2013 NFL Predictions

Tank-top season is over.  It's a hard pill to swallow for people of all shapes, sizes, and ages but the sad truth is Summer is coming to a close.  As the old adage goes, when one door closes, another one opens and in this respect that door leads us to the Kansas City Chiefs locker room where Andy Reid can be seen tutoring his offensive guys on the West Coast, spread offense.  Delectable sausage, thin sliced filet mignon, and crisp bacon fill the backdrop of our scene.  Quite a spread, indeed.1  What I'm trying to say is that there's much to look forward to in the coming weeks.  Sunday's will soon vault to the top 3 of the Days of the Week Power Rankings.  The NFL season is on the horizon and with that come my annual predictions.  Here we go.2


AFC East

1. New England Patriots* 10-6
2. Miami Dolphins 7-9
3. Buffalo Bills 6-10
4. New York Jets 4-12

AFC North

1. Baltimore Ravens* 9-7
2. Pittsburgh Steelers* 9-7
3. Cincinnati Bengals 9-7
4. Cleveland Browns 6-10

AFC South

1. Houston Texans* 13-3
2. Tennessee Titans 7-9
3. Indianapolis Colts 6-10
4. Jacksonville Jaguars 5-11

AFC West

1. Kansas City Chiefs* 11-5
2. Denver Broncos* 11-5
3. San Diego Chargers 5-11
4. Oakland Raiders 3-13


NFC East

1. Philadelphia Eagles* 9-7
2. Dallas Cowboys 9-7
3. New York Giants 8-8
4. Washington Redskins 7-9

NFC North

1. Green Bay Packers* 11-5
2. Chicago Bears* 10-6
3. Detroit Lions 8-8
4. Minnesota Vikings 5-11

NFC South

1. Atlanta Falcons* 12-4
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers* 10-6
3. New Orleans Saints 8-8
4. Carolina Panthers 4-12

NFC West

1. San Francisco 49ers* 12-4
2. Seattle Seahawks 9-7
3. St. Louis Rams 7-9
4. Arizona Cardinals 6-10


*denotes playoff berth


Playoffs


AFC Championship Game

3 NE at 1 HOU

NFC Championship Game

6 CHI at 1 SF

Super Bowl

3 NE vs 1 SF


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¹My foreshadowing rivals that of Vince Gilligan.

²I use Bill Simmons 2010 NFL Simbotics article as a loose template to place teams into varying categories upon predicting their regular season records.  Here is the breakdown for this season.

7 returning playoff teams- NE (10-6) / BAL (9-7) / HOU (13-3) / DEN (11-5) / GB (11-5) / ATL (12-4) / SF (12-4)

 3 playoff newbies- PIT (8-8 to 9-7) / TB (7-9 to 10-6) / CHI (10-6 to 10-6)

1 Creeper- KC (2-14) to (11-5)   (a team that jumped at least 5 wins and secured a first round bye in playoffs)

1 Sleeper- PHI (4-12) to (9-7)     (a playoff team that finished 5-11 or worse the previous year)

1 Grenade- IND (11-5) to (6-10)   (in my definition, a playoff team that drops at least 5 wins and misses the playoffs)

4 playoff teams dropping out- CIN (10-6 to 9-7) / WSH (10-6 to 7-9) / MIN (10-6 to 5-11) / SEA (11-5 to 9-7)

4 frisky mini-sleepers- CLE (5-11 to 6-10) / TEN (6-10 to 7-9) / DET (4-12 to 8-8) / ARI (5-11 to 6-10)

5 also-rans- MIA (7-9) / NYG (8-8) / DAL (9-7) / NO (8-8) / STL (7-9)

6 doormats- BUF (6-10) / NYJ (4-12) / JAC (5-11) / OAK (3-13) / SD (5-11) / CAR (4-12)