2008 NFL Predictions
o Division champions are in bold italics; wild card teams are in bold.
o Teams with identical records as another team or teams in their division are placed in order based on NFL tie-breaking procedures.
o Playoff teams are seeded based on NFL seeding and tie-breaking procedures. Each team is numbered in order of where I think they will finish in conference playoff standings. Playoff positions are to the right of each team in regular font within these little things: {#}.
o Team records are listed in regular font: #-#.
o I also rank each team from 1 to 32 and team rankings are listed to the right of each team in bold parentheses:(#); rankings are based on how I think each team compares with the rest of the league, without taking into consideration conference, division, or schedule; rankings do not indicate where I think they will finish in the standings.
o I also rank each division in the league from 1-8 in three different ways: Depth Rank is based on the combined quality of the four teams in the division; Power Rank is based on the strength of the top two teams in the division; Overall Rank is a ranking based on a combination of the Depth and Power rankings. Division rankings are in parenthesis to right of each division, along with number of teams with winning record (Win), number of teams with 11 or more wins (W), and number of teams with 11 or more losses (L).
AFC
East (Depth Rank: #5; Power Rank: #4; Overall Rank: #4; (Win: 2); (W: 1); (L: 2))
1. New England 13-3 {2} (2)
2. New York Jets 9-7 {6} (15)
3. Buffalo 5-11 {15} (24)
4. Miami 4-12 {16} (30)
North (Depth Rank: #4; Power Rank: #6; Overall Rank: #5; (Win: 1); (W: 0); (L: 0))
1. Pittsburgh 10-6 {4} (11)
2. Baltimore 8-8 {7} (18)
3. Cleveland 8-8 {8} (12)
4. Cincinnati 6-10 {9} (26)
South (Depth Rank: #2; Power Rank: #1; Overall Rank: #1; (Win: 2); (W: 1); (L: 1))
1. Indianapolis 11-5 {3} (3)
2. Jacksonville 10-6 {5} (4)
3. Houston 6-10 {10} (22)
4. Tennessee 5-11 {14} (21)
West (Depth Rank: #8; Power Rank: #7; Overall Rank: #8; (Win: 1); (W: 1); (L: 1))
1. San Diego 13-3 {1} (1)
2. Denver 6-10 {11} (27)
3. Oakland 6-10 {12} (23)
4. Kansas City 5-11 {13} (31)
o Division champions are in bold italics; wild card teams are in bold.
o Teams with identical records as another team or teams in their division are placed in order based on NFL tie-breaking procedures.
o Playoff teams are seeded based on NFL seeding and tie-breaking procedures. Each team is numbered in order of where I think they will finish in conference playoff standings. Playoff positions are to the right of each team in regular font within these little things: {#}.
o Team records are listed in regular font: #-#.
o I also rank each team from 1 to 32 and team rankings are listed to the right of each team in bold parentheses:(#); rankings are based on how I think each team compares with the rest of the league, without taking into consideration conference, division, or schedule; rankings do not indicate where I think they will finish in the standings.
o I also rank each division in the league from 1-8 in three different ways: Depth Rank is based on the combined quality of the four teams in the division; Power Rank is based on the strength of the top two teams in the division; Overall Rank is a ranking based on a combination of the Depth and Power rankings. Division rankings are in parenthesis to right of each division, along with number of teams with winning record (Win), number of teams with 11 or more wins (W), and number of teams with 11 or more losses (L).
