2020 NFL Preview

 

Fear not, Confessions of a Sportscaster is back from hiatus!

The COVID-19 pandemic threw a huge monkey wrench into the world of sports that... I'm still not totally over. I kind of feel bad that I haven't written anything since feeling compelled to address a race issue on North Central's campus, but for a long time there wasn't anything to watch except for old sporting events. Then the NBA and NHL set up some bubbles and got started, which I took in some of.

But now the NFL season is upon us, and by some miracle (and largely timing of everything) the season appears to be going on as planned, with the only difference being a ton of empty stadiums for the time being.

So it's time to get back into the swing of things. With the college football season largely in shambles even though some FBS conferences are playing on as if nothing is happening, this means we won't see a 2020 Death to the BCS Playoffs, though I still have to simulate through the 2019 iteration. I have ideas for a pseudo-Tournament of Champions for the Death to the BCS Playoffs of the past that, time permitting, I may try to undertake. But more importantly... the COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em contest is back for its ninth season as I try to maintain even year magic and retake my crown from Adam.

So with that in mind, I need to power through some NFL previews. Last year I condensed the eight posts, one for each division, down to two. This year I'm cutting it down to one and cutting back because I haven't paid a ton of attention to preseason training camps, and without preseason games or anything, it's hard to get a read on some things. But even so, I'm willing to put my neck out there and make predictions that almost certainly will go wrong.

NFC South

The most intriguing division probably this entire offseason, if for no other reason that the addition. Tampa moves on from The Bakery and brought in Touchdown Tom, reuniting him with Gronk. This is definitely the most interesting team, but I don't know if they're the best. I probably still reserve that for New Orleans, whose Bress-Kamara-Thomas triad is one of the best in the league, and their defense is pretty good. Teddy Bridgewater takes the reins in Carolina, where he'll team with Christian McCaffrey, but there's not much else there. I like what the Falcons have on offense with Ryan, Todd Gurley, and the 1-2 punch of Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, but not so much on defense.

1. New Orleans Saints: 12-4
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 10-6, Wild Card
3. Atlanta Falcons: 6-10
4. Carolina Panthers: 5-11

AFC South

Deshaun Watson got paid this past weekend, and there's weapons there, but I don't totally trust Bill O'Brien. But other than them, the only real threat is Tennessee. I'll be interested to see if Ryan Tannehill's renaissance can continue, but the rest of the pieces are there, and the addition of Jadeveon Clowney just makes this team more terrifying. I'll be interested to see how Phillip Rivers fares in Indianapolis with some okay pieces around him, but it's way better than what's in Jacksonville. The Jags are going to be a dumpster fire, other than maybe year two of the Gardner Minshew Experience.

1. Tennessee Titans: 11-5
2. Houston Texans: 10-6, Wild Card
3. Indianapolis Colts: 6-10
4. Jacksonville Jaguars: 3-13

NFC East

I'm not too sure what to make of this division. Dallas finally got rid of Jason Garrett, picking up Mike McCarthy, whose time in Green Bay I appreciated, but I'm not sure he's that huge an upgrade. Zeke and Amari Cooper are good, but Dak is overrated, and this is the Cowboys we're talking about. But the rest of the division doesn't really impress. Philly has good pieces, but this is all contingent on Carson Wentz staying healthy, which isn't a great proposition. I'm gonna place my hot take money on the Giants; they're in year two of Daniel Jones, and he has good pieces alongside him that might make this team a bit of a threat. And Washington is... the Washington Football Team.

1. New York Giants: 10-6
2. Philadelphia Eagles: 9-7
3. Dallas Cowboys: 8-8
4. Washington Football Team: 6-10

AFC East

Reiterating a weird thing: New England no longer has Tom Brady, and it's weird to see after almost two decades. They picked up Cam Newton though, and if anyone can reinvigiorate him, it's Darth Hoodie. Brady's departure opens things up though, especially in Buffalo. The defense is good, and adding Stefon Diggs to go alongside John Brown in the receiving corps may be enough to get them over the hump. I don't really trust the Dolphins that much, though we'll see if Tua gets a chance to come show what he can do at the NFL level. The Jets are weird; they have the pieces, but they have Adam Gase as head coach, who's right up there with Bill O'Brien in the "I don't trust him" rankings.

1. Buffalo Bills: 11-5
2. New England Patriots: 10-6, Wild Card
3. New York Jets: 6-10
4. Miami Dolphins: 6-10

NFC North

There's a lot to sift through here. Green Bay probably overachieved to some degree in terms of going 13-3, but they have a pretty good defense to go along with a balanced attack led by a still elite Aaron Rodgers. The Vikings are the biggest threat; their defense is arguably better, especially with the addition of Yannick Ngakoue, but Kirk Cousins is not an elite quarterback, and I'm not sure he can carry the load. I don't trust the Lions, but I'm more sure about them than I am about the Bears. That defense remains a force, but they're insisting in the Mitch Trubisky experiment, and while I don't want to say he's a bust... he's not living up to his draft status.

1. Green Bay Packers: 11-5
2. Minnesota Vikings: 9-7
3. Chicago Bears: 7-9
4. Detroit Lions: 5-11

AFC North

Baltimore is the team to beat here after getting a monster year out of Lamar Jackson last year, and there's no reason to think he can't build off of it. If Ben Roethlisberger can stay healthy this year, the Steelers might be in the mix as well with some good pieces all around. It'll be interesting to see how the Bengals do this year with Joe Burrow set to be the starter in his rookie year; he's got a couple decent pieces around him including an aging A.J. Green. And of course, last year the Browns were a sexy underdog pick and proceeded to revert to the Factory of Sadness. The pieces are still there, but I'm not sure if they can put it together or not.

1. Baltimore Ravens: 12-4
2. Pittsburgh Steelers: 10-6
3. Cleveland Browns: 5-11
4. Cincinnati Bengals: 5-11

NFC West

I'm not totally over the 49ers signing North Central's Broc Rutter as an undrafted free agent, shipping out the rest of their signing bonus money ($279) to him, then cutting him well ahead of the deadline. They bring back much of their team that blew the Super Bowl though, and I think they can definitely work their way back. Seattle will threaten them, especially with the addition of Greg Olsen. Otherwise I'm not sold on the division. The Rams came back down to earth last year, though if Jared Goff can come back towards his 2018 form, with what's left of a pretty good defense they may surprise. Meanwhile, I'm not sure what the Cardinals will bring, though another year for Kyler Murray should mean a step forward for him, but is the rest of the team good enough to grow with him.

1. San Francisco 49ers: 12-4
2. Seattle Seahawks: 10-6, Wild Card
3. Los Angeles Rams: 7-9
4. Arizona Cardinals: 6-10

AFC West

Andy Reid finally shed the choker label and Patrick Mahomes got paid and engaged in the wake of his first Super Bowl ring. If they can fight off the Disease of More this year, they can be right back in the thick of it. What helps is the rest of the division leaves something to be desired. The Raiders' move to Vegas is a fun storyline, but the pieces aren't really there to threaten. The Chargers moved on from Phillip Rivers to Tyrod Taylor, who may not help a ton, though a good defense will probably help. Denver doesn't really impress me; I'm not sold on a Drew Lock led offense, with a defense that's okay but not elite.

1. Kansas City Chiefs: 13-3
2. Los Angeles Chargers: 6-10
3. Las Vegas Raiders: 5-11
4. Denver Broncos: 4-12