(NFL) Season Preview 2019-20 (Division Champions) (Playoff Predictions)

Seigemorgan

2019 AFC NORTH CHAMPION

The 2019 Cleveland Browns will win the AFC North, and it wont be close.

Although the Browns haven’t won the AFC North since 1989, I believe they have the necessary talent to update their latest division title. The major hype around the Browns this off-season was acquiring Odell Beckham Jr, from the NY Giants. With guys such as, Baker Mayfield, Jarvis Landry, Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward and now OBJ, there is not a more talented team in the AFC North.

The Browns also have a very strong running game with Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb toting the rock.

First year head coach, Freddie Kitchens, is tasked the responsibility of further developing Baker Mayfield and leading this group of men that finished 0-16 just two years ago. If this offense can come together within the first quarter of the season, look for the Browns offense to post top tier offensive production and be a scary team to play come playoff time.

The Baltimore Ravens are their stiffest competition with their great defense and a top 3 rushing offense to go along with it. If the Ravens can control the ball and force turnovers, they may be able to reel off 11-12 wins and win the AFC north as well.

The Pittsburgh Steelers took a major step back losing All-Pro talent in Antonio Brown and Le’veon Bell, but with Mike Tomlin coaching and Ben Rothlisberger quarterbacking, you can also expect them to compete as well. 

2019 AFC WEST CHAMPION

 I believe the Los Angeles Chargers will win the AFC West crown in 2019. If you look at the talent level on both sides of the ball, there is no question the LA Chargers have the deepest talent in this division and among the top talented teams in the entire league.
Starting running back Melvin Gordon is currently holding out of training camp as he tries to negotiate a new contract going forward. This could be a distraction but honestly Melvin doesn’t need work in the pre-season, so it could turn out to be a positive because you never know with injuries and he has injury history. All Melvin Gordon needs is a week or two of practice reps to work himself into game shape. And, remember, the man has been one of the most consistent fantasy producers in recent years. Over the past three seasons he’s finished RB7, RB5 and RB8 in PPR scoring among RBs. His 23.4 missed tackle rate a season ago was also eye popping.(yahoo sports).
Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram coming off the edge is terrifying for offensive tackles, quarterbacks, and any offensive coaching staff.
Head coach Anthony Lynn nearly won coach of the year last season even though the Chargers were riddled with injuries. With a healthy squad coming into this season the Chargers should be a Super Bowl contender. Philip Rivers has been one of the better quaterbacks in the NFL throughout his 16 NFL seasons. Philip Rivers is running out of time to win a title and it seems more likely to happen year after year. It could be now or never for the Chargers.
The Kansas City Chiefs won the AFC west in 2018 and could easily win it again in 2019. With league MVP Patrick Mahomes and a deadly explosive offense look for them to compete with the Chargers for the AFC west crown.

2019 AFC SOUTH CHAMPION

Quitely, the Indianapolis Colts are bulding a juggernaut in Indiana.
The Colts have built their now, elite franchise through the draft while other teams open up their checkbook over-paying for free agents. The Colts kept their cap number low and have been very wise with their team decisions.

Andrew Luck is the team leader and best player, I trust Luck to deliver every game no matter the circumstance. Luck is one of my personal favorite quaterbacks and I believe he is top 5 at the quarterback position. T.Y Hilton, turned in another great season with 76 catches, 1,270 yards and six touchdowns last season. Luck has rookie third rounder Parris Campbell and sophomore Deon Cain looking to make a strong impact this season after missing his rookie season with a torn ACL (Cain). Indy also signed free-agents Devin Funchess and fourth year man Chester Rogers.

Early in camp head coach Frank Reich was asked about the challenges this year for his football team. Reich stated, “Really the challenge this year will be keeping the same approach, the 1-0 approach”. “(Keep) getting better every day, not being complacent in any way. Not falling into the trap of thinking, ‘We are supposed to be this and that.’ We did nothing; we got to go prove it every day and that should be our mentality.” (Colts.com)
With a majority of the team’s starters returning from last year’s team, as well as a couple key free agent additions and a talented 10-man 2019 NFL Draft class, expectations are high for the Colts both internally and externally. General manager Chris Ballard is encouraging his team to embrace those high hopes. But it’s also important to remember 2018 is over. The restart button was pushed months ago. “Expectations are good. It’s not a bad thing,” Ballard told reporters. “But I think, as you visit with our players and watch our players work, look, every year is a new year. It is. I’ve talked about this a lot: I don’t want us to be, and Frank (Reich) doesn’t either, a momentum team. We don’t want to play off of momentum. I just think that burns you in the long run. We want to continue to work to get better.” (Colts.com).
Look for the Houston Texans to be the Colts competition for the AFC South this season. Deshaun Watson is starting to come into his own and they have a great defense to match. DeAndre Hopkins is a scary matchup, especially for the Colts average secondary. Frank Reich and staff must be sharp with their game-plan if they want to beat the Texans to possibly capture the division. 

2019 AFC EAST CHAMPION

At 42 years old, Tom Brady has no business still competing for Super Bowls.

Crazy enough, Tom Brady is the only active player in the NFL from the 2000 draft class.

No quarterback in the history of the league has had success playing quarterback at Brady’s age which seperates Brady and the Patriots from the rest. The Patriots will undoubtedly win the AFC East for the 11th straight season. The Patriots didn’t make any major off-season additions but they almost never make big splashy additions during free agency. They are truly a team built on culture and doing it their way.

