The NFL season is finally here. This offseason seemed a little bit longer than usual in these parts, but that’s probably because of how Super Bowl LII played out.
My bad, I shouldn’t have brought it up. But the beauty of a new season is that, well, it’s a new season. And the New England Patriots are the favorite to win Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3 in Atlanta, at +700. The Pats will be looking to advance to their eighth straight AFC Championship, and their third straight Super Bowl. And with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady still at the helm, I’d say it’s a good bet to at least put them in the playoffs.
Not only do I have the Patriots in the playoffs, but I have them making another serious run. How serious? Find out for yourself. Here are my 2018 NFL predictions:
DIVISION WINNERS:
AFC EAST: New England Patriots
-What, did you think I was going to have the Pats advancing to the playoffs with a Wild Card berth? Please. As long as Belichick and Brady are around, this is their division. Good luck putting your money on the Bills, Dolphins, or Jets. The Patriots lost some key pieces this offseason, and with Julian Edelman’s four-game PED suspension to begin the season, the “next man up” philosophy will certainly be tested in Foxboro. But something’s telling me they’ll pass that test.
AFC NORTH: Pittsburgh Steelers
-This another one of those, “Who else are you going to take” picks. With Le’Veon Bell absent from training camp, it does get you thinking that maybe a team like the Baltimore Ravens could sneak in and steal the division. But I know it’s not going to be Cincinnati or Cleveland. And the more I think about it, it’s not going to be Baltimore either. Bell will return, and the Steelers will be just fine.
AFC SOUTH: Houston Texans
-The Texans are healthy, and that could be a scary thing for the rest of the AFC. Usually it doesn’t take much to win the South, and I’m actually expecting the Jacksonville Jaguars to come back down to Earth. Andrew Luck’s return in Indianapolis will certainly make the Colts an interesting team. And the Tennessee Titans were in the playoffs last year, so you can’t overlook them. But if Deshaun Watson can tear it up like he did last year before his season-ending injury, then that could be the missing piece to a Texans franchise that has always lacked one thing: a quarterback. I sense a huge year for Houston.
AFC WEST: Oakland Raiders
-The Raiders are coming off a six-win season and have the worst odds to win this division, especially now that they’ve traded Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears for draft picks. Lost in all the criticism of the Raiders for that trade is the fact that Mack was holding out while under contract. Regardless, the Raiders are in a division that’s wide open. And I think that, even without Mack, Oakland has enough weapons to still get the job done.
AFC WILD CARDS: Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts
NFC EAST: Washington Redskins
-Washington has thew worst odds to win the East. It doesn’t help that they’re in the same division as the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. But Washington is going to be sneaky good this year. Alex Smith replaces Kirk Cousins at quarterback. Some might consider that a downgrade, but I don’t. And then you have the addition of Adrian Peterson. He’ll begin the season as Washington’s starting running back. It’s something to keep an eye on, for sure. And I’ll admit, this is a ballsy pick. But I actually think Smith is the most underrated QB in the NFL. He’ll make it interesting while the Eagles suffer from a Super Bowl hangover.
NFC NORTH: Green Bay Packers
-It’s the return of Aaron Rodgers. And that’s all I really need to say.
NFC SOUTH: New Orleans Saints
-Rumors in New Orleans say that this could be Drew Brees’ last year. If he’s telling people that he’s going to retire after this season, then that will give the Saints even more motivation to send him out on top. Either way, New Orleans has one of the most dangerous weapons in the league in Alvin Kamara. Look for him to be an MVP candidate.
NFC WEST: Los Angeles Rams
-The Rams threw a ton of money around this offseason, but they are stacked. Speaking of MVP candidates, consider Jared Goff one as well. I’ll take the Rams here all day.
NFC WILD CARDS: Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons
PLAYOFFS:
AFC WILD CARD ROUND:
(3) Steelers over (6) Colts
(4) Raiders over (5) Broncos
AFC DIVISIONAL ROUND:
(1) Patriots over (4) Raiders
(2) Texans over (3) Steelers
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP:
(1) Patriots over (2) Texans
NFC WILD CARD ROUND:
(3) Rams over (6) Falcons
(5) Vikings over (4) Washington
NFC DIVISIONAL ROUND:
(1) Packers over (5) Vikings
(3) Rams over (2) Saints
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP:
(3) Rams over (1) Packers
SUPER BOWL LIII
PATRIOTS over Rams
Listen to “The Danny Picard Show” on PodcastOne. Also available on iTunes, Spotify, and dannypicard.com. Subscribe to his YouTube channel at youtube.com/dannypicard.
