WE. ARE. SO. BACK!  While I’m definitely talking about the NFL season, I’m also talking about my writing. If you are wondering what I’ve been up to the past few months, I will tell you. I’m about to get sappy for a little bit so if you aren’t interested in that and just want to move on to the preview, feel free to do so. I spent some time reflecting on where I was at in my life and if I was truly living my life the way I wanted to. I realized quickly that I was not. I was working a hybrid remote office job that was super cushy. I made decent money, nothing mind blowing, but enough to support myself. On my work from home days I was taking a two hour nap every day. I was also EXTREMELY bored, which often led me to smoking and drinking while working from home. That’s how easy my job was, I could get cross faded and still accomplish all of my tasks in a day. To some of you this may sound like bragging. Trust me on this, I am not bragging. February and March of this year I wouldn’t go as far as to say that I was depressed, but I definitely wasn’t happy for a long stretch of time. I had started trying to write one article a day in January, but quickly got burnt out. My laptop that I had at the time was also getting burnt out, quite literally, and bricked up worse than a Quaker visiting Magic City for the first time. So I had no way to write my articles, didn’t have the money for a new laptop at the time, and was stuck at a job I didn’t like with little opportunity to advance up in the company. I don’t mean to sound like a whiner, but this was truly how I felt about my life at the time. This lasted for a couple of months. I was eating my feelings, ballooning up to the heaviest I’ve ever been. I also was so upset about the state of this country and the world (libbing out, I know, but let me cook for a second). It is so clear to me now how unhealthy I was mentally and physically, but at the time I thought that I just needed to toughen up and gut through it. Then, something changed.

This is where I want to show love to my mom and dad. I would come over on the weekends to hang out with my parents while I did laundry, and all I would do is complain to them. It had to be pretty tough to listen to, as I know I can yap a lot even when I’m in a good mood. Just imagine how much blabbering I did when I was in a poor mental state for months. Finally, after hearing me complain about both the little things and the big things for what must have felt like the hundredth time, my parents floated an idea: That I move back home and go back to college in the fall. My parents had mentioned this to me the previous year, but I was still in that mindset at the time of needing to prove that I can be independent and live on my own, not needing any handouts. I honestly still felt that way when they brought it up in May. I thought that by moving back in, I would be some type of failure. Living with my parents yet again at age 25. I told my dad I would consider the offer, although I genuinely had no intention of going back to college at that time. I went home that day and started reflecting about everything in my life. I also reflected on why they would offer to let me, their 25 year old son who had already dropped out of college once, move back in with them. I quickly realized that there was only one answer on why they would offer me that opportunity: love. When I realized that, the way I thought about everything changed. I think love is truly what we live for. That means love of others, like family, friends, and community. That means love for life itself, whether that’s literal life as in animals, or things about life, like the patterns of seasons, or even little moments in life, like a nice bagel or a good song. That means love for the past, despite the mistakes I’ve made and people I may have disappointed. Love for the future, despite how dark it may seem at times. Love for the present, like you reading this sentence right now. I love you for taking the time to be present in this ramble when you likely clicked on this to see my NFL season preview, since that is the whole point of this article. Finally, it meant love for myself. I can genuinely say that I didn’t know what that looked like until a few months ago. What does love for myself look like (before I move on, I did want to say again how much I love my mom and dad)?

Well for starters, it looks like this article. Writing is something that I have always loved. It looks like choosing to fight for your future, which is why I decided to go back to school. It looks like pursuing your dreams, which is why I decided to be a journalism major in the hopes that I can one day become a sports journalist. It looks like discipline, which is why I have been sober for a couple months and have lost 10 pounds in August due to exercising and eating healthier. Self love comes in many different shapes and forms, with those being only a few examples. If I could leave you with anything to takeaway from this article, other than the fact that the New Orleans Saints are dogshit and that I’m probably more hype on the Arizona Cardinals then most people, it’s this: I used to have the life philosophy that you want to live every day like it’s your last. I indulged in my vices, didn’t take anything seriously, and didn’t think much past that day. I don’t believe in that anymore. I’ll leave it to the Bestselling author Suleika Jaouad, who put it really beautifully when she was on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

