Week 2 of the 2016 NFL Season has several interesting divisional match ups to keep our eyes on, as fans know, these are the games that mean the most, they’re the most familiar foes with the most unpredictable outcomes. Think about last year, when the Patriots were on their way to the #1 seed in the AFC, all they had to do was beat the Dolphins to secure that spot, a team that fired their head coach during the season. What happened? The Patriots lost  soundly, 20-10. As for this week, we should expect the unexpected, as  the Jets and Bills already showed us with their thrilling Thursday night match up, and without further adieu, here are my rankings for which match up will be the most interesting:

6. Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns – The Browns are not a good football team, the Ravens defense seemed to be much improved after the week 1 win over the Buffalo Bills, but it remains to be seen if they can keep it up. The Ravens offense has enough talent that it could run away with this one, much like the Eagles did last week against Cleveland. This one could be hard to watch: 20-6 Ravens get the win.

5. Green Bay Packers vs Minnesota Vikings – I considered putting the Cowboys – Redskins game here, but that game lends itself to being closer than this game. As good as the Vikings defense is, and as good as Adrian Peterson is, the Vikings just don’t quite have enough to break down the Packers strong defense and high-octane offense. We also don’t know who the Vikings quarterback will be, Shaun Hill knows the offense, but doesn’t have the talent of a Sam Bradford. Packers win 31-20.

4. Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams – These are normally very close contests, but not particularly well played games at that. The offensive lines on both sides are well below average at absolute best, the defenses are vicious, but the Rams have very little talent outside of Todd Gurley at the skill positions, while the Seahawks have a talented receiving corps and backfield committee (Fantasy owners, don’t shudder too much at that thought) However, Russell Wilson is not healthy, meaning that there could be a ton of negative plays for both sides. The Rams did sweep the Seahawks last year, but that was when they were the St. Louis Rams, a new city brings a new result: Seahawks will win 7-3 in a close, but not particularly fun to watch game.

3. Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins – This match up should be a good one, 2 young quarterbacks dueling it out in the nations capital, as Dak Prescott, who looked good last week against the Giants, faces off against Kirk Cousins, who set Redskins franchise records last year as a passer. Not to mention we get to see round 2 of Dez Bryant vs. Josh Norman, which, if the Redskins are smart, we’ll get to watch for the whole game. This is also a game of who can get on track in the NFC East, a loss here hurts both teams chances of competing for the division later in the season. A lot of story-lines, some really good match ups, and a Dallas Cowboys win on the road: 24-21.

2. Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots – This would be the most interesting game if not for the Bengals – Steelers rematch, because watching how Jimmy Garoppolo handles a relentless Miami pass rush could be a lot of fun. The Dolphins always play the Pats tough, and beat them last year (as mentioned above). Seeing what Bill Belichick comes up with on defense to help out the offense will be interesting to watch for sure, with Adam Gase on the other sideline, scheming against Bill’s defense, it’ll be a chess match between these two, Miami pulls of the upset: 21-20 on a last minute touchdown.

1. Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers – This is not a game for the faint of heart, after the last couple years of hard hitting smash mouth football, last years playoff match up between these 2 teams is one to remember. All the hard hits, the penalties, it was a brutal game from the opening kick off. From Ryan Shazier’s hit that knocked Jeremy Hill out, to Vontaze Burfict’s near decapitation of Antonio Brown (causing him to be suspended for 3 games this season), it was one of the most physically and emotionally draining games in recent memory. The Steelers overcame it all and walked out with a victory, but lost Antonio Brown, and the game to the Super Bowl Champion Broncos the next week. In this rematch, the Steelers take it at home 20-17.

Week 1 is the first football action we see in months (That matters, anyway) so it’s natural to overreact to things that we see on the football field for this week. So fans, with week 2 on the horizon, all I can say is this: take a deep breath, relax, and read on.

5. New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis is finished – Is Revis past his prime? Yes, is he no longer a good corner? Not necessarily, let’s just remember that Revis went against one of the top receivers in the league in AJ Green, most defensive backs look bad against him. Revis is slowing down, no doubt, he’s not going to be the same dominant “Revis Island” that Jet fans have become accustomed to. Revis will be fine, he’s just not dominant anymore.

