Revisiting My NFL Preseason Predictions
Photo from USA Today Sports
As it is every year, I made predictions on what I thought would happen during the NFL season.
Today, I figured it’d be fun to look back on my preseason predictions and bask in the genius that is me.
So, let’s get after it.
AFC
1. Kansas City Chiefs (My Prediction: Buffalo Bills)
Hey, not a bad start!
My thoughts surrounding the Chiefs were that the AFC West had clearly gotten better, so the Chiefs wouldn’t have as many wins and that could hurt them in the seeding, which is why I had them in the 3 seed.
Obviously, that was not the case.
But I did still have them winning the division.
The Chiefs at top spot also means Patrick Mahomes will STILL not play a playoff road game in his career.
Which is an absurd stat.
2. Buffalo Bills (My Prediction: Baltimore Ravens)
So I was one off with the Bills, and a little bit farther off with the Ravens.
I will say this, if Lamar Jackson didn’t get hurt the Ravens very easily could have been the 2 seed.
Did I say anything else about the Ravens back then?
The Lamar contract negotiations have gotten a teeny bit messy, but not messy enough to tank what should be a very promising comeback season for the Ravens.
Oh….
3. Cincinnati Bengals (My Prediction: Kansas City Chiefs)
I did think the Bengals would make the playoffs, but I thought the Super Bowl loss would leave them with a wicked hangover that would really hurt them this season.
Which, after a miserable 0-2 start, didn’t seem like a bad thought.
But the Bengals got it into gear and won the division for the second year in a row.
A scorching hot back half of the season really helped.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (My Prediction: Tennessee Titans)
I was correct that the AFC South winner would be the worst of the bunch, and I’m not going to feel bad about getting the team wrong.
Nobody thought the Jags were a playoff team going into the season, and if you say you did you’re a liar.
5. Los Angeles Chargers (My Prediction: Los Angeles Chargers)
Spot on the money.
I’m a genius.
I said the Chargers would just barely beat out the team in 6th to end up with the 5 seed.
I wonder what team I barely had them beating out.
6. Baltimore Ravens (My Prediction: Denver Broncos)
Yikes!
As mentioned above, injuries to Lamar Jackson sort of derailed a good season for the Ravens in terms of playoff seeding purposes.
But boy, I was wrong about the Broncos.
I always thought they were being overhyped by football media members, but not even I expected them to be a complete dumpster fire.
7. Miami Dolphins (My Prediction: Cincinnati Bengals)
Got this one mostly wrong, but in my original post I just barely had the Dolphins missing and my first team out.
Considering I didn’t expect the Broncos would be trash, this prediction isn’t horrible.
NFC
1. Philadelphia Eagles (My Prediction: Los Angeles Rams)
Ho boy…
In my original post, I said the Rams had everything laid out perfectly for them.
Defending champs and the NFC West appeared to have gotten worse.
Well, the Cardinals got worse.
But the Niners were dominant and the Seahawks were a super surprise.
Add in the horrible injuries the Rams had, and this was easily my worst prediction of the preseason.
But I thought the Eagles would be good! So that’s something!
2. San Francisco 49ers (My Prediction: Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Boy, we are not off to a good start!
The Bucs had a terrible season, and my thoughts on the Niners struggling while leaning on a very raw Trey Lance at QB ended up not mattering, as the Niners used 3 different QBs and breezed to a 13-4 record.
That defense is stacked.
Shannahan is a tremendous playcaller.
I should have seen this one coming.
3. Minnesota Vikings (My Prediction: Philadelphia Eagles)
I did correctly predict the Vikings to win the division! I just undersold how good the Eagles would end up being.
Hurts is having the type of season that will get him MVP votes, and the trade for AJ Brown was the move of the offseason.
I knew they’d be good.
I didn’t think they’d be first.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (My Prediction: Minnesota Vikings)
Remember that terrible season the Bucs had that I mentioned earlier?
It was still enough to win the NFC South.
Another postseason with Tom Brady. Hooray…
5. Dallas Cowboys (My Prediction: Green Bay Packers)
The Cowboys were always good enough to be a playoff team this year, so it’s no surprise that they’re here.
The Packers, however, did surprise me.
I figured they’d be worse this year than prior years, but a terrible start to the season left them playing catch up and found them on the outside of the playoffs looking in.
Can’t start slow when this conference is so wide open.
6. New York Giants (My Prediction: Dallas Cowboys)
When I made these predictions, I went over each team and thought about potential wild card teams.
The Giants never even crossed my mind.
The job Brian Daboll did year one in New York is worthy of the coach of the year award he is going to receive, and they may just keep this going.
Never underestimate a well coached team come playoff time.
7. Seattle Seahawks (My Prediction: San Francisco 49ers)
Earlier, I mentioned that I thought the Broncos were overrated, but not THAT overrated.
I also thought the Seahawks were being underrated, but not playoff level underrated.
The Seahawks gamble of trading Russell Wilson and letting Geno Smith take the reigns was a move that was the butt of many jokes this offseason, but it was a gamble that paid off in a big way.
In a world without Brian Daboll and Howie Roseman, Pete Carroll and John Schneider would run away with coach and executive of the year.
