2011 NFL Season Preview - Part 1 (NFC)

Are you ready for some football?

After being faced this summer with the possibility of the NFL being locked out this season, I sure as hell am! Especially after having to watch the Rays half-assing their way through every game and the Pirates getting my hopes up for a couple weeks in July, only to go right back to sucking horribly again for the nineteenth straight season, I'm so glad I won't have to wait until hockey season to see a decent performance from one of my teams.

So what I'm hoping to do, now that I've actually got the time, is do a weekly post on the NFL with my predictions for each game. But first, it would be fitting to look at where the teams stand right now and try to predict who will be the big winners this season. I'll break it down division by division and pick the winners from each one, followed by my picks for the wild cards and the playoffs. This post will have my predictions for the NFC.

NFC East

• Cowboys - They got off to a disappointing start last season, but quickly found their groove after Jason Garrett took over as head coach midway through the season. QB Tony Romo is back after being out for most of last season. Big D has plenty of potential playmakers on offense - WR's Miles Austin and Dez Bryant, RB's Felix Jones and Tashard Choice, and of course TE Jason Witten - but they still some question marks on the defensive side. They just don't seem as tough on defense as they used to be, and they did relatively little in the offseason to fix it. I can see them having a winning season, but they've still got some work to do if they want to make the playoffs.
• Giants - I've got a pretty good feeling about these guys. They've already got a pretty solid defense, even with Pro Bowl DE Osi Umenyiora expected to be out for the first couple of weeks, as well as a strong running back tandem in Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. If Eli Manning can bring down his interception total from last season, they could go pretty far.
• Eagles - The big story this offseason was the Eagles picking up a ton of high-caliber players on defense, including DE Jason Babin, CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, DT Cullen Jenkins, and the big prize this offseason, CB Nnamdi Asomugha. On paper, Philly's got a defense that could be the most fearsome anyone has seen in recent years. Their offense ain't too shabby, either - not when you've got the explosive DeSean Jackson and the versatile Michael Vick. The only caveat here is Vick's tendency to get hurt a lot, but even if he does miss a few games, the recently acquired Vince Young is a more than capable back-up. If their vaunted “Dream Team” defense meshes well, Philly will do some serious damage this season.
• Redskins – They’ve finally rid themselves of the plague that was Albert Haynesworth, but they’ve still got a long way to go before they’re back in contention, especially with Rex Grossman at quarterback.

Division Winner: Eagles. They're the only team in this division that seems pretty solid on both sides of the ball. Expect the Giants to finish in a strong second and possibly contend for a wild-card spot.

NFC North

• Bears - One of the better defenses in the league, but Jay Cutler's inconsistency at QB has me a little worried for them.
  
• Lions - The team that everyone's talking about this season. They already have a formidable defensive line with Kyle Vanden Bosch and Ndamukong Suh, and picking up former Titans LB Stephen Tulloch this year should further bolster their D. On offense, they've got a reliable pair of receivers in Nate Burleson and Pro Bowler Calvin Johnson. Matthew Stafford has the potential to be a great quarterback in the NFL, but only if he can avoid the injuries that cut short both of his first two seasons.
  
• Packers - There's very little stopping the Pack from repeating as Superbowl champions. The only major hit their defense took was losing Cullen Jenkins to Philadelphia, but with the depth they've got on defense, that doesn't figure to be much of a problem. Aaron Rodgers and his numerous talented receivers should once again tear enemy defenses apart. Plus, RB Ryan Grant will be back this season.
  
• Vikings - They may have lost DE Pat Williams to retirement, but they've still got a pretty tough defense, not to mention RB Adrian Peterson. And hey, Donovan McNabb can't be that much worse for them at quarterback than Brett Favre was, can he?

Division Winner: Packers. All four of these teams are capable of making the playoffs, but Green Bay is solid at pretty much every position. Most of their players are young and can only get better. I'm still trying to figure out how they managed to only finish second last year. Chicago's key players on defense are getting old, Detroit has some question marks in their secondary as well as Stafford's health to worry about. If the Vikes can squeeze one more good season out of McNabb, they've got as good of a chance as anyone of going pretty far.

NFC South

• Falcons - They've got a lot of talented players on both sides of the ball, and drafting WR Julio Jones should give an already dynamic offense even more punch. Their defense also got better with the addition of Vikings DE Ray Edwards.
  
• Panthers - Is Cam Newton the answer at quarterback? Only time will tell. Regardless, they've still got a little bit of growing up to do before they're back in the thick of things.
  
• Saints - Former Charger Darren Sproles and former Hesiman Trophy winner Mark Ingram give New Orleans an explosive pair of running backs to complement QB Drew Brees, making an offense that was already one of the league's best even more fearsome. Losing safety Darren Sharper might hurt their defense a little, though.
  
