By Zach Jacovini
Staff Writer
September has arrived, which for football fans means one thing: the return of the National Football League. With the incredible highlights and displays of athleticism present last season, this upcoming season will pose yet more questions for NFL fans to conjure upon. Will the Kansas City Chiefs repeat as Super Bowl Champions under quarterback Patrick Mahomes? Will the Philadelphia Eagles get their revenge and hoist the Lombardi Trophy they came ever so close to obtaining last season? Will Russell Wilson and the Broncos figure out their offensive scheme under Sean Payton? All these questions and more will begin to be answered when the excitement begins on Thursday night, Sept. 7, when the Chiefs host the Lions for the annual season kick-off game.
NFC East
Winner: Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)
The NFC East has not seen a repeat winner since 2004, when the Philadelphia Eagles secured back to back division titles. Expect the Eagles to once again ignore history and win the NFC East this upcoming season. While losers of the Super Bowl often go on to experience a hangover the next season, this Eagles team is loaded on both offense and defense, and the Jalen Hurts factor is what ties it all together. Expect to see this team regress slightly in the middle of the field, as over the off-season they lost linebackers Kizer White and T.J. Edwards to free agency, as well as safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps. These losses will sting, but ultimately, this team is well-coached and talented, making it hard to find losses in their schedule.
Expect the Dallas Cowboys to finish in a close second, followed by the New York Giants, as both will likely be fighting for the conference's wild-card spots.
Sitting in last is the Washington Commanders, who simply do not have the quarterback nor coaching talent to make up for their shaky roster. Expect the Commanders to finish the season with a losing record, with offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy likely taking over as head coach going forward.
NFC North
Winner: Detroit Lions (10-7)
Next up is a division that saw a large amount of roster change and turnover this past offseason: the NFC North. While all of these teams have holes that will likely prevent them from any substantial achievements this upcoming season, the Detroit Lions are a team with a talented roster and a fiery coach, making them the popular pick to win the division. Lions quarterback Jared Goff has had a career full of ups and downs, but his improvement this past season combined with weapons such as Amon-Ra St. Brown and a talented offensive line to work behind should allow Goff to have another solid season.
As for the Minnesota Vikings, while they may be a talented team with an extremely likable quarterback in Kirk Cousins, a tough schedule combined with off-season losses such as running back Dalvin Cook and receiver Adam Thielen make them a tough pick to repeat the same success they saw last year, and they will finish second in the division, likely competing for one of three wild-card playoff spots in the conference.
Following the Vikings, the Bears and Packers will finish as the last two teams in the division. While the Bears have a young, talented roster and have acquired talent over the offseason such as receiver DJ Moore, it all comes down to the development of quarterback Justin Fields, who ultimately will fall short, leading to a long offseason next year for the Bears. As for the Packers, they have entered into a full rebuild mode post-trading legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and success for them this season is getting new starting quarterback Jordan Love comfortable in the offense.
NFC West
Winner: San Francisco 49ers (11-6)
In perhaps the second-most loaded division in the conference behind the NFC East, the San Francisco 49ers will have yet another solid season under head coach Kyle Shannahan, finishing with an 11-6 record. The 49ers are a stacked team across the board, and with talent such as linebacker Fred Warner and tight end George Kittle, it would be silly to write this team off. But their quarterback issues remain a real problem, and with uncertainty revolving around the health of Brock Purdy and the ability of Sam Darnold, the season could change quickly.
Finishing second in the division, the Seattle Seahawks are a feel-good story revolving around the NFL’s reigning Most Improved Player according to the Pro Football Writers of America, quarterback Geno Smith. However, talent on defense will limit the Seahawks, with a wild card appearance more than likely.
Finishing at the bottom of the division, the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams are both dealing with roster turnover and questions about overall roster talent. Expect the Rams to finish in third place due to genius head coach Sean McVay and talented veterans such as Cooper Kupp. As for the Cardinals, the absence of quarterback Kyler Murrary as well as being led by a first-time head coach in Johnathan Gannon is not a great combination, and will likely lead to the team finishing at the bottom of the NFL.
NFC South
Winner: Atlanta Falcons (10-7)
In a surprise pick, expect the Atlanta Falcons to shock the league and finish with a record of 10-7, capturing the NFC South title. The Falcons, led by head coach Arthur Smith, had an excellent draft in which they selected a worldly talented running back in Bijan Robinson. The talent of Bijan along with a promising young roster will help the Falcons to a couple divisional upsets this season, leading to a division title in the process.
