Go BIG Or Go HOME | Final 2022 NFL Season Predictions | Ep. 11

What does the full NFL season look like at the end of 2022? Who will surprise, and who will underwhelm? Doing one team or one division at a time was taking too long...SO HERE IS ALL OF IT!

 

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Episode Transcript

(00:07):
Welcome back.
Finally, another episode.
This has been a crazy fall as a high school football coach, a fulltime dad and a mixture of things outside of that, it has not gone according to plan.
But hey, here we are coming back in last we talked about was the AFC North.

(00:28):
Been doing some season predictions since that time.
Done a Brown's update from the final suspension of Deshawn Watson.
That was out in the last episode.
I've also done my first fantasy draft of the year.
Feeling pretty good about that.
An 18 person league, so it's really difficult to get a solid roster.

(00:48):
But I am really happy with who I got this week.
We come into the start of the NFL season finally, finally excited to be able to watch some actual football, not the preseason nonsense.
It's here it is September and it's about time.

(01:09):
I'd said in the last conversation covering the AFC North that this episode we'd be talking about the NFC North.
But here's the reality.
The season starts in just a couple of days.
As I'm recording this and with how things have gone so far throughout the second half of August and starting September, I don't know that I'm going to be able to go through every team for every division if I only do division based predictions.

(01:38):
And so we're going to try and see how far we can get in this episode.
Little guys down for a nap.
I'm taking advantage of the time recording and we're going to see how far we can get to finish out more teams and my predictions for their schedule, for their outcome of season.
I'm ready, I think.
By the way, guys, new Patreon just released.

(02:01):
If you are interested and you want to look out for ways to be able to garner other content from cleats off the couch from myself, Delkari, be sure to check that out.
It's in the description in the link both on YouTube and in Pod Bean app.
So be sure to visit the link tree, check out the Patreon and appreciate you guys just listening and being a part of the conversation, let alone anyone who considers supporting these efforts so that we can give a little bit more focus and time into them.

(02:36):
As I look forward through these next three months of the actual NFL season, so I do have in my personal discord, I do have a list that has all of the team predictions that I had done from TikTok.
I think we're going to finish out the rest of the league today.

(02:56):
This is going to be a big episode and big as in rich full me getting you ready for kick off this Thursday night.
I'm still going to visit schedules.
I'm thinking through this, I had a plan and of course when you have a plan, you got to go off of away from the plan and then get pulled back by the plan and then go back towards the plan again anyway, and it's a whole tug of war mentally back and forth.

(03:23):
Anytime there's a comment section, anytime there's an opportunity to be able to share with me what you guys think, I'd love to hear what you're thinking as we have conversation.
And this is not just a one sided monologue of which I am the know all, be all.
I mean, I may do better than most of the experts, but so do you.
So you know I'm right.

(03:45):
So guys, starting with the NFC North, we had talked through the rest of the AFC North, just revisiting that.
I think I had the Bengals somewhere between eleven and 13 wins, the Raven somewhere between like ten and twelve wins, the Steelers somewhere between seven and nine wins, looking towards still that winning season and the Browns, I think even in my update, I had I should have wrote this down somewhere, I think I had them coming somewhere between like six and eight wins on the season.

(04:13):
That's what the AFC North finished out with.
I talked about Minnesota in like episode five and the Vikings are a team, guys, that just they get me more and more excited as we get into, as we're coming into this first week.
Preseason looked good.
Their off season looked good.
I'm really curious if they can actually look to dethrone the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rogers from the NFC North crown.

(04:38):
I really do think they have the potential for that this year.
It'll come down to injuries.
If Daniel Hunter gets injured again this year, they won't do it.
They won't do it.
But I think the coaching staff that they have, the opportunity that they have with that coaching staff and the offensive playmakers, I think Captain Kirk, Justin Jefferson, Dalvin Cook, whoever that tight end there, he's been a top talk about Earth Smith Jr.

(05:04):
In fantasy football.
He's a guy that people, if you haven't done your draft already, should be eyeballing.
But in the NFC North, I had Minnesota getting somewhere between eight to ten, maybe nine to eleven wins.
I think it was eight to ten wins, though, and Green Bay, obviously they were the winner last year.
Devante Adams out, that makes for a big question mark.

(05:24):
Now, I've said before, I think they're going to rely in the Payton Manning years style where they're going to rely on their run game.
You've got AJ.
Dylan and you've got go figure right now for some reason the name of their starting running back, Aaron Jones.
My goodness, you've got those two in the backfield, you've got some manageable receivers.

(05:46):
Tony, if he's healthy, you've got a solid line.
And then on defense, they have a good defense, arguably the best defense in the NFC North.
Although, again, Minnesota, minnesota has a good looking defense.
You're basically coming down as Aaron Rogers going to be able to make it happen with the guys he has on offense and so, looking through their season, they have obviously inner division play twice against the Vikings, twice against the Bears, twice against the Lions.

(06:14):
I have them splitting with the Vikings, wiping the Bears, still owning the Bears, and then potentially a split with the Lions in a surprise fashion because I am on the Dan Campbell train.
I think that the Lions are going to give a good year this year.
They're not going to be a playoff team, but they're going to be right there at the edge of it.
With Green Bay, though, I think they're going to go potentially, what is that, four and two in their division? Week three, they travel to Tampa and then they're home against New England.

(06:39):
They play the Giants at home.
Well, no.
The Giants overseas.
Then they play the jets at home.
They're at Washington, at Buffalo, they're home against Dallas, they're home against Tennessee, they're at Philadelphia, home against La, they're at Miami, and then they finish out two weeks in the division, guys, I'm looking at somewhere around ten to twelve wins.

(07:06):
I think they're a team that will still win big games.
I mean games like Buffalo in Buffalo.
It's hard to bet against Buffalo at home, it really is, but they're going to be I mean, they'll play the Giants, they'll win.
They'll play the jets, they'll win.
They'll play the Commanders, they'll win.
Although the Commanders will be one that I think can surprise in different ways, and maybe a big time game in their home field might make the difference.

(07:29):
But home against New England, especially in early October, I think they win that.
I think they can travel to Raymond James with the current status of injuries and such in Tampa Bay home, I think they can get a loss against Dallas.
Dallas is better on the road or against Tennessee, travel into Lincoln financial field for Philly.
Philly looks good this year to me.

(07:50):
I think they can get a loss there.
And then the Rams, the Dolphins will be at home, so that could swing Miami's way.
But all in all, I've got Green Bay going ten to twelve wins this year.
Minnesota with eight to ten.
Notice how they touch right there.
I think that could be big in deciding, especially since they play Week 17, that could be a deciding game for which of those two will win the division.

(08:15):
It could be.
And then in the NSC north, we've got I already mentioned the Lions, so I'm going to run with that one.
The Lions guys are a team that is always fun to watch.
Whatever Dan Campbell's involved, I shouldn't even say fun to watch.
It's just fun to get ready for.

(08:36):
I don't know what it is.
I'm on the train.
I'm on the train now.
I think that they're going to be a Sub 500 team.
I don't think they're going to be a playoff team, but they're going to be a lot better than last year.
I think they went like 313 and one last year.
And they're going to play teams like Philly, Washington, so all of the NSA East, and then they're going to be playing Seattle.
That's a winnable game.

(08:57):
They're going to be playing the Patriots in Gillette.
Okay, winnable, but Ingela.
They're going to be in at and t Stadium.
Yes, I do think the Dallas Cowboys are overblown this year.
I feel like they have that group of people that think they're going to go like twelve and four every year, and very rarely does it happen.

