With the months without football beginning to bore us again, here is the third installment of questionable record predictions.
Regular Season
AFC East:
| New England Patriots | 14-2 * |
| NY Jets | 8-8 |
| Buffalo Bills | 5-11 |
| Miami Dolphins | 4-12 |
AFC North:
| Baltimore Ravens | 10-6 Y |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 10-6 X |
| Cleveland Browns | 10-6 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3-13 |
AFC South:
| Indianapolis Colts | 12-4 Z |
| Houston Texans | 9-7 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 8-8 |
| Tennessee Titans | 8-8 |
AFC West:
| LA Chargers | 11-5 Y |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 10-6 X |
| Denver Broncos | 6-10 |
| Oakland Raiders | 2-14 |
NFC East:
| Philadelphia Eagles | 12-4 Z |
| Dallas Cowboys | 11-5 X |
| Washington Redskins | 5-11 |
| NY Giants | 4-12 |
NFC North:
| Chicago Bears | 10-6 Y |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-8 |
| Green Bay Packers | 7-9 |
| Detroit Lions | 5-11 |
NFC South:
| Atlanta Falcons | 11-5 Y |
| New Orleans Saints | 10-6 X |
| Carolina Panthers | 9-7 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-11 |
NFC West:
| LA Rams | 13-3 * |
| Seattle Seahawks | 8-8 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 6-10 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 2-14 |
Key: * -Home Field Advantage Z - Bye Y - Division Winner X - Wild Card
Round 1 of Playoffs Predictions:
#6 Steelers over #3 Chargers
#4 Ravens over #5 Chiefs
#5 Cowboys over #4 Bears
#3 Falcons over #6 Saints
—
#1 Patriots over #6 Steelers
#2 Colts over #4 Ravens
#5 Cowboys over #1 Rams
#2 Eagles over #3 Falcons
Conference Championship Predictions:
#1 Patriots over #2 Colts
#5 Cowboys over #2 Eagles
Super Bowl Predictions:
Patriots win Super Bowl LIV over Cowboys
Final thoughts:
There are minimal changes from the 2018 playoffs as 10 of 12 teams return, and the champion stays the same. While both of these being true seems highly unlikely and mathematically improbable, the predictions should become more varied as the season approaches.
The real winner under this scenario is the Dallas Cowboys. Despite being swept during the 2019 predictions by the Eagles, the Cowboys exact their revenge in an epic way, winning the NFC title in Philadelphia. While the role could be reversed or nonexistent in real life, Dallas is a real contender for the Super Bowl.
The big loser under this set of tiebreakers is the Browns, who miss the playoffs despite a 10-6 record. Carolina and Houston suffer a similar fate as their 9-7 seasons end without a playoff appearance.
The worst teams in the predictions — the Cardinals and Raiders — face tough schedules and a general lack of winnable games. Both teams will probably win more than two games, but it is difficult to forecast more than four or five wins unless there is a sudden revelation in Arizona or Oakland.
As a whole, the set of predictions will be a monthly installment over the course of the off-season.
Be sure to check back in January to reminiscence on how bad these predictions will be.
Feel free to make your own predictions here and share them with us on Twitter!
