Category: NFL

The 2019 NFL season was one of two halves for the Atlanta Falcons. After starting the season 1-7, many thought the Falcons were heading towards a top-five pick in the 2020 draft. However, after their week nine bye, the Falcons turned it around, going 6-2 over their last eight games and finished second in the NFC South with a 7-9 record. Hopefully, the team can build off their second half success and carry that into the 2020 season. With high hopes this year, I take a shot at predicting the Falcons’ team award winners for this season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers went 8-8 during the 2019 season and it is probably the most impressive 8-8 record I’ve ever seen, I’m not kidding. This team was crippled by the quarterback play of Devlin Hodges and Mason Rudolph. The defense dragged this team to eight wins by forcing turnovers and scoring points. It was seriously impressive and if this defense can do the same for Ben Roethlisberger, I see no reason why this team can’t return the playoffs.

Since Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden have been with the Raiders, the team has undergone a massive change. Gruden and Mayock have brought in hard-working players with limited off the field issues, except for the Antonio Brown’s fiasco. The two have started to completely remake the defense that was in shambles upon their arrival and has added weapons around Derek Carr… or Marcus Mariota?

The 2019 season didn’t end well for the New England Patriots. With their week 17 loss to the Miami Dolphins, the Patriots were forced to play on Wild Card Weekend against the red hot Tennessee Titans. Tom Brady threw a game sealing pick-six in the final minute which ended their season. Fast forward a few months and we learned it will be the final play of Brady’s career in New England. Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the offseason, leaving former fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham and career journeyman Brian Hoyer to battle it out for the starting quarterback role. Despite so much unknown in New England, I’ll still take a shot at predicting the Patriots’ team award winners for this season.

There are going to be two types of Bucs fans this season, with half being bandwagon fans and the other half being really happy that they now have Tom Brady as their quarterback. Combine one of the greatest football players of all-time with Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, O.J. Howard, and Brady’s favorite tight-end Rob Gronkowski, their offense will be dangerous. Whether or not their defense will carry their weight is yet to be determined, but here are the award predictions for the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season. 

The 23rd spot in my power rankings comes with the first major surprise. The Los Angeles Rams have endured quite the fall since they reached the Super Bowl in 2018. Since then, it seems that defenses have figured out Sean McVay’s gameplan and Jared Goff. Todd Gurley is now out the door and replaced with a bundle of other young backs vying for the starting role. The defense has lost valuable pieces as well. The Rams need to figure it out fast if they want to make the most out of this small window still left.

The Green Bay Packers came within one game of the Super Bowl last season in the first year for rookie head coach Matt Lafleur. A major reason for this was the team went 8-1 in one-score games and finished undefeated in divisional games. This allowed the Packers to earn a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs. Heading into next season, defensive coordinator Mike Pettine will look to build off a season that saw his defense finish ninth overall in points allowed. Following the 2020 draft, the team will look to transform into a power running team following the selection of running back A.J. Dillion, a transformation from a Packers offense that is used to throwing the ball all over the field under past regimes.

Cincinnati is now Joe Burrow’s team. The Bengals selected Burrow with the first selection in the draft and have surrounded him with weapons. Zac Taylor should put the Bengals in a better position as they weren’t the worst team in the league last year. They were competitive in a ton of games, especially against Seattle in week one. The front office has finally started spending in free agency, bringing in a ton of new faces on defense. This Bengals team will be interesting to watch and come in higher than many expect.