2022-2023 NFL Predictions Thread

[MichiganCardinal]

As training camps open across the NFL, place your predictions now for the grand prize of eternal bragging rights*! Exercise caution as you put your predictions in ink to be thrown in your face for the rest of time^.

Who will win Super Bowl LVII? What team will Tank for CJ Stroud or Bryce Young and end up taking Will Anderson at 1.1? When will your favorite CTE poster child storm off the field in the middle of a game and then fake an injury? How will the Packers choke this year?!?

*eternal bragging rights expire in July 2023      ^all of time expires upon transition to sports betting site.

[MichiganCardinal]

In fairness, I'll start.... but all are subject to change before Week One's Opening Kickoff.

AFC East

Buffalo Bills (13-4)*1

New England Patriots (9-8)

Miami Dolphins (7-10)

New York Jets (6-11)

AFC North

Cincinnati Bengals (11-6)*3

Baltimore Ravens (10-7)*7

Pittsburgh Steelers (8-9)

Cleveland Browns (7-10)

AFC South

Indianapolis Colts (10-7)*4

Tennessee Titans (9-8)

Jacksonville Jaguars (5-12)

Houston Texans (4-13)

AFC West

Kansas City Chiefs (12-5)*2

Denver Broncos (12-5)*5

Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)*6

Las Vegas Raiders (9-8)

 

NFC East

Philadelphia Eagles (12-5)*1

Dallas Cowboys (9-8)

Washington Commanders (7-10)

New York Giants (5-12)

NFC North

Green Bay Packers (11-6)*2

Detroit Lions (9-8)*7

Minnesota Vikings (7-10)

Chicago Bears (1-16)

NFC South

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-6)*3

Carolina Panthers (10-7)*6

New Orleans Saints (8-9)

Atlanta Falcons (4-13)

NFC West

Los Angeles Rams (11-6)*4

San Francisco 49ers (10-7)*5

Arizona Cardinals (8-9)

Seattle Seahawks (6-11)

 

AFC WILDCARD

Bye: (1) Bills

(2) Chiefs over (7) Ravens

(6) Chargers over (3) Bengals

(5) Broncos over (4) Colts

 

NFC WILDCARD

Bye: (1) Eagles

(7) Lions over (2) Packers

(3) Buccaneers over (6) Panthers

(5) 49ers over (4) Rams

 

AFC DIVISIONAL

(6) Chargers over (1) Bills

(5) Broncos over (2) Chiefs

 

NFC DIVISIONAL

(1) Eagles over (7) Lions

(3) Buccaneers over (5) 49ers

 

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP

(6) Chargers over (5) Broncos

 

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP

(3) Buccaneers over (1) Eagles

 

SUPER BOWL LVII

(3N) Buccaneers over (6A) Chargers

 

[buddha]

ah kool aid.  so tasty.

[MichiganCardinal]

2 minutes ago, buddha said:

ah kool aid.  so tasty.

I added extra sugar to this batch.

In my defense, I did it without an end in sight... 9-8 doesn't seem totally unrealistic, I couldn't give the friggin Cowboys a tiebreaker over us, and I'm contractually obligated against ever predicting something good happening to the Packers.

[buddha]

4 minutes ago, MichiganCardinal said:

I added extra sugar to this batch.

In my defense, I did it without an end in sight... 9-8 doesn't seem totally unrealistic, I couldn't give the friggin Cowboys a tiebreaker over us, and I'm contractually obligated against ever predicting something good happening to the Packers.

9-8 is plausible, however very unlikely.

beating the pack in green bay in round one is a little overboard.

[buddha]

that said, i like your predictions because i have the eagles to win the division at +400, the colts to win at +220, and the lions to finish second behind the packers at +800....

so i hope youre right!!!!

[RandyMarsh]

I'm too lazy to make my full predictions right now but I will say that I'm going out on a somewhat limb and picking the Broncos to win the whole thing. I think Russell WIlson is going to be a game changer for them much like Stafford was for the Rams this past year. The Broncos had a winning record and positive differential despite having sub par QB play year, swapping that sub par play with one of the great QBs of this generation is going to make a world of difference.

