2020 NFL Predictions – Fan is short for fanatic. To be fanatic about something means you’re basically obsessed with it. There’s no hiding the fact that I am a Chiefs fanatic: at times it can be impossible to separate my passion for the Chiefs with objective reality. A great example of this is the recent controversy over the Chiefs name and imagery, it can be difficult for me as a fan to seperate my passion for the franchise with the reality that not everyone feels the same, especially the indigenous peoples of our nation. I’m sure if I was a Jets fan, I’d be totally okay with the Chiefs changing the name of the franchise, but because of my experiences it’s hard to remove my heart from the issue.
Similarly, it can be difficult for me to look at the other 31 teams and not have a Chiefs bias. I think about Chiefs teams of the past and the present when looking at another team and I automatically look at how they compare to the hometown team. Rather than fighting my fandom this year I will be predicting the league while carrying my inherited Chiefs bias. No, I’m not going to go team by team and say there Quarterback isn’t as good as ours or say they can’t beat the Chiefs straight up, but I will be looking at them in relation to the Chiefs and if I view them as a threat to them. Lastly, I will be taking mathematical error into consideration. It’s impossible to have a division full of 9-and-7 teams, there simply aren’t enough wins to allow for that. These records will be reflective of actual games played. I will be going week by week picking each game and then tallying a team’s record at the end. So, get your bookie on the phone cause this is how we beat Vegas.
AFC East
- Buffalo Bills 10-6
- New England Patriots 8-8
- Miami Dolphins 6-10
- New York Jets 4-12
Tom Brady is gone and so is the Patriot’s death grip on the division. Picking the Bills to win the division and go 10-and-6 really isn’t a ringing endorsement of Josh Allen either. The Bills have some nice pieces with the addition of Stefon Diggs who is one of if not the best deep ball receivers in the league. Then again what does it matter if Josh Allen throws it 5 yards behind him? Picking the Patriots to go 8-8 really is just a tip of the hat to Belichick. The roster is so depraved of offensive talent and did little to improve it through the draft. Cam is not 2015 MVP Cam he might not even be 2017 Cam. As an inaccurate passer heading to a system that relies on timing. Newton is not the long term answer for the Pats.
Tua might be the answer for the Dolphins, I was happy to see him go to the Dolphins rather than the Chargers for the Chiefs sake. They’ve added some nice talent to the roster and Brian Flores really turned some heads last season. They still feel a year away however. The Jets are a mess: Moseley opted out, Adams was traded and Gase is universally disliked by most players on the team.
AFC North
- Pittsburgh Steelers 12-4
- Baltimore Ravens 10-6
- Cleveland Browns 8-8
- Cincinnati Bengals 4-12
I will continue to bang the drum for Pittsburg until they prove me wrong. Really my love for the Steelers this season starts and ends with how they ended the 2019 season going 8-and-8 with Devlin Hodges and Mason Rudolph is truly one of the best coaching jobs to ever happen. The Steelers defense is nasty and I’m still a believer in the offensive core that the Steelers have. My Chiefs colors show through when discussing the Ravens. There is a laundry list of reasons why the Ravens will not be near the same team as last year. The prime reason is this: everything went their way in 2019. They played with a lead in almost every single game, they had remarkably few injuries and fattened up on facing Baker Mayfield, Jeff Driskel and Duck Hodges 6 times.
Every team in the north improved, which is why I think the Ravens are not repeating their 2019. The Browns were everyone’s darling last season and they managed to disappoint anybody who picked them, but this season feels different. They are out of the spotlight and retained all of their talent while getting a real adult as a head coach. I think Baker will excel in a run first scheme that goes off the play action, much like Jimmy Garoppolo and Kirk Cousins. I think the Bengals could be fun on offense but there is nothing defensively that makes me think they will be more than a 4-and-12 team.
