8
Over 8 wins. With Rams x2 and 49ers x2 on their schedule, in addition to playing the lowly AFC South, I expect the Cardinals to make the playoffs this year. A young, blazing fast defense coupled with an offense that features the best runningback in football makes for a winning combination.
9.5
Over 9.5 Wins. Many people are already chalking up the Falcons historic 2016 season as a fluke. I say Neigh to the haters! Matt Ryan proved last season that he belongs in the top echelon of quarterbacks, and his supporting cast on both offense and defense improved this year. The Falcons schedule is conducive to high scoring games which the Falcons should thrive at.
9
Under 9 wins. The last time I was more shocked by a line in Baltimore was in Season 4 of The Wire. Baltimore got worse at every level this offseason. Their offensive line stinks out loud and their running backs are even worse. They replaced the great Steve Smith with the horrible Jeremy Maclin. Their defense has too many question marks to count and they will be relying on some young guys to step up and make plays on that side of the ball. With their division around them growing even stronger, I can't see the Ravens pulling off more than 7 wins.
6
Under 6 wins. The Bills have entered into tank mode and will be competing with the Jets for the #1 overall pick.
8.5
Under 8.5 wins. Carolina basically had a net neutral offseason, losing Mike Remmers at OT and replacing him with Matt Kalil. Losing Ted Ginn and replacing him with Curtis Samuel. If anything, they downgraded at key positions. With Cam Newton still not healthy, it could be a long season for the cardiac cats.
5.5
Under 5.5 wins. With Mike Glennon starting, I can't see the Bears winning more than 3 games in a tough division with an even tougher schedule. I believe da Bears are not expecting to have a meaningful W/L this year as they continue to add pieces around their QB of the Future Trubisky.
8.5
Over 9.5 wins. But not by much. I expect the Bengals to compete for a divison title with Pittsburgh. 9 wins seems about right for them.
4.5
Under 4.5 wins. But not by much. The Browns have an actual football team for the first time in recent memory, however they are still not good enough to get over the hump. Look for the Browns to test drive DeShone Kizer right into a top 5 pick in next years draft so that they can get a real quarterback.
9.5
Under 9.5 wins. Cowboys will take a step back. With Elliot suspended for 6 games, and a sophmore slump expected for Dak Prescott, the Cowboys will not be as dominant on offense, and their struggles will continue on defense.
8.5
Over 8.5 wins. By a lot. I think the Broncos should be considered the favorites to win their tough division, even with question marks at quarterback.
8
Over 8 wins. While the Lions didn't improve astronomically this offseason, they added key players to positions severly lacking depth. With 9 wins last season, I expect Detroit to match or exceed that total this upcoming season.
10
Under 10 wins. While the Lions improved a little, I beleive the Packers got much worse. They lost 2 of their top lineman to free agency and injury, and a few defensive players for the same reason. Green Bay struggled to establish a running game last season and that should be exacerbated this season. That lack of offensive balance will put Rodgers in a no-win situation where he is constantly throwing against 8 man coverages. Their defense will not be able to help them close the game in a firefight.
8.5
Over 8.5 wins. While the Texans have a dire quarter situation, it can be hidden by the rest of the great supporting cast. Houston boasts a great offensive line, and an even better run game led by Lamar Miller and new addition D'Onta Foreman who has looked amazing this preseason. They have a plethora of young, talented wide receivers including Deandre Hopkins and Braxton Miller. Houston has an all-time defense, led by some guy named J.J. Watt who I've heard is actually good.
9
Under 9 wins. By a lot. I'm not sure this line has been updated. With Andrew Luck likely to miss some games at the begginning of this year, it is looking like a lost season for Indianapolis.
6.5
Over 6.5 wins. People who are too quick to mention Blake Bortles struggles are often the most likely to forget about the supporting cast that surrounds him. Blake has high level wide recievers, a near average o-line, and a good stable of RBs. Their defense is filled with young playmakers who should continue to improve this season.
9
Under 9 wins. There is no way that Alex Smith retains his starting gig the entire season. It is more likely that he struggles early or gets traded so that the team can clear the way for the good looking rookie Pat Mahomes. A combinantion of a lame duck quarterbaack and a raw, inexperienced rookie will lead to a step down in overall win total, but an uptick in excitement for the team.
