5 Predictions For The 2018 NFL Season

August 31, 2018 Off By tailgatesports

BY: Will McGuinness, Football Analyst

Panthers Win the NFC South: The best division in football will be a battle, contested among three teams who played in January last season. It will ultimately be decided on September 16th and December 23rd, the two meetings for the Panthers and Falcons. I love both teams and how they are constructed, both boasting strong defensive lines and terrific, athletic linebacking groups. Led by the best defensive player in football, Luke Kuechly, the Panthers have arguably the best linebacking core in the NFL. Kuechly already owns 3 out of the top 5 Panthers’ all-time tackles records at 27, and it’s possible he is getting better. He attacks with ferocious speed, flying around the field to break up passes and blow up runs and short passes, pursuing the ball better than anyone in the NFL. The Panthers and Falcons have the best backers who can cover in space, which is crucial in today’s NFL, especially in a division where you have to chase down screen passes to Alvin Kamara, Devonta Freeman, Christian McCafferty and new electric back Ronald Jones II in Tampa Bay. This year you will see an improved Panthers offense too. Cam Newton led the team in rushing last year, but this year look for second year running back, Christian McCaffrey, to have a breakout season. He’s had a terrific preseason, poised to expand his repertoire to effectively run between the tackles. He and Newton will be dynamic out of the backfield. Adding to that, Newton gets Greg Olsen back at tight end after an injury plagued 2017. The Panthers also added veteran wide receiver Torrey Smith and selected talented rookie DJ Moore in the first round of the draft. The one concern for this team are the corner positions, to which they probably hope a good rest of the defense will mask their deficiencies.

Patriots Enter the Playoffs as the #1 Seed in the AFC Again: Every year, you hear the “The Steelers are so stacked” argument, or a trendy up-and- coming team like the Jaguars or Texans is pegged as the favorite in the AFC. The Steelers still have a weak defense and have had the same playmakers for years, and the Jags still start Blake Bortles at quarterback. Sometimes sticking with the reliable pick is the best bet. While it’s true the Patriots lost some key cogs on their run to their 3rd Super Bowl appearance in 4 years, they had a very underrated offseason. In the wake of their Super Bowl loss, they faced difficult decisions in paying Dion Lewis, Nate Solder, Danny Amendola and Malcolm Butler. They elected to pay none of these players. In addition, they parted ways with receiver Brandin Cooks after just one season. But they replaced all of these guys extremely well, even upgrading in some spots. At Left Tackle with Trent Brown over Solder, they improve, according to Pro Football Focus. With Dion Lewis they replaced him with a player who statistically performed better in the Playoffs in James White, and bolster the backfield with an electric, shifty playmaker in rookie first-rounder Sony Michel. Look for the Patriots to run many quick play routes, to White, Michel, new receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, Gronk and Julian Edelman. Also look for Chris Hogan to have his best season yet. The biggest question mark for the Pats will undoubtedly be their defense. A lot hinges on Stephon Gilmore’s play and the health of Trey Flowers, but they do regain Donta Hightower. Adrian Clayborn and rookie slot corner Duke Dawson could also turn out to be great additions. I’m not buying the hype of the Steelers or Texans improving enough to dethrone the royalty of the AFC.

Chargers Enter the Playoffs as the #2 Seed in the AFC: Even though they did not win the West last year, you can make a case they were the most talented in the division by a good margin. Losing a lot of games early in the year, the Chargers surged toward the end, going 6-1 in their final 7 games. Their defense will be even better this year, finishing third in points per game, but letting up a lot of yards per game(15th). With Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram up front and Casey Hayward, Trevor Williams, Desmond King, and promising first round safety, Derwin James, in the secondary, this should be a top 5 defense in the NFL. Combine that with Philip Rivers, Melvin Gordon, and now elite wide receiver Keenan Allen, this is one of the most talented teams in the NFL. I’d compare their talent to the Steelers, but they have the benefit of playing an overall weaker schedule, seeing as Pittsburgh plays the NFC South this year and the Chargers play the NFC West.

Bears and Broncos are the Most Improved Teams in the NFL, Not the Browns: Almost every NFL pundit has circulated the theory that the Browns will be among the most improved in the NFL. Well, they were 0-16, so no place to go but up. Unlike the Browns though, I see the Bears and Broncos making legit Playoff pushes.