(09:17):
Yes, last year they went twelve and five, I think, or 13 and four, but I don't see that happening again this year.
They're going to play in Dallas at at and T Stadium, which Dallas usually doesn't do as well as well in when playing against teams at home.
They play Miami in Detroit, and then they're going to be playing I already said the NFC East, the playing the Giants, they're going to be playing the Bills, they're going to be playing the Jaguars, the jets, the Panthers.

(09:46):
So there are some winnable games there even without the Dan Campbell excitement.
If I'm honest, I do think within the division, I already said I think they're going to get a surprise split with Green Bay going one on one, and then I do think they split with Chicago one on one.
And I wouldn't put it past Minnesota to be able to get a double win over the Lions, but two and four, three and three, both are possible in the division.

(10:15):
I think Detroit can get wins against Carolina, against the jets, against the Jaguars, against the Giants at home, against Miami, potentially away, against Dallas potentially away, against New England, unlikely, at home, against Seattle, most likely, and then Washington, they can at home, Philadelphia at home wore away.

(10:43):
I don't see that happening.
I have Detroit getting seven to nine wins, probably on that seven or eight win side, it might be more realistic to say six to eight, but I don't want to take away that realistic nature in a week NFC conference for them to go nine wins.
So I'm going seven to nine wins for the Detroit Lions and then the Chicago Bears.

(11:07):
Now, having done a draft recently for my fantasy football team, I did pick up Matt Ryan, I waited, I did the three running back.
If you don't know much about this with fantasy football, if you do a PPR league, you want to focus on running backs, and especially if you do a PPR league and like a 10th of a point, if you do fractional points for carries because then your larger carried running backs will get you points as well.

(11:32):
You want to focus on running backs.
They get you rushing yards, they get you rushing touchdowns, they get you receiving yards, they get you receiving touchdowns as well as receiving points.
If they do PPR, the thing with running backs is if you overload earlier.
That's what I did this year.
I overloaded with three running backs early on.
Naji Harris, Javonte Williams and Cam out in the rams.

(11:59):
Why can I not remember his last name? Right now he's coming off of injury and he's going to be handcuffed at first, but I think that's good flex.
I did that and waited maybe a little too long for quarterback.
Obviously, the Colts offense is going to be relying on the run game, but Matt Ryan loves to pass.

(12:19):
I got me some Matt Ryan.
I think we're going to see some things opening up there with the receivers in Indianapolis this year and some advancement forward, which will be good to see.
And then I picked up me some Justin Fields.
I got some Justin Fields as my backup quarterback.

(12:39):
Backup, I don't know.
We shall see because that guy has he's one of the quarterbacks you want in today's style of league when it comes to running and passing.
And so we're going to see what he can do, though, on a team that has majority run blocking, focused receivers.

(13:00):
He doesn't have coal commit.
I don't know.
We're going to see.
He has David Montgomery hand the ball off, let your receivers block.
Are we going to see that kind of thing? I'm not sure.
But I do see him as a quarterback who steals goal line touchdowns and things of that nature outside of fantasy football.
Looking at the regular season, the Bears are playing the 49 ers, the Texans, they're playing all the NFC East, just like the rest of their division.

(13:24):
They're playing the Patriots, they're playing the Dolphins, they're playing the Falcons, the jets, the Eagles, the Bills, and finishing out the year with two division games, just like who was at Green Bay earlier this time, detroit and Minnesota.
So the thing about Chicago is I haven't seen enough happen for me to think that they're actually going to be a solid team this year.

(13:51):
I don't see a lot of improvement as a team, but as individuals like Justin, I think we're going to see some exciting play.
Jalen, one of their corners.
I think we're going to see him mark himself as a top corner in the league this year.
Jalen Johnson, I think, is his name, can't remember.
I don't follow Chicago Bears football very closely.
Maybe I should, right? Chicago Bears fan.

(14:13):
But I do see Chicago.
They have a schedule that gives them some win opportunities.
The Texans, the giants, the Commanders, the Patriots.
That one is in Gillette.
It's hard to bet against Bill Belichick against a mediocre team in his place.
They play the Falcons, they play the jets.

(14:39):
That's it for basically what I would see as winnable games, because outside of that, the Bills, the Eagles, those are going to be tough games for them to win.
So I have them winning a handful of games.
Last year I think? Did they win five games? Maybe Chicago, I think they're right around that again this year, five to seven wins.
And here's the thing, chicago will set themselves up, I think as one of the bottom five teams in the league, which next year I think we'll see a big jump.

(15:07):
I really think we'll see a big jump.
Things seem to be on the right path when it comes to their coaching situation.
When it comes to the front office.
Did they make some changes there? Maybe they did.
My one buddy is a Chicago Bears fan and he was always face palm when it came to how the front office in Chicago was handling things.

(15:30):
So let me know guys, if you're listening to Chicago fan or you're somebody who's a fan of the NFC North.
Has there been some changes in Chicago that actually look to be positive moving forward in the next couple of years? I think just from a draft perspective and from an outcome of the players that they have on their team right now and where they could be with the upcoming draft this next year.

(15:53):
I do think they'll make maybe a game or two improvement over last year.
This year.
But they'll have a high opportunity in the draft to then stack on top of there and we may be looking at a team that starts to buy for a wild card spot in 2023 season.
I don't know yet.
Obviously we're just predicting 2022, don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves.

(16:16):
So we've got five to seven wins for the Chicago Bears, seven to nine wins for the Detroit Lions, ten to twelve wins for the Green Bay Packers, and eight to ten wins for the Minnesota Vikings.
And that's what I got for the NSC North.
Obviously I have Green Bay winning the division, but watch out for Minnesota, watch out for them.

(16:37):
Let me know what you guys think of the NFC North and we're going to move on, jump back over to the AFC and talk about the ASC East.

(17:05):
But before we get started with the AFC East, I just want to let you guys know, first of all, with the season starting here this Thursday night for the NFL, make sure you're on NFL Plus.
One of the things you can do is check the link in the description.
Whether you're watching this on YouTube or you're listening to this on Hotbean or Amazon music, I want you to know that you can get NFL Plus to be able to watch in market, out of market games on your mobile devices, $5 a month, $30 if you pay for the year right up front.

(17:36):
That's what I did.
I want to make sure you guys are on the right page when it comes to your capability of watching games this season when you're on the go, on the move, and I know I'm going to be ready to go, switching between my fantasy football apps and NFL Plus to be able to watch those games.
So get on there with that as well and know that when you do that through the link, provided your supportant.

(17:58):
Cleats off the couch here with your boy Delkari.
The AFC East.
I talked about the jets in like, episode two, and the jets are an exciting, exciting group.
But here's the kicker.
I don't know what the most up to date.
I got to look at this Zach Wilson injury that happened in preseason.
There is potential.

(18:19):
They're saying that he could return this week.
It was only a bone, Bruce, and it was a meniscus tear as well.
He had surgery right away, I believe.
My guess is to start out the season, you're going to want somebody to sit.
I know they do play the Baltimore Ravens.
That's a hard one to have him sit in.
I'll tell you what would be funny, to be honest with you, is if Joe Flacco were to start for the jets against Baltimore in week one and beat his old team.

(18:44):
That'd be fun.
That'd be fun to see.
I say that both as a Steelers fan but also as just a storyline.
That'd be fun.
If Zack Wilson is out, I do think they have less of an opportunity at winning games.
The jets start off against the Ravens and then the Browns and then the Bengals, and they start off with a full slate of the AFC North in weeks one through four.

(19:06):
Without Zack Wilson, it's going to be hard to see them getting even one win, let alone a winning record.
I had them in episode two.
What did I have them at? I had them at seven to nine wins, probably on that seven or eight win thing without Zach Wilson in week one, let alone anything more than that.
Week one, week two, week three, I think we see that drop.

