NFL 2019 Predictions

I haven't been less excited for a new NFL season since I started watching football. Another Hatriots title won through shady means just took it out of me. I am so sick of the AFC doing nothing to stop the Brady/Belichick era that I've vowed to not watch any AFC vs AFC games all year.

Excited for the Vikings, sure. I'm not picking them to go to the super bowl, or even the NFC championship game, but I do have them winning the north. You can kind of use the same logic I did with picking the Twins for the playoffs this year. The Twins won 78 games last year despite nearly everything going wrong. Likewise the Vikings won 8 games last year despite almost everything going wrong. From the Tony Sparano death to the Everson Griffen meltdown to the OL crisis to DeFillippo being awful to Dalvin staying hurt to the defense taking a month to show up to basically just having no clean, easy wins. Plus the Bears were way better than expected. It was a tough year in which nothing felt right even in the wins.

2019 sets up well. The big thing will be having an OL that is simply middle of the pack. I'm not expecting the new unit to be unbelievable. But there is no overstating how bad it was last year. Kirk had no chance against any team with a competent pass rush. This year he will be able to make more plays, more big plays, and the run game gets a fully healthy Dalvin Cook from the start.

The defense should still be among the league's best. There will likely be some big changes after the year due to cap issues,  but there's no reason to think they can't be a strength of the team one last time.

Yes the kicking game will always be a concern, but after a tumultuous August they ended up with a rejuvenated Bailey and a good veteran punter.

The schedule is layed out very well for us, but a still tough road slate has me settled on 10-6. But I think Chicago takes a significant step back, and Aaron Rodgers can't single-handedly make the Packers an elite team anymore. The Lions will be pesky but they seem a distant 4th.

Other NFC divisions:
Eagles take the east, and are legit SB contenders. Dallas is overhyped as usual, but they'll be in the mix. Neither the Giants or Redskins have much of a chance at the playoffs.
Saints again in the south. Atlanta gets a wild card. They're sort of an every other year team like the Vikings. Carolina and Tampa bring up the rear.
I was already in on Seattle for my NFC super bowl pick and then they got Clowney. They will take the west over the Rams, who suffer some of that usual super bowl loser hangover but still get a wild card. I'm not sure a healthy Jimmy Garappolo alone gets the 49ers from 4 wins to the playoffs. And Arizona will be pretty bad again.

AFC:
(Who gives a fuck it'll be the Hatriots again cause existence is pain)
Fwiw though I have the Steelers reclaiming the north. Sorry Cleveland, you're overhyped, but should be around .500. Houston gets the wide open south. I could see any order for that division. Chiefs in the west again. I have the Chargers taking a step back. Maybe it's Hard Knocks bias, but I think Oakland has a shot at a wild card.
My wild cards are the Colts and Jets, cause if nothing else the Jets get 4 games against the Bills and just awful Dolphins.

Vikings take down Atlanta in a first round game, then lose at Seattle. But then Seattle goes to New Orleans and those whiners down there get denied another trip to the super bowl in some new fantastic way.

But then the Patriots beat Seattle in the super bowl for title #7 because existence is pain and there is no justice in this world.

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