With the NFL schedules being released on April 17th, it is time for a string of horrific predictions to rear their ugly heads in the world.
You like the sound of that? Well, you’re in luck.
Here goes.
AFC East:
| New England Patriots | 12-4* |
| New York Jets | 9-7 |
| Buffalo Bills | 7-9 |
| Miami Dolphins | 4-12 |
AFC North:
| Baltimore Ravens | 11-5 Z |
| Cleveland Browns | 11-5 X |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 9-7 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3-13 |
AFC South:
| Indianapolis Colts | 10-6 Y |
| Houston Texans | 9-7 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 9-7 |
| Tennessee Titans | 8-8 |
AFC West:
| Los Angeles Chargers | 11-5 Y |
| Kansas City | 10-6 X |
| Denver Broncos | 5-11 |
| Oakland Raiders | 3-13 |
NFC East:
| Philadelphia Eagles | 11-5 * |
| Dallas Cowboys | 10-6 X |
| Washington Redskins | 5-11 |
| New York Giants | 5-11 |
NFC North:
| Chicago Bears | 11-5 Y |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-8 |
| Green Bay Packers | 7-9 |
| Detroit Lions | 5-11 |
NFC South:
| Atlanta Falcons | 9-7 Y |
| New Orleans Saints | 8-8 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6-10 |
| Carolina Panthers | 6-10 |
NFC West:
| Los Angeles Rams | 11-5 Z |
| Seattle Seahawks | 10-6 X |
| San Francisco 49ers | 9-7 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 4-12 |
Key:
* -Home Field Advantage
Z – Bye
Y – Division Winner
X – Wild Card
Playoff Predictions:
Wild Card:
#4 Indianapolis Colts defeat #5 Cleveland Browns
#3 Los Angeles Chargers defeat #6 Kansas City Chiefs
#4 Atlanta Falcons defeat #5 Seattle Seahawks
#3 Chicago Bears defeat #6 Dallas Cowboys
Divisional Round:
#1 New England Patriots defeat #4 Indianapolis Colts
#2 Baltimore Ravens defeat #3 Los Angeles Chargers
#1 Philadelphia Eagles defeat #4 Atlanta Falcons
#2 Los Angeles Rams defeat #3 Chicago Bears
Conference Championship:
#1 New England Patriots defeat #2 Baltimore Ravens
#1 Philadelphia Eagles defeat #2 Los Angeles Rams
Super Bowl LIV:
#1 New England Patriots win over #1 Philadelphia Eagles
Final thoughts:
For an initial set of predictions, this set feels really “chalky.” It seems unlikely that 10 of the 12 playoff teams from 2018 would return in 2019, but the playoff picture in 2019 should prove to be incredibly chaotic and interesting down to Week 17.
The playoffs, in a similar fashion, will probably not see all 11 games won by the higher seed, but in April, little is known about each team.
A seventh Super Bowl win for the Patriots could spell the retirement for Tom Brady, a solid consolation prize for the Jets if they end up missing the playoffs.
Of the 9-7 teams, any of them could sneak into the playoffs with an extra win or two.
The Bengals project as the worst team in football as they could go 0-6 in the division and struggle against the AFC East and NFC West.
As a whole, the set of predictions will be a monthly installment over the course of the off-season.
Click here to make your own predictions at playoffpredictors.com.
Send your predictions to the NFL Fan Blitz official Twitter account (@NFLFanBlitz) or to Ryan Potts (@MrSplashMan19).