(19:27):
In fact, with the Jets, I think they had the best draft this year.
I think they have some exciting pieces in place.
They're going to be making moves forward.
But I do think without Zach Wilson in week one, did I have them beating Baltimore? Probably not.
But I do think it does affect things early on in the year.
If against the Browns or the bank or the Steelers, week two and week four, it could potentially swing that down.

(19:52):
So I'm actually going to do that and I'm going to put the jets week two update here.
I'm going to put them from seven to nine wins to six to eight wins.
Still going to be a great improvement from where they were.
We're still going to see some improvement from individual players, from a lot of great looking rookies.
And I think it's going to be a fun future for the New York Jets to finally create some more competition in the AFC East instead of just one team at a time.

(20:16):
We had like 20 years of the Patriots with not much competition in the AFC East, and now we have had the Bills, right, with not a lot of competition, and now we've got the jets looking like in a year or two.
The Dolphins have a little bit of potential this year, and the Bills are the Bills and the Patriots are the Patriots.
They're still going to be difficult.
They're just not going to be great.

(20:36):
Six to eight wins for the jets is my update for that.
But then the Bills the Bills is everybody's Super Bowl pick.
And so for me, I think early on, they're mine as well.
But it's hard to carry that all the way through.
Looking at their schedule, they've got a road that they've got to run.

(20:57):
They start out this Thursday night against the Rams.
And then they play the Titans, and then they play Miami, and then they play Baltimore in Pittsburgh and Kansas City, Green Bay.
And then they play the jets.
And then they play Minnesota, Cleveland, Detroit, New England, New York, Miami, Chicago, Cincinnati, New England.

(21:20):
You can hear the intonation in my voice as I say each team.
You probably understand what I'm thinking with them.
I have the Bills, though, coming through this.
They have some games.
They're going to be tough to win, but they have a team that's going to be tough to beat.
I honestly have even with that schedule, I have the Bills coming in with twelve to 14 wins.

(21:41):
Am I a little high on that? I don't know.
But I have them coming in with twelve to 14 wins in the AFC East.
I think within the AFC East, they darn near dominate.
I really do think it's going to be hard for them to lose.
I think it's funny because people look at the roster of, like, Miami think, oh, Buffalo is going to lose to them once.

(22:02):
I don't know if they're going to lose to Miami as much as I just think it's hard to sweep to have two teams, let alone one team sweep.
The New England Patriots.
I don't see that happening.
I don't see that happening.
I see improvements for the Patriots.
So I think five and one or four and two in the division by the Bills.
But twelve to 14 wins for the Bills, six to eight for the jets, and then we have the Dolphins.

(22:29):
Let's go, Dolphins.
Dolphins are a team.
I've said multiple times I'm not going to dwell on it too much today, is that I think they're a team that has a lot of potential but will underwhelm us.
It's just a feeling I've gotten and I still have it's not something that's gone away and then I think any differently up.
I still think that they're going to be a team that has a lot of potential.

(22:51):
They will win certain big games, but then they'll lose certain what gains.
Why did they lose that? Because they'll underperform at different points.
The other thing will be how will injuries affect them.
But it's exciting to see the idea of Jalen Waddle and Tyreek Hill on the same offense, I'm not going to lie.
But as well as what's his name at tight end there, Mike Gaski.

(23:13):
So we'll see how that turns out.
Obviously, they play within the division and then they play the Ravens.
They play the AFC North, and then they play Minnesota and Detroit and Chicago.
They do play the packers.
They play the Chargers, the 40 Niners, they play the Texans.
That's a winnable game.

(23:34):
But that's an interesting too that I think Miami has a chance.
But I do see them losing both to the 49 and the Chargers.
I don't see how three, if not all four teams from the AFC West don't make playoffs this year.
They look so good.
They look so good as a whole.
So I think with the roster that they've created, the opportunity that they've created, the Intrigue down there, they could potentially break what I think has become Miami's mold of hope and then breaking.

(24:07):
And I have Miami, though, getting seven to nine wins.
That's the win swing I have.
I could see them on that winning side.
It's going to be hard when you play two of the four AFC West teams, plus you play the Vikings and the packers out of the North, NFC North, plus you play the entire ASC North, plus you have the Bills and you have Bill Belichick in your division.

(24:33):
It's going to be difficult, difficult road for them.
So I've got them win seven to nine games teams, and then that ends out with the Patriots.
Now, I've been saying a lot about you can't bet against Bill and stuff like that.
Don't mistyear me.
I don't think the Patriots are going to be I don't think they're going to hit the playoffs, but there's still going to be a team that plays well.

(24:55):
They've got arguably one of the greatest coaches to ever step on the field and I still got to make an episode.
Let me know if you're interested in that.
I still got to make an episode talking about why I do not use the term greatest of all time.
I don't think it's a viable phrase.
I don't think we can use it.
And so when I make statements like one of the greatest coaches to ever step on the field, it's like I agree with it.

(25:20):
But also I have hesitations of making statements like that.
The Patriots, they're also playing all of the north and then they're going to be playing who are they playing outside of the north divisions? They're going to be playing the Colts.
Oh, man, that'll just be a fun game.
Beginning of November, that'll just be a fun game.

(25:42):
Always has been.
Patriots and colts, mainly because of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.
But then they play the Cardinals and the Raiders.
So that'll be interesting.
Two teams that I think it will be difficult for the Patriots to get wins against.
I think the Patriots are going to be a team that is more likely.

(26:02):
It's not going to be a surprise.
I don't think it'll be surprised.
It may be to the media narrative and to the greater sports world narrative.
I don't think it'll be a surprise when Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots win big games, especially at home, especially in Gillette Stadium.
But I have the New England Patriots also on that seven to nine win.
I'm not sure where they're going to settle there.

(26:24):
I don't necessarily see them falling short of 500 this year.
I can see them on the Nine win there.
But the schedule is hard.
The schedule that they have is going to be a difficult road to see that happen.
Miami with their potential this year.
Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Green, Bay skipping a couple.
Cleveland, Indianapolis, Minnesota, Buffalo, Arizona, las Vegas, arizona is in the second half of the year.

(26:51):
And I know everybody hates to keep talking about that, but just statistically, over the past three years, the second half of the season, arizona hasn't done as well.
So Buffalo again.
Yeah.
So it's going to be hard for them to make it happen this year.
But I do think they get seven to nine wins.
So I got the jets with six to eight wins, the Patriots with seven to nine wins, the Dolphins with seven to nine wins, the Bills with twelve to 14 wins.

(27:14):
Bills.
Obviously winning the AFC East.
Let me know what you think and if I'm crazy or if I'm the smartest guy you've ever listened to.

(27:45):
All right, here is where it gets really fun.
The NFC East is going to be a mud puddle.
I think every year people point at one or two teams in that division to be the team.
Normally, a lot of people are like, oh, the Cowboys, the Cowboys.

(28:08):
But guys, this year I think we're going to see some surprises, I'll be honest with you.
The Philadelphia Eagles to me, look really good.
They look really good.
And the Cowboys will still be the Cowboys.
They'll still compete.
They'll still fall short in certain in certain situations and certain opportunities, but they'll still compete.
The Giants are the bottom of the barrel on the NSA.

(28:30):
I think we can all agree on that.
It's unfortunate.
I think it's going to be the last year that they settled for Daniel Jones.
I was really hopeful that he would turn into something.
I think it's going to affect Saquon Barclay and his performance opportunities.
Fantasy footballers.
Sequin is one of those top five potentials.

