rob Ryan. This defense is too talented to finish 31^st in scoring defense. With Ryan and talent such as DeMarcus Ware and Brady James in the linebacking corps—and big Jay Ratliff clogging up the middle—the run defense should go from solid to elite, while the pass defense goes from awful to acceptable.

We will chalk up 2010 to a Murphy’s Law, “what can go wrong will go wrong” season for the Cowboys. Dallas is not a legitimate Super Bowl contender, but a return to the playoffs seems reasonable.