AFC West
- Kansas City Chiefs 14-2
- Denver Broncos 8-8
- Los Angeles Chargers 7-9
- Las Vegas Raiders 6-10
It has been well documented why the Chiefs are not only the favorites to win the division, but to win the next Super Bowl. It really boils down to the holy trinity 1. Mahomes 2.Reid 3. Veach as long as those three are in their current roles and healthy the Chiefs should be contenders. The Broncos are the 2019 Browns. Much like Baker Mayfield, Drew Lock showed some promise in games that truly had no impact on their season. Elway has done some nice things with their offense through the draft and free agency. Fortunately, the Broncos also have the same problems as the Browns did: a shaky offensive line and an unproven coach.
You know the saying “If you have 2 quarterbacks you have none.” For some reason the NFL media seems to forget Tyrod Taylor played in Cleveland. Everytime you see highlights of him it’s from 3 years ago in Buffalo, they forget he went 4/14 with 19 yards against the Jets in his injury shortened 2018 start. Justin Herbert isn’t the answer, just catch an episode of “Hard Knocks” nothing about that kid screams leader. Ditto for the Raiders…. Mariota and Carr? Nothing to fear on defense. Tyrell Williams is already out for the season, but hey, their new stadium is pretty cool, fans or no fans.
AFC South
- Tennessee Titans 10-6
- Houston Texans 9-7
- Indianapolis Colts 8-8
- Jacksonville Jaguars 2-14
The Titans went to the AFC Championship last year, it’s like the NFL forgot that fact. There is nothing about the Titans that is due to regress or really change. We know it’s a run heavy scheme that allows Tannehill to thrive off play action. AJ Brown is a stud and Vrabel has shown the ability to scheme a defense that relies on coverage before the pass rush. Nothing is trendier this offseason than making fun of the Texans, make no doubt about it losing DeAndre Hopkins is a big blow. However, Deshaun Watson is still what makes this team a contender. I like what they have done in the receiving core and getting more versatility out of the backfield.
Everytime we hear about the Colts it’s about how “smart” they are and how great they are with the cap and draft. Chris Ballard has been savvy for them but their cap space isn’t going to be suiting up on Sundays. What they have is a very limited offense with a quarterback that is prone to turning the ball over. The Chargers roster is far superior to the Colts I have no reason to think that the Colts will be anything more than 8-and-8. Jacksonville might mess up and win 2 games solely based on Gardner Minshew being pretty decent. Which means he will likely be traded too.
AFC Playoff Picture
- Chiefs
- Steelers
- Titans
- Bills
- Ravens
- Texans
- Patriots
NFC East
- Philadelphia Eagles 11-5
- Dallas Cowboys 10-6
- Washington 5-11
- New York Giants 4-12
Philadelphia continues to have all the necessary pieces to be a true contender in the AFC. Last year their offense was truly decimated by injuries and they were still able to hold off the Cowboys loaded roster. The NFL deserves to see Carson Wentz healthy with weapons once again. The Eagle are a well run organization from top to bottom and they will excel through this unique offseason. The Cowboys have a new head coach and owner who refuses to speak on the single most dividing issue we’ve seen in sports over the last decade. Oh, and a quarterback that performed at the top of the league last year and yet is playing on the tag. All those pieces added up hold them back to 10-and-6. One of the best rosters in the NFL, but this is not the offseason for turmoil and change.
If there is one team that I secretly think could surprise this season it’s Washington. Dwayne Haskins is much better than most people realize, and scary Terry McLaurin is an emerging star at wide receiver. Ron Rivera can flat out coach and there are some nice pieces to the defense. Despite all the front office drama I could see them turning some heads this year. The Giants have a new head coach, a young quarterback and defense completely devoid of talent. Just try to name a Giants wide receiver off the top of your head.
NFC North
- Green Bay Packers 11-5
- Minnesota Vikings 10-6
- Detroit Lions 8-8
- Chicago Bears 6-10
The Packers were known as a fraudulent 13-and-3 team last year. They had an easy schedule and defense that thrived off takeaways which is a highly unreliable stat from year to year. However, I think there is still lots of upside to their defense with young players like Darnell Savage and Rashan Gary. Plus, wouldn’t it be on brand for Rodgers to play out of his mind this season because of the drafting of Jordan Love? The Vikings turned over a lot of their roster, but adding Yannick Ngakoue was a nice addition last week to keep their defense strong. Mike Zimmer is a heck of a coach, but as long as Kirk Cousins is their quarterback all the Vikings are is a team to fill out the Wild Card Weekend.