(28:50):
When you look at the statistics over the past ten years, to be like RB one at the end of the season, I think that offense and his usage and Daniel Jones I think is going to take away and what I've been seeing in.
Preseason with that rookie tackle that they got.
I think Sequin is not I've always thought he's been a big hitter.

(29:11):
I've had a lot of conversations with one of my buddies about that.
He's a home run hitter, and if you can't hit the home run, he will not be your multiple three to five yard guy.
He's got to hit a big run.
Otherwise he's throttled.
And so maybe that's a big statement to say.
But with that, though, I think the commanders Carson Wentz is better than people want to admit, and I think Carson Wentz will do pretty solid this year, especially having the defense that he'll have.

(29:40):
It'll be similar to what he had in Indianapolis.
Are they going to fall short of playoffs? It will be easier to make playoffs in the NFC than it was in the AFC, but it's still going to be a mud puddle with the NFC East.
I had talked a few episodes ago about Washington, about Carson.
It's his last opportunity to really prove he's got what it takes, and I think they come out with eight to ten wins.

(30:02):
I think it's going to be surprising to me if they come out with a losing season.
I do think a nine and eight season is very, very they're very capable of that, especially with the defense that they have.
They've got some playmakers.
They've got to keep Terry McLaurin healthy.
We got to see what they can do with the run game, honestly, is one of the biggest factors.

(30:25):
But I do think that they can fight forward and get wins in different scenarios to be able to make it to an eight, nine, maybe a double digit win season.
I'm not so sure about that one.
We got that happening with the commanders.
I've already talked about that one.
And we'll just get the Giants out of the way.
The Giants are going to be probably bottom three, if not the last team in the NFL, number one for the draft pick next season.

(30:55):
It's going to be hard for them not to be with what I'm seeing.
The Giants, I will say they'll be lucky to get six to eight wins.
I think they're going to get more in that five to seven category.
In fact, guys, I'm going to put them at probably five to seven.
But I realistically think we could see a less than five win season from the Giants.

(31:16):
Here's the thing.
They're playing teams like Tennessee, Carolina, obviously the Cowboys.
Chicago, Green, Bay, Baltimore, Jacksonville, Seattle, Houston, Detroit, dallas, Washington, Philadelphia, Washington, Minnesota, Indianapolis and Philly.
Again, I do think it'll be hard for the Giants to even get a win in their division.

(31:40):
I think they will.
I think they'll probably split with, like, Washington, and maybe they'll do a surprise split with either the Cowboys or the Eagles.
It happens, right? CNSE is so unpredictable, but they play teams like the Lions, the Texans, the Seahawks, the Jaguars, the Bears and the Panthers.

(32:01):
Do I feel comfortable in any of those being like, oh, yeah, the Giants are obviously going to win? No, I don't.
But I think those five or six that I just listed, I think they could compete in.
They might even get a surprise one outside of that, which is why I think five to seven is more realistic than sub five.
Keep an eye on that.
I'm going to keep with that.
Five to seven for the Giants.

(32:22):
I won't be surprised if we're closer to around that four win.
I don't remember what they were last year, but I don't see a lot of improvement regardless of knowing that moving to the Eagles, the Eagles guy again, they look exciting to me.
I hear a lot of different sides of stories as I look at online as well as in my local area because I am in Pennsylvania.

(32:43):
So it does allow me opportunity to be able to hear the local thoughts versus what people are saying in the media.
And even that is limited, right.
Because I don't get to hear what people out west a lot of times are saying.
The Eagles are playing all of the NFC North, and they're playing the Cardinals, the Jaguars, they're playing Pittsburgh this year.

(33:03):
They're playing Houston, Indianapolis.
They're going to be playing Tennessee, all of the AFC South, it seems.
So the Saints, they're going to be playing as well.
I do think there are going to be some surprise losses in there, honestly more than surprise wins.
But at the same time, they're going to be able to play some big games again.
Health is going to be a thing.

(33:23):
How they use their run game is going to be a big thing on offense.
And obviously how well Jalen Hurts can actually play.
Right.
I think he's fine.
I don't think he's the greatest quarterback to ever play the game, but I don't think he's crap.
I mean, he's in the NFL first and foremost.
He's set as a starter first and foremost, but I think he'll have a pretty solid season.
He'll do pretty well.
And having the dual threat capabilities will be helpful to them overall with the roster they have, the games they're playing, I have the Philadelphia Equals looking at nine to eleven wins.

(33:53):
Nine to eleven wins.
And this is where I say it's usually muddy in the NFC East.
Right? I think Washington can get that eight to ten or seven to nine win.
I think Philly can get that nine to eleven.
And it's going to be interesting to watch how Philly plays at home, at home against teams like Minnesota, pittsburgh at home against Green Bay, at home against Tennessee.

(34:18):
Those are going to be at home against the Saints in Week 17.
These are going to be massive gains in Philadelphia, and we all know that they're going to riot if they don't win some big games at home in Philadelphia.
There's going to be some riots and stuff happening from Philly fans.
They are super passionate about their team and about winning games.

(34:39):
And so I have nine to eleven wins for the Philadelphia Eagles, and then that leaves us with the Cowboys.
Right, the Cowboys.
I was always a fan of Dak Prescott.
I remember picking up him up in my fantasy league the season that Tony Romo got injured in preseason, his rookie year.
I got him like late round, and I'm glad I did because he carried me through to a fantasy football victory that year.

(35:05):
Does he return to that kind of form? I don't know.
I don't think so.
It'll be good for them to have Michael Gallup healthy, but I do think they need to be more consistent on defense and losing a couple of pieces there on defense.
I've heard both sides from Cowboys fans and non Cowboys fans about how they think the defense will fare there, and I think we're going to see some similar defense to last year.

(35:33):
I think we're coming a little bit more down to earth, both in interception amounts as well as just pressure capability because of some of the pieces that they now don't have and because of the pieces they did have last year, the capability that they had of using Michael Parsons in different ways, that's going to change.
He's still going to be a great player, but having other pieces made him better.
I mean, that's the true case with any great player.

(35:55):
Right.
TJ y is made better on Pittsburgh because Cam Hayward is right next to him.
Right.
And he's going to be great this year because Cam Hayward's right there and you got Miles Jack behind him and Minka.
I think when you have great players around you, the more great players you have, the even greater level that those other superstars can reach.

(36:16):
And so the Cowboys, I think I do not see them at twelve or 13 wins this year.
They're going to have a harder schedule this year than they had last year.
They also have a couple of pieces missing from last year.
I think we're going to need to see some more changes in how they do things on offense, some more advancements like we saw last year with Tony Pollard and stuff.

(36:38):
So we'll see what they can do with their offense and defensive changes both in roster and maybe what they have is a plan on both sides of the ball there.
But they're playing teams like Tampa and Cinci.
I mean, they'll play, obviously, the Giants in Washington and Philly with indivision, but then they'll play the Rams and they'll play Detroit, Chicago, Green Bay, Minnesota, Indianapolis.

(37:01):
They'll play Houston and Jacksonville.
They'll play Tennessee.
And so there are some games that do give them double digit potential, no doubt about it.
But the Cowboys, especially, playing big games at home versus on the road, I think we're going to see some surprise losses for some people, the way I'm talking right now, for me, it may not seem like a surprise for them to lose certain games.

(37:29):
We'll see.
We'll see what will happen there.
I have Chicago no, I have Dallas at nine to eleven wins alongside of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Somewhere in the same ballpark there again, we've got a couple of teams that have potential in the NFC East.
It always gets muddy.
We're going to have split division games, and I think Dallas and the Eagles will both go nine to eleven win swing.