Following behind are the Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. All of these teams are talented in their own respective ways, but each has an nagging issue that will prevent them from being able to compete for anything more than a wild-card spot. The Saints have talent, but will Derek Carr be able to have a bounce back season? The Panthers drafted Bryce Young out of Alabama with the first overall pick, but will his offensive line be able to protect him? And will the Buccaneers be able to bounce back after losing the greatest quarterback of this generation in Tom Brady to retirement? There are too many questions and not enough answers for these teams.
AFC East
Winner: Buffalo Bills (12-5)
In what many expect to be one of football’s most competitive divisions this upcoming season, expect the Bills to continue to flourish under star quarterback Josh Allen. Much has been made about the Bills early playoff exit last year at the hands of the Bengals, but with star talent like receiver Stefon Diggs and an experienced head coach in Sean McDermott, the Bills will continue to shine on Sundays.
However, the Bills are not the only powerhouse in the division, as the New York Jets led by Aaron Rodgers are retooled and finally equipped with a quarterback capable of playing in highly competitive playoff football. Expect the Jets to fall short of a division title, but grab a wild-card berth, as this team is too talented on the defensive side of the ball to fall short of the playoffs under Rodgers.
As for the Miami Dolphins, expect them to also be competing for one of the three wild-card spots in the conference, as a healthy Tua Tagovailoa and star talent such as receiver Tyreek Hill and offseason addition cornerback Jalen Ramsey will keep the Dolphins competitive in every game. At the bottom of the division lies the once-powerhouse New England Patriots, who continue to take steps back since the departure of Tom Brady. With a mediocre quarterback room that lacks athleticism, it will be hard for the Patriots to compete in a division full of Pro Bowl quarterbacks.
AFC South
Winner: Jacksonville Jaguars (12-5)
The Jaguars under new head coach Doug Pederson shocked the NFL last year, and with the emergence of quarterback Trevor Lawrence, this team is capable of competing with the best the AFC has to offer. Expect the Jaguars to secure the division title, followed by the Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts. The Titans, while a talented team, have a clear ceiling due to the limitations of quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Expect them to be competitive due to star talent such as All-Pro running back Derrick Henry, but fall just short of the playoffs. As for the Colts and Texans, both of these teams are led by rookie quarterbacks in C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson respectively, and for these teams, a successful season boils down to whether or not these quarterbacks begin to show star potential, rather than winning games.
AFC North
Winner: Cincinnati Bengals (13-4)
In the AFC North division race, expect the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns to all be competing to secure a division crown, with the title eventually being rewarded to the Joe Burrow-led Bengals. As long as the Bengals have Burrow on their side, they will be Kansas City’s biggest threat to steal the conference title every January.
As for the Ravens and Steelers, both teams expect to see good quarterback play from both of their respective quarterbacks in Kenny Pickett and Lamar Jackson, but with Joe Burrow at the helm for the Bengals, it will be tough for either of these teams to secure a division title.
As for the Cleveland Browns, this season will come down to what-ifs. If Deshaun Watson is able to recapture the magic he had in Houston, this team can compete with the best of the best. However, if Watson continues his poor play from last year, the Cleveland faithful will be in for another pain-inducing season from their Browns.
AFC West
Winner: Kansas City Chiefs (14-3)
The defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs are back for another season under head coach Andy Reid and defending Super Bowl MVP and league MVP Patrick Mahomes. As long as this Chiefs team has Mahomes, they will be favorites in almost every game they play. Expect another great year from Mahomes, with the Chiefs finishing in first place in their division.
However, the Chiefs are far from the only dangerous team in the AFC West, as the Los Angeles Chargers are once again looking to take the division away from Mahomes and company. Due to the incredible talent of quarterback Justin Herbert, the Chargers will be competitive and win their share of games, but head coach Brandon Staley has shown a tendency to collapse when it matters most. It is increasingly difficult to see this team winning impactful games down the stretch of the season.
As for the Broncos and Raiders, it seems as though both of these teams are in for another year of quarterback issues, which will inevitably lead to disappointing seasons. Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson may have new head coach Sean Payton, but his regression last year became so bad that Russell became the butt of all jokes for almost the entire 2022-2023 campaign. Will he be able to bounce back?
On the Las Vegas Raiders front, the team had an excellent draft and looks to be improving their young talent, but will quarterback Jimmy Garappolo be able to stay healthy for a full season after an offseason filled with injury concerns?
