NFL 2019 Season Predictions: By Chris Scott
Well, we finally made it.
Mere days from Bears/Packers and the start of the 2019 NFL season and, assuming there aren’t anymore major trades or retirements (looking at you, AFC South!), we have enough information to make predictions.
AFC NORTH
Steelers 10-6
Browns 9-7
Ravens 7-9
Bengals 5-11
So, my AFC North predictions probably differ from a lot of peoples. That’s because there are too many bandwagons I’m not jumping on. The first of those is the Browns' bandwagon. The off-season was an exciting time on the shores of Lake Erie. Hue Jackson is gone and the Freddie Kitchens era has begun. In comes Odell Beckham JR from the Giants in a blockbuster trade, Kareem Hunt from Kansas City to add more weapons to Baker Mayfield’s arsenal. Greedy Williams joins Denzel Ward in the secondary and Olivier Vernon should do well opposite Myles Garrett. This has everyone raving about the Browns turn around but here’s the thing: they haven’t won anything yet and I’ve seen a lot of “off-season champions” fall flat on their face in the regular season. The Browns offensive line was weakened when Kevin Zeitler went to the Giants in the OBJ trade. There’s also a big question mark over the first time Head Coach, Kitchens. I’m also not buying into the Steelers demise. Yes, they lost Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell in the offseason, but they already have replacements ready in Juju Smith-Schuster and James Conner. All the Steelers really lost was a couple of disgruntled distractions and history shows that players that leave Pittsburgh rarely do better away from the Steelers. As for the Ravens, I think Lamar Jackson will have a difficult 2nd season. The Chargers showed everyone what happens when a defence gets a second look at Jackson, and it wasn’t pretty. The Bengals are in a transition period. I’m not sold on Zac Taylor. He seems too much like a discount Sean McVey and I can’t see that going well.
AFC SOUTH
Texans 11-5
Jaguars 10-6 (Wild Card)
Colts 6-10
Titans 2-14
The Texans were busy last weekend, weren’t they? Gone is Jadeveon Clowney to Seattle and in comes Laremy Tunsil and Kenny Stills from Miami for a small fortune. If it wasn’t clear before, the Texans are desperate. Bill O’Brien is feeling the heat and knows he has to deliver now. The good news for O’Brien is that the Texans have a very good team. Deshaun Watson is a very good young QB who’s helped by having, arguably, the best wide receiver in the world in Deandre Hopkins. Lamar Miller’s injury was a set back but the Texans added Carlos Hyde to share time with Duke Johnson in the backfield. I expect the Jags to push the Texans to the end. Nick Foles didn’t have the best of times when he left the Eagles the first time, but in this team he will be joined by John DeFilippo. The Jaguars offensive coordinators was Philly’s quarterback coach during the Superbowl run in which Foles’ was the star. The Jacksonville defence added 1st round draft pick Josh Allen to an already good unit. Both the Texans and Jaguars will be bolstered by the sudden retirement of Andrew Luck a couple of weeks ago. I’m sure a few will feel my Colts prediction is a bit of a knee jerk reaction to the news but I was already planning to predict a slight dip from last year. I also think the mental aspect of losing a guy like Luck will have a big impact. As for Tennessee, I can see this being a very difficult season for them. The jury is still out on injury prone Marcus Mariotta and, in fact, I predict Ryan Tannehill will be the Titans starter by the end of the season. Even with Luck gone, this division is very tough and I just can’t see anything from the Titans that gives me reason to believe.
AFC EAST
Patriots 11-5
Jets 7-9
Dolphins 6-10
Bills 5-11
I know what you’re thinking and, yes, it is gutsy of me to predict the Patriots will win the AFC East for the 11th straight season.
Ok, seriously, the Patriots may still be head and shoulders above the other 3 teams in the division but the gap is closing. The ‘Phins, Jets and Bills all have young, talented teams. The Jets have the talent to finish 2nd this season, adding the likes of Le’Veon Bell, Kelechi Osemele and CJ Mosley. However, I think that long term the Bills and Jets will overtake them. Both are building through the draft and have a lot more talent than the general public realise. I have the Dolphins above Buffalo for now because I’m concerned about Bills QB Josh Allen’s accuracy. If he can fix those issues, the Bills are good enough to finish 2nd and may even challenge for a wildcard spot. However, if teams don’t respect Allen’s passing ability, the offence may be too predictable. The Dolphins will surprise a few people simply by not being nearly as bad as some think. There is a lot of unknown talent on the team but it will take another offseason before they can really compete.