4. Redskins wasted their money on Josh Norman – On Monday Night Football, the biggest story wasn’t DeAngelo Williams shredding the Redskins defense, or Antonio Brown being Antonio Brown, it was about how Josh Norman didn’t cover Brown because he couldn’t. Norman covered Brown on a few plays – one was a pass breakup, the other was a near-interception of Ben Roethlisberger. The Redskins coaching staff made a mistake, it has nothing to do with Norman’s talent.

3. The Rams have the worst offense in the league – The 49ers are the kings of week 1 Monday Night Football, remember last year when they beat the Vikings 20-3, remember how that turned out by season’s end? The Vikings made the playoffs behind a solid offense and a stifling defense. The Rams offense won’t be great this year with that offensive line, but the worst in the league? Remember, the Browns are still in the NFL. The real concern should be when Jeff Fisher and Les Snead get contract extensions.

2. The Patriots are going 4-0 with Jimmy Garoppolo at QB – Garoppolo played fine against the Cardinals, completing 24-33 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown. However, the Cardinals pass rush, aside from Chandler Jones, is not good, and while Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu are great, the Cardinals don’t have much depth in the secondary. The Dolphins aren’t good in the secondary either, but they held the Seahawks to 12 points in Seattle. The Texans are going to be tough, and the Bills could compete, divisional games are always unpredictable.

1. Carson Wentz is a franchise Quarterback – Wentz played very well in his Eagles debut, throwing for 278 yards and 2 touchdowns, however, that was against the Browns, who are probably the worst team in the NFL as it stands now, especially on defense (Seriously, outside of Joe Haden, name a Browns defender). Let’s wait a few weeks before we name Wentz the future at the position. I like Wentz, and he could become a good player in the league, but let’s wait until he faces a real defense to judge anything.

Got another overreaction you’d like to share? Please leave a comment below to discuss.

With the NFL Season just about here, and with the divisional predictions posted already, it’s now time to predict who’s getting to the postseason, and eventually, who will win the Superbowl. Without any further introduction, let’s get into it:

In the AFC:

Wild Card round:

1. Pittsburgh Steelers – bye
2. Houston Texans – bye
3. New England Patriots vs. 6. New York Jets – This matchup features a fierce divisional rivalry where the season is on the line. In a hard-hitting matchup of two AFC contenders from last seaon, Tom Brady comes up big, and Ryan Fitzpatrick comes up short in a ten point loss in Foxborough. Final score 30-20.
4. Oakland Raiders vs.  5. Denver Broncos – In the second divisional matchup of Wildcard weekend, this is a low scoring, defensive heavy matchup, as the Raiders improved defense goes toe to toe with the Broncos vaunted unit. This is a close game, coming down to who has more playoff experience, the Broncos know how to win in the playoffs, the Raiders don’t yet. Final score 20-17.

Divisional Round:

1. New England Patriots at Houston Texans – This has the potential to be a fun matchup, as both teams are well coached, Brock vs. Brady, Bill vs. Bill, these are two teams that are built very well, but the improvements to the Texans offense are enough to overthrow the evil empire of New England. Texans win at home 27-21
2. Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers – In a repeat of last years playoff matchup, the Broncos and Steelers go at it again in a classic. The Steelers offense against the still tough Broncos defense is the type of football you want to watch in the playoffs. The differences this time around are that the Steelers are healthy, and the Broncos don’t have Peyton Manning’s mind out on the field. The Steelers triumph on this occasion: 24-21 in overtime

AFC Championship:

Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers – The newest NFL franchise versus one of its most historic. An established contender versus a rising star, Lamar Miller leads the charge for a revitalized Texans offense, Brock Osweiler manages games well enough to get the team to this point, and the defense shuts down opposing offenses . The Steelers dynamic offense and strong front seven helped roll through the league for most of the season. It all comes down to the end at Heinz field, on a cold January day. Which team will be able to run the ball better? Houston, we have liftoff, the Texans reach the Superbowl for the first time in franchise history. Texans pull off a stunner 21-17.