As far as Wilson's old team the Seahawks, I think they are going to be the ones with the worst record. They play in a brutal division, don't have a ton of talent, no QB and most of all just seem like they are more than content getting the top pick this year. Kinda reminds me of the year the Colts just completely gave up after losing Manning with the sole intention of getting Luck. 

[MichiganCardinal]

11 minutes ago, buddha said:

9-8 is plausible, however very unlikely.

beating the pack in green bay in round one is a little overboard.

Nothing between 7-10 and 10-7 would surprise me. 11-6 would shock me. 6-10 or worse while the team largely remains healthy would disappoint me.

Maybe that is expecting too much, but I really like our offense and I really like our defensive coaching staff's ability to make what we have good enough to win games.

[djhutch]

AFC East

Bills

Pats

Jets

Dolphins

AFC North

Ravens

Bengals

Steelers

Browns

AFC South

Titans

Colts

Jags

Texans

AFC West

Chargers

Chiefs

Broncos

Las Vegas Raiders

 

NFC East

Eagles

Cowboys

Commanders/Giants

NFC North

Packers

Lions

Vikings

Bears

NFC South

Bucs

Panthers

Saints

Falcons

NFC West

49ers

Rams

Cards

Seahawks

 

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP

Bills over Chargers

 

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP

49ers over Packers

 

SUPER BOWL

Bills over 49ers

[John_Brian_K]

Too lazy to do all the work, but the Lions will be around 6 wins this year.

[MichiganCardinal]

I'm trying my best to be cynical about the Lions' prospects, if only to temper my expectations, but I really do see a lot to be excited about. The only question mark on the offensive side of the ball is Goff, and he has shown before that with the right weapons around him, he can perform at a very high level.

On the defensive side of the ball, our linebackers are clearly the biggest weakness on the team, and I think it's fair to expect that teams that can run the ball may wear down our linemen and start stuffing it down our throats before dumping quick slants, just picking on Anzalone and Barnes. We have enough depth at the lineman position now that it may take 2-3 quarters to accomplish, but I can envision some really frustrating 90-yard 4th quarter drives where the Eagles, Cowboys, and Bills just kill us by 1000 paper cuts.

That said though, our secondary should also be improved with another year of Glenn and Pleasant at the helm. I don't think teams are going to be scorching us like the Bengals and Eagles did last year.

On top of it though, and what cannot be ignored, is the 4th place NFC North schedule ahead of us. Picking wins before the games are played is recipe for disaster, but between the Vikings, Bears, Jaguars, Jets, Giants, and Seahawks, there should be a lot of winnable games at face value.

[Jason_R]

I still have them doubling last year’s record at 6-9-2. 

Jaymo will probably not be ready before Thanksgiving and I figure he will need a few games before the offense really starts to click. And I’m not sure we have the depth yet to weather the inevitable injuries. But the schedule looks somewhat soft so maybe the two projected ties end up as wins for 8-9. 

[RandyMarsh]

The schedule is the main reason why I feel optimistic about them possibly getting 7 or 8 wins but as we see all the time it's hard to predict teams year to year. Many of these teams that I'm expecting to be terrible could very well end up being decent which would make the seemingly soft schedule not look so easy. 

I think anything more than 8 would require virtually everything going right on top of getting some luck with the schedule like having a couple of the stronger teams having key injuries or something when we play them. 

[Mr.TaterSalad]

As Tony Soprano once said, nobody knows anything! I don't think we know all that much about what type of team the Lions will be and still have so many unanswered questions about the roster, individual players, and coaching. What type of QB is Jared Goff; the guy that went to a Super Bowl with the Rams, first half of the season Goff, second half of the season Goff? How good/bad is this roster? How good of coaches are Dan Campbell and his staff? Can they develop talent? Can they make the right decisions in game? Is he Caldwell 2.0 where the players love him but he makes in-game errors?