Starting with the Bears, they play in a tough division in a ridiculously competitive conference so it may be tough for them to get in the Playoffs, but this roster is vastly improved. New head coach Matt Nagy, hired from Kansas City, will employ a new offense, and boy did he get some new weapons for second year QB Mitch Trubisky. Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel were added in free agency to go along with talented but injury prone Kevin White and rookie second rounder Anthony Miller. At tight end they added Super Bowl Champion Trey Burton, and they also boast a great duo at running back with big, thundering Jordan Howard and quick, elusive Tarik Cohen. On defense, the Bears are emerging. If they can develop a pass rush this year, they could be among the NFC’s best. They also benefit from playing the weak AFC East. I see them going from 5-11 to 9-7 but just missing the Playoffs.

The Broncos, on the other hand, I see getting in as one of the AFC Wild Cards with the Texans. While they play in a division with the Chargers, they also play the Raiders and Chiefs twice a year, two teams that I see struggling this year. That opens the door for them to take a clear 2nd place in this division and gives them a great shot at the Playoffs. Watching new quarterback Case Keenum in the Preseason, he looks similar to how he played in Minnesota. He makes solid throws, nothing crazy, but he looks poised out there. And his receiving core is talented. Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders are consummate pro’s, and rookie 2nd rounder Courtland Sutton has been billed as a breakout candidate. On top of that, they selected Oregon standout running back Royce Freeman in the third round, and it looks like he has played his way into a lot of carries this year. If he can keep up his Preseason performance, they could build a strong run game and a dependable passing attack. The question mark for this offense and this team is the O-line. Weak performances by the front 4 can stifle these predictions for the Broncos. Rest assured though, Broncos fans, this defense looks menacing. Pair Von Miller with bonafide stud rookie Bradley Chubb and you have two all-world pass rushers at opposite sides of your defense for 5-6 years+. Bradley Roby and Chris Harris are pretty darn good too in the secondary. The offense of the Broncos will be good enough for their top 10 defense, and they will make the Playoffs as a Wild Card in the weak AFC.

Eagles Miss Playoffs; Cowboys Capture NFC East Title: To me the Eagles are reminiscent of your classic overconfident, loudmouth team that will underachieve after the Super Bowl. While it might be wild considering the talent on their roster to say they will miss the Playoffs, I’d like to remind everyone how stacked the NFC is. They play the NFC South and the competitive AFC South this year, as well as have an at-large game vs the Vikings. If Carson Wentz does not regain full ability fast, they could be in a tough spot by November. Plus, I like their run game and Doug Pederson’s offensive scheme, but I do not love Wentz’s receiving core or this secondary. Talented roster, but consider it overrated. I mark them as going 9-7 and losing the division to the 10-6 Cowboys.

People forget, the Cowboys still have the best offensive line in the NFL. Three of their guys up front are All- Pro’s who could be future Hall of Famers. Travis Frederick and Zack Martin form a dangerous interior blocking scheme that puts 300 pound defensive tackles on skates and/or confuses the hell out of them. In 2018 they regain Ezekiel Elliott for the whole season, arguably the best pure runner in the NFL. This is huge for their offense~ everything is built around it. Dak Prescott then can be unleashed in play action plays, rolling out and simplifying the offense for him. Who does he have to throw to when he rolls out? That’s the issue. But the deception element helps the receivers get open too. I’m confident Allen Hurns, Cole Beasley, high-upside rookie Michael Gallup, and sneaky flex back Tavon Austin can get open in an offense that constantly draws opposing defenses to the run. Then, lowkey, on defense, this team was 8th in yards per game last year. They have a sneaky good defensive line lead by stud Demarcus Lawrence. In the linebacking core, if healthy Jaylon Smith can play well combined with first rounder Leighton Vander Esch and All-Pro Sean Lee, this could be an elite front 7. To round out the defense, they have an okay to solid secondary. Look for the Cowboys to play ball control on offense and control the pace of games. It will lead them to 10+ wins and a playoff berth.

Will’s Projected Playoff Picture with Records

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