“You have to live everyday as if it’s your last. Respectfully, I have come to believe that this is terrible advice. It’s exhausting to try to make every family dinner as meaningful as possible and to carpe diem the crap out of every moment. I think that if we were all living every day as if it was our last, the world would be chaos. We would be cheating on our spouses and emptying our savings and declaring bankruptcy. I’ve had to shift to a gentler mindset. I’m trying to live every day as if it’s my first. To wake up with that sense of pure inhibited creative freedom, that sense of wonder and curiosity that a little kid might.”

A shift occurred for me once I adopted this mindset. If you are in any way feeling how I felt a couple months ago, I strongly suggest you adopt this mindset as well. Now, since I love football and I love you, let’s finally get to it. This is my 2025 NFL season preview, I hope you enjoy.

NFC East

1st: Philadelphia Eagles (15-2, 1 seed)

*Whispers* The Eagles might be vulnerable this year. Hurts has made a big point to the team to put last year’s success behind them and just focus on this season. I am asking you, the reader, to do the same. Forget about that dominant postseason run that led to them winning it all. Forget about Saquon Barkley having arguably the best single season any running back has ever had. That team is gone, that was last year. Here are some of the names they lost on defense this off-season: edge rushers Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat, interior lineman Bryce Huff and Milton Williams, safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and cornerbacks James Bradberry, Avonte Maddox, Isaiah Rodgers, and Darius Slay. That’s kind of a lot of players from last season, even if not all of them played an every down role. It’s probably why they used their first five draft picks on the defensive side of the ball, led by middle linebacker Jihaad Campbell. While the intros defensive line is still dominant with Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis, I do wonder if they have the pass rush overall to get after the quarterback the way that they did last year. I also worry about Saquan, a running back who has had injuries in his past and is coming off a grueling 21 game season in which he touched the ball 482 times. Are we positive that he will repeat last season’s success? I say all of this to say… I don’t really believe any of this and have the Eagles cruising to a 15-2 record, best in the NFL. It’s hard to go back to back though, so I do have them losing in the divisional round in a shocking upset.

Biggest Addition: Kenyon Green

Biggest Departure: Defensive line (Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat, Bryce Huff, Milton Williams)

Rookie Watch: Jihaad Campbell

X-Factor: Health

Bold Prediction: The Eagles have the best regular season record… only to lose their divisional round game out of the bye

2nd: Washington Commanders (9-8, 7 seed)

Can we take a moment to glaze Jayden Daniels? That guy was so fucking awesome last year. I have never seen a rookie quarterback play with as much poise, maturity, and processing ability as Daniels did last year. That’s not even mentioning his blazing speed, cannon of an arm, accuracy, and clutch ability. There’s people that have Jayden Daniels as a top five quarterback after just one season, and honestly, I can’t blame them! What we saw from him last year was the stuff of legends, and I would be stunned if he doesn’t build off that this year. Now that I’ve left him looking like a Krispy Kreme, let’s talk about the rest of the team. I like the additions of wide receivers Deebo Samuel and 4th round pick Jaylin Lane, players that should make this offense even more explosive. They upgraded each offensive tackle position, trading for Laremy Tunsil from the Texans and drafting Josh Conerly in the first round. The defense added nose tackle Javon Kinlaw, veteran pass rusher Von Miller, and drafted cornerback Trey Amos in the 2nd round. I’m not saying that the defense is elite by any means, but they should be closer to league average this year. So they must be better, right? Yes and no. While the team improved, they now have a tougher schedule than they did last year. Because of this, I have the Commanders regressing to 9-8 despite having an improved roster. This is just good enough for them to get into the playoffs as a 7 seed in the NFC.

Biggest Addition: Javon Kinlaw

Biggest Departure: Jonathan Allen

Rookie Watch: Josh Conerly Jr.

