MidValleySports.Com

By Alex A. Gonzalez

Football season is finally here, and because of that, everyone is going to have a hot take on who is going to hoist the Lombardi Trophy when it’s all said and done at SoFi Stadium. And, for the most part, we know who the serious contenders are and who the rebuilders are.

What we don’t know is who from the middle of the pack is going to make a surprise run in the second half of the season. Or who is going to have an upset victory in the postseason.

Well, now it’s my turn for my own hot take, and whether you agree with the bold predictions or outlandish thoughts, hear me out.

Is the NFC West the best division in football this year? Absolutely.

Do I believe the Patriots will have another magical regular season and make it back to the Super Bowl? Absolutely not.

I don’t even think the Los Angeles Rams will win the Super Bowl, despite being a heavy favorite. Fun Fact: Despite having the best odds since the 2007 New England Patriots, teams who are the betting favorites to win the Super Bowl after the preseason are 0-20.

Also, since 2000, whoever is the favorite to win the Super Bowl makes it to the big game half the time (13 of the last 26). Also, those who do make it have won it only four times (4 of the last 26), according to the preseason odds.

Starting with Wednesday’s season opener between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots at Lumen Field, up until mid-February, football fans alike are going to be glued to their seats as they toggle between PrizePicks and Yahoo’s Fantasy Sports as they watch football for the next five months.

So let the predictions take place. Below is how each division will finish, along with their final record and playoff seeding in parentheses.

Don’t forget to create a parlay with my individual awards too.

NFC & AFC North	Chicago Bears (13-4)(3) Detroit Lions (11-6)(6) Green Bay Packers (9-8) Minnesota Vikings (7-10)	Baltimore Ravens (12-5)(2) Cincinnati Bengals (11-6)(5) Pittsburgh Steelers (8-9)  Cleveland Browns (2-15)
NFC & AFC East	Philadelphia Eagles (12-5)(2) Dallas Cowboys (11-6) Washington Commanders (9-8)  New York Giants (7-10)	New England Patriots (11-6)(4) Buffalo Bills (10-7)(7) New York Jets (6-11) Miami Dolphins (2-15)
NFC & AFC South	Tampa Bay (10-7)(4) Carolina Panthers (8-9) Atlanta Falcons (8-9) New Orleans Saints (5-12)	Houston Texans (13-3)(3)Jacksonville Jaguars (11-6)(6) Indianapolis Colts (10-7) Tennessee Titans (9-8)
NFC & AFC West	Los Angeles Rams (14-3)(1) Seattle Seahawks (13-4)(5) San Francisco 49ers (10-7) Arizona Cardinals (4-13)	Denver Broncos (13-4)(1) Los Angeles Chargers (11-7) Kansas City Chiefs (10-7) Las Vegas Raiders (3-14)

Wild Card Round 

NFC 

(1) Los Angeles Rams First Round Bye 

(2) Philadelphia Eagles vs. (7) San Francisco 49ers

(3) Chicago Bears vs. (6) Detroit Lions

(4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. (5) Seattle Seahawks

AFC

(1) Denver Broncos First Round Bye

(2) Baltimore Ravens vs. (7) Buffalo Bills

(3) Houston Texans vs. (6) Jacksonville Jaguars

(4) New England Patriots vs. (5) Cincinnati Bengals

Wild Card weekend will see four upsets between both conferences. In the NFC, the Detroit Lions will upset their division rival Bears at Soldier Field in the snow. The Seattle Seahawks will continue their Super Bowl repeat run when they take care of business against the Bucs.

In the AFC, a fully healthy Joe Burrow will lead the Bengals to an upset victory against the Patriots, and the Buffalo Bills will continue their success against the Ravens as they move on to the divisional round.

Divisional Round 

NFC

(1) Los Angeles Rams vs. (6) Detroit Lions 

(2) Philadelphia Eagles vs. (5) Seattle Seahawks 

AFC

(1) Denver Broncos vs. (7) Buffalo Bills

(3) Houston Texans vs. (5) Cincinnati Bengals 

Championship Weekend will see an NFC rematch between the Rams and the Seahawks, with both defenses suffocating their opposition in the Divisional Round. The Broncos will make it to their second consecutive conference title game with a victory over the Bills, where they will wait for the Texans, as they will be too much for the Bengals to handle.

​The Super Bowl will see the Rams play on their home field again, as they did in 2022, when they defeat the Hawks in their rubber match, and the Broncos will benefit from the high altitude as they clinch their first conference championship since 2016.

Super Bowl 61

With one team being the favorite to win it all since before the preseason and another with +1800 odds to win the big game, the Denver Broncos will be the ones lifting the Lombardi Trophy in the Rams’ backyard.

Denver Broncos 27

Los Angeles Rams 21

MVP: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals 

Offensive Player of the Year: Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions

Defensive Player of the Year: Will Anderson, Houston Texans

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Carnell Tate, Tennessee Titans 

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Caleb Downs, Dallas Cowboys

Comeback Player of the Year: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City 

Coach of the Year: John Harbaugh, New York Giants