2019 NFL Divisional Preview

It was a week full of chaos and a relatively heavy workload. And in Adam's case, being in a state of mourning and/or anger at Cody Parkey, so we're scrambling to get our Divisional Round previews up before kickoff!

We had a so-so Wild Card weekend, with Adam taking a narrow lead overall. But now the stakes are higher as the top two teams from each conference will make their 2018 postseason debuts this weekend.

Once again, below Adam and I will each have a little more in-depth analysis of the games this weekend and our final score picks, which will count as picks both straight up and against the spread.

Let's get to it!

2019 NFL Wild Card Preview

Even in a year where my team isn't in the playoffs once again... I just can't quit the NFL.

While Jen won the 2018 Pigskin Pick 'Em contest with me finishing just one game back, Adam clearly can't quit the NFL either even after a last place finish. He texted me Wednesday evening asking if we were doing anything for the playoffs. And because I can't help myself along with the fact that I've been doing this for years, we are going to go through the NFL playoff slate once again.

Last year it was just me, and I didn't track how I did against the spread. This year we're going to track that information, with Adam grabbing lines Thursday morning off of Bovada.

In a few weeks we will do our usual feature of Super Bowl prop bets, but this year we're doing the appetizer leading up to the main course. Here's a look at Wild Card Weekend.

2018 NFC East Preview

Rejoice, COAS readers: tomorrow the NFL is back!

That means I need to wrap up my preview series today. For the past couple weeks I've gone division by division around the country making my picks for the upcoming year. Yesterday I wrapped up the AFC (you can view my full playoff picks here), and so today I need to finish up the league and NFC.

But before I do that, one final time I'm looking to make a shameless plug with the annual COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em contest. You can join the group through that link to see how much better at picking NFL games against the spread you are than I am, while I renew my rivalry with Adam Quinn in our weekly column. The first edition of the season comes out tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to getting back to it.

But until then, here's a look at the NFC East.

The Tyrant Wins Yet Again

I wanted to wait on this one, and I was tempted to not even write anything about this topic. It's a crazy issue and a serious one, and I'm maybe not the most qualified person to speak on it. But when the lying tyrant Roger Goodell continues to get away with wielding his power for power's sake, I can't not say anything.

In case you've been living under a rock for a while, here's the basic rundown of what happened. Just over a year ago Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was accused by an ex-girlfriend of domestic violence. Obviously, this is something that has to be taken very seriously, and it was; both the police and the NFL stepped in to investigate the claims. As it turns out, the police felt there wasn't enough evidence to go forward with a trial, and especially when the accuser failed to show up for the court date, the charges were dropped.

Photo from Getty Images (photographer uncredited)

Now the NFL is not the judicial system, and as we learned with their witch hunt of Tom Brady, they don't need proof beyond a reasonable doubt. They only need a "preponderance of evidence" to say, in essence, that it's "more probable than not" that Player X committed Offense Y. In the case of Elliott, they took over a year to investigate all of this, and felt that he did in fact commit the acts he was accused of. By virtue of the domestic violence policy put in place after the Ray Rice debacle, Elliott was suspended six games. He appealed, and yesterday the suspension was upheld, though Elliott will be allowed to play in this week's game against the Giants due to...legal technicalities? I don't even know.

Now, I've spent years attacking Goodell for being an incompetent, lying tyrant, but I'm going to play devil's advocate here. After the aforementioned Ray Rice debacle, the NFL put that domestic violence policy in place to at least give the impression that they give a crap about domestic violence. But last year, when the Josh Brown story broke, the league only suspended him for one game, though the Giants would release him a few days after he admitted to his pattern of abuse. Regardless, it showed that the league actually doesn't give a crap about domestic violence. The Elliott situation gave Goodell an out: he had a chance to try and show society that yes, the league takes these accusations very seriously and will stick to its guns when it comes to these situations. As far as PR stunts go, it's pretty effective.

Photo by USATSI (photographer uncredited)

Here's the problem though: we have to go back to the police investigation. Police obviously interviewed the accuser and went to fairly great lengths to verify her story. But they found serious inconsistencies between her account of what happened and other evidence (including some text messages that showed her trying to convince a friend to lie to extort money from Elliott). This is partially why Elliott's charges were let go. Now, while the NFL was doing its investigation, they also interviewed the accuser. The investigator who talked to her took her testimony and all the other evidence into account, and recommended that the league not suspend Elliott due to the same concerns police raised. Of course, Goddell in his infinite wisdom decided to ignore that and go ahead with the suspension because he's Roger Goodell and can do whatever the hell he wants. And unfortunately, that's why the arbitrator upheld the suspension. The CBA allows it. That's why Tom Brady's lawsuit was defeated in the Appeals Court. It's why I fear Elliott's lawsuit may not stand up either.