For the NFC:

Wildcard Round: 

1. Green Bay Packers – bye
2. Carolina Panthers – bye
3. Seattle Seahawks vs. 6. New York Giants – In a surprise surge, led by the defense, the Giants are able to squeeze into the playoffs over the Cardinals, Falcons, and Buccaneers. The Giants roll into Seattle undaunted by the road game, nor the noise the 12th man presents. However, the Giants just don’t have enough pass-rush to get to Russell Wilson, but Odell Beckham and the Giants offense finds a way to keep up and upset the Seahawks 31-29, missing overtime by a failed 2 point conversion.
4. Washington Redskins vs. 5. Minnesota Vikings – The Vikings are going through a time of transition, starting the season with Shaun Hill under center, then Sam Bradford as soon as he’s ready to take the reigns could move the Vikings to the 6 seed. The Redskins made it to the playoffs last year, only to lose to a team from the NFC North, history does not repeat itself today, as Kirk Cousins leads a comeback from 10 down to put the Redskins into the divisional round, Redskins win 28-24.

Divisional Round:

1. Green Bay Packers vs. New York Giants – In the bitter cold of Lambeau field, this is not a game for the faint of heart, this is a game of attrition, a rock hard field in an icy Green Bay, Wisconsin in the heart of January, a time where legends are remembered, and this day will belong to Eddie Lacy, despite the presence of Damon Harrison, the interior of the Packers offensive line will do enough to allow Lacy to exploit the Giants weakness at linebacker. Packers pound away 31-17
2. Carolina Panthers vs. Washington Redskins – There are mismatches, then there are mismatches, the Redskins are completely overmatched on this occasion, they’ve had a good season to this point, but are looking at a team that’s ahead of them in just about every way. Josh Norman will not be getting his revenge on this occasion, as the Panthers steamroll their way back into the NFC Championship. Kirk Cousins does show some good things, but not enough to keep up with Cam Newton. Panthers win 41-21.

NFC Championship:

Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers – These teams represent the 2 new schools of thought in the football world, Green Bay with its wide open offense and a runningback committee of Lacy and James Starks, going against the Panthers power option offense with big receivers on the outside. This should be a close matchup, however, the Packers pass rush proves to be too much for the Panthers offensive line, and the holes in the secondary prove to be their undoing as Julius Peppers gets his revenge, and the Packers go on to the Superbowl to face Houston.

Super Bowl

Green Bay Packers vs. Houston Texans – In a game not many would have predicted, there will prove to be many interesting matchups. The Texans pass rushers of JJ Watt, Whitney Mercilus, and a surging Jadeveon Clowney against a re-shuffled Packers offensive line. Rodgers and his now healthy receiving corps against the Texans secondary. The Texans new-look offense against the Packers now strong defense. Ultimately, the Superbowl is decided by the best overall team, not the best quarterback on the field, as we saw last year. The Houston Texans are your 2016-2017 Superbowl Champions, defeating the Packers in an exciting affair 23-21, as Mason Crosby misses a 60 yard field goal to end the game, wide left will be forever engrained in the minds of Packer fans.

Award Winners: 

Defensive Rookie of the Year – Deion Jones, Atlanta Falcons middle line-backer, Jones was a second round pick of the Falcons because of his speed and potential playmaking ability. Jones is set up to be a tacking and playmaking machine, much like Bobby Wagner is in the Seahawks scheme, as Jones ran a 4.38 40-yard dash time at the combine. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 110 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 interceptions and a forced fumble are enough to get Jones in the conversation, and the award. (Alternate: Jalen Ramsey, Jacksonville Jaguars)

Offensive Rookie of the Year – Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys running back, Elliott has the clearest path to winning the award, running behind the best offensive line in the NFL, having Dez Bryant, Terrence Williams, and Dak Prescott taking the pressure off of Elliot to be the only player defenses have to fear on Sundays. There aren’t many other offensive rookies set up to win this award, but injuries, and the presence of Alfred Morris could present a threat to Zeke’s hopes of bringing home the hardware (Alternate: Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles)

Defensive Player of the Year: Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle, Aaron Donald proved himself to be every bit as dominant and effective as JJ Watt last season, but this is the season where he becomes a household name and takes home the hardware, Watt is on his way to being an all-time great, Donald might not be too far behind him. This is the start of a great battle between 2 incredible defensive players for who can win more DPOY awards, or be first to be named MVP.

