With the halfway point of the NFL season now upon us, it's time to look back at my preseason predictions and do a little update as to how I see things working out now!! This is probably going to be an embarrassing exercise, as several were my preseason predictions were just a little off (just a little!). Let's start with looking at some updated playoff seedings and record predictions:
AFC
1. Denver Broncos: 13-3
2. Indianapolis Colts: 12-4
3. Cincinnati Bengals: 11-5
4. New England Patriots: 11-5
5. Kansas City Chiefs: 12-4
6. San Diego Chargers: 9-7
Just Outside - New York Jets: 8-8; Tennessee Titans: 8-8
I'm still sticking strong with my record predictions for Cincinnati and New England, and the Broncos still are my #1 seed in the AFC playoffs, so there's that! However, I underestimated the Colts and the Chiefs this year, as now I think the Colts have the potential for a playoff bye after I only had them in as a wild card team. I also thought Philip Rivers was unfixable, but he's been fixed already. He's now a legitimate MVP candidate and I think he'll be able to navigated his team through a tough second half schedule to get into the playoffs.
NFC
1. Seattle Seahawks: 14-2
2. Green Bay Packers: 13-3
3. New Orleans Saints: 12-4
4. Dallas Cowboys: 9-7
5. San Francisco 49ers: 12-4
6. Detroit Lions: 10-6
Just Outside - Carolina Panthers: 9-7; Chicago Bears: 8-8
I picked the 49ers to win the NFC West against my better judgement, but I still believe that the 49ers are Super Bowl contenders this year. The Saints defense has played far better than I could have imagined, while the entire NFC East is playing much worse than I could have ever dreamed of. The Cowboys might not even make it to nine wins, but eight will still probably enough to win that division. The Lions have been a solid team this year and seem to have matured as a team much better than I anticipated, and Matthew Stafford looks like his Pro Bowl 2011 self and not the disaster-self of 2012.
Awards Predictions
MVP - Peyton Manning, QB, Denver Broncos. Runner up - Philip Rivers, QB, San Diego Chargers. Sleeper - Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis Colts
Offensive Player of the Year - Peyton Manning, QB, Denver Broncos. Runner up - Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions. Sleeper - Jamaal Charles, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Defensive Player of the Year - Justin Houston, OLB, Kansas City Chiefs. Runner up - Robert Mathis, OLB, Indianapolis Colts. Sleeper - Aqib Talib, CB, New England Patriots
Offensive Rookie of the Year - Eddie Lacy, RB, Green Bay Packers. Runner up - Keenan Allen, WR, San Diego Chargers. Sleeper - Larry Warford, OG, Detroit Lions
Defensive Rookie of the Year - Kiko Alonso, LB, Buffalo Bills. Runner up - Sheldon Richardson, DT, New York Jets. Sleeper - Kenny Vaccaro, S, New Orleans Saints
Coach of the Year - Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs. Runner up - Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints. Sleeper - Mike McCoy, San Diego Chargers
Playoff Predictions
Wild Card Round:
#3 Bengals vs #6 Bengals - Winner = Bengals
#3 Saints vs #6 Lions - Winner = Saints
#4 Cowboys vs #5 49ers - Winner = 49ers
#4 Patriots vs #5 Chiefs - Winner = Chiefs
Divisional Round:
#1 Broncos vs #5 Chiefs - Winner = Broncos
#1 Seahawks vs #5 49ers - Winner = Seahawks
#2 Packers vs #3 Saints - Winner = Saints
#2 Colts vs #3 Bengals - Winner = Colts
Championship Round:
#1 Broncos vs #2 Colts - Winner = Broncos
#1 Seahawks vs #3 Saints - Winner = Saints
Super Bowl:
Denver Broncos vs New Orleans Saints
And you're winner is.....
The New Orleans Saints!
There you have it, there's all my predictions for the rest of this NFL season, here's hoping they're at least a little more accurate than my preseason predictions! That's at least doable, right?
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