The precedent has been set, and it's a scary one. The NFL can do whatever it wants to its players, without evidence and without regards to the truth. Now, this is a more serious issue than the league not understanding the Ideal Gas Law. Domestic violence is a problem that does need to be dealt with, and offenders need to be punished harshly. But when the evidence to support the punishment is spotty, punishing them anyway reeks of evil totalitarianism. I'm not saying Roger Goodell is evil, because I don't think he is. But I would argue that he is incompetent and corrupted by absolute power, and without any safeguards to protect against his power, he will continue to bring unchecked poor decisions on the NFL, as he has done for years. And the owners are fine with this, because the league continues to bring in money and he serves as a perfect puppet. Goddell is an employee of the owners, and as long as he's around to bungle everything, no one will focus on their sins.

I said it last year when Brady's suspension was reinstated, and I'll say it again. The only recourse to save the NFL from itself is a players' strike. I will continue to advocate for it, even though I love football, because going without games for a while is worth it if the lying tyrant can no longer adversely impact the game in the false name of "the integrity of the shield."

2017 NFC East Preview

We've finally circled around geographically. We're in the east today, with just two divisions left to preview.

One NFC wild card remains up for grabs, which means an NFC East team will be going into January with one, at least the way I see the season going. Of course, the season rarely goes fully the way I see it going.

That doesn't stop me from prognosticating, which is something I'll be doing again every week with Adam Quinn as we pick games against the spread. You can join us in our quest here.

And with that, let's look at our penultimate division.

2017 NFL Divisional Preview

We're fast approaching another weekend, and the NFL playoffs are in full swing. Just eight teams remain in the quest for the Lombardi Trophy, and the four best teams from this past season are back in action this weekend.

All in all, last weekend was relatively uneventful unless you're one of the idiots who's blowing the whole Giants-On-The-Boat thing out of proportion. Them spending the off day with their families back home or whatever probably wouldn't have changed their defense getting torched by Aaron Rodgers in the final 35 minutes of the game.

So with that out of the way, let's take a look at the four games on tap this weekend.

2016 NFC East Preview

We're onto Day 3 of our NFL previews as I work to get all 32 NFL teams pegged out for the upcoming season.

I'm done in the North divisions and am working my way clockwise around the country alternating conferences to get to eight. Today, I'm onto the NFC East.

Before I do that, once again this season I'm picking NFL games against the spread. I will be joined by defending champion Adam Quinn for our third year of weekly posts with our picks. If you want to try and beat us, you can join our ESPN Pigskin Pick 'Em Group.

Let's take a look at the previews.

2015 NFC East Preview

A week from today, we will be celebrating the full-on return of the NFL with 13 games over the course of the day. Until then, we still have a couple more previews to do.

We're down to just the eastern divisions remaining over the next couple days. Meanwhile, if you want to see some more in-depth previews for the NFL, my colleagues over at UKEndZone are doing a fantastic job getting you ready for the 2015 campaign. If you want to try to play expert and pick some NFL results, Adam Quinn is back to join me in a weekly post picking NFL games, and you can compete against us as well as my dad and Grabbing the Bull Horns blogger/defending champion in our ESPN Pigskin Pick 'Em Group.

Let's get to work on today's preview.

NFC East

Common opponents on schedule: NFC South, AFC East

1. Philadelphia Eagles
2014: 10-6 (2nd), missed playoffs
This past offseason was a crazy one in Philly, with Chip Kelly assuming roster construction duties and proceeding to turn the Eagles into some sort of Oregon East and upheaving the roster (while Shady McCoy stupidly played the race card out of bitterness for getting moved, never mind the fact that DeMarco Murray was the guy who replaced him). They also traded for Sam Bradford at quarterback, which might help given that a change of scenery might not hurt him, but odds are something else will. There's enough talent in the backfield, though I'm not sold on the receiving corps just because of Kelly's retooling of it all. I'm not 100 percent sure what to make of the defense, but I think there are enough pieces here to make it work, plus Bradley Fletcher is no longer in the secondary to get torched repeatedly.
2015 Prediction: 10-6

2. New York Giants
2014: 6-10 (3rd), missed playoffs
I tinkered around with this one, originally not having a lot of faith in the Giants, but I have to believe Eli Manning will be better in 2015 than he was in 2014, especially with a full year of Odell Beckham, Jr. They also have James Jones to play a complementary role, and with an experienced, competent quarterback throwing him the ball he'll be okay. I like their running game as well. Defensively, they have a good secondary with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Prince Amukamura manning the corners, but the big question mark is the defensive line. They've constantly reloaded it in the past few years, leading to their two Super Bowls, but I just don't think there's enough there this year to allow for another one. They'll be right in the mix though.
2015 Prediction: 9-7

