With the draft over and the second wave of free agency in full force, it is time to take a second look at some record predictions which will, in all likelihood, be wrong by October.
Click here to view the April way-too-early predictions.
AFC East:
| New England Patriots | 13-3* |
| NY Jets | 8-8 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6-10 |
| Miami Dolphins | 4-12 |
AFC North:
| Baltimore Ravens | 11-5 y |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 11-5 x |
| Cleveland Browns | 11-5 x |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3-13 |
AFC South:
| Indianapolis Colts | 11-5 z |
| Houston Texans | 9-7 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 8-8 |
| Tennessee Titans | 8-8 |
AFC West:
| LA Chargers | 11-5 y |
| Kansas City | 8-8 |
| Oakland Raiders | 5-11 |
| Denver Broncos | 4-12 |
NFC East:
| Philadelphia Eagles | 12-4 * |
| Dallas Cowboys | 10-6 x |
| Washington Redskins | 4-12 |
| NY Giants | 3-13 |
NFC North:
| Chicago Bears | 11-5 y |
| Minnesota Vikings | 9-7 |
| Green Bay Packers | 7-9 |
| Detroit Lions | 6-10 |
NFC South:
| Atlanta Falcons | 11-5 y |
| New Orleans Saints | 8-8 |
| Carolina Panthers | 7-9 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-11 |
NFC West:
| LA Rams | 12-4 z |
| Seattle Seahawks | 9-7 x |
| San Francisco 49ers | 8-8 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 3-13 |
Key:
* -Home Field Advantage
Z – Bye
Y – Division Winner
X – Wild Card
Playoff Predictions:
#5 Steelers defeat #4 Chargers
#3 Ravens defeat #6 Browns
#5 Cowboys defeat #4 Bears
#3 Falcons defeat #6 Seahawks
#1 Patriots defeat #5 Steelers
#3 Ravens defeat #2 Colts
#1 Eagles defeat #5 Cowboys
#3 Falcons defeat #2 Rams
#1 Patriots defeat #3 Ravens
#1 Eagles defeat #3 Falcons
#1 Patriots win Super Bowl LIV over #1 Eagles
Final thoughts:
No team moved in a significant manner as very few teams moved up or down by multiple games. The Steelers replaced the Chiefs as a playoff team in this set of predictions, but beyond that, very few teams fell out of the playoff picture. As the season gets closer and each team becomes more clear, predictions will be sure to change.
However unlikely, the AFC North could sport three playoff teams in 2019. The Ravens, Steelers, and Browns each have ample talent and straight-forward enough schedules to win games. Coupled with the potential disaster in Kansas City, the AFC North is poised to send a trio of teams into January football.
Three of the four conference championship teams are the same from the April installment of the predictions with the Falcons replacing the Rams. The Super Bowl matchup is identical as the Patriots seem likely to repeat and win their seventh Super Bowl.
The worst teams of the predictions are the Bengals, Cardinals, and Giants, and they are in bad roster situations and general upheaval with new quarterbacks in Arizona and New York and new head coaches in Cincinnati and Arizona. None of these three teams will sniff the playoffs, and they should be in the top five picks of the draft come April 2020.
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.