AFC WEST
Chiefs 12-4
Chargers 11-5 (Wild Card)
Broncos 7-9
Raiders 4-12
You could argue that the two best teams in the AFC are both in the West. Unfortunately, this means that one of the Chargers and Chiefs will have to settle for a wildcard spot. In this case, I’m giving the division to Kansas City so the Chargers will need to go the long way if they want to make the Superbowl. The Chiefs get the nod because of the season ending injury to Derwin James which will be a blow to an otherwise impressive defence. The Broncos, under first time head coach Vic Fangio, will be better than last year but still have a way to go if they are to compete with KC and LA. The Raiders, on the other hand, are a disaster waiting to happen. Antonio Brown has been a migraine level headache all offseason and Gruden is not the coach he was 15 years ago. Maybe Oakland should be grateful they’re leaving for Vegas next year?
NFC NORTH
Vikings 11-5
Bears 10-6
Packers 7-9
Lions 6-10
After losing in the conference championship in 2017, the Vikes missed the playoffs in 2018 despite adding Kirk Cousins to the mix. This season, they need to return to the post season or the pressure will really be on Mike Zimmer. I’m confident they’ll be there as NFC North Champions. The Bears will be good again but will just miss out, unable to surprise people as they did last year. The Packers are in a transition period as the Matt LaFleur era begins. Aaron Rodgers will always give them a shot of winning any game but he’s not the same quarterback who could carry the Packers on his own and there is simply not enough talent on this team to help him. The Lions have some talent but not enough to compete. It may be time for them to blow it up and enter a proper rebuild.
NFC SOUTH
Saints 13-3
Panthers 10-6 (Wild Card)
Falcons 8-8
Buccaneers 6-10
This, likely, is going to be Drew Brees’ last season. That makes it now or never for the Saints. The way last season ended, with the terrible pass interference non-call in the NFC Championship, should ignite a fire under them. Meanwhile, the Panthers are quietly building a good team. Their season will be determined by how healthy Cam Newton is. Provided he can play, the Panthers will be in the playoff hunt, and I think they’ll manage to sneak in ahead of Chicago. The Falcons haven’t been the same since Superbowl LI. Dan Quinn’s team just doesn’t seem to be as dangerous as they once were, and I think they'll continue to struggle this season. While the Buccaneers might be the weakest team in the division, their fortunes do look like they’re on the up with new head coach Bruce Arians. Expect this to be the last season with Jameis Winston before the Bucs select one of the top guys in the 2020 draft.
NFC EAST
Cowboys 11-5
Eagles 10-6 (Wild Card)
Redskins 6-10
Giants 4-12
Obviously, this prediction is on the assumption that the Ezekiel Elliott hold out will end soon (Editors note: it did.). The Cowboys are a good team, but they need Zeke to carry their offence. I can’t see them going very far if they have to run the offence through Dak Prescott. As for the Eagles, they no longer have Nick Foles to fall back on so they need Carson Wentz to stay healthy if they’re to make another playoff run. The addition of Jordan Howard should help add a new dimension to the offence in a power running game. In Washington, the Dwayne Haskins era will need to wait as Case Keenum has been given the nod for Week 1. However, I suspect we’ll see the former Buckeye at some point this season. I do not, however, expect to see Daniel Jones despite his solid preseason as the Giants seem more likely to stick by their guns and give Jones the season to learn before throwing him in. For the moment this is Eli Manning’s team and unfortunately, that means a rough year for Big Blue.
NFC WEST
Seahawks 12-4
Rams 10-6
49ers 5-11
Cardinals 4-12
So, lets start with the elephant in the room. Yes, I am predicting the Rams to miss the playoffs. NFC teams that lose the Superbowl tend to struggle the next season and I can see the same thing happening to LA. Meanwhile, the Seahawks should build on their good year in 2018 and earn a bye through the first round. The 49ers will be hoping that Jimmy Garoppolo can show the talent he flashed when he first joined them but I’m not sure he’s the answer they expect him to be. The Cardinals have the unusual problem of needing to wait for both a rookie QB and Head Coach to get used to the NFL. They will be better than they were last year but they will still struggle.
SUPERBOWL
Saints over Chargers
I’m going with the Hollywood ending of Drew Brees doing a Peyton Manning and retiring as a Superbowl Champion. I also have the Chargers becoming the first team since the Packers in 2010 to reach the Superbowl as a wildcard.