AFC
East (Depth Rank: #5; Power Rank: #4; Overall Rank: #4; (Win: 2); (W: 1); (L: 2))
1. New England 13-3 {2} (2)
2. New York Jets 9-7 {6} (15)
3. Buffalo 5-11 {15} (24)
4. Miami 4-12 {16} (30)
North (Depth Rank: #4; Power Rank: #6; Overall Rank: #5; (Win: 1); (W: 0); (L: 0))
1. Pittsburgh 10-6 {4} (11)
2. Baltimore 8-8 {7} (18)
3. Cleveland 8-8 {8} (12)
4. Cincinnati 6-10 {9} (26)
South (Depth Rank: #2; Power Rank: #1; Overall Rank: #1; (Win: 2); (W: 1); (L: 1))
1. Indianapolis 11-5 {3} (3)
2. Jacksonville 10-6 {5} (4)
3. Houston 6-10 {10} (22)
4. Tennessee 5-11 {14} (21)
West (Depth Rank: #8; Power Rank: #7; Overall Rank: #8; (Win: 1); (W: 1); (L: 1))
1. San Diego 13-3 {1} (1)
2. Denver 6-10 {11} (27)
3. Oakland 6-10 {12} (23)
4. Kansas City 5-11 {13} (31)
NFC
East (Depth Rank: #1; Power Rank: #3; Overall Rank: #2; (Win: 3); (W: 1); (L: 0))
1. Philadelphia 11-5 {3} (8)
2. Dallas 10-6 {5} (5)
3. New York Giants 9-7 {7} (13)
4. Washington 8-8 {10} (16)
North (Depth Rank: #3; Power Rank: #2; Overall Rank: #3; (Win: 2); (W: 1); (L: 2))
1. Minnesota 11-5 {2} (6)
2. Green Bay 9-7 {9} (7)
3. Chicago 5-11 {14} (25)
4. Detroit 5-11 {16} (28)
South (Depth Rank: #6; Power Rank: #5; Overall Rank: #6; (Win: 2); (W: 1); (L: 1))
1. New Orleans 11-5 {1} (9)
2. Tampa Bay 9-7 {6} (14)
3. Carolina 8-8 {11} (19)
4. Atlanta 5-11 {15} (32)
West (Depth Rank: #7; Power Rank: #8; Overall Rank: #7; (Win: 2); (W: 0); (L: 1))
1. Seattle 10-6 {4} (10)
2. St. Louis 9-7 {8} (20)
3. Arizona 7-9 {12} (17)
4. San Francisco 5-11 {13} (29)
AFC Wild Card Round
#3 Indianapolis over #6 New York Jets
#5 Jacksonville over #4 Pittsburgh
AFC Divisional Round
#1 San Diego over #5 Jacksonville
#2 New England over #3 Indianapolis
AFC Championship Game
#1 San Diego over #2 New England
NFC Wild Card Round
#3 Philadelphia over #6 Tampa Bay
#4 Seattle over #5 Dallas
NFC Divisional Round
#1 New Orleans over #4 Seattle
#3 Philadelphia over #2 Minnesota
NFC Championship Game
#1 New Orleans over #3 Philadelphia
Super Bowl XLIII
#1 San Diego over #1 New Orleans
Division/Conference/Super Bowl Winners
AFC East: New England
AFC North: Pittsburgh
AFC South: Indianapolis
AFC West: San Diego
NFC East: Philadelphia
NFC North: Minnesota
NFC South: New Orleans
NFC West: Seattle
AFC Champion: San Diego
NFC Champion: New Orleans
Super Bowl Champion: San Diego
Team Rankings
1. San Diego
2. New England
3. Indianapolis
4. Jacksonville
5. Dallas
6. Minnesota
7. Green Bay
8. Philadelphia
9. New Orleans
10. Seattle
11. Pittsburgh
12. Cleveland
13. New York Giants
14. Tampa Bay
15. New York Jets
16. Washington
17. Arizona
18. Baltimore
19. Carolina
20. St. Louis
21. Tennessee
22. Houston
23. Oakland
24. Buffalo
25. Chicago
26. Cincinnati
27. Denver
28. Detroit
29. San Francisco
30. Miami
31. Kansas City
32. Atlanta
Conference Depth Rankings
1. NFC East
2. AFC South
3. NFC North
4. AFC North
5. AFC East
6. NFC South
7. NFC West
8. AFC West
Conference Power Rankings
1. AFC South
2. NFC North
3. NFC East
4. AFC East
5. NFC South
6. AFC North
7. AFC West
8. NFC West
Overall Conference Rankings
1. AFC South
2. NFC East
3. NFC North
4. AFC East
5. AFC North
6. NFC South
7. NFC West
8. AFC West
Awards and Honors
AP NFL Coach of the Year: Andy Reid-Philadelphia
AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year: Deuce McAllister-RB-New Orleans
AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year: Mario Williams-DE-Houston
AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year: Adrian Peterson-RB-Minnesota
AP NFL Most Valuable Player: Drew Brees-QB-New Orleans
AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year: Darrin McFadden-RB-Oakland
AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year: Jerod Mayo-LB-New England