X-Factor: Deebo Samuel

Bold Prediction: Jayden Daniels finishes with 5k total yards and 50 total touchdowns

3rd: New York Giants (5-12)

I’m telling you right now, if the Giants didn’t have such a brutal schedule, they could compete for a playoff spot. They return a lot of last year’s team, which sounds concerning on the surface. They also still managed to add quite a bit of talent in the off-season, meaning a lot of last year’s starters will now be appropriately type-casted in backup roles. The Giants defensive line may be the best in the entire NFL, with number 3 overall pick Abdul Carter adding to an already stacked unit. A great pass rush is a force multiplier on defense, as it tends to improve the secondary performance due to the opposing quarterback getting pressured. The secondary should also be better just because it’s actually better. They signed cornerback Paulson Adebo and safety Jevon Holland this off-season to round off what should be a legit good defense this year. Whatever you think about who plays more games between Russell Wilson and Jaxson Dart, they both are better than Daniel Jones. Also, keep an eye out on Cam Skattebo, and I’m not just saying that because I picked him in the 2nd round of my dynasty draft. He is slower than most running backs but is always falling forward and is surprisingly elusive and good at catching passes out of the backfield considering his speed. If I had any balls, I would pick this team to make the playoffs. However, they play the following teams this year: Commanders and Eagles twice, Chiefs, Chargers, Broncos, 49ers, Bears, Packers, Lions, Patriots, Vikings, and Raiders. That’s 14 games against teams I either have making the playoffs or just narrowly missing them. Because of this, I have the Giants going 5-12 this season. They probably fire Daboll and bring in someone new, someone who will get to come in and turn this team into a playoff team in their first year as coach.

Biggest Addition: Paulson Adebo

Biggest Departure: Isaiah Simmons

Rookie Watch: Cam Skattebo

X-Factor: Russell Wilson

Bold Prediction: Jaxson Dart doesn’t start until week 15.. In fact, Jameis plays before he does

4th: Dallas Cowboys (3-14)

Have y’all heard anything about the Cowboys lately? I feel like it’s been pretty quiet in Dallas. Wait what’s that? They traded WHO to WHERE? Micah freaking Parsons? The 26 year old All-Pro pass rusher? Holy shit. I’ll be honest, I had to completely rewrite my thoughts on the Cowboys after this. This was originally me saying that the Cowboys offense should be exciting this year with the addition of George Pickens and a healthy Dak. I was going to talk about how the defense doesn’t project to be that good, and that was with Micah Parsons. But now, I want to iso for a moment and talk about Jerry Jones. I fully believe that the sole reason that Micah Parsons is not a Dallas Cowboy today is because Jerry Jones didn’t like that Micah was dictating how negotiations go (by requesting that his agent be there which mind you, is standard process per the NFL collective bargaining agreement) and he wanted to show that he is the bigger swinging dick. It is pathetic that Jerry Jones really thinks he is the best man to be the team’s GM, as he is an old has been who doesn’t have a single clue how to run an NFL team in 2025. Let me be clear: The Dallas Cowboys have zero shot at winning the Super Bowl until Jerry Jones steps down as GM, and if he is unwilling to do so, then they have zero shot until he passes away. I have the Cowboys as a bottom 5 team in the NFL this season and have serious doubts about when they can be expected to be a playoff team again.

Biggest Addition: George Pickens

Biggest Departure: Micah Parsons

Rookie Watch: Tyler Booker

X-Factor: Dak’s health (58 games played over past 5 years)

Bold Prediction: Pickens and Lamb combine for over 3,000 yards

NFC North

1st: Green Bay Packers (12-5, 3 seed)