So, that’s how I see the season playing out. Expected almost all of this to be wrong.
Mere days from Bears/Packers and the start of the 2019 NFL season and, assuming there aren’t anymore major trades or retirements (looking at you, AFC South!), we have enough information to make predictions.
AFC NORTH
Steelers 10-6
Browns 9-7
Ravens 7-9
Bengals 5-11
So, my AFC North predictions probably differ from a lot of peoples. That’s because there are too many bandwagons I’m not jumping on. The first of those is the Browns' bandwagon. The off-season was an exciting time on the shores of Lake Erie. Hue Jackson is gone and the Freddie Kitchens era has begun. In comes Odell Beckham JR from the Giants in a blockbuster trade, Kareem Hunt from Kansas City to add more weapons to Baker Mayfield’s arsenal. Greedy Williams joins Denzel Ward in the secondary and Olivier Vernon should do well opposite Myles Garrett. This has everyone raving about the Browns turn around but here’s the thing: they haven’t won anything yet and I’ve seen a lot of “off-season champions” fall flat on their face in the regular season. The Browns offensive line was weakened when Kevin Zeitler went to the Giants in the OBJ trade. There’s also a big question mark over the first time Head Coach, Kitchens. I’m also not buying into the Steelers demise. Yes, they lost Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell in the offseason, but they already have replacements ready in Juju Smith-Schuster and James Conner. All the Steelers really lost was a couple of disgruntled distractions and history shows that players that leave Pittsburgh rarely do better away from the Steelers. As for the Ravens, I think Lamar Jackson will have a difficult 2nd season. The Chargers showed everyone what happens when a defence gets a second look at Jackson, and it wasn’t pretty. The Bengals are in a transition period. I’m not sold on Zac Taylor. He seems too much like a discount Sean McVey and I can’t see that going well.
AFC SOUTH
Texans 11-5
Jaguars 10-6 (Wild Card)
Colts 6-10
Titans 2-14
The Texans were busy last weekend, weren’t they? Gone is Jadeveon Clowney to Seattle and in comes Laremy Tunsil and Kenny Stills from Miami for a small fortune. If it wasn’t clear before, the Texans are desperate. Bill O’Brien is feeling the heat and knows he has to deliver now. The good news for O’Brien is that the Texans have a very good team. Deshaun Watson is a very good young QB who’s helped by having, arguably, the best wide receiver in the world in Deandre Hopkins. Lamar Miller’s injury was a set back but the Texans added Carlos Hyde to share time with Duke Johnson in the backfield. I expect the Jags to push the Texans to the end. Nick Foles didn’t have the best of times when he left the Eagles the first time, but in this team he will be joined by John DeFilippo. The Jaguars offensive coordinators was Philly’s quarterback coach during the Superbowl run in which Foles’ was the star. The Jacksonville defence added 1st round draft pick Josh Allen to an already good unit. Both the Texans and Jaguars will be bolstered by the sudden retirement of Andrew Luck a couple of weeks ago. I’m sure a few will feel my Colts prediction is a bit of a knee jerk reaction to the news but I was already planning to predict a slight dip from last year. I also think the mental aspect of losing a guy like Luck will have a big impact. As for Tennessee, I can see this being a very difficult season for them. The jury is still out on injury prone Marcus Mariotta and, in fact, I predict Ryan Tannehill will be the Titans starter by the end of the season. Even with Luck gone, this division is very tough and I just can’t see anything from the Titans that gives me reason to believe.
AFC EAST
Patriots 11-5
Jets 7-9
Dolphins 6-10
Bills 5-11
I know what you’re thinking and, yes, it is gutsy of me to predict the Patriots will win the AFC East for the 11th straight season.
Ok, seriously, the Patriots may still be head and shoulders above the other 3 teams in the division but the gap is closing. The ‘Phins, Jets and Bills all have young, talented teams. The Jets have the talent to finish 2nd this season, adding the likes of Le’Veon Bell, Kelechi Osemele and CJ Mosley. However, I think that long term the Bills and Jets will overtake them. Both are building through the draft and have a lot more talent than the general public realise. I have the Dolphins above Buffalo for now because I’m concerned about Bills QB Josh Allen’s accuracy. If he can fix those issues, the Bills are good enough to finish 2nd and may even challenge for a wildcard spot. However, if teams don’t respect Allen’s passing ability, the offence may be too predictable. The Dolphins will surprise a few people simply by not being nearly as bad as some think. There is a lot of unknown talent on the team but it will take another offseason before they can really compete.