(37:56):
I have the Eagles winning the division.
Dallas most likely making a wild card spot in the NFC, so that's what I got with the NFC East.
What do you guys think? Are you riding the Cowboy train? Are you thinking that we're going to see a bigger drop off from Washington with Carson? Are you thinking that Philadelphia is overblown? What do you think? Let me know.

(38:39):
And moving right along, we come to the AFC South.
Now, the AC South.
Realistically, I think if anybody looks at who is in the AFC South, it's really between two people this year, two teams this year, it's between the Colts and the Titans.
Titans last year with twelve wins, people questioned if they had a really challenging schedule.

(39:04):
I think this year they take some steps back, the Colts take a few steps forward.
Matt Ryan probably a better fit for what they're looking for than Carson was.
I still think Carson did a decent job at quarterback, if you look at his statistics.
But stuff about his leadership in the locker room, yada, yada, yada.
Matt Ryan is a great leader to have to try and make a run for the Super Bowl, a sleeper run with a high flying defense and some great pieces in store on offense, I think he advances the passing game there far better than it was last year.

(39:38):
He helps to advance people like Michael Pitman, among others.
But with the Titans, I already talked about, I think, and it was really a conversation looking at how much will AJ.
Brown gone affect them, and I think it will affect them actually quite a bit.
I do think that they're going to start to develop Traylon Burke's into something there.

(39:58):
The rookie, I picked him up late round fantasy football.
I think they're going to be using him early on.
He won't be used a lot.
He'll start to be brought up to speed into things, but the way they've been showing things with him here in the preseason, I think we're going to be seeing quite a bit of him.
And so with that, I think the Titans drop.

(40:19):
They drop from the twelve win season and what did I have them going? I think I had Tennessee getting eight to ten wins this year.
I think they can still touch the double digits, but I do think they take a couple of steps back.
Let me pull up their schedule here so we can see real quick.
They're playing teams like the Giants, the Raiders, the Bills, the Colts, the Commanders.

(40:44):
Obviously, they're playing the Colts twice, the Texans twice.
They'll play the Chiefs, the Broncos, the packers, the Bengals, the Eagles, obviously Jaguars twice, the Chargers, the Cowboys.
So the Titans do not have an easy road this year.
Just so far off top of my head, that seems like one of the harder schedules that I've seen when you consider how good that team or how not good that team is.

(41:13):
And so I think Tennessee takes a few steps back.
I think they still have the capability to get some big wins.
They got Mike Variable as their coach.
They still got Derek Henry if he stays healthy, rely on that run game, pace the game, control the clock, and they can possibly reach double digit wins.

(41:33):
The Colts, though the Colts are a team who I think with Matt Ryan, they early on were a sleeper pick for me for the Super Bowl.
If I'm honest.
They were a sleeper pick for the Super Bowl.
I don't know that they still are.
The Chargers are a team to me from the AFC West that I think could, I think honestly could miss winning their division, but could wreak havoc in the playoffs here with the Colts.

(42:00):
He's going to be playing his division.
He's going to be playing the AFC West just like the Titans will, and they're also going to be playing the NFC East, which probably will work in Indianapolis, favor a couple of teams from the NFC North.

(42:20):
But with their schedule this year, I think Tennessee can split in the division this year with the Colts, I think they can split with each other.
And both of them, obviously, there's going to be one or two games for each of them that is going to surprise us from, like, Jacksonville.
Jacksonville is better than we saw last year.
We have to remember that Urban Meyer, he destroyed things in Jacksonville.

(42:45):
We saw what their defense could be.
Obviously, I don't have Miles Jack anymore, but we saw what they could be.
They've got a guy, a coach there now who has led a Super Bowl team with a backup quarterback.
So they got Jacksonville in Texas.
They got a lot of young excitement there.
Davis Mills, I'm telling you, at quarterback, Davis Mills, could he surprise us this year? We'll see that young running back, they've got some pieces that could give some double take games against their division foes with the Colts and the Titans.

(43:20):
And so I think both the Colts and the Titans can go four and two in the division, but you can never count out that three and three split or the surprise two and four, but I think we're looking at four and two, maybe a five and one from one of them.
I'm not sure I have the colts getting nine to eleven wins here on the top of the Titans with that eight to ten win swing.

(43:45):
And so then with the Jaguars and the Texans, I think we're going to see improvement from both of these teams.
So if you're a fan of those teams, don't hear me as just counting them out.
I think we're going to see some great improvement.
The Titans are looking exciting with their young guys that they have there and the Jaguars are looking like they're going to take a little bit a step forward.

(44:05):
I honestly don't think the quarterback there is.
I don't think he's going to be beyond mid as a quarterback in the NFL.
I think he was overblown coming out of Clemson.
Why I can't remember his name as I'm trying to make time to remember his name, I have no clue.
We're going to figure it out because now it's going to eat me alive.

(44:27):
Trevor Lawrence.
That's the man.
That's the man that I'm trying to think of.
I think he's a mid quarterback.
I know he's bad quarterback, but I think he's just mid quarterback.
I don't think he's going to be that guy.
He's not him, right? He's not himthy.
The Texans.
This year they play the AFC West.

(44:48):
Unfortunately, they will play games like Chicago.
They'll split with Jacksonville.
They'll play against the NFC East, which I think they'll play the Giants and the Commanders will have opportunities of wins there.
Miami surprise wind potential going to be hard because that's in Miami.
But hey, Cleveland surprise wind potential going to be hard because it's in Cleveland with Deshawn Watson back in week 13.

(45:15):
Again, back to that episode.
Is he going to be the quarterback he was? I don't think so.
I don't think he's going to be terrible.
But nobody who's taken a full year, almost two years off of football has ever come back to be a super stud like he was when he stepped out.
So who knows? And then they don't have a schedule, the Texans, that really promotes a great opportunity this year.

(45:42):
I have Jacksonville, sorry, the Texans getting five to seven wins.
I hate to say it, Jacksonville fans, but I think we might be looking at four to six wins.
Sorry Texans, but yeah, I'm sorry to Jacksonville fans as well.
The same thing, four to six wins, five to seven wins.

(46:02):
They're going to be playing a very similar schedule with the NFC East and the AFC West and then they're going to be playing random teams in there like the Baltimore Ravens, which is not conducive to them, trying to get some wins, and the Detroit Lions from the NFC North.
That is a possible window in the jets.

(46:24):
So there are some potentials there with Houston and Jacksonville, but I think they're still going to be towards the bottom of the barrel building for next year and both of them at that four to six, five to seven win swing.
So I'm going to end it with this.
The Colts nine to eleven wins, the Titans with eight to ten wins, the Texans with probably four to six wins and the Jaguars probably four to six wins, maybe five to seven wins as well.

(46:52):
So that's what we're looking at with the AFC South.
I got the Colts, we're in the division.

(47:19):
If I got to be honest, one of the most, throw it up because I have no clue.
I would have never thought it would have been this division, but the NFC South guys, I feel like I have no understanding of anymore.
I thought go back a couple of episodes.
I had talked about Tampa Bay and I was for sure that they were going to be a twelve win team and we were going to see the reason why Tom Brady came back out of retirement is because he looked around the division and was just like, why not have a free trip to the playoffs again? But I'm not so sure about that.

(47:55):
We're seeing personal things that no doubt they affect any player, any person in how you perform at your job when they're big life things.
We don't know exactly what it is, but stuff affecting Tom Brady and then we see injuries as issues across the board.
We see an offensive line that isn't as good as it was.
We see some changes there on default.

