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NFL Preseason Predictions

Written July 21, 2009 by Jack Jones

2009 NFL Preseason Predictions With the 2009 NFL season a little more than a month away I figured now would be a good time to issue a few preseason predictions on how I feel the teams will turn out. I’m going to break it down by conference with the predicted standings going from first to last, along with the expected win totals issued by one of my favorites NFL sportsbooks in Sportsbook.com where if you sign up for a new account and tell them our site sent you, then you will be eligible for a 100% win bonus on your first winning wager!

AFC East – I think the team that wins this division will be the New England Patriots, who have an over/under for wins at 11.5, but with Tom Brady coming back I expect will get to 12, so the over is a decent bet here. Terrell Owens seems to give teams a one year boost before tearing them apart so the Buffalo Bills are my selection to come in second (and miss the playoffs) with the New York Jets sliding into third and a disappointing season coming for Miami Dolphins fans, who go from the playoffs to last in the division.

AFC North – It’s a two-team race over in the North, with the Pittsburgh Steelers being the clear favorite even with Ben Roethlisberger facing civil sexual assualt charges. The Baltimore Ravens could benefit from any distraction that brings, as they proved they could challenge the Steelers last year when they made a playoff run. The Cincinnati Bengals aren’t going to have a bounce back year and neither are the Cleveland Browns. Just too many questions for either of those teams to contend.

AFC South – Can the Indianapolis Colts continue to dominate this division year after year, even without Tony Dungy roaming the sidelines? The short answer is yes, but they will have some competition with the Tennessee Titans, the Houston Texans, and the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Titans will probably slide a little but I still see nine wins in their future and the Texans will be strong enough to maybe break through and achieve the franchises first winning season. The Jags could finish 7-9 or 8-8 and be last in the division, that’s how good the AFC South is this year. ***Editor’s Note*** The first comment below was correct that the Titans took home this division last year, so “year after year” might not be the correct choice of words, but see my comment below for clarification on why this division has belonged to the Colts for the last seven years.

AFC West – This division is once again the San Diego Chargers to lose. I see double digit wins in their future while the Denver Broncos, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Oakland Raiders will all finish below .500. I’ve heard some expectations of a surprise run this year by the Chiefs and Raiders fans, but I can’t say that I’ve drunk the same cool aid.

NFC East – I think this is going to be a great divisional race once again, but since I’m predicting the order of finish I’m going with an underdog and taking the Philadelphia Eagles. I like what they bring to the table and think they will unseat the New York Giants, who are a strong No. 2. The Dallas Cowboys will be in the running for the other wild card spot with the third place finish in the division, and the Washington Redskins will be a great bottom feeder in this division. Put them somewhere else and they could make a playoff run as well.

NFC North – I think Jay Cutler gives the Chicago Bears a slight edge over the Minnesota Vikings in the North, even if Brett Favre decides to come back. How long has this team needed a quarterback and now they have one? Minnesota will be tough though and will be battling it out with the Cowboys for a wild card. A lot of people are high on the Green Bay Packers to get back in the mix this year, but I’m predicting them to finish third with the obvious choice to bring up the basement of the division, even though the Detroit Lions have to win a game this year…don’t they?

NFC South – Look out for the New Orleans Saints this year as I see them winning this division ahead of the Atlanta Falcons. Another team to watch will be the Carolina Panthers but as of now I see them having the third most talent in this division. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be facing a rebuilding year and I still can’t beleive that they got rid of my boy Gruden.

NFC West – The only team I feel comfortable taking out West is the team that represented the NFC in the Super Bowl a year ago and that is the Arizona Cardinals. There will probably be more of a challenge for the division crown this year out of the Seattle Seahawks, but with a new head coach I see them just missing out. The San Francisco 49ers should be better as well and will finish a close third behind the two teams with bird mascots. Bringing up the rear will be the St. Louis Rams, who have a lot of work to do to get back to the glory days of the Greatest Show on Turf.

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4 Comments

Comments

4 Responses to “NFL Preseason Predictions”

David on July 22nd, 2009 9:29 am

Jack,

How do you expect anyone to take your predictions seriously when you can’t even demonstrate a reasonable grasp of the past?
Here’s you:

“Can the Indianapolis Colts continue to dominate this division year after year, even without Tony Dungy roaming the sidelines?”

That’s an interesting question with no “short answer” given the fact that the Colts didn’t “dominate” the division last season. The Titans won the AFC South (and the number one seed in the AFC)before dropping a meaningless game to the Colts in Week 17.
What were the odds of that?

Reply
Jack Jones Reply:
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:41 am
David,

You are right about the Titans winning the division last year and maybe I didn’t word that quite right. The Colts didn’t really dominate the AFC South in terms of winning the division, but did rack up 12 wins for the sixth straight season and had won the division crown five straight times before their second place finish in 2008. So I would say that they have dominated the AFC South since Dungy took over in 2002 (when they got 2nd).

The odds before last season on the Titans winning the South were about 5 to 1, worse even than the Jags. The Colts on the other hand were -150 which put their backers out of the money early when they started 3-4.

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Stu on August 5th, 2009 6:30 pm

Jack,

Was just cruising around the internet looking for some pre-season predictions and fell upon your site. I agree with you 100% re: Jon Gruden. The boys couldn’t handle a traditonal hard-nosed, tell it like it is coach. Word is, “he lost the room”. I am a big team guy and I gotta say that was an outright mutiny. What is with the new era of prima donnas?

Tampa must have thought of him quite highly to sign him to a three year deal just the year before. So let me get this straight – the players can’t handle Coach, they start 9-3, then collectively decide that the best way to rid of him is to take a knee in Dec?

Please tell me there is more pride in the game than this? As a huge fan of the best league in pro sports…tell me I’m wrong.

Stu

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Dave on August 18th, 2009 7:09 pm

You say the 49ers should be better: why?

Looking at their schedule, then their roster gives me the willies as a fan.

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