I’m not the only person that remembers the 2-and-0 Lions that gave the Chiefs all they could handle right? Had it not been for a savvy play by Bashaud Breeland the Chiefs may never had won that game. The Lions are building a nice offensive core for the always underrated Matt Stafford. Unfortunately, Matt Patricia is not the long-term answer for the team. The Bears will struggle with the QB carousel going on, especially with neither one of the QB’s on the carousel being all that great. The defense is still strong, but their offense is the worst in the division and it’s not even close.
NFC South
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12-4
- New Orleans Saints 11-5
- Atlanta Falcons 7-9
- Carolina Panthers 2-14
There’s just too much talent to ignore in Tampa Bay. The real unappreciated part of the Bucs is their elite defense, especially how good they were despite Jameis Winston. Lavonte David might be one of the most underrated players in the league. I think the defense will carry Brady, in addition to the weapons and the running game, all he has to do is be a game manager and the team should thrive. The best thing to happen to the Saints last year was Drew Brees setting out 5 games. Brees’ arm looked tired at the end of 2018 which led to them dragging to the finish line and into the playoffs. It’s a complete team, but the team is depending on Brees to stay fresh. Emmanuel Sanders should help that offense become more than Kamara and Thomas.
The Falcons are a team that has continued to trend in the wrong direction for the last few years. Dan Quinn is definitely on the hot seat this season and the team has continued to lose talented players and struggle to replace them. The Panthers hired a coach who hasn’t coached a single NFL game, who then proceeded to bring in a whole coaching staff who also hasn’t coached an NFL game. They drafted entirely defense this year and still got worse with Luke Kuechly retiring. I have always been a Teddy Bridgewater truther as well, sure he went undefeated in New Orleans which might be the best situation in the league for a backup.
NFC West
- Seattle Seahawks 11-5
- San Francisco 49’ers 9-7
- Arizona Cardinals 8-8
- Los Angeles Rams 6-10
By hook or by crook — Quinton Dunbar — the Seahawks have played football the same way since 2014 and It’s taken them to two Super Bowls. They have created a great secondary again with Dunbar and Adams and Chris Carson is a very underappreciated running back. Russell Wilson is an elite QB who thrives in an offense that keeps him efficient. Say it with me “The 2019 49’ers are the 2018 Bears.” A team that relied heavily on a dominant defense and offense with limited QB and a smoke and mirrors offensive scheme. They are due for a regression especially with the large amount of injuries to their wide receiving core.
The Cardinals are a trendy pick this season Kyler Murray still has a lot to show but he has the pieces to be successful. The real question out in the desert is the defense. Chandler Jones continues to be one of the best pass rushers in the league, but the team needs Patrick Peterson and Kansas City Native Isaiah Simmons to ball out. The Rams being below .500 might be one of my favorite prop bets of the season. The defense has gotten worse by losing Wade Phillips, Marcus Peters (yes, I’m still going on about this), Dante Fowler and others. The offense has gotten worse by losing Gurley and Cooks. Jared Goff is getting paid like a top QB and he might not even be in the top half of his division.
NFC Playoffs
- Buccaneers
- Seahawks
- Packers
- Eagles
- Saints
- Vikings
- Cowboys
The added seventh team to each conference playoff picture makes getting the one seed even more important to earn the first week bye. Overall, the NFC feels much stronger than the AFC. It looks like the Chiefs and Buccaneers will be benefiting from that this year. Though there are 14 teams in the playoffs it truly comes down to about five that I view as legit threats to the Chiefs: Steelers, Ravens, Seahawks, Saints and the Buccaneers.
Price Carter — ArrowheadOne
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