Offensive Player of the Year: Lamar Miller, Houston Texans running back, is this crazy? Probably, but Miller has shown incredible potential in his time with the Dolphins, so now that he’s the feature back, and running behind a stout offensive line in Houston, Miller could go off for one of those seasons to remember for a running back. In terms of his career, the Dolphins got Miller Lite, the Texans are about to get into the Miller High Life. (Alternate: Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers)

MVP: Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks quarterback, Wilson is set up to have the best season in his career with a great cast of receivers around him, along with an offense that’s now all his own, without the shadow of Marshawn Lynch waiting to make another run we’ll all remember for a long, long time. (Alternate: Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings)

With the 2016 Season about to kickoff, it’s time to make some predictions that could look silly by mid-season, but isn’t that what we love about sports? Anyway, onto the predictions, starting with division standings:

AFC East:

1. New England Patriots – Even though the Patriots will be missing Tom Brady’s luscious locks, they still have the most talented roster in the division, and the best coaching staff in the division. Even if they get out to a 1-3 start with Jimmy Garoppolo, they should have Brady coming back strong for the rest of the season. As long as this team stays healthy, they’re a contender in the AFC.
2. New York Jets – Before the injuries and suspensions on the Bills defense, I had them as the #2 team in the AFC East, but as everything stands as of now, the Jets have the most balanced team remaining in the division. With Matt Forte added in the mix, the Jets have another receiving threat out of the backfield, and someone who can run well between the tackles, there will be times where they miss Chris Ivory’s hard running style, but Forte’s is more sustainable across a full season.
3. Buffalo Bills – Tyrod Taylor, Sammy Watkins, and LeSean McCoy are all high-level playmakers for the Bills offense, with a solid line in front of them (leading the Bills to the top rushing offense a year ago by 9.4 yards per game). However, Rex Ryan’s defense was a major issue, finishing 19th, and with a near major mutiny among the players, including former #1 overall pick and sack artist, Mario Williams. They’ve already lost their top 2 draft picks to injuries in the offseason, and Marcel Dareus is suspended for the first 4 games of the season. If the Bills have another rough year, they could be looking for a new coach in the offseason as well.
4. Miami Dolphins – Year one of Adam Gase could be rough, despite having some talent on offense, including Jarvis Landry and DeVante Parker at receiver and a decent offensive line, there are a ton of questions with their running game, as Arian Foster is expected to start week one. If Foster stays healthy, that should be just fine, and could lead to a rise in the standings, but Foster hasn’t been able to stay healthy and play 16 games since 2012. As for the defense, other than that extremely talented defensive line and Reshad Jones at safety, there isn’t much in terms of speed or great cover guys.

AFC North:

1. Pittsburgh Steelers – Despite the suspensions of Martavis Bryant (Full year) and Le’Veon Bell (3 games), the Steelers offense should still hum right along with Antonio Brown, Deangelo Williams, and Ben Roethlisberger, with a good offensive line and a solid front seven on defense, the Steelers should be in the driver’s seat for an AFC North title. The secondary is a concern, however.
2. Cincinnati Bengals – The Bengals have a ton of turnover on offense, specifically with the receiving corp, as Marvin Jones and Mohammed Sanu left in free agency, and Tyler Eifert is recovering from offseason surgery. How will Andy Dalton’s chemistry be with Brandon LaFell and Tyler Boyd? This is a team that should still make the playoffs as a wild-card, but it may take another year before they’re a serious title contender.
3. Baltimore Ravens – The Ravens are a team in transition right now, as most of their roster is filled with older veterans (27th oldest in the league, according to Phillyvoice.com). They’re relying on a former Browns cast-off (Terrence West) to be the lead running back, aging pass rushers Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil to chase down opposing quarterbacks, not a great formula for success this season. Good news for Ravens fans though: you still have Ozzie Newsome running the front office, and Joe Flacco under center.
4. Cleveland Browns – As much as I like Hue Jackson and the direction of the front office, this rebuild is going to take a while. With Corey Coleman, Josh Gordon, and Terrelle Pryor in the mix, the Browns receivers have potential, Duke Johnson provides some explosiveness out of the backfield. The defense however, doesn’t appear to have many playmakers aside from Joe Haden.