5.5
Over 5.5 wins. This was one of the toughest lines to figure I've seen so far. Most of the money has been bet on the under, but I don't think they will lose more than 11 games this year. Rams have talent on both sides of the ball, which is more than their division rival 49ers can say. With SF on their schedule 2 times, the upstart Rams only need 4 more wins the entire season to beat this total. With a new offensive scheme coming to town, it will take longer for certain defenses to figure out how to stop the Rams.
7.5
Over 7.5 wins. Is this the year that the Dolphins finally challenge for a wild card spot? Dolphins have an uber talented defense led by Cameron Wake and Ndamukong Suh. They have a great stable of receivers and one of the leagues top RBs. Their win/loss will fall on Cutler, which is a scary proposition. However, Cutler has looked actually good this offseason and we'll see if it carries into the regular season.
8.5
Under 8.5 wins. Sam Bradford was actually good last season. The Viking offensive line, for as bad as they are in actuality, overperformed last season. Kyle Rudolph had a career year. All of those things are likely to regress. People have been overrating Minnesota's defense ever since Zimmer was hired, but they are not good and will get shredded along their tough schedule.
12.5
Under 12.5 wins. I expect the Patriots to have probably the best record in football. However 13+ games seems like a little too much. 12-4 would be a terrific record for a team expected to experience a Super Bowl Hangover.
8
Over 8 wins. Saints could challenge the Falcons for the division this season. With a cupcake schedule condusive to high scoring games, Drew Brees and his improved offense (including Oline, Reciever, and RB) and his improved defense will lead the Saints to 10+ wins.
9
Over 9 wins. I expect NYG to win their division. The NFL is looking for an answer to their Patriots problem, so you know that the league called up Eli.
4.5
Under 4.5 wins. I've seen a lot of bad teams during my tenure as a football fan/analyst. As a Lions fan, I've endured pitiful displays from even my own team. However, this Jets squad is the most devoid of talent I have ever experienced. They'll be lucky to win 1 game.
10
Under 10 wins. The NFL was so quick to appoint Derek Carr as the next great qb. I don't see that happening. I think it's more likely the Raiders regress to a maximum of 9 wins. Their defense sans pass rush is utterly pathetic at every level.
8
Even. The Eagles have a great team on paper and their young guys continue to progress including Carson Wentz. However, with a tough division and still some holes on the roster, I don't see the Eagles making the next step this season.
10.5
Over 10.5 wins. I think the Steelers are likely to get 10-12 wins this season, which makes this line spot on. I would avoid this line at all possible. I think the Steelers will win their division and have one of the best records in the AFC, but I can't see them dominanting for over 10 games.
7.5
Under 7.5 wins. Every year we get hyped for Phillip Rivers and the Chargers in the offseason. This year, we hung our hats on Melvin Gordon continuing to improve and Keenan Allen staying healthy. However, I belive the opposite is likely for those players, as well as rookie struggles for their o-line and sophmore slump from Joey Bosa. In a tough division, Chargers look to be a bottom half NFL team again this season.
4.5
Under 4.5 wins. 49ers are devoid of talent on both sides, but no as bad as the Jets. 3-4 wins seems about right for this squad.
10.5
Under 10.5 wins. Has a team this historically talented ever has such an untalented offensive line? Seahawks will fail to generate offense with Luke Joekel as their best o-lineman and a committee of Thomas Rawls and C.J. Procise carrying the ball. Wilson seems destined to get injured this season.
8.5
Under 8.5 wins. NFL was quick to annoint the Bucs as an upstart team, but the reality of the situation is that they are missing more than a few pieces on both sides of the ball. They are set at QB, WR, TE, CB, and that is it. There are questions on every other part of their roster. In a tough, pass-first high scoring divison, I don't belive the Bucs have the offensive firepower or defensive power to compete for the division this season.
8.5
Over 8.5 wins. On the other hand, the Titans have talented players across the board. They have one of the top o-line units in the league, as well as a great recieving corps and a powerful running game. Their defense has 3 good pass rushers and a pretty good defensive backfield led by FA acquisition Logan Ryan. Titans have the benefit of playing in a very soft division. They should compete with the Texans for the division crown.
7.5
Over 7.5 wins. If I were an oddsmaker, I would have had this line at 8.5 so this is an easy over for me. Redskins won 8 games last season, and arguably improved in many key areas. Their rookie additions should make a big impact starting with Jon Allen. Su'a Cravens moving to safety and Josh Norman with another year in this system should make the secondary even better. I think it is not a stretch for Washington to have 9+ wins this season and compete with the Giants for the division crown.
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