The Packers were already my favorite in the NFC North this year. I had already predicted that they would win a wild card game. That was BEFORE they traded for Micah Parsons? Now? I have the Packers as my NFC Super Bowl representative. You might be thinking Cooper, it’s just one player, how can he make that much of an impact for you? Well for starters, The Packers pass rush was probably the biggest weakness on the roster. Not anymore. Parsons is also so special of a player that just his mere presence makes others better.  Edge rusher Rashan Gary should see more 1 on 1 matchups now that Parsons will be getting double teams consistently. The improved pass rush should also improve the secondary, as Parsons ability to get to the quarterback will force opposing teams to get rid of the ball quicker in order to neutralize him. That means teams will be taking less deep shots down the field, which dramatically changes the approach the secondary takes to any given play. This also allows the linebackers to be more aggressive, since they know that teams will be trying to pass the ball quickly. Parsons is a generational defensive talent that is a force multiplier across the whole defense. That’s before we even talk about the offense, which brings back mostly the same starters… except for the addition of first round wide receiver Matthew Golden, who by all accounts has had an amazing training camp. If he can pop as a true number one receiver right away, this might be the best offense in the league. Combine that with a defense that could potentially be top ten in the league, I don’t see how anybody could pick anybody other than the Eagles to be better than the Packers in the NFC.

Biggest Addition: Micah Parsons

Biggest Departure: Josh Myers

Rookie Watch: Matthew Golden

X-Factor: Edgerrin Cooper

Bold Prediction: Micah Parsons breaks the sack record, en route to the Packers going to the Super Bowl

2nd: Chicago Bears (9-8, 6 seed)

Remember last year when everyone was saying that the Bears situation was the best situation a rookie quarterback was ever entering? Well, it turns out that offensive line play is important to quarterback success, who would have thought? Caleb Williams was sacked 68 times and faced more unblocked pass rushers than any other QB in the NFL. This offseason, the Bears did everything in their power to help Caleb Williams have a successful year two. They brought in guards Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney through trade and signed center Drew Dalman in free agency to revamp the offensive line. They brought in new weapons when they drafted Michigan tight end Colston Loveland and Missouri receiver Luther Burden III. Most importantly, they hired offensive guru Ben Johnson to be their new head coach. He was a major part of the Lions turnaround, reviving the career of Jared Goff when the Rams had given up on him. Now Johnson is tasked to lead the locker room, a skill we will have to wait and see if he has. Eberfleus was a bad head coach, but at least he had the defense figured out. Will the defense perform the same with Johnson at the helm? I think they will, which is why I have the Bears as a wild card team, 6th seed.

Biggest Addition: Guards Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney

Biggest Departure: Keenan Allen

Rookie Watch: Colston Loveland

X-Factor: D’Andre Swift

Bold Prediction: Caleb Williams becomes the first Bears QB to throw for 4,000 yards

3rd: Minnesota Vikings (9-8)

The Vikings season ended so poorly last year that it made me wonder how solid the structure was for this roster. Darnold played amazing for 16 games last year, only to absolutely shit the bed in the last week of the regular season as well as the Vikings playoff game against the Rams. In those two games, Darnold completed just 53% of his passes on only 5.1 yards per attempt, got sacked 11 times, and scored a combined 18 points in those two games. Is head coach Kevin O’Connell overrated? Was Darnold the problem, or is there a deeper issue? The Vikings answered that question when they decided to keep mostly the same offensive weapons, except for swapping out Sam Darnold for last year’ first round pick J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy missed all of last season with a torn meniscus in his right knee, so protecting him will be a priority. In other words, if he gets sacked 11 times every two games like Darnold did to end the year, they are screwed. Because of this, they completely revamped their offensive line, swapping out 3 interior starters and investing real money and draft capital in doing so. On the defensive side of the ball, the Vikings were the league leaders in takeaways last year, but I think they could be even better. They added two defensive tackles in Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, making their 2nd ranked run defense even better. So ultimately, my question was how much I believe in J.J. McCarthy. While long term he could become something, I’m just not sure how good he is in his first NFL action coming off a season ending knee injury. I have them missing the playoffs due to tiebreakers with a 9-8 record, which on the surface is disappointing. You have to remember though that they have a tougher schedule than last year and that they were the 3rd healthiest team last year, which is unlikely to repeat. I think ultimately that McCarthy shows enough this year to return as the starter next year, which is all you can really ask for if you are a Vikings fan.