AFC South:

1. Houston Texans – With the best defense, by far, in the division, the Texans offense just needs to be pretty good to win. There are a lot of new faces on the Texans offense, but with Lamar Miller, DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller, and Braxton Miller in the mix, this team is loaded with young offensive talent. It may take a few weeks for these guys to get on the same page as Brock Osweiler, but when they start clicking, they could be hard to stop.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars – A trendy playoff pick this season, the Jaguars are on the way to being a contender with an exciting offense and a young, talented defense, however, both units still need time to gel, and the offensive line is still a question. Blake Bortles came into his own last year, however, he needs to cut down the turnovers, after leading the NFL with 18 interceptions. If the Jaguars are going to be successful, they need to win the turnover battle more often.
3. Tennessee Titans – The Titans are a difficult team to figure out, they trade for DeMarco Murray, then draft Derrick Henry to give them a pair of sledgehammers in the backfield, then draft Tajae Sharpe later in the draft, leading to the trade of Dorial Green-Backham to the Eagles. The offense should be fine under the care of Marcus Mariota, but the defense is a question mark, as Jurrell Casey is the only elite player on that side of the ball.
4. Indianapolis Colts – The Colts are not a good football team, they have a good quarterback coming off a lost season, good wide receivers in TY Hilton, Donte Moncrief, and Phillip Dorsett. As for the offensive line and defense, it’s about the same as it’s been since Bert Jones was suiting up for the Colts in the 1970’s and early 80’s: average on their best days, dreadful on others. Jim Irsay seems to think a quarterback should win every game by himself, this year, the team pays for his philosophy.

AFC West:

1. Oakland Raiders – This was the toughest call to make among all of the division champions, as there could realistically be 3 teams coming out of the AFC West for playoff spots, but the Raiders are a team on the rise, with a young gunslinger at quarterback, a pair of high-end receivers, one of the best offensive lines in the AFC, Khalil Mack coming off the edge, Dan Williams plugging up the middle, Bruce Irvin and Sean Smith brought in as free agents in the offseason to help ease the burden on the offense, Oakland has a lot to like, despite the weaknesses at safety and depth in the secondary.
2. Denver Broncos – The Broncos still boast the best defense in the division, along with a great pair of receivers on offense, Virgil Green emerging at TE, C.J. Anderson leading a strong running back group, but the biggest question mark has to be the quarterback situation. Between Peyton Manning’s retirement after winning the Superbowl, and Brock Osweiler’s defection to Houston, this left Denver with only Trevor Siemian remaining on the roster, leading the Broncos to draft Paxton Lynch, who will not be starting opening night in Denver. Siemian has had an up and down preseason, but he’s shown a clear understanding of the offense, and despite some mistakes, has looked solid from what he’s shown in live game action. Denver nabs a playoff spot, but it’s much more difficult than last year
3. Kansas City Chiefs – It may look absurd to have the Chiefs in 3rd place, with how talented their roster is, but they’re not quite on the level of the Raiders and Broncos, the defense is very good, but will be missing their best player: Justin Houston for the first 6 weeks, at least, which is tough for any defense. Jamaal Charles is not yet healthy either, and he could miss at least week 1 recovering from a torn ACL suffered last season. This is a solid team, but it might not be as good as it was last year, still a fringe playoff contender though.
4. San Diego Chargers – The Chargers have issues, especially on the defensive side of the ball, the front seven is still slow, only Denzel Perryman stands out as a playmaker at the linebacker position, the offensive line is still a mess, despite having Joe Barksdale returning from injury. When Joe Barksdale is your ace in the hole for your line, that’s an issue. The cornerback position is very good, and Phillip Rivers can still sling it with the top QBs in the league, but those few things aren’t enough in one of the best divisions in football.

