2013 NFL Predictions

My guilty pleasure every Labor Day weekend is to make NFL predictions. No one really cares; I don't have early information about the league; there are no interviews with players or other NFL hangers-on. The piece is just about what I think.

NFC East -- Skins repeat. They're healthier than last year, and the Skins D is better than credited. The other divisional teams don't scare anyone. Philly? As Buddy Ryan once said when Jimmy Johnson moved into the pro coaching ranks from Miami, there ain't no East Carolinas on the schedule. Chip Kelly will discover this truth the hard way.
NFC North -- This division will produce a surprise champ. It's easy to forget that the Minnesota Vikings were a playoff team last year. They'll win the division, as long as Adrian Peterson remains healthy. Vikes' D is very good, and underrated. I don't buy the Bears. The loss of Lovie Smith and the ascension of Jay Cutler are a losing formula. Packers don't have a championship D, and Aaron Rodgers can't keep taking a beating. Lions will go 7-9.
NFC South -- Not for the faint of heart, Part One. All four teams can do something well. None of them do everything well. Carolina has a strong front seven, Saints have Payton back, Bucs have Revis, and Atlanta has Julio Jones and a lot to prove. Since every team is roughly equal, I like the team with the best coach. That's the Saints.
NFC West -- Not for the faint of heart, Part Two. Rams will be the team no one wants to play this year. I watched rookie Rams LB Alec Ogletree against Denver in pre-season and he looked like the real deal. Fisher building up a very good roster in St. Louis, a squad that beat the 49ers and Seattle last year. That said, 49ers are the team that has the best shot at winning the Super Bowl. San Francisco's shrewdest move? Signing Anquan Boldin. Seattle will be lucky to go 9-7. Cardinals have a splendid D, but will struggle to score points and win on the road.

AFC East -- Patriots win by default. Bills and Jets stink. Miami will feel loss of Reggie Bush more than supposed.
AFC North -- Not for the faint of heart, Part Three. I have a funny feeling the Ravens make the playoffs, even with a tough sched and defending champ bull's eye on their uniforms. Manning-friendly league insulted Baltimore by forcing Ravens to open its championship defense at Denver. Aging Steelers still look weak on the O-line, which means Big Ben gets hammered again. Bengals have talent but don't have the knack for the playoffs. Browns should be better than last year, but that might only translate to five Ws.
AFC South -- Texans win easily, and that's unfortunate. I don't see Kubiak as a championship coach and I don't see Schaub as in the same class as Brady, either Manning, RGIII, Luck, Kaepernick, Wilson, Rodgers, Brees, or Newton. Indy wins nine, because they get four wins against Tennessee and Jacksonville. (That means they only have to win five of the other 12 games.) Nobody cares about the Jags, and Titans have the feel of a 7-9 team.
AFC West -- The league has done everything possible to help Denver and Manning get into the playoffs and get a bye. Ugh. Raiders and Chargers are lousy. KC might win nine, and AFC will find out just how good Andy Reid's coaching is (very good).

Players to watch: Alex Smith (KC, something to prove), Justin Smith (SF, his walk year), Tom Brady (Pats, his most challenging year), LeSean McCoy (Philly, Kelly's offense favors his style), Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals, as long as Carson Palmer stays healthy), Alec Ogletree (Rams, the next great linebacker, once he learns the pro game).

Whose fans will fill NYC restaurants for the Meadowlands Super Bowl? San Francisco and (I'm sorry to say) Houston. High Tech vs. Big Oil. That means lots and lots of money spent in the City That Never Sleeps, which is the point of this year's Super Bowl.