(48:16):
I just think the NSC South guys is a bigger question mark than I thought it was going to be.
So Tampa Bay, they're going to be playing starting off at Dallas in week one at New Orleans and week two home against Green Bay.
Home against Kansas City.
That's a tough front for that is a tough front for I think they have potential of even getting wiped by New Orleans Saints this year, which is unheard of.

(48:43):
I wouldn't have said that three weeks ago.
But with where things are, I think Tampa Bay can still win games against somebody like Green Bay in Tampa Bay with a healthy team, with everybody ready and in the right mindset and good weather, I think they can go to a place like Dallas and get a win.
I think they can defend home against Kansas City.

(49:05):
But will they? With what we're seeing, will they? They're going to play Atlanta Falcons.
They're young.
They've got some excitement building.
I think Atlanta can split.
Tampa Bay, travels to Pittsburgh.
I think Pittsburgh can get a win against them.
I don't know that they will.
It's feeling more like a possibility than it was a few weeks ago.

(49:28):
It really is.
Carolina, I can still see a double win over them from Tampa Bay.
Potentially a split one way or the other with the Falcons, right.
Baltimore at home, the Rams at home, seattle in Seattle, cleveland in Cleveland.
The Saints again, obviously the Niners can be a solid team this year, the bangles, the Cardinals, and then end out two division games.

(49:57):
Guys, I had the Buccaneers back in that episode, eleven to 13 wins.
I feel like I have to back off.
I have to back off until I'm proven otherwise.
And I think Tampa Bay is only going to be, dare I say, nine to eleven win season.
Do they take that big of a step back? Nine to 1110 to twelve wins, guys, I think I'm going nine to eleven.

(50:22):
That felt right to say again, trust the gut, right? Nine to eleven win season still gives that's a two thirds opportunity for a double digit winning season.
But nine to eleven wins for Tampa Bay, and I previously had the rest of the NFC South at five to seven wins.
This was done two months ago, I think it was.
And in that time, I think things have changed in a big way for the Saints, in a small way for the Panthers, in a minimal way for the Falcons.

(50:53):
Nine to eleven wins for Tampa.
Maybe that's too much off the top, but there's still be a playoff team.
But you know who else may be a playoff team this year? A healthy New Orleans Saints.
The Saints.
They will play their division, obviously.
Then they'll play Minnesota, they'll play Seattle, they'll play Cincinnati, Arizona, they'll play all of the ABC West, I think, right? No, just Las Vegas.

(51:19):
And no.
Arizona is an NFC team.
Oh, my goodness, what am I thinking? But they'll play the Ravens, Pittsburgh, the Rams, the Niners, the Browns, the Eagles.
So it's going to be a hard schedule for the Saints, but with a healthy James Winston and what he was showing us last year, guys, the Saints could be good.

(51:39):
Their defense is going to be good.
A healthy offense will be insanely good.
And so looking through their schedule here, guys, I think they win both games against either Atlanta.
No, I have the same.
I think the Saints can win both games against Tampa Bay.
I think they split with either Atlanta or Carolina.

(52:00):
I think they can go four and two in the division.
Wow.
Without Drew Breeze, I would have thought it would have been a lot longer until I would say that than just a few years.
But I think they can go four and two in the division.
I really do.
Teams like Minnesota, Cinci, Arizona, I think they can get wins against teams like Arizona, the Raiders, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, the Rams, the Niners, they're hard games, guys.

(52:28):
These are hard games.
Here's what I'm thinking.
I really do think the New Orleans Saints guys could be in that nine to eleven win location.
I do see them being able to get a winning season in the current NFC with the roster that they have with a healthy team.

(52:55):
I'm going to make that my clause.
I think the New Orleans Saints, just like Tampa Bay, can get nine to eleven wins in the season.
But if the quarterback goes down, if Jamie Winston goes down or there's other big injuries, but especially if James Winston goes down.
Guys, I'm seeing a six to eight win season.

(53:17):
I don't see them getting winning season at all.
So should I settle that then at eight to ten wins? We're to do that just for the sake of potential injury.
Eight to ten wins for the New Orleans Saints.
That's what I got going in.
I'm locking it in and then moving to the Falcons.
The Falcons guys, they've got some young guys that are exciting.

(53:40):
I think they're going to try and build on last year.
I think before the end of the year, we're going to be seeing that rookie come in and play some quarterback.
I have the Falcons getting five to seven wins.
They are going to be playing they're going to be playing the NFC West and then they're going to be playing Cleveland.

(54:01):
They're going to be playing do they play all of the AFC North? Yeah, I guess they do, man.
Just could be a hard schedule.
But they'll have teams.
Like Chicago, Washington.
They'll get a win against Carolina.
They'll probably get a win against Tampa Bay.
They'll get a win against somebody from the AFC North.

(54:22):
They'll get a win against the Seahawks.
So I think four wins, five wins, the Falcons, I'm going to change.
I'm going to go four to six instead of five to seven.
I keep going high with everybody.
I'm going four to six wins for the Falcons and then ending out with the Panthers in the NFC South.
I think the Panthers are going to go with a six to eight win season.

(54:45):
Baker Mayfield is a big improvement this year with Sam Darnold over Sam Donald.
I do really think that they're going to be playing and getting wins against teams like the Giants.
I think he's going to get payback in week one against the Browns.
They're going to play teams that can be beat.
They'll be difficult, but can be beat.
Like the Cardinals.
Got to play the Falcons twice, going to play the Seahawks, going to play the Lions.

(55:09):
So there are some games there that think they can win.
I do think that Baker can lead that Carolina team into some wins in big game situations next year.
And so with that, I'm going six to eight wins.
I think they're going to be just shy of the playoffs, just shy of a winning season.
And even if they do just make a winning season, I think the biggest thing is that with Baker, I think Carolina could affect some playoff scenarios for other teams like the Cardinals.

(55:39):
Next year, if they beat the Cardinals, that could come back.
To haunt the Cardinals comes the need for a wild card spot at the end of the season when they're fighting against teams for wildcard spots, potentially like the Cowboys and the Vikings and all those kinds of things.
So I'm going in the NFC South.
I've got four to six wins for the Falcons.
I've got six to eight wins for the Panthers.

(56:01):
I've got eight to ten wins for the Saints, and I've got nine to eleven wins for the Buccaneers.
I still have the Buccaneers winning the NFC South, but hear me out.
The Saints, with James Winston healthy, could like the Vikings in the NSC North, dethrone Tampa Bay this year for the division or at least give them a run for their money.

(56:25):
That's what I'm saying.
What do you guys think? NFC south, we're almost done here.
Going to finish out with the AFC and the NSC West and then have a look at what my predicted playoff scenario is going to look like.
Oh, boy, it's getting real.

(57:02):
If you're watching or if you're listening, you might get some audio bonus on this episode.
But maybe Dolphin did wake up from his nap before I could finish.
We're going to see if he lets me get through this, if he wants to go through it with me.
Guys, talking about the AFC West, the hardest division to predict, in my opinion, this season just because of how good these teams are going to be.

(57:25):
We're talking the Broncos, we're talking the Chiefs, we're talking the Chargers, we're talking the Raiders.
Now, about two months ago, I made a crazy statement and we'll see how things shape out.
But I had said that I thought that the Las Vegas Raiders would come out as the division winners for the AFC West.
Do.
I still think that.

(57:46):
We'll see.
I'm not going to give it away that easy.
What are you thinking? I talked about the Chargers a few episodes ago and guys, the Chargers look so good.
If you can get people off of their team or their defense, their offense or defense for your fantasy football team, do it.
I look forward to Mike Williams jumping over Keenan Allen this year.