Awards and Honors Comments: I couldn’t really think of a strong candidate for Coach of the Year so I went with Reid, figuring he might be seen as a sympathetic figure because of his family problems, and because I think Philly would be a surprise NFC East division winner. I don’t think they’d ever give it to Norv Turner and Sean Payton won the award in 2006. I think Reid will win it over Brad Childress of Minnesota. I didn’t have a strong candidate for Comeback POY either. I couldn’t think of a QB other than Matt Leinart perhaps, and I didn’t like that idea. The three RB’s I had in mind were Ronnie Brown, Deuce McAllister, and Cadillac Williams. Cadillac’s recovery has been slow, and the Dolphins are taking it very slow with Brown. At least Deuce is playing in preseason games, although he is almost 30. I’m tempted to go with Ricky Williams but it just seems like too much of a fantasy situation. He might not play that much once the season starts, he might not be that good, he might get hurt again, he could freak out again or fail a test or something, etc, etc. I picked DeMarcus Ware to win the Defensive POY last year and he had 84 tackles, 14 sacks, and 8.5 TFL but Bob Sanders won the award. I’m tempted to pick Ware again because he is a stud and he plays for the Cowboys, and a Linebacker has won the award in 5 of the last 13 years, more than any other position during that time. I’m going with Williams instead because he had 8 of his 14 sacks in December and I think he could explode for an even greater year in 2008. DE’s have won the award 4 times in the last 13 years.
Tom Brady won the Offensive POY last season but that was a bit of an anomaly. He had the greatest season for a QB in NFL history. No QB is likely to have a season anything like that in 2008. Brady was just the 3rd QB to win the award in the last 14 years; the other 11 years the award has gone to a running back. That’s why I’m going with Adrian Peterson. If he stays healthy he may have a huge year yardage and TD wise, running behind an excellent offensive line. LT is always a safe choice for the award, but he’s coming off injury. Since 1987, 23 players have been named MVP or co-MVP; 16 have been QB’s; 7 have been running backs. I was going to go with a QB for sure. I just don’t know if Brady will have the same sort of year as last season, and he comes into the season with a leg injury. Peyton is coming off the knee injury and Phillip Rivers is coming off a serious knee injury. McNabb is too risky due to injuries. Big Ben is going to be sacked 100 times and Garrard doesn’t have flashy enough stats. Brett Favre is too fantasy like. Eli Manning made himself a legend in the postseason but I’m not ready to predict him doing it for an entire regular season. Brees has been prolific in his two years in New Orleans and I think they’ll be one of the best teams in the NFC this year so I decided to pick him for my NFL MVP choice. In the 41 year history of the NFL Offensive ROY, RB’s have won the award 31 times; WR’s have won 7 times and QB’s have won 3 times. The most obvious RB choice I see is the most highly touted one--Darren McFadden—even if he is playing for the Raiders. The 41 year history of the Defensive ROY is more spread out, although LB’s have taken home 20; nearly have the awards. DE’s have won 8; CB’s have won 6; DT’s have won 5; and Safeties have won 2. However, LB’s have won the last 5 awards and 7 of the last 8. So I’m going with an LB and I picked Mayo because he appears to be the most talented and in the best position to shine.
Predicted Stat Leaders
QB Rating: Tom Brady
Passing TD: Peyton Manning
Passing Yards: Drew Brees
Rushing Yards: Adrian Peterson
Rushing TD: Adrian Peterson
Receptions: Jerricho Cotchery
Receiving Yards: Larry Fitzgerald
Receiving TD: Randy Moss
Sacks: Mario Williams
Tackles: Patrick Willis
Interceptions: DeAngelo Hall
Forced Fumbles: DeMarcus Ware
Predicted Stat Leaders Comments: These are all almost complete shot in the dark guesses. Nobody is going to be real accurate guessing stat leaders year in and year out. They’re different every year. The defensive stats are particularly difficult to predict.
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