Bill Bellichik is probably the best NFL football coach of all time and his quarterback is regarded as the same by many. For as long as I can remember the Dolphins, Jets and Bills have all been dominated by New England. Year after year it seems there is no competion for the AFC East, as New England focuses on a top 2 seed in the AFC overall. I don’t see 2019 being any different.

I think the New York Jets are improved as Sam Darnold enters his 2nd season but not quite ready to make that leap. Le’veon Bell was a great addition this off-season but he may need a year to knock some rust off after missing last season entirely.

The Dolphins and Bills will be no competition for New England. They simply don’t have the requisite talent on their respective rosters. 

2019 NFC NORTH CHAMPION

Last year’s 2018 Minnesota Vikings team was the most disappointing team in the entire NFL in my opinion.

I think that changes this year and I believe the Vikings will compete for a Super Bowl title.

The Vikings had way to much talent to finish the season 8-7-1 missing the playoffs. Kirk Cousins, who became the first NFL player with a fully guaranteed contract, played decent, but not good enough to get his team over the hump.  

The Vikings sport a team full of fantasy goodies. A top wide receiver duo in Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. A running back who, when healthy, can be a top option in Dalvin Cook. Even Kyle Rudolph has proven valuable in seasons past. They also drafted talented tight end, Irv Smith Jr. (yahoo sports).

The talent especially on offense is there, it will come down to Kirk Cousins and staying healthy.

The Vikings have stiff competiton in the NFC North with the Chicago Bears. Players such as Khalil Mack, Eddie Jackson and Akiem Hicks, make the Bears defense legitimate to stop the Kirk Cousins led Vikings offense. Which they did with ease last season, but the Bears lost defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to the Denver Broncos.

This division is tough and may come down to the last few weeks of the season. 

2019 NFC WEST CHAMPION

The Los Angeles Rams are still the class of the NFC West. What was once regarded as the toughtest division in football is now dominated by the Rams.

2017 NFL coach of the year, Sean McVay has led this franchise to a Super Bowl in just his 2nd season as a head coach. The Rams have a good mix of young and veteran talent with a quarterback that is already elite and still developing. Between Todd Gurley, Ezekiel Elliot, and Saquon Barkely, it’s a tight race for the top rusher in the league. Gurley has 4,000+ yards from scrimmage in just 29 games for an average of 135 yards per game. With injury problems of his own, it’s unknown whether Gurley will be able to carry the same workload that he’s been used to in the past. In limited work under head coach Sean McVay, Malcolm Brown has a little over 550 scrimmage yards with nearly 460 of them via the run game. (The Athlete Hub)

I believe the Seattle Seahawks will be the Rams toughest competition in the division but still should be able to win it comfortably. 

2019 NFC SOUTH CHAMPION

 The NFC south is a very tough division with three teams that could legitmatelly win the division.

Until Drew Brees retires, I think the Saints are the clear favorites.

The Saints have one of the best home-field advantages in the league playing at the Mercedes-Benz dome. The Saints are a veteran led football team with great skill positions on both sides of the ball.

Alvin Kamara is one of the most ecxciting players in the NFL doing it all out the backfield, running and receiving. He is also a dangerous return man that can turn a negative play into a positive.

Micheal Thomas, the Saints #1 wide receiver is among the most consistent wideouts in the league. Year in and year out, you can rely on Thomas to catch anything thrown his way and be very productive. The Thomas-Brees connection is proven to be lethal.

Defensively they are underrated with players such as Cameron Jordan and Marcus Lattimore. Jordan and Lattimore are two of the best at their positions and gives that defense serious playmakers.

The Carolina Panthers led by Cam Newton will be tough to beat this year. Like the Saints, the Panthers are filled with veteran leadership and a quarterback that has performed well on the big stage in the playoffs. 

2019 NFC EAST CHAMPION

The one team in the NFL that seems to be cursed, is the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys have been proclaimed “Americas team” and for the last 2 decades have fell short of their lofty expectations.
Not only are the Cowboys popular but they have had emmense talent on the field the last several years but haven’t got the job done. Dak Prescott, Ezekial Elliot and Amari Cooper are all in contract years and are looking to get paid. Because its a contract year for those players they will all play very well this season. That extra motivation to perform may be the reason the cowboys get 12-13 wins in 2019. This could be a distraction and lead the team in a bad direction but this team is too talented to let that happen.
They also have a solid defense that may finish top 10. Jerry Jones is thirsty for a Super Bowl and I believe he will do whatever it takes to capture another title.
The Philadelphia Eagles will be the team that gives the Cowboys the most problems in the NFC East. If Carson Wentz is healthy and can play up to his MVP level season from a couple years ago, the Eagles could easily win the East and come out of the NFC.


AFC Wild Card Teams:

Chiefs (5th seed) , Ravens (6th seed)

NFC Wild Card Teams:

Eagles (5th seed) , Panthers (6th seed)

Full AFC playoff seedings:

  1. Chargers
  2. Patriots
  3. Colts
  4. Browns
  5. Chiefs
  6. Ravens

Full NFC playoff seedings:

  1. Saints
  2. Rams
  3. Cowboys
  4. Vikings
  5. Eagles
  6. Panthers

AFC Wild Card:

Browns over Chiefs, Colts over Ravens

NFC Wild Card:

Eagles over Vikings, Cowboys over Panthers

AFC Divisional Round:

Browns over Chargers, Patriots over Colts

NFC Divisional Round:

Saints over Eagles, Cowboys over Rams

AFC Championship Round:

Patriots over Browns

NFC Championship Round:

Saints over Cowboys

Super Bowl 54:

Patriots over Saints

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Published by Seigemorgan

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