(58:09):
Yeah, you heard me.
You heard me, right? Mike Williams, you watched for him this year.
But anyway, I didn't get my hands on him in fancy football, unfortunately, because I focused on running backs.
But I do think the Chargers are going to have a good year.
And I had said in that one, I think the Chargers, because all of them play each other twice, so I do think it's going to be difficult to see crazy high teen level wins, but I do think each of these teams have the capability in the AFC West to reach double digits this year.

(58:40):
I really do.
And I think the Chargers, I had them at eight to ten.
But guys, just like I said, just like I increased with the Vikings, guys, I'm going nine to eleven wins for the Chargers this year.
They play within their division, but then they play teams like Jacksonville and Houston and they'll play Cleveland.
That'll be a good.
One.
They'll play Seattle, they'll play Atlanta, they'll play Arizona late in the year.

(59:04):
They'll play the Dolphins, they'll play the Titans, they'll play the Colts.
So I do think that it's going to be a good year for them.
And here's the thing.
Regardless of difficulty, they've had top tier offenses and defenses the past two seasons.

(59:25):
So I look for Justin Herbert, even if it's not to win the division, to make a splash in the wild card and then create some havoc in the playoffs for the Colts, I'm sorry for the Chargers.
And so I've got the Chargers getting, I want to say, nine to eleven wins with the Raiders, who I previously had said that we're going to win the division.

(59:50):
We'll see if my projections still come out to that.
Their run game is going to bring them down.
They also play teams like Jacksonville and Houston.
They're going to play the Saints, they're going to play the Colts, they're going to play the Seahawks and the Patriots, and they're going to play Pittsburgh in Week 16.
I do see it difficult to see high teams from them, and I'm actually going I previously had Las Vegas at ten to twelve wins.

(01:00:17):
Twelve wins.
I don't know.
Do each of these teams have the capability for that? Yes.
Do each of these teams also have the capability for nine and eight because of their schedule and especially because they play each other, six of their games are against each other in the year.
Yes.
So I'm bringing the Raiders down one and taking it nine to eleven.

(01:00:40):
I know that puts them right by the Chargers, but there's no reason that all three of these AFC West teams, all four, shouldn't make the AFC play offs.
The thing that's going to affect that is going to be their scheduling.
Again, other teams in the AFC aren't going to play the entire AFC West twice.

(01:01:02):
So that is going to be something that does hinder some of the better teams.
One of the best teams is probably going to miss play offs this year.
It's probably going to be a team from the AFC West that will be a better team than probably three or four of the other teams that make it in the AFC.
But because of record, they're not going to make it.
That brings me, though, to the Chiefs.

(01:01:24):
The Chiefs, I still question things on defense and I still question I think Juju is a good receiver.
There's so many pieces that just, again, gut feeling, the Chiefs underwhelm.
I think the Chiefs only get eight to ten wins.
I had them at nine and eleven when I had last talked about them back in June.

(01:01:45):
I think the Chiefs get eight to ten wins and they may be the team that misses out from the AFC West.
I know a lot of people are still putting them pat MC, Holmes and Andy Reid.
I do agree.
Great quarterback, great coach.
What about the rest of the team? Defensively, I think the Chiefs have the worst defense out of the four teams in the ASU, which takes me to the Broncos.

(01:02:09):
The Broncos, yes.
I'm excited for Russell Wilson.
I'm really frustrated that we don't ever get to see the Russell Wilson to Noah Fant situation.
That would have been phenomenal, see, but already have injury to Tim Patrick who would have been huge for their offense to help spread the ball between Tim Patrick, Jerry Judy and Courtland Sutton.
I still think they'll have a great year and I think Javonte Williams is going to have an excellent year.

(01:02:31):
And they also have the other running back there that's going to be his one beat now, unfortunately, he'll take some goal line stuff, fantasy people.
I think Javonte Williams has opportunity to be the RB one at the end of the year, but with the other running back there, I don't know.
We'll see.
I took a risk on it with my fantasy, so I've got the Denver Broncos also with eight to ten wins this year.

(01:02:56):
I think that still puts me with the Raiders winning the division.
I'm not going to lie.
I think that still puts us with the Raiders winning the division, nine to eleven wins.
The Chargers also at nine to eleven wins.
But the Chargers will be probably one of the top wildcard seats.
I could see the Chargers taking the division, though, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see.

(01:03:17):
Do they play each other towards the end? No.
See, they play their second game against each other in Week 13.
In Week 13.
So the Raiders will have to get a big game over Kansas City in Week 18 to be able to win the division.
And it's in Las Vegas, so it definitely can happen.

(01:03:38):
But that's what I have right now.
I'm going to stick with it, guys.
I stuck with it in June.
I'm still going to stick with it.
Las Vegas wins the AFC West with somewhere between the wind swing of nine to eleven wins.
The Chargers finished second, also with nine to eleven wins.
Definitely take a wild card spot.
And then the Broncos and the Chiefs both finish with eight to ten wins and one of them maybe both make playoffs, but definitely one does the wild card.

(01:04:10):
I'm not sure.
We'll see how it all shakes up.
When I put in the final numbers.
Let me know.

(01:04:43):
to the NFC West? Could it be another division? That is a lot of fun to watch between, especially 49, ers, the Rams and the Cardinals.
I think the Seahawks take another little step back.
I've already talked about the Seahawks.
I have them going five to seven wins this year.
I think they do like they did last year or even one game worse, and we'll see what happens there.

(01:05:08):
But the Cardinals are a team guy.
Are they going to change the narrative the second half of the season? Are they going to change the narrative? They start out, guys, against the Chiefs, the Raiders, the Rams, week Five against the Eagles.
Man, it's going to be tough, tough, tough for the Cardinals to start the year.

(01:05:29):
I do think they have the capabilities to make it happen, but then they play the Saints and the Vikings, and obviously they play their division games towards the end of the year.
They're playing Late Week 13 by, and then they're playing the Patriots, the Broncos, the Buccaneers, the Falcons, and the nighters, I think right there to end the year.
I think there's definitely two wins available there, if not three.

(01:05:56):
So if they're going to end at two and three or three and two, I think we're only looking at like an eight to ten win season from the Cardinals.
It's hard to say.
I think they'll definitely get wins against Seattle, maybe both, but maybe split.
They could get a win against the Saints in Week seven.
They could get a win against the Panthers, they could split with the Rams, especially taking an early year win.

(01:06:22):
They could split with the 40 Niners early year win.
They could take out a win against the Chiefs or the Raiders or both, honestly.
But again, I'm not going to bet against the second half slump until I see them not do that.
It's been three years in a row that they've had a second half of the year that they have not done well.

(01:06:45):
So until they don't do that, I'm not betting against it.
And so I got the Cardinals probably going like eight to ten wins maybe, and then the Rams, will they repeat, guys, the Rams will have a good team, good enough to repeat in the Super Bowl, potentially.
Will they do it? Probably not.

(01:07:07):
I don't think that they will.
It's hard for a Super Bowl winner to come back the next year and make it again.
They play the Bills, they'll play the Falcons.
OK, that's a win, right? They play the Cardinals twice, they play the Niners twice.
They'll play the Cowboys at home Dallas on the road they play Carolina they play Tampa Bay in Tampa Bay over in the East Coast they play the Saints in New Orleans.

(01:07:37):
They play the Raiders.
They play Green Bay in Lambeau in December.
And then they played Denver and Los Angeles and End against Seattle.
I do think they can get a win against Seattle, but everything else I'm seeing, guys, it's going to be a tough road for the Rams.

(01:07:59):
I do think they have a good team.
I do think that they can do well.
But going through here, if I'm honest, sorry if the sound sounds distance, little ones laying on my shoulder and took me a little bit more away from the stream, if you're only listening and can't see what happened but hard to get a win against Buffalo, win against Atlanta.