• Buccaneers - QB Josh Freeman was a pleasant surprise last season, and RB LeGarrette Blount should also make a big dent in opposing defenses, but they're somewhat lacking in big-play wide receivers. Tampa's strength lies in their defense, and they came up big in the draft this year with two highly touted defensive linemen in Iowa's Adrian Claybourne and my man Da'Quan Bowers from Clemson. If those two break out early in the season, look out!
  

Division Winner: Falcons. Don't get me wrong, the Saints are good, but Atlanta seems to have the better defense this season. The Bucs have a better defense than both of them, but I'm not really sold on their offense just yet. Expect a close competition among all three of these teams, and at least one of the runners-up to nail down a wild-cart spot.

NFC West

• Cardinals - Their lack of an even semi-decent quarterback in the wake of Kurt Warner's retirement really hurt them last season, so this year the Cardinals are putting their faith in former Eagles backup Kevin Kolb. They also picked up longtime Ravens stalwart Todd Heap to give Kolb another capable target alongside Pro Bowl WR Larry Fitzgerald. What worries me about Arizona, however is their defense, which just isn't as good as it was when they went to the Superbowl in 2008. Hopefully, rookie CB Patrick Peterson will make an impact this season.
  
• Rams - Like the Lions, also a highly intriguing team. QB Sam Bradford looked like a born leader in his rookie season last year, and can only get better, especially now that he's got Mike Sims-Walker to throw to in addition to the up-and-coming Danny Amendola. Pro Bowl RB Stephen Jackson makes St. Louis' offense very well-rounded. Their defense isn't much to write home about, but it should come into its own pretty soon with players like LB James Laurinaitis, SS Quintin Mikell, and DE Robert Quinn, this year's first-round draft pick.
  
• 49ers - Even without CB Nate Clements, San Francisco's defense still has a few proven players, like LB Patrick Willis and SS Donte Whitner. They also have a few playmakers on offense in RB Frank Gore and WR's Michael Crabtree and Braylon Edwards, but their big problem is their lack of a capable quarterback. Alex Smith will be on a short leash this year, with rookie Colin Kaepernick waiting to take over the starting job. They have potential, but seem to lack motivation.
  
• Seahawks - Last year, they became the first team to make the playoffs with a losing record. With Matt Hasselbeck now in Tennessee, Seattle will turn to former Vikings QB Tarvaris Jackson to lead the offense. The Seahawks gave Jackson a familiar target in former Vikings WR Sidney Rice, as well as a Pro Bowl tight end in Zach Miller, and they have RB Marshawn Lynch to round out the offense, but that's about all they've got going for them. Their defense, which was already near the bottom of the league last season, has only gotten worse with the loss of LB Lofa Tatupu, which means Seattle will be hard-pressed to repeat as division champions this season.
  

Division Winner: Rams. In a generally weak division, they're the only team that seems to be on the rise. Arizona and Seattle both look good on offense, but both leave a lot to be desired on defense, while St. Louis' defense is starting to come into its own. The 49ers still have a lot of kinks to work out before they're ready to make a serious playoff run.

Wild Cards
The Giants, Vikings, Saints, and Buccaneers all merit consideration for the two wild card spots. Detroit still has some work to do on their running game and their secondary, and I'll consider Chicago once Jay Cutler and their offense start showing a little more consistency. This is a pretty tough call here. Minnesota's got the pieces for a good team, but they've got a brutal schedule that includes the NFC South teams, and Donovan McNabb hasn't exactly looked at his best recently. The Giants have an easy schedule against the NFC West, but they also have to face Green Bay, New Orleans, and New England. They've got the defense and the running game, but I'm not really sold on their passing game, given Eli Manning's high number of interceptions last season. I think the Saints can probably make it on the strength of their offense, and their defense isn't half bad, either. Tampa Bay shows a lot of promise on both sides of the ball, especially on defense.
Fifth Seed: Saints
Sixth Seed: Buccaneers

Playoff Predictions

Seeding: 1) Packers, 2) Eagles, 3) Falcons, 4) Rams, 5) Saints, 6) Buccaneers
Wild Card: Saints over Rams, Falcons over Buccaneers.
Divisional: Packers over Saints, Eagles over Falcons.
NFC Championship: Packers over Eagles.

And finally, since the season opener is tomorrow night, I should get my prediction in for that game. Both the Saints and the Packers have really good offenses, but I'm going with Green Bay to win this one since they've got the better defense.

Stay tuned for my predictions for the AFC and the Superbowl (probably tomorrow), as well as my picks for Week 1 (probably on Friday or Saturday).

B-)