NFL preview (AFC East predictions)
Oh, thank you God.
The last Sunday without football has passed us, and we made it through the hardest part of the year.
Even as a fan of baseball, it sucks not having more than one of the major sports in season at one time.
Also, I've just really missed football.
Next Sunday, the Packers and Colts open up the NFL preseason in the annual Hall of Fame game in what could possibly be a Super Bowl preview. It's tough to predict a Super Bowl matchup this far out, but these two teams will definitely have the offensive talent to win their conference.
With the NFL season right around the corner, I want to start a prediction series. Over the next week, I will breakdown each division and predict each team's record (which will probably be inaccurate).
Let's start things off in the AFC East.
1. New England Patriots (11-5)
I want to say 12-4, but I am giving the schedule the benefit of the doubt to find a way to ensure the Patriots lose five games.
While my gut says Jimmy Garoppolo will go 3-1 as the starter, I think 2-2 may be more realistic with all four games posing a realistic threat of defeat.
Opening up against Arizona, one of the NFL's best secondaries, on a Sunday night in Phoenix will be a tall task. With the pressure on, how will Garoppolo perform under the lights? I think Arizona will take the game from New England and send ESPN into a firestorm over whether or not the Patriots will go 0-4.
Seriously, if New England loses this game and Garoppolo looks bad, I guarantee this will be one of the main discussions on ESPN until the Patriots play again.
After Arizona, I like the Patriots to figure things out and win at least two of their next three games. They get the Dolphins, Texans, and Bills, with all three games being played in Foxboro.
As much confidence I have in Bill Belichick, I think either Bill O'Brien or Rex Ryan will figure out a way to steal a game on the road.
Once Brady returns, I expect him to wreck havoc on the league that has screwed him over for the last year. (Not saying Brady was innocent, just saying the league took it overboard in order to assert their dominance.)
With Brady leading the pack, the Patriots will claim their eighth consecutive division title and 14th since 2000.
Can Rex Ryan lead the Bills back to the playoffs?
Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
2. Buffalo Bills (8-8)
It's going to be a tough year for the AFC east, and I would be surprised if they send a team to the playoffs besides New England.
The AFC East will play games against teams from the AFC North and NFC West. Last season, both divisions sent two teams to the playoffs and are two of the toughest divisions in the NFL.
The Bills will travel to Baltimore, Seattle, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Oakland and their division rivals once each. Every road game in the NFL is difficult, especially when you are just not as talented as five of those teams.
Baltimore and Oakland are both improved from last season, with both teams expecting to contend for the playoffs. Los Angeles is confusing, but it is never easy to travel across country and play. Seattle and Cincinnati are both considered to be Super Bowl contenders by many analysts.
On top of all of that, Buffalo has too many question marks for me to predict more than an eight-win season. The defense is solid, Lesean McCoy is hopefully healthy again and I want to see Rex Ryan succeed, but the quarterback position is too shaky.
I think Tyrod Taylor was a one-hit wonder, and more of a fantasy quarterback than an NFL quarterback.
With all of the uncertainties, I don't see Buffalo winning more than 9 games, and I think that could be a stretch.
3. Miami Dolphins (8-8)
The fate of the Miami Dolphins season rides on Ryan Tannehill
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Like I said, hold on tight AFC East fans. It might be a long season.
The Dolphins open up with a difficult game in Seattle, and then travel to Foxboro for the Patriots home opener.
Miami has a much improved roster, but the team is going to go as far as Ryan Tannehill will take them.
On any other year, I might pick Miami to win 10 games. I like the roster and I think their run defense will be significantly better than last season.
On top of that, I'm a big fan of Adam Gase. As a Bears fan, I saw what he did last year with nutcase Jay Cutler. I think Gase will be a better NFL coach than many people anticipate.
That being said, the schedule is just brutal.
The AFC East isn't built to compete with teams like Seattle and Arizona, and Miami's lack of offensive consistency will catch up with them in many games. I'm not sold on Arian Foster's knees just yet and Jay Ajai is still unproven.
Jarvis Landy is one of the best young offensive talents in the game, but there is only so much one man can do.
The Dolphins will likely start out 1-3, with losses to Seattle, New England and at Cincinnati and it will be tough for them to fight back above .500 and stay there.
Seriously, who drew this up for the AFC East? If you ask NFL fans which divisions are the best divisions, many would say the AFC North and the NFC West. The AFC East drew the short stick this year and has to play them both, which results in a tough schedule for all teams.
4. New York Jets (6-10)
Going along with the theme of the post, the Jets have a difficult schedule ahead of them this season.
It's actually not crazy for the Jets to start the season 0-7. Take a look at their first seven games.
Cincinnati |
At Buffalo |
At Kansas City |
Seattle |
At Pittsburgh |
At Arizona |
Baltimore |
That's five playoff teams from last year in their first seven games, and an away game against a division rival. With Baltimore coming to town week 7, Jets fans might be upset they just sent $12 million on Ryan Fitzpatrick.
The back-half of the schedule for New York is not as demanding, and the addition of Matt Forte could help the Jets win games that they shouldn't.
Todd Bowles is a fantastic head coach, but the Jets will probably be an underdog in their first seven games. If the Jets can win four of their first seven games, they could make a push for the playoffs with a favorable second half of the schedule.
Luckily for Brandon Marshall, New York could be playing from behind a lot, so he might be able to put up numbers in blowouts and win himself a Rolls-Royce.
If the Jets could squeak out multiple victories in their first seven games, they might be able to reach 9 wins. But I don't see that happening. Due to a difficult first seven games, I think the Jets will go 6-10.