NFC East:

1. Washington Redskins – Many analysts seem to have the Giants and Cowboys winning the division, but there are problems with both of those rosters, possibly worse than Washington’s shortcomings. The Redskins have a solid offense, even if they’re unproven at running back with Matt Jones leading the committee. The defense is solid, and improved greatly in the secondary with the addition of Josh Norman. Kirk Cousins is the key to the Redskins season, will he prove himself to be the franchise quarterback he showed at times last season? Or will he be the guy who couldn’t take the reins from an ineffective RGIII in years prior.
2. New York Giants – No team spent more to rebuild their defense than the Giants did this offseason, adding Janoris Jenkins, Damon Harrison, Olivier Vernon, Leon Hall, and re-signing Jason Pierre-Paul, plus drafting Eli Apple to boot. That’s a ton of moving parts for a defense that finished last in the league last season, so chemistry may be an issue early on. The passing game should be fine with OBJ, Eli Manning, and second round rookie Sterling Shepard leading the charge, this is an offense that should be able to score some points. Rashad Jennings and Shane Vereen form a solid tandem out of the backfield. Will the offensive line hold up? That, along with a lack of defensive chemistry holds this team back from winning the division.
3. Dallas Cowboys – Rolondo McClain, suspended, DeMarcus Lawrence, suspended, Randy Gregory, suspended, Tony Romo, injured. These guys will miss a minimum of 4 games (Romo 6-10 games, McClain, 10 games). Yes, Dak Prescott lit up the league during the preseason, but with 2 rookies leading the backfield in Prescott and Zeke Elliot, there could be some early hiccups, something the offense can’t afford to do with the 2 best pass rushers and the revitalized middle linebacker gone for part of the season could sink the Cowboys before they ever have the chance to get started. The offensive line is the most talented in the league, they’re deep at receiver and tight end, which will help the rookie QB, but the Cowboys could be too far behind to catch up to the Giants and Redskins.
4. Philadelphia Eagles – After trading away Sam Bradford to the Vikings, and declaring Carson Wentz as the starter, it appears that the Eagles are probably playing for next year. This is a team without a star playmaker or go-to guy on offense, Jordan Matthews is a nice complementary piece, but not a #1 receiver, Nelson Agholor hasn’t come into his own yet, Dorial Green-Beckham just got traded for Dennis Kelly, which says a lot for how much the Titans valued him, Ryan Matthews and Darren Sproles are both very good players, but they aren’t exactly guys defensive coordinators are game planning specifically to stop. As for the defense, this unit should be strong, as they’re loaded with talent and coached by Jim Schwartz, who was last seen coaching the Bills to be the 4th best defense in the league in 2014. This team has a bright future, but this season could be rough.

NFC North:

1. Green Bay Packers – Originally, I had the Vikings in this spot, up until the Teddy Bridgewater injury, as he knew the offense, and was an  emerging player in the division. Now, with Green Bay getting back Jordy Nelson, Eddie Lacy no longer rounding out.. well, everywhere, the offense is set up to resume its great play of the past few years under Aaron Rodgers. Not to mention that the defense should be improved with Clay Matthews moving back to his natural position at outside linebacker in the Packers 3-4 scheme. He and Julius Peppers can again terrorize opposing quarterbacks coming off the edges.
2. Minnesota Vikings – The drop from first to second could easily be a drop to third in the division this year if newly acquired Sam Bradford can’t learn the playbook quickly, or if the Vikings repeat the mistake they made with Josh Freeman back in 2013, rushing him out as the starting quarterback after only being on the roster for 13 days. The Vikings have a solid team, with Adrian Peterson hard charging, the defense which is loaded with talent at every level, but if Bradford implodes, this team could fall fast.
3. Detroit Lions – After the retirement of Calvin Johnson, this team lost their face of the franchise, however, the Lions didn’t sit still at the receiver position, adding Marvin Jones and Anquan Boldin to play along side Golden Tate, Eric Ebron, and Ameer Abdullah out of the backfield. On top of that, Matthew Stafford finished last season white-hot, throwing 19 touchdowns against just 2 interceptions in the last 8 games, if he can pick up where he left off, the Lions could finish in a surprising second place, provided the defense can take a step up.
4. Chicago Bears – The Bears are in a full rebuild, the defense will be improved from last year, considering they finished 14th in the league, that should help the Bears stay in games. However, the offense is a different story, Jay Cutler is still the quarterback, but he no longer has Adam Gase directing the offense, what does this mean for Cutler? Who knows, and even though he didn’t turn the ball over as much last year, he was still not dynamic enough to lead the Bears offense to a successful season, finishing 21st, despite having Alshon Jeffery, Martellus Bennett (Now a Patriot), and Matt Forte (Now a Jet). This could be a long season in Chicago, though, Kevin White should be exciting to watch.