3. Dallas Cowboys
2014: 12-4 (1st), lost in NFC Divisional Game
After years of being in NFL purgatory, the Cowboys finally had a great run to the playoffs, getting by the wuss Jim Caldwell's Lions only to drop a heartbreaker to the Packers at Lambeau (good times). Their offense will be pretty good again with Romo, Bryant and Witten, their offensive line is superb, but the question mark will be the running game. DeMarco Murray left for Philly in the offseason, and Dallas is relying on Darren McFadden to be the new #1, though we'll definitely see more of Lance Dunbar and Joseph Randle this year. It won't be anywhere near the same though. The Cowboys' strong run game in 2014 helped mask a fairly weak defense, one that is okay this year but will be without corner Orlando Scandrick due to a knee injury. The Cowboys will be okay this year... but it's not a playoff year. Back to purgatory they go.
2015 Prediction: 8-8

4. Washington Redskins
2014: 4-12 (4th), missed playoffs
I don't even know where to start here. The Redskins have been a mess recently, with Kirk Cousins being named the starter for 2015 over RG3. Cousins will have some weapons, with Desean Jackson and Pierre Garcon to throw to while Alfred Morris is a decent back. I do not trust this defense however, other than maybe the mandatory four pick game from Deangelo Hall against the Bears for old time's sake. There's just too much dysfunction in Landover, Maryland for my taste. It'll be a long year here.
2015 Prediction: 4-12

Since I've done all the NFC teams now, here's my predicted playoff picture from the conference:

1. Seattle Seahawks (12-4)
2. Green Bay Packers (11-5)
3. Philadelphia Eagles (10-6)
4. Carolina Panthers (9-7)
5. Arizona Cardinals (10-6)
6. New Orleans Saints (9-7)

We have just one division remaining: the AFC East. I'll be back with that tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your Labor Day weekend!

NFC East Preview

We're just a week away now! The NFL season is on the horizon, and I have five more divisions to get to. Today I'm switching back over to the NFC but staying out on the East Coast... you know, other than Dallas.

With a week to go, there is still time to get in on the COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em contest. Follow the provided link to go to the group page and sign up. It's free to play, and you have an opportunity to make me look like a complete idiot. Everyone wins.

With that out of the way, let's take a look at how the NFC East might unfold.

Common opponents on schedule: NFC West, AFC South

1. Philadelphia Eagles
2013: 10-6 (1st), lost in NFC Wild Card Round
Not the easiest schedule in the world for second year coach Chip Kelly. He has the first place teams in the NFC plus the NFC West. Even with that, there's no reason to think this offense still can't blur their way down the field. They were a top-10 passing team and the top rushing attack in 2013. Those numbers will probably drop a bit with Desean Jackson departed for Washington. Shady McCoy will still probably put up huge numbers though. The biggest problem though remains in that this defense couldn't stop a nosebleed last year. They'll have to rely on winning shootouts. Fortunately for them, that's something they can do.
2014 Prediction: 10-6

2. Dallas Cowboys
2013: 8-8 (2nd), missed playoffs
So, other than Jerry Jones turning into Uncle Creepy... this was more of the same old, same old from Arlington. The cap situation is a mess, the team itself is a mess... and yet somehow, despite my grandfather-in-law's lack of faith in this team (he lives in the Dallas area), they'll be in position to make the playoffs in the final week before blowing it in unbelievable fashion. Tony Romo will continue to put up numbers, especially as long as Jason Witten and Dez Bryant are healthy. Problem is, this defense... oh boy. We might see a lot of games like last year's shootout with Denver.
2014 Prediction: 8-8

3. Washington Redskins
2013: 3-13 (4th), missed playoffs
With the benefit of a (hopefully) healthy RG3 and a last place schedule, the Redskins should be on the way back up this season. Having Desean Jackson defect helps a lot too. Offensively, between the passing game and the Alfred Morris/Roy Helu running back tandem, they'll be fine. It's the defense that's concerning, much like the rest of the division. Picking up Ryan Clark is a pretty good addition to a secondary that will need the help, given Brandon Meriweather is being a thug again. As long as Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan get a decent pass rush, the Skins can be in contention again this year.
2014 Prediction: 7-9

4. New York Giants
2013: 7-9 (3rd), missed playoffs
The G-Men had an off year last year, especially Eli. I doubt he'll have an 18/27 touchdown to pick ration again. It'll be interesting to see though if Rueben Randle can become a competent #2 receiver across from Victor Cruz though. I really don't know what to expect on the ground though; Rashad Jennings was okay as part of a tandem last year, but who backs him up? On defense, getting Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie helps shore up the secondary, but can the Giants get the pass rush they've gotten during their two recent Super Bowl runs? If not, it could be a long year in the Meadowlands.
2014 Prediction: 7-9

And with that, we're at the halfway mark. And so far, no wild cards have shown up. You can check back tomorrow to see if one is present in the AFC North.