We won 3 games last year with a very bad roster constructed mainly of players from the old regime and had a rookie head coach leading it. I think that makes it harder to make judgement calls and projections for this years team. Last year felt like a throw away given how pathetic the roster was and that it was constructed of mostly holdovers from the Quinntricia regime. In some ways, this year feels like the true first season for Holmes and Campbell to prove themselves. Their fingerprints are now firmly on the roster and coaching. My guess is a total shot in the dark, but I am going with 7-10 for the Lions record and have them finishing third in the division.

AFC East

Buffalo Bills (13-4) (1)

New England Patriots (9-8)

New York Jets (8-9)

Miami Dolphins (6-11)

AFC North

Cincinnati Bengals (12-5) (2)

Baltimore Ravens (11-6) (6)

Cleveland Browns (6-11)

Pittsburgh Steelers (4-13)

AFC South

Indianapolis Colts (10-7) (4)

Tennessee Titans (7-10)

Jacksonville Jaguars (3-14)

Houston Texans (2-15)

AFC West

Kansas City Chiefs (12-5) (3)

Denver Broncos (12-5) (5)

Los Angeles Chargers (10-7) (7)

Las Vegas Raiders (5-12)

NFC East

Philadelphia Eagles (10-7) (4)

Dallas Cowboys (10-7) (5)

Washington Commanders (5-12)

New York Giants (4-13)

NFC North

Green Bay Packers (12-5) (2)

Minnesota Vikings (8-9)

Detroit Lions (7-10)

Chicago Bears (2-15)

NFC South

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-6) (3)

Carolina Panthers (9-8) (7)

New Orleans Saints (8-9)

Atlanta Falcons (3-14)

NFC West

Los Angeles Rams (13-4) (1)

San Francisco 49ers (10-7) (6)

Arizona Cardinals (8-9)

Seattle Seahawks (4-13)

AFC WILDCARD

Bye: (1) Bills

(2) Bengals over (7) Chargers

(3) Chiefs over (6) Ravens

(5) Broncos over (4) Colts

NFC WILDCARD

Bye: (1) Rams

(2) Packers over (7) Panthers

(3) Buccaneers over (6) 49'ers

(5) Cowboys over (4) Eagles

AFC DIVISIONAL

(1) Bills over (5) Broncos

(2) Bengals over (3) Chiefs

NFC DIVISIONAL

(1) Rams over (7) Cowboys

(3) Packers over (5) Buccaneers

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP

(1) Bills over (5) Bengals

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP

(1) Rams over (2) Packers

SUPER BOWL LVII

(1) Bills over (1) Rams

Edited July 29, 2022 by Mr.TaterSalad

[Motor City Sonics]

AFC
East                            
1- Buffalo 14-3  - Best roster and maybe the best QB
7- Miami 10-7  - Tua has no more excuses and must rise up
New England 7-10 - Can't cheat and no Brady, maybe Bill's not such a genius
NY Jets 6-11 - I hope they give Saleh another year

North                         
4- Baltimore 11-6  - If Lamar stays healthy
Cincinnati 9-8 - '22 won't be as charmed
Pittsburgh 8-9 - always in it, but barely now
Cleveland 8-9 - only the Browns could squander this much talent. 

South                          
2- Indianapolis 12-5 - This is a very talented team who had some bad luck (Luck, get it?)
6- Tennessee 10-7 - Felt the benefit of 3 division foes' follies.  2 of those foes are better now 
Jacksonville 7-10 - Urban's banishment is worth 2 wins alone
Houston 3-14 - Lovie Smith seems to be a very uninspiring choice for a team in deep doo-doo

West                             
3- Kansas City 11-6 - No Tyreke Hill brings them down a bit  
5 -LA Chargers 11-6 - Talent rich team that needs to be healthy, could win it all
Denver 10-7  - A deep team with a real QB in a bitch of division
Las Vegas 7-10 - Probably be a Top 3 team in the NFC, but this division, tough break