NFC South:

1. Carolina Panthers – The Panthers are the class of the NFC South, with only a few weaknesses including the offensive line and the secondary. Until someone can knock them off, they are the champs of the NFC South, Cam Newton, the reigning MVP, is also getting his best receiver from 2014 back in Kelvin Benjamin, who appears to be fully recovered from a torn ACL, combine that with the improved Devin Funchess, and you have a huge, scary receiving group for Cam to throw to. The defense is still scary in the front 7, and the running game should still be strong.
2. Atlanta Falcons – The Falcons are in a very strange place right now, they’re not a title contender, but also not in total rebuild mode. There are some really nice pieces in place on the offense and defense, with Julio Jones, Devonta Freeman, and Matt Ryan leading the offense, along Desmond Trufant, Vic Beasley, and Dwight Freeney leading the defense. It looks like there will be a youth movement on the defensive side of the ball (Sans Freeney) with rookies Keanu Neal, Deion Jones, and De’Vondre Campbell starting, along with second year men Vic Beasley and Grady Jarrett starting (Jalen Collins might be as well, once his 4 game suspension is over.). Dan Quinn should also be appreciated for making a defense that finished last just 2 seasons ago into an average unit, albeit with no pass-rush.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – The Bucs are an ascending, young team, but they may be a year away from challenging the Panthers for the division crown, as it remains to be seen if Doug Martin is going to play like he did last year or the two years before that, when he was a middling running back, losing his grip on the starting job. The offense has some legitimate young stars in Jameis Winston and Mike Evans, but the offensive line is, well, offensive when you look at the depth chart. The defense has a few good players, Vernon Heargraves looks to be a keeper at cornerback, Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David have been stalwarts on the defensive line and in the linebacker group. The issues with the Buccaneers come on the offensive line, the lack of a slot receiver, tight end (unless Austin Sefarian-Jenkins can figure out how to play well again), safety, and it remains to be seen if they can generate a pass rush.
4. New Orleans Saints – It’s been a broken record for New Orleans for a long time now: good offense, no defense for the Saints, Drew Brees goes into his age 37 season this year with a similar team that he’s been playing with for most of his time in New Orleans, good cast of weapons around him, but no one that can stop the opposing offenses. If it wasn’t for the Giants catastrophic defense last year, the Saints would have been the worst in the league yet again. Delvin Breaux is a nice piece in the secondary, but there isn’t much else, and 1 guy can’t cover a whole offense alone. Brees’ arm strength is starting to deteriorate, and this could be the year that it isn’t enough to carry the team to a 7 win season.

NFC West:

