NFL Second Half Predictions!

Now that Week 9 of the NFL season is over, every team has played at least 8 games, which means the season is now officially halfway over.  Some of my pre-season predictions are already way off (such as the Panthers finishing 13-3) and some are still doing pretty good (such as the Browns finishing 0-16).  Nonetheless, I am redoing my picks from this point forward, making adjustments based on what we know now.  Enjoy!

Analysis: The race for the AFC West crown will be an exciting one, but in terms of who is going to make the playoffs, I feel that there are 6 teams who are clearly better than the rest of the conference.  I know the Steelers are currently 4-4, but they've had a tough schedule and a good deal of injuries thus far, and I think they're just going through a rough patch right now.  And yes, I still don't see the Browns winning a game, although they have had some close calls so far!  I think the Chiefs will take the AFC West by a little bit because they are really clicking right now and we saw them win 11 games in a row last season after starting 1-5, so we know they can stay hot for a while.

Ezekiel Elliott

Analysis: The race for the NFC playoffs will be much more interesting, as there are still 9 teams that I can see making the final 6.  I think the Panthers will turn it around, as their defense has returned to its normal form the last 2 games.  But they do have a tough second-half schedule, and I think the NFC will be too deep this year for them to make up the remaining ground.  I think the Giants will fall out of a playoff spot because I just don't think they're for real.  The Eagles trail New York by  game after losing to the Giants last week, but they still have a +57 point differential to the Giants' -3.  The Giants are winning small and losing big, while the Eagles are the opposite.  Once Philly can learn to finish games, they'll start winning again.  I also think Green Bay will continue to use a pass-heavy offense to lead them back to the playoffs.  Like the Eagles, their record doesn't indicate how good they are, as the Packers still have a +11 point differential.

Derek Carr

Analysis: The Steelers will have home-field advantage, and Trevor Siemian will be in his first playoff game.  I know I could draw some comparisons to Tim Tebow here, but I don't see it this time if Pittsburgh is healthy.  The Raiders are clearly a better team than Houston, who continues to reap the benefits of playing in a weak division.  Atlanta and Green Bay will be a shootout, but the Ryan-to-Jones connection will be too much for the Packers' shaky secondary.  The Vikings defense will bail out Sam Bradford in his rematch against his former team, and Minny will be off to the second round.

Marcus Peters

Analysis: Every game in this round should be exciting, and I think they'll all be close matchups.  On the AFC side, I see both home teams getting the edge, although I can see Pittsburgh edging the Chiefs as well.  Moving over to the NFC, I think Atlanta will go on the road to Seattle and come out with a win, as I don't think Seattle can score well enough to keep up with the Falcons' offense.  I almost picked the Vikings to beat Dallas as well, but Minnesota's offense has not played particularly well against some of the league's weakest defenses.  A healthy Adrian Peterson would be enough for me to pick Minnesota, but I'm not sure he'll be 100% by that time, even if he's available to play.

Julio Jones

Analysis: I think New England is clearly the AFC's top team, and I don't see anyone knocking them off on their way to the Super Bowl.  The Chiefs defense can limit the Pats' offensive attack, but they can't stop it completely.  Damage control is not a good strategy in a conference championship game.  The Falcons will get another road win against the top-seeded Cowboys.  Dallas is a good team, but they are being led by a very young group of guys, which doesn't usually translate to a Super Bowl appearance.  For example, Ben Roethlisberger led the Steelers in 2004 (his rookie season) to a 15-1 record, but lost to New England in the AFC title game.  I think the Falcons are more seasoned and will appear in their first Super Bowl since 1999.

Tom Brady

Analysis: With Tom Brady leading the charge, the Patriots will not be denied.  Atlanta will make things interesting, but their weak defense will get destroyed by New England's passing attack.  If they decide to sit back in coverage, LeGarrette Blount will run wild on them.  The Patriots' offense is virtually unstoppable, and Atlanta will find that out the hard way.  Julio Jones will have a solid game, but will not be as big of a factor as he usually is.  Bill Belichick and the Patriots will be league champs once again.

NFL

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Written by

hcostats

hcostats

Predictions and Analysis of NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, NCAA Football, and NCAA Men's Basketball

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