(01:08:25):
They can split with Arizona, they can split with the Niners.
They can get a win against Dallas at home, but I won't put it past Dallas.
They can get a win against Carolina.
It's going to be hard to travel over to Tampa Bay and get a win against Tampa.
It's going to be hard to travel to New Orleans and get a win in New Orleans.

(01:08:47):
I think it could be hard to get a win in Arrow Head, but the weaker defense from Kansas City, I think they'll be fine.
I think they can sweep Seattle.
I think they can get a win just go a little southeast or northeast, I don't know my geography.

(01:09:09):
Over to Las Vegas.
I think they can get a win against Las Vegas.
That'll be a good game.
A loss against Green Bay in Lambo in December.
Yeah, I don't see La doing that.
And then against the Chargers, against the Broncos.
Guys, I'm going to have to change this up.
Previously I had the Rams at eleven to 13 wins.
I'm dropping them to, I think, what did they have last year? Do they have twelve wins, guys? I think we're looking at more like a nine to eleven win season.

(01:09:39):
Nine to eleven win season.
Let's see the Rams record.
Yeah, the Rams went twelve and five, the Cardinals went eleven and six.
Oh, yeah.
So an eight to ten win is definitely a couple of steps back for the Cardinals.

(01:10:01):
I see a step forward for the niners, potentially.
I don't know, I'm still a Jimmy G guy over Tray Lance, but we'll see what he can do.
The Seahawks, I think, take a step or two backwards, and the Rams, I think they take a step or two back.
They won twelve games last year.
I think they're at ten to twelve, nine to eleven.
Maybe around that ten or eleven game, they'll still double digit, so I'm going to give them a nine to eleven.

(01:10:27):
I'm going to trust my gut here, Chat.
I'm going to trust my gut here, guys, and go nine to eleven wins for the Rams.
The Niners to me, I had as one of my, can you say sleeper pick, but that was all predicated upon Jimmy G coming back as the quarterback.
Obviously announced early on in preseason that Trey Lance was the guy.

(01:10:51):
Can Tray Lance do that? Maybe they're roster healthy.
They can be a Super Bowl team, but I trust Jimmy Jeep.
So with them, though.
I mean, they're playing Chicago, Seattle.
They'll play Denver, La.
Carolina, Atlanta, Kansas City, la.

(01:11:12):
Again, la.
Again.
Rams and charges both Arizona, New Orleans, Miami, Tampa, seattle again, washington.
And then the end against Las Vegas and Arizona.
And so I do see the 49 ers healthy, even with Trailance having the capability, guys, to probably get ten to twelve wins on the season, ten to twelve wins on the season, which comparatively, I had them at eleven to 13.

(01:11:39):
So this division for me is getting a little bit muddier.
It's getting a little bit muddier.
So I've got eight to ten wins for the Cardinals, nine to eleven wins on the season for the Rams, and ten to twelve wins for the 49 ers.
And then the Seahawks.
I'm not going to talk a lot about them.
I apologize to Seahawks fans, but I already talked about them in a previous episode.

(01:12:03):
I think we could see something interesting this year.
To where will Pete Carroll retire? I don't know, but I know they're excited about some of the pieces that they have there.
Maybe Drew Locke finally get some pieces together even though they're starting Gino Smith.
So I have no clue what the plan is there, but looking at their schedule, they do have the capability to try and win some games.

(01:12:28):
The jets, the Panthers, the Giants, the lions, the Falcons.
Did I say that I have them at five to seven wins? They won seven games last year.
I do think they take at least a one game step back to six wins, potentially down to five.

(01:12:52):
Honestly, could be four.
I don't think they will, though.
Yeah, I don't think they'll go back that far.
But that's what I got for the NFC West, guys.
I've got Arizona eight to ten wins, the Rams nine to eleven wins, the niners ten to twelve wins, the Seahawks five to seven wins.
And so previously I had the Rams winning the division in the NFC West, guys.

(01:13:19):
These projections put the 49 ers winning the NFC West for me and the Rams, no doubt making a top wild card spot interesting.
That's not happened before for me.
This is interesting, guys.
I'm really curious to see how this plays out, and so that's what I got.
What do you guys think? What we'll do to finish this out is we'll put in front of us the division winners, the playoff look of who I think is going to make the playoffs.

(01:13:48):
We can talk another time about projected playoffs, right play offs.
We're not talking playoffs yet, but at least put together, based upon my predictions, what the playoffs should have a look like as to who's going to win and who's going to go win the Super Bowl.
I'm not concerned about that right now.
We did that before on TikTok Live, so I can tell you there I think it was in two scenarios.

(01:14:14):
Yeah, two different scenarios.
I think I had Chargers versus the Buccaneers, and then in another scenario, I had the Colts versus the 49 ers or the Bills versus the 49 ers.
I don't see the Buccaneers in the Super Bowl.
I could see the 49 ers.
I don't think I will.
The Eagles are a sleeper pick for me in the NFC.

(01:14:35):
Still are.
Vikings could come out of nowhere for us and the Bills.
I think are still their year to lose.
The Colts and the Chargers, they're my sleepers over in the AFC.
So I don't know what we're looking at yet, guys, but we're going to at least set up a look for what the meeting will be right here to finish out.

(01:15:22):
This is what things shape out.
I had to write it down because I wanted to make sure that I had it correct.
But based upon my projections, this is what I've got the playoffs looking like come January next year.
We got the Buffalo Bills, number one seed in the AFC, followed by the Bengals at number two, the Colts at number three, and the Raiders at number four.

(01:15:48):
The Colts and Raiders could be switched three and four.
I have them both ending the same, so we'll see what happens there.
But then I've got for the wild card in the AFC, I've got the Ravens at five, the Chargers at six, and then I've got either the Broncos, the Chiefs or the Titans at seven.
I'm thinking the Broncos are Chiefs.

(01:16:10):
I honestly could see it being the Broncos and the Chiefs being out of the playoffs, surprising a lot of people.
But I have it a three way there because I have a wind swing.
I don't have an exact record.
And then on the NFC, guys, I've got the 49 ers and the packers tied at one.
So I got the I think the 49 Ers would be one, packers would be two, Eagles would be three, and the Bucks would be four.

(01:16:35):
And then the Rams would be five, the Cowboys would be six and the Vikings would be seven.
Also potential for seven seed there, the Cardinals are the Saints.
So that's what I got going for the playoff scenario, the playoff predictions for two season playoffs in 2023.

(01:17:00):
For me, if I had to pick, I'll pick three teams that would potentially make it through the playoffs to the Super Bowl from either side the Colts, the Chargers and the Bills.
I think the bangle is good, too, but it's hard to see a team make it back to the Super Bowl that lost the previous year.
It can happen.

(01:17:21):
It can happen.
And then on the NFC, I'm picking either the 49 ers.
Part of me keeps getting drawn down to the Vikings guys, but yeah, the Vikings, Rams, it's hard to say, but that's what I got.

(01:17:45):
How do your playoffs look comparative to mine? Do you think that sounds like a pretty reasonable projection for the playoffs in 2022? Let me know, you guys'thoughts.
I'm excited to see where things go this season.
Let's get to some football, right? Hey, thank you, guys.
I know this is a long one.
Some of you guys were waiting forever to hear what your team's prediction was, but let's talk about it.

(01:18:09):
Let me know if you're a patron.
Football.
Yeah, exactly.
If you're a patron, let me know.
In the discord, some of your thoughts and I look forward to more podcast episodes going forward.
But until then, enjoy the first week of football.
I will see you guys in the next one.

(01:18:32):
See you then.