1. Seattle Seahawks – Returning to the top of their division after watching the Cardinals take over last season is the result of Russell Wilson’s rapid ascension from being the quarterback in Marshawn Lynch’s offense to top-level quarterback, he went on a tear at the end of last season to get the Seahawks into the playoffs, then almost led them back to beat the Panthers after falling behind big in the division round of the playoffs. The defense returns most of their pieces, minus Bruce Irvin, and is still among the best in the league. The health of Thomas Rawls and the offensive line play are still question marks that need to be answered. The other looming question is this: when will Jimmy Graham, their expensive offseason acquisition from last offseason?
2. Arizona Cardinals – The Cardinals are a veteran team, but is this the year they just become an old team? Last time we saw Carson Palmer in  a meaningful game, he threw 4 interceptions to the Panthers, and before that, he threw 2 more to the Packers. Could we see a Jake Delhomme type fall from grace for Palmer? Maybe not to that same degree, but it is possible we see a regression, and that regression is enough to keep the Cardinals from repeating as NFC West Champions. There are still a lot of good pieces on offense, not to mention a mostly stout defense, with one glaring question: Where is the pass rush going to come from?
3. Los Angeles Rams – The Rams defensive line is one of the best in football, but outside of that, they have Todd Gurley on offense, Alec Ogletree, Mark Barron, and Trumaine Johnson as their main playmakers. Aaron Donald could be an X-factor though, as he’s closing the gap with JJ Watt as the best defensive player in football, one more year like last year, and we could be looking at another dominant defensive force to be reckoned with. Jared Goff is going to start the year on the bench, as the #3 quarterback, which is a concern when Case Keenum is the starter going into the inaugural season in Los Angeles.
4. San Francisco 49ers – Oh how the mighty have fallen, the 49ers were a Superbowl contender as recently as 3 years ago, and actually made it to the big game back in 2012, but Jim Harbaugh’s departure left the 9ers in despair, as they crumbled over the next few years, to the point where Blaine Gabbert, yes, that Blaine Gabbert (WARNING: NSFW language in both links) is the starting quarterback. The only playmaker on offense is Carlos Hyde, who should shine in Chip Kelly’s offense… Oh yeah, and speaking of the fallen, Chip Kelly is the new head coach after Jim Tomsula’s mustache got run out-of-town. This is a team that should be contending for the first overall pick in the draft.

Early in the 2016 NFL Preseason, I saw the Minnesota Vikings as a team that could potentially surprise everyone and be the #1 seed in the NFC with home-field advantage in the playoffs, much like the Panthers did last season (Albeit with less dabbing). Adrian Peterson has been one of the best running backs to ever play the game since he entered the league in 2007, but he’s not getting any younger, he might have 1 or 2 more elite seasons in him. Teddy Bridgewater was a Probowl player last year, despite only throwing 14 TDs in 16 games, but still is an ascending player in this league at only 23 years old. The Vikings defense, led by head coach Mike Zimmer, was a strong unit last season, leading to an NFC North title and a Blair Walsh field goal attempt away from beating former NFC Champion Seattle. The Vikings were a team on the rise, with a promising young team and growth at many positions.

Then came August 30th. A normal day of practice, teams were preparing for their final preseason game before kicking off the regular season on September 11th. Bridgewater collapsed, untouched, and before any diagnosis was made, many players threw their helmets, were swearing, crying, praying, but they knew they had lost their captain. Bridgewater had shown a ton of promise in his first 2 seasons  As he rode away in an ambulance, it appeared that the Vikings season was lost before it had even begun. The 11th youngest roster in the league lost their leader, leaving Shaun Hill, a man who has 49 touchdowns and a 16-18 record in 10 seasons, as the quarterback to direct this team. What would the Vikings do? Where do they go from here?

Enter Rick Spielman, who has been building this roster since 2005 as Vice President of Player Personnel, then took over as GM in 2012. Many wondered if the Vikings would try to trade for Mark Sanchez, Josh McCown, Mike Glennon, or sign Mike Vick off the free agent market. Spielman decided he had other options, and orchestrated a huge trade with the Philadelphia Eagles to bring in Sam Bradford in exchange for a 2017 first round pick and a 2018 fourth round pick. Was this a good move? Much of the reactions on the internet are saying that the Vikings got fleeced, that the Eagles got a steal. I’d say the deal is slightly more balanced than it initially appeared. Bradford gives the Vikings a legitimate starting NFL QB, not the best QB, but someone who can at least back the defense up with smart decision making, accurate short and intermediate passes. He’ll allow the Vikings playmakers to do their jobs.

Mark Sanchez might try to force one too many passes, costing a very good Vikings team a few more games than they’d otherwise lose. Josh McCown and Mike Vick can’t stay healthy, and within 6 weeks would probably be out for a few games with how recklessly he tends to play. Mike Glennon couldn’t beat out McCown for the Buccaneers starting job, leading to the drafting of Jameis Winston. Bradford has a long injury history as well, but the difference is, he has a great arm, he’s a mostly good decision maker, and is not a 1 year rental, as he’s signed to a 2-year deal. In the worst case scenario, where Bridgewater misses time in 2017 as well, the Vikings will still have the option of Bradford to fall back on. Bradford at least gives the Vikings hope for this season, something they didn’t have 2 days ago.