The NFL Season is moving quickly upon us. In just a matter of days the season will kick off with the New England Patriots going head to head with the Kansas City Chiefs. Days later, teams around the NFL with play their first games on Sunday, September 10th. With the season approaching, I wanted to take a look at the NFC teams and make predictions on how I thought the top teams would fare. Perhaps this information will be useful if you happen to visit any online betting sites and choose to make a wager.
Let’s get started with the NFC East. I predict that this division will be a tight race between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. While the Cowboys managed to secure the NFC’s top seed last season, I don’t foresee things being quite so rosy for them in 2017. For starters, they will need to deal with the Ezekiel Elliot suspension. Secondly, teams rarely manage to keep up such a good record for two years in a row, and it’s quite possible that we’ll see a sophomore slump from either Elliot or quarterback Dak Prescott. I think Eli Manning will have another good season and keep the Giants in contention. The Cowboys definitely need to keep their eye on the rearview mirror or they could find themselves in a Wild Card slot or out of the playoffs altogether.
In the NFC North, the Green Bay Packers appear to have the division all but wrapped up. I just don’t see the Lions, Bears, or Vikings posing a real threat to an Aaron Rodgers-led team. I think the Packers will have this division wrapped up relatively early.
Of course, I think that the NFC West will be even less competitive than the North. I just don’t see a team that is anywhere close to the caliber of the Seattle Seahawks. Perhaps the Arizona Cardinals will bounce back from a disappointing 2016 season, but I wouldn’t bet on it. I’m going with Seattle to win the West as well as the NFC in general, earning them a second shot at the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
Lastly, we have the NFC South. I just don’t see the Falcons bouncing back well from their humiliating Super Bowl defeat. Instead, I think Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers will take the division and leave Atlanta to wonder what would have been if they just hadn’t blown a 25-point lead in the 3rd quarter.
So there you have it – you can take it to the bank. The division winners will be the Cowboys, Packers, Seahawks, and Panthers, with the Giants and Falcons as the two NFC Wild Cards.
Richard Arger is a freelance journalist based in New England. He has been covering the New England Patriots and the NFL for the past six seasons for various outlets. He originally started his career covering the Boston College Eagles before moving onto the professional football scene. He’s an avid NFL draft nerd and considers himself to be a fantasy football guru. When he’s not covering the NFL, he enjoys swimming, tennis, and spending time with his two daughters.
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