Wild Card
2 Indianapolis over 7 Miami
3 Kansas City over 6 Tennessee
5 LA Chargers over 4 Baltimore

Divisional
1 Buffalo over 5 LA Chargers
2 Indianapolis over Kansas City

Championship
1 Buffalo over 2 Indianapolis

 

 

NFC
East                                  
4- Philadelphia 10-7   Putting a lot of faith in Hurts
6 - Dallas 9-8 - Noobdy wins East 2  straight years "Hello, Sean? it's Jerry, you wanna coach?"
Washington 7-10 - Decent roster but the owner is a cancer
NY Giants 6-11 - Not with Daniel Jones at the helm.  Need another 1-2 years to build

North                             
2 - Green Bay 11-6 - Best in a mediocre division.  Aaron's worth 4-5 wins alone
Minnesota 9-8 - This seems to be about where they always are
Detroit 7-10 - They'll be more fun and exciting.  It's a stepping stone year
Chicago 4-13 - Putting a dome over Soldier Field isn't even top 5 in this team's foolishness

South                              
3- Tampa Bay 11-6 - See: Green Bay Packers.  Brady's worth 4 wins alone
New Orleans 9-8 - I don't believe in Dennis Allen. Winston could be really good, though
Carolina 8-9 - Baker Mayfield stabilizes them, but he can only do so much
Atlanta 4-13 - They had a lot of dumb luck last year. Luck runs out

West                             
1- LA Rams 12-5 - Easily the best team in the NFC
5 -San Francisco 10-7 - The 2nd best team in the NFC that would win 12 or 13 in the other 3 div.
7 - Arizona 9-8 - One of the 2 or 3 teams that will be courting Sean Payton next year.  
Seattle 2-15 - Rock bottom. Can't believe Carroll didn't retire.  

Wild Card
2 Green Bay over 7 Arizona
3 Tampa Bay over 6 Dallas
5 San Francisco over 4 Philadelphia

Divisional 
1 LA Rams over 5 San Francisco
3 Tampa Bay over 2 Green Bay

Championship
1 LA Rams over 3 Tampa Bay

Super Bowl

Buffalo over LA Rams. 

 

I mean, for Buffalo if not this year then WHEN?   Completely loaded with the right coach.  Theirs for the taking.   

 

 

 

269-275

 

 

Edited July 31, 2022 by Motor City Sonics

[buddha]

AFC East

Bills (1)

Pats

Dolphins

Jets

 

AFC North

Ravens (2)

Bengals (6)

Browns

Steelers

 

AFC South

Colts (4)

Jags

Titans

Texans

 

AFC West

Chargers (3)

Broncos (5)

Chiefs (7)

Las Vegas Raiders

 

NFC East

Eagles (4)

Cowboys (6)

Commanders

Giants

 

NFC North

Packers (2)

Lions

Vikings

Bears

 

NFC South

Bucs (1)

Saints (7)

Panthers

Falcons

 

NFC West

49ers (3)

Rams (5)

Cards

Seahawks

Super Bowl: Bills over Packers

 

[MichiganCardinal]

I’ll throw my Lions 53-man here.

QB: Jared Goff and David Blough

RB: D’Andre Swift, Jamaal Williams, Craig Reynolds, Godwin Igwebuike, [Jason Cabinda - PUP]

WR: DJ Chark, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Josh Reynolds, Kalif Raymond, Quintez Cephus, and Trinity Benson [Jameson Williams - PUP]

TE: TJ Hockenson, Brock Wright, James Mitchell, and Shane Zylstra

OT: Penei Sewell, Taylor Decker, and Matt Nelson

IOL: Frank Ragnow, Jonah Jackson, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Evan Brown, and Tommy Kraemer

DT: Michael Brockers, Alim McNeill, Levi Onwuzurike, Jashon Cornell, and Isaiah Buggs 

EDGE: Aidan Hutchinson, Charles Harris, Austin Bryant, Julian Okwara, and John Cominsky [Romeo Okwara and Josh Pashal - PUP]

LB: Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez, Chris Board, and Anthony Pittman

CB: Amani Oruwariye, Jeff Okudah, AJ Parker, Will Harris, Chase Lucas, and Bobby Price [Jerry Jacobs - PUP]

S: Tracy Walker, Deshaun Elliot, Iffy Melifonwu, Kerry Joseph, and CJ Moore

ST: Jack Fox, Austin Seibert, and Scott Daly

[buddha]

i think levi goes on the pup.  i'm also not sure will harris will make the team.