Biggest Addition: Ryan Kelly

Biggest Departure: Sam Darnold

Rookie Watch: Tai Felton

X-Factor: JJ McCarthy

Bold Prediction: T.J. Hockenson leads all tight ends in touchdowns

4th: Detroit Lions (8-9)

The Lions are about to be the biggest example of whether players or coaches make a team good. They return most of last year’s NFC 1 seed, however they did lose 2 starters on the interior offensive line. Besides that though, this is pretty much the same Lions team, if not better personnel wise. They added veteran edge rusher Marcus Davenport and defensive tackle Tyliek Williams in the first round to help Aiden Hutchinson get after the opposing team’s quarterbacks. They added multiple cornerbacks in  free agency that should play heavy snaps for them this year, addressing the main weakness of their defense. All of this stuff is great, you always want to see your team improve personnel. The question is, will new coordinators John Morton (OC) and Kelvin Sheppard (DC) be able to replace their predecessors? The previous coordinators both landed head coaching jobs this off-season due to their role in turning the Lions into Super Bowl contenders. Remember when Jared Goff was considered one of the worst quarterbacks? It was Ben Johnson that revitalized his career. How will he perform without him? I don’t think he will do too well, which is why I have the Lions regressing to 8-9 this season. To be fair, it’s not all because of regression, as I think every other team improved in that division. If they still had Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, I probably would have this as a 10-7 team. But between  other teams improving in the division combined with a first place schedule and the loss of both coordinators, I just don’t see how this team makes the playoffs this year.

Biggest Addition: Marcus Davenport

Biggest Departure: Frank Ragnow

Rookie Watch: Isaac TeSlaa

X-Factor: New offensive coordinator John Morton and defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard

Bold Prediction: The Lions rank in the bottom half of the league on offense and defense

NFC South

1st: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13-4, 2 seed)

The Buccaneers might be the sneaky Super Bowl contender that nobody is talking about. They added Haason Reddick, who I believe still has something in the tank despite a disastrous 2024 for him. If he had landed somewhere else I might not be as high on him, but I think that Todd Bowles will know how to get the most out of him. Egbuka has been getting rave reviews in camp, which is good since he should start the season as the wide receiver two with Godwin out. They drafted cornerbacks Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish in the 2nd and 3rd rounds respectively, which should help boost an already strong unit for them. Bucky Irving might just be the latest late round running back to come to the NFL and become a star immediately. God he was so awesome last year. The most important question when trying to evaluate the Buccaneers as Super Bowl contenders though is if Baker Mayfield is a talented enough quarterback to win a Super Bowl. I had those thoughts going into last year to be honest. But after he balled out and made a dark horse run at MVP last year? I am sold on Baker Mayfield being a top 10 quarterback, which to me means that he is capable. I have the Buccaneers running away with the NFC South, finishing the season with a record of 13-4.

Biggest Addition: Haason Reddick

Biggest Departure: William Gholston

Rookie Watch:  Corners Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish

X-Factor: New OC Josh Grizzard

Bold Prediction: Emeka Ebuka leads the team in receptions

2nd: Carolina Panthers (8-9)

About halfway through last season, I thought the Panthers were completely cooked. Andy Dalton was playing over their 2nd year number one overall pick Bryce Young. They gave up the number one overall pick to the Bears from the trade to get Bryce Young, which turned into Caleb Williams. Their owner had an incident stopping by a restaurant that had a sign saying “Please let the coach & GM pick this year” and proceeded to be a dick to the people that worked there. Then Andy Dalton got in a minor car accident. This presented an opportunity for Bryce Young to play again, and he seized it. While he wasn’t lights out, there was legit improvement. In the 10 games after Dalton’s injury, he completed 62% of his passes for 2,100 yards, 20 total touchdowns to just 5 interceptions. More importantly, they scored 23.1 PPG during this stretch, a number that would have ranked in the top half of the league. Can he build on that success now that the team swapped out veteran receiver Adam Thielen for standout rookie Tet McMillan? On the defensive side of the ball, they lost a few key veterans, so I expect them to be slightly worse on that side of the ball. All in all, the defense will stop them from becoming a playoff team, but if I’m a Panthers fan, the improvement from the offense makes this a successful season.

