2015 NFL Predictions

So the 2015 NFL Draft has come and gone, and we are under the 100 day mark for the new season. But before we get into the new season, lets be a bit bold here and make 5 bold predictions for the upcoming season.


1. One of the Previous NFC Division winners will get dethroned
While I hate wishing bad juju on any team, I get the feeling that this year either Seattle, Green Bay, Dallas or Carolina will not win their division. That doesn't mean they can't get into the playoffs but it won't be through winning the whole division. If we look at each division, particularly the second place team of each division, none of them got worse. A lot of people will look at the NFC North and say that Detroit lost both Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley, but they were able to replace them with Haloti Ngata and Gabe Wright in the draft.

The only team that looks stronger after trades and the draft seems to be Seattle with the pickup of Jimmy Graham. Green Bay, despite the love fest social and news media have for Aaron Rodgers, could suffer its first home loss to Detroit in a long time as the Lambeau game is played in November, making it a lot warmer than it normally is in the rivalry. Carolina and Dallas have bigger issues on their hands. Dallas lost Demarco Murray to the rival Philadelphia Eagles, which means Tony Romo will have to win more games for them. Count in the Giants and Washington to make it even more difficult to win the division.

Carolina's biggest issue is that they now play in a division in which all 4 teams have good QBs with the addition of Jameis Winston to Tampa Bay. Cam is going to have to play up to his new contract in order to stay in playoff contention this year.

2. HollyWood Swinging
I know this might upset fans in Oakland, San Diego and even Jacksonville, but this will be the last season that one of these teams plays in the city they are currently in. With the NFL so desperately wanting a team in Los Angeles, and the recent discovery that a stadium outside of L.A. was knocked down to make room for a new lot, expect the change to come quick. I bet that by the halfway point of the season, an announcement will be made that one of those cities will be losing their team to relocation.

The only other option, and this is an even bolder statement, will be that Los Angeles will do the exact same thing that New York has; 2 teams in one stadium., but this time they are expansion teams. This would mean that the NFC and AFC would have to do another reshuffling, which would cause there to be a play-in game for the playoffs after the regular season was done.

3. Peyton Manning finally hangs it up
Look I'm all for wanting to see Peyton get back to the Superbowl, win another ring and tie his baby brother up, but I have to be honest with myself. Superbowl 48, in which the Seattle Seahawks hulk smashed the Denver Broncos, was the very last time that we will ever see Peyton get to a Superbowl. And I'm not going off health reasons as to why this will be his last season, even though we can look at the barrage of defenses he is going to play this year (Cleveland, Indy, Detroit, and Oakland). Just look at how dangerous the AFC West is getting each year, especially with Oakland and San Diego. I think that more than likely if Peyton doesn't at least make it to the conference finals in the AFC, expect for a press conference with a lot of tears.

4. New England loses its crown, almost
I know that sounds like pure blasphemy but its looking that way. While New England is the NFL Champ at the current moment, with the recent suspension of Tom Brady and losses to its defenses, this team can't be seriously expected to keep up its winning ways. I think if any team is able to take the crown from them, it will be Buffalo, but it will be tricky. New England has a tricky first half, made even more treacherous with Brady not playing.

But look at Buffalo's schedule. If you look at the season, they play 4 playoff caliber teams, one of those being New England, and will probably win the first game which is in week 2. Don't be surprised if Buffalo isn't just circling the wagon, but is also circling an AFC East title.

5. Super Bowl 50: Same game, new players
I like to think on the side of underdogs coming through and doing the impossible. That is why I believe that this year no team that everyone thinks will get to the SuperBowl. Im looking at Carolina, Arizona, St. Louis, Detroit, Cincinnati, San Diego, Buffalo, and even Cleveland to make a run at the playoffs and possibly into the SuperBowl. I mean at some point, you have to suspend belief, right? But in all seriousness, it would be good to see a franchise not named Seattle, New England, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, New York, Dallas or Indianapolis in the Super Bowl.


So those are my 5 bold predictions. Will they happen? Who knows but I will say this: it would make the season more fun as it always great when teams don't expect to win do and shock the world. Remember that this the NFL, and in less than 100 days, we will be amazed for 16 straight weeks.