AFC WEST
Chiefs 12-4
Chargers 11-5 (Wild Card)
Broncos 7-9
Raiders 4-12
You could argue that the two best teams in the AFC are both in the West. Unfortunately, this means that one of the Chargers and Chiefs will have to settle for a wildcard spot. In this case, I’m giving the division to Kansas City so the Chargers will need to go the long way if they want to make the Superbowl. The Chiefs get the nod because of the season ending injury to Derwin James which will be a blow to an otherwise impressive defence. The Broncos, under first time head coach Vic Fangio, will be better than last year but still have a way to go if they are to compete with KC and LA. The Raiders, on the other hand, are a disaster waiting to happen. Antonio Brown has been a migraine level headache all offseason and Gruden is not the coach he was 15 years ago. Maybe Oakland should be grateful they’re leaving for Vegas next year?
NFC NORTH
Vikings 11-5
Bears 10-6
Packers 7-9
Lions 6-10
After losing in the conference championship in 2017, the Vikes missed the playoffs in 2018 despite adding Kirk Cousins to the mix. This season, they need to return to the post season or the pressure will really be on Mike Zimmer. I’m confident they’ll be there as NFC North Champions. The Bears will be good again but will just miss out, unable to surprise people as they did last year. The Packers are in a transition period as the Matt LaFleur era begins. Aaron Rodgers will always give them a shot of winning any game but he’s not the same quarterback who could carry the Packers on his own and there is simply not enough talent on this team to help him. The Lions have some talent but not enough to compete. It may be time for them to blow it up and enter a proper rebuild.
NFC SOUTH
Saints 13-3
Panthers 10-6 (Wild Card)
Falcons 8-8
Buccaneers 6-10
This, likely, is going to be Drew Brees’ last season. That makes it now or never for the Saints. The way last season ended, with the terrible pass interference non-call in the NFC Championship, should ignite a fire under them. Meanwhile, the Panthers are quietly building a good team. Their season will be determined by how healthy Cam Newton is. Provided he can play, the Panthers will be in the playoff hunt, and I think they’ll manage to sneak in ahead of Chicago. The Falcons haven’t been the same since Superbowl LI. Dan Quinn’s team just doesn’t seem to be as dangerous as they once were, and I think they'll continue to struggle this season. While the Buccaneers might be the weakest team in the division, their fortunes do look like they’re on the up with new head coach Bruce Arians. Expect this to be the last season with Jameis Winston before the Bucs select one of the top guys in the 2020 draft.
NFC EAST
Cowboys 11-5
Eagles 10-6 (Wild Card)
Redskins 6-10
Giants 4-12
Obviously, this prediction is on the assumption that the Ezekiel Elliott hold out will end soon (Editors note: it did.). The Cowboys are a good team, but they need Zeke to carry their offence. I can’t see them going very far if they have to run the offence through Dak Prescott. As for the Eagles, they no longer have Nick Foles to fall back on so they need Carson Wentz to stay healthy if they’re to make another playoff run. The addition of Jordan Howard should help add a new dimension to the offence in a power running game. In Washington, the Dwayne Haskins era will need to wait as Case Keenum has been given the nod for Week 1. However, I suspect we’ll see the former Buckeye at some point this season. I do not, however, expect to see Daniel Jones despite his solid preseason as the Giants seem more likely to stick by their guns and give Jones the season to learn before throwing him in. For the moment this is Eli Manning’s team and unfortunately, that means a rough year for Big Blue.
NFC WEST
Seahawks 12-4
Rams 10-6
49ers 5-11
Cardinals 4-12
So, lets start with the elephant in the room. Yes, I am predicting the Rams to miss the playoffs. NFC teams that lose the Superbowl tend to struggle the next season and I can see the same thing happening to LA. Meanwhile, the Seahawks should build on their good year in 2018 and earn a bye through the first round. The 49ers will be hoping that Jimmy Garoppolo can show the talent he flashed when he first joined them but I’m not sure he’s the answer they expect him to be. The Cardinals have the unusual problem of needing to wait for both a rookie QB and Head Coach to get used to the NFL. They will be better than they were last year but they will still struggle.
SUPERBOWL
Saints over Chargers
I’m going with the Hollywood ending of Drew Brees doing a Peyton Manning and retiring as a Superbowl Champion. I also have the Chargers becoming the first team since the Packers in 2010 to reach the Superbowl as a wildcard.
So, that’s how I see the season playing out. Expected almost all of this to be wrong.
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