Alas, the wait is finally over. From now until February, our weekends will be overloaded with bad beats, terrible fantasy teams, and an array of hot wings and Diet Coke. That’s right, football is back!
Get your popcorn ready.
Technically, it has been back since Week Zero of the high school football season. However, with the NFL kicking off Thursday night between the Super Bowl Champs, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Detroit Lions, our Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays will be littered with nonstop gridiron action.
Does anyone else love this time of year besides me?
With Week One of the NFL season upon us, it’s time to predict, theorize, and guess who will be the last one lifting the Lombardi Trophy at Allegiant Stadium.
There were a lot of “what ifs” last season, especially in San Fransisco and Dallas. What if Brock Purdy’s elbow stayed intact during the 49ers playoff push? What if Dak Prescott didn’t throw so many interceptions? What if Tua Tagovailoa didn’t get two concussions in the same week? What if the Indianapolis Colts found an actual quarterback?
The list could go on.
Looking ahead to this season, there will be a new “what ifs” list. Of course, the biggest one is, what if the Chiefs go back-to-back? -Sorry, KC fans, doubtful-. Although the AFC revolves around the Chiefs, even if Travis Kelce’s knee is in jeopardy, they still have No. 15 at QB, and his knee is perfectly intact.
Maybe the New York Jets could do something with Aaron Rodgers? But this year, the AFC East could be the toughest division.
The NFC raises many questions about who could be representing the conference for the final game of the year. The Philadelphia Eagles and the 49ers are atop my list, but it could get tricky after that. There are the Lions, New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings, and the New York Giants.
The bottom line is that the NFC is much more open this year than compared to the AFC.
So, with that said, let the games begin.
| AFC | NFC | |
| North | Baltimore Ravens 13-4 (2) Cincinnati Bengals 11-6 (5) Pittsburgh Steelers 10-7 (7) Cleveland Browns 9-8 | Detroit Lions 11-6 (3) Minnesota Vikings 10-6 (5) Green Bay Packers 9-8 Chicago Bears 7-10 |
| East | Buffalo Bills 11-6 (4) New York Jets 10-7 (6) Miami Dolphins 9-8 New England Patriots 5-12 | Philadelphia Eagles 12-5 (2) Dallas Cowboys 10-6 (7) New York Giants 9-8 Washington Commanders 6-11 |
| South | Jacksonville Jaguars 11-6 (3) Tennessee Titans 9-8 Indianapolis Colts 4-13 Houston Texans 2-15 | New Orleans Saints 11-5 (4) Atlanta Falcons 10-6 (6) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-8 Carolina Panthers 1-16 |
| West | Kansas City Chiefs 13-4 (1) Denver Broncos 9-8 Las Vegas Raiders 8-9 L.A. Chargers 7-10 | San Francisco 49ers 13-4 (1) Seattle Seahawks 9-8 L.A. Rams 7-10 Arizona Cardinals 2-15 |
Wild Card
AFC: Baltimore defeats Pittsburgh, Jacksonville defeats New York, Buffalo defeats Cincinnati
NFC: Philadelphia defeats Dallas, Detroit defeats Atalanta, Minnesota defeats New Orleans
Divisional
AFC: Kansas City defeats Buffalo, Jacksonville defeats Baltimore
NFC: San Francisco defeats Minnesota, Philadelphia defeats Detroit
Conference Championship
AFC: Jacksonville defeats Kansas City
NFC: Philadelphia defeats San Francisco
Super Bowl
Philadelphia 37, Jacksonville 17
Regular Season Awards
MVP – Patrick Mahomes
Offensive Player – Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia
Defensive Player – Myles Garrett, DE, Cleveland
Offensive Rookie – Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore
Defensive Rookie – Will Anderson Jr., DE, Houston
Coach – Doug Pederson, Jacksonville
Philly isn’t beating a healthy 49ers team, this is the 49ers year
Team that lose Super Bowl always has unexpected problems the next year # nomoreeasyschedule