Biggest Addition: Bobby Brown III

Biggest Departure: Shaq Thompson

Rookie Watch: Nic Scourton (Because I am not worried about Tet)

X-Factor: Bryce Young

Bold Prediction: Tet breaks the rookie receiving yards record

3rd: Atlanta Falcons (8-9)

The Falcons are probably the winner for the dumbest off-season in back to back years, something that is truly hard to do. To refresh your memory, last off-season the Falcons paid Kirk Cousins a 4 year, 180 million dollar contract with 100 million of that being guaranteed. That decision was questionable initially, but became even more confusing when they used the 8th overall pick to draft Michael Pennix Jr, a 23 year old rookie who experienced multiple major injuries in his college career. They followed up last season’s assterclass by trading a future first to move up 20 spots so that they can select edge rusher James Pearce Jr to go along with their other first round pick, linebacker Jalon Walker. While I admire that they are finally trying to address pass rusher, just like last off-season with quarterback, the path they took to do so was terrible. I don’t quite trust their solutions for quarterback and pass rush just yet and just can’t pick them to be a playoff team until I do.

Biggest Addition: Leonard Floyd (to do what Judon was supposed to do)

Biggest Departure: Eddie Goldman

Rookie Watch: James Pearce Jr

X-Factor: Michael Pennix Jr

Bold Prediction: Drake London leads the league in receiving yards, yards per reception

4th: New Orleans Saints (1-16)

Ugh, do I have to write about this team? The team with the worst quarterback situation in the league? The team with the 2nd most dead money in their cap space despite missing the playoffs the past four seasons? The team that has a rookie head coach who I’m still not convinced is a good offensive play caller, despite that being his specialty? The team that has owners he helped assist the Catholic church in New Orleans to protect sexual abusers (Yes, they really did)? Let me try to think of some positive things to say about the Saints… ummm. Hmmm..  I like Alvin Kamara! He’s cool! Probably gets traded this year mid-season, but he’s currently a Saint and I like him! That’s really about it. The offense was awful last year and will be awful again this year. The defense was slightly below average last year, which was before they lost 3 secondary starters in the off-season. Like the Colts, I am aware that this team likely wins more than this, but I am so negative on this team. I have the Saints going 1-16, securing the 1st pick in the draft, where they will select Arch Manning because of course they will.

Biggest Addition: Justin Reid

Biggest Departure: Paulson Adebo

Rookie Watch: Tyler Shough

X-Factor: Kellen Moore

Bold Prediction: Alvin Kamara gets traded to the Bears after the Saints start 0-4… they finish 1-16 and get the first pick to draft Arch Manning

NFC West

1st: San Francisco 49ers (11-6, 4 seed)

The 49ers revenge season is loading. Did they lose a decent amount of impact players this off-season? For sure. They also have the easiest strength of schedule in the NFL this season, as their opponents combined 2024 record was 120-169. Remember, it was about 18 months ago that this team, which has largely the same core of stars from that game, took the Kansas City Chiefs to overtime in the Super Bowl. Kyle Shanahan is still the coach. Brock Purdy is still the quarterback. Christian McCaffrey is back healthy, with reports out of camp saying that he is looking extremely explosive. Aiyuk should be back sometime between weeks 5-8 if I had to guess. Kittle is still here, as is Ricky Pearsall. They are relying on some new guys on the offensive line, but I trust that Shanahan will be able to get them to play just well enough to still have an elite offense. On defense, while they do have a lot of young players, they also brought back former defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. While Saleh wasn’t cut out to be a head coach, he is still one hell of a defensive coordinator. Here are some of the teams the 49ers play this year: The Browns, Titans, Colts, Giants, Jaguars, Saints, Seahawks twice and Cardinals twice. If they don’t go 7-3, if not better, in those 10 games I would be stunned. I have them going 11-6 on their way to winning the NFC West and going all the way to the NFC Championship game.