[MichiganCardinal]

34 minutes ago, buddha said:

i think levi goes on the pup.  i'm also not sure will harris will make the team.

Levi cannot go on the PUP because he was injured after training camp began. He could only go on IR, but if he went on IR before the cut to 53, he would be required to be on IR for the entire season. If he goes on IR after the cut to 53 (with him on the 53 obviously), he can be reinstated after week four and they could fill his spot from the waiver wire (or practice squad).

[Mr.TaterSalad]

15 hours ago, MichiganCardinal said:

WR: DJ Chark, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Josh Reynolds, Kalif Raymond, Quintez Cephus, and Trinity Benson [Jameson Williams - PUP]

You think they keep both Cephus and Benson? I think Benson is ultimately the one they keep and both Cephus and Kennedy get cut.

[MichiganCardinal]

3 hours ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

You think they keep both Cephus and Benson? I think Benson is ultimately the one they keep and both Cephus and Kennedy get cut.

It may depend on Levi’s spot. If they do plan on placing him on IR after the cut to 53, they will need another DT after that designation is made. They could keep one from the outset (rather than a WR6), or they could cut one of them and hope they clear waivers.

With Williams already on the PUP, it’s easier to justify keeping a 6th WR, and allowing Cephus and Benson to continue to compete into the season for the last roster spot whenever Williams is activated (barring another injury).

Personally, I don’t think either Cephus or Benson would clear waivers, and a DT6 would be easier replaced from the waiver wire remnants if we didn’t get our cut back on the team. They could go a different route though if they think they have a solid replacement for Levi already on the team and don’t want to chance losing him.

[Hongbit]

At least from a roster positioning standpoint, it makes sense to cut both QB’s to give them room to maneuver. They can sign one back in a few days if they choose since nobody is claiming either.  They could also do the same with the kickers if needed.

Edited August 29, 2022 by Hongbit

[MichiganCardinal]

1 hour ago, Hongbit said:

At least from a roster positioning standpoint, it makes sense to cut both QB’s to give them room to maneuver. They can sign one back in a few days if they choose since nobody is claiming either.  They could also do the same with the kickers if needed.

I wouldn’t expect this with the kickers. It’s pretty clear that Seibert is their guy and with the roulette of kickers in this league, I don’t think it’s impossible to think that both Seibert and Patterson could be picked up.

Quarterback is more intriguing. I don’t think Boyle has any chance at being picked up by a team right now. Blough probably wouldn’t be either. It probably depends on whether they like Blough more than any random replacement off the street.

[Hongbit]

14 minutes ago, MichiganCardinal said:

I wouldn’t expect this with the kickers. It’s pretty clear that Seibert is their guy and with the roulette of kickers in this league, I don’t think it’s impossible to think that both Seibert and Patterson could be picked up.

Very possible during the season but I don’t think so at this point on the NFL calendar.  There are only one or two teams that may be open to trying a new kicker after going through an entire off-season and preseason.  Neither of our guys are established enough to get anyone to bite right now.  

[MichiganCardinal]

4 minutes ago, Hongbit said:

Very possible during the season but I don’t think so at this point on the NFL calendar.  There are only one or two teams that may be open to trying a new kicker after going through an entire off-season and preseason.  Neither of our guys are established enough to get anyone to bite right now.  

If they needed the spot I wouldn’t be opposed. It’s not like I think Seibert is the next Jason Hanson or anything.