FOOTBALL IS BACK!
The temperature outside is cooler, the leaves are starting to change color, and pumpkin spice is flowing through the air. Fall is around the corner and the best time of the year has finally arrived.
Each fan base begins the year with high expectations, even though the optimistic thoughts are typically a fairy tale for fans outside of New England, but that doesn’t stop them from tweeting out, “THIS IS OUR YEAR!”
I’m a huge hockey guy and love everything about the NHL (well mostly everything!), but there is just something about football that hypes me up for the season opener more than any other sport. Maybe it has to do with the memories of playing backyard football with my friends growing up, or watching my best buddies play under the lights on Friday night’s in high school. Hell, betting on football is a huge adrenaline rush and makes the sport that much more entertaining. But I can’t quite give a straight answer as to why football is in a class of its own, but it is and every weekend either college or NFL games will dominate the TV screen in my shoe-box sized NYC apartment.
The 2019 NFL season kicked off Thursday night in Chicago and what we learned was that preseason reps do in fact matter. It was a sloppy, defensive battle and the Packers and Bears totaled just 13 points combined. Maybe both defenses are elite or maybe they just dominated in a game where both offenses were clearly not in game mode just yet.
Whatever the case may be, football has begun, and it isn’t going away anytime soon. There are so many questions entering Week 1, but the answers might not be answered for a while. Where will Antonio Brown land after being released from the Raiders this morning? Will the Rams continue their dominance, or will they be hungover from the Super Bowl? Has Le’Veon Bell lost a step after sitting out a full season? Are the Browns contenders or pretenders? Can Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury turn things around in the dessert? Will Kirk Cousins prove his worth in Year 2? Are the Steelers better without their Killer B’s and will this be the final year of the Patriots dynasty?
The list goes on and on, but one thing remains – FOOTBALL IS BACK!
The heavy SB favorites entering Week 1 are the Chiefs, Pats, Rams and Saints, but as we all know…the Pats are typically the only team to live up to any type of expectation. I’m not going to count them out just yet, but if there was a year to do it then 2019 might be the time. No more Rob Gronkowski, no David Andrews, inexperienced wide receivers, no more Brain Flores calling defensive plays, all while Robert Kraft’s offseason allegations have overshadowed a lot of the gaps in this roster.
But then again, the Pats do have Tom Brady. Do they really need anyone else?
Kansas City has enough weapons on offense to dethrone the champs, and they have the leagues most gifted quarterback in Patrick Mahomes. Although this is technically his 3rd season, I would consider it his second because he played in just 1 game in 2017. The reigning MVP likely won’t throw for 50 TD again, but I am more interested in seeing how he follows that performance up. Will he take a step back and have a “(redshirt) sophomore slump” or will he maintain his level of excellence in 2019?
The Chiefs are for real and they could ultimately be the team that ends the Pats dynasty.
Pittsburgh’s addition by subtraction will be real after parting ways with Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. JuJu Smith-Schuster is ready to be a No. 1 option after breaking out a season ago, and LB Devin Bush could be the ultimate replacement for Ryan Shazier in the middle of the field. The Steelers tied for the league lead in sacks in 2018, but injuries and distractions hindered their playoff chances down the stretch. Ben Roethlisberger is excited for the season and so is Steeler nation. Look for Pittsburgh to bounce back in 2019 without any type of distraction hindering the franchise.
In the NFC there are far more teams capable of representing the conference down in Miami. Every division will have a battle (can’ say the same about the AFC), and I simply cannot sit here and say that “this team will for sure win the division” or “no chance this team does.”
The NFC North is arguably the best division in all of football, while the NFC South is a close second. Out East, the Cowboys and Eagles will clash for the division crown, while the Rams and Seahawks will compete for the West.
Roughly 10 teams, maybe 11, will have a shot at a playoff spot, but as we know throughout history, turnover in the playoffs from year to year is high. Minnesota, Atlanta, and Green Bay missed out last season, but they could easily all make it in 2019. Carolina was 6-2 before Cam Newton hurt his shoulder, causing the team to finish 7-9 and miss the postseason. All four of these franchises won’t likely make it to January, but I will argue that three of them will.
As a Vikings fan, I am still not sold on Cousins. He doesn’t have the big game clutch gene, but he also didn’t have a running game or a strong offensive line to work with in Year 1. This offseason the Vikes took notice and improved the O-line, while also bringing in Gary Kubiak to possibly establish a running attack and alleviate some pressure off Kirk. They still have the best WR tandem in the NFL and the defense is still elite. Their playoff hopes will live and die on the defensive side of the ball, but Cousins will have no excuses this fall. Could it finally be Minnesota’s year?
New Orleans lost a heart breaker once again in the playoffs and the league was robbed of a Brees-Brady Super Bowl. The Saints are absolutely loaded on both sides of the ball and I don’t see a better roster from top to bottom in the NFC. Brees has already entered his forties and 2019 could be his last shot at winning a second title. Look for the Saints to potentially run the table in what could be 9’s last season under center.
Philly, Chicago, Green Bay and Dallas all have the potential to make noise in the postseason, but each team has a weakness.
Green Bay has zero weapons outside of Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers, and they have a first-time head coach in Matt LaFleur. I believe that they will win the North with their revamped defense and because they have Rodgers…but their postseason run will be cut short…again.
Chicago will go as far as Mitchell Trubisky will take them. They have arguably the best defense in the entire league, but if you can’t score you can’t win. So far, the Bears could be in for an early offseason and could also be left to reconsider the QB position altogether.
I like Dallas, but I don’t like Jason Garrett. Coaching tactics could be what prevents America’s team from competing for a ring. Ezekiel Elliott got paid and is back, but Dak Prescott has not. Could the lack of money and job security be what eventually holds the Cowboys back?
Philly on the other hand is talented everywhere. The Birds no longer have the Nick Foles–Carson Wentz debate, and they have the number one rated offensive line (PFF) in the league. They were an interception away from beating the Saints and advancing to the NFC Championship last season, and they are just 2 seasons removed from winning the franchise’s first Lombardi. Doug Pederson said that he is going to be “more aggressive” in 2019, while the roster on both sides of the ball has the potential to make a deep run in January. The only weakness, however, is the health of Wentz. Given his recent track record, it’s just something that he will have to prove throughout the season for me to take the Eagles seriously.
Sleeper
The biggest sleeper in 2019 will be the New York Jets. Although they won’t likely win the AFC East, they are in a weaker conference and could easily slip into a Wild Card slot. Sam Darnold has a full season under his belt, and they added a generational talent in Bell. The offensive line still has its issues, but Darnold will have an extra pass option out of the backfield for the first time. However, outside of Bell they do not have any legitimate threats (no Robbie Anderson is not a threat). New York’s new head coach Adam Gase has stressed that he intends to pound the rock and chew up the game clock, which is a sound game plan for this roster. It would not surprise me if the Jets sneak into the playoffs in the final week of the season.
Predictions
AFC
1 Chiefs
2 Steelers
3 Patriots
4 Texans
WC1 Browns
WC2 Jets
NFC
1 Saints
2 Packers
3 Eagles
4 Seahawks
WC1 Rams
WC2 Vikings
Super Bowl – Saints over Chiefs
Notable League Awards
MVP: Ben Roethlisberger
Offensive ROY: Kyler Murray
Defensive ROY: Josh Allen
Coach of the Year: Andy Reid
Comeback Player of the Year: Jimmy Garoppolo
Kansas City gets its revenge over the Pats in the AFC Championship game but fall just short to Drew Brees and the Saints in the Super Bowl.
Brees claims his second Lombardi Trophy and rides off into the sunset on top of the football world!