Biggest Addition: Bryce Huff

Biggest Departure: Talanoa Hufanga

Rookie Watch: Mykel Williams

X-Factor: Ricky Pearsall

Bold Prediction: Christian McCaffrey leads all running backs in scrimmage yards and touchdowns

2nd: Arizona Cardinals (10-7, 5 seed)

The Cardinals are coming off a disappointing 2024. The defense improved, but not quite as much as you would hope. Marvin Harrison was decent, but overall failed to meet expectations. Kyler Murray had an inconsistent season, something that is becoming a worrying pattern for him. This off-season, GM Monti Ossenfort completely overhauled the defense, using real draft capital and cap space to add real talent to that side of the ball. Marvin Harrison should be better in year two, which means that Kyler Murray will too. Combine this with the 6th easiest schedule in the NFL, and it’s no surprise that the Cardinals are the hipster playoff team, shoutout Sheil Kapadia.

Biggest Addition: Josh Sweat

Biggest Departure: Kyzir White

Rookie Watch: Will Johnson

X-Factor: Marvin Harrison Jr

Bold Prediction: Kyler Murray is legitimately in the MVP conversation

3rd: Los Angeles Rams (8-9)

The Rams played the Eagles better than any other playoff team during the Eagles’ Super Bowl run. I have them missing the playoffs this year. Part of this is due to a couple of other teams in their division improving. The main reason I feel this way though is because of the health of Matthew Stafford. I could talk about how they swapped Cooper Kupp out for Davante Adams, or how they added  tight end Terrence Ferguson in the draft, or how the defense should be even better this year. But none of that matters if Stafford misses significant time this year. For those who haven’t been following, Stafford has been dealing with a lower back injury all off-season that resulted in him barely practicing. So I’m just supposed to trust that a 37 year old quarterback with lower back issues is supposed to be healthy for 17 games this year? No chance I am betting on that. If they were to have a healthy Stafford all year, I’d probably have this team going 10-7. Since I can’t feel confident in that, I have the Rams finishing with an 8-9 record this year. With two first round picks and an aging quarterback, do the Rams take a quarterback in next year’s draft? 

Biggest Addition: Davante Adams

Biggest Departure: Jonah Jackson

Rookie Watch: Terrance Ferguson

X-Factor: Matthew Stafford’s back

Bold Prediction: Davante Adams for Cooper Kupp proves to be the wrong move, as Kupp has more receptions, yards, and touchdowns than Adams

4th: Seattle Seahawks (7-10)

The only case to me that Seattle makes the playoffs this year is if they have a top 3 defense. Honestly, they might. They added Demacrus Lawrence to an already talented group, providing them with exactly the type of top end pass rusher that they needed. Mike McDonald is a great defensive mind, so I expect him to have this group playing very aggressive football. The offense though? Does anyone think going from Geno Smith to Sam Darnold was an upgrade? I don’t. What about going from D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett to Cooper Kupp and 5th round rookie Tory Horton? Sounds like a downgrade to me. Everyone has been raving about their first round pick, offensive guard Grey Zabel. That’s cool, truly happy for him, but is he so impactful that he is going to turn around a bottom 5 offensive line into a league average one? I don’t think so. I think Seattle had a good draft that will pay dividends 1-2 years from now, but for this season? I have the Seahawks going 7-10, there is just no way that this team is equal or better than last year’s team.

Biggest Addition: Demarcus Lawrence

Biggest Departure: Geno Smith

Rookie Watch: Elijah Arroyo

X-Factor: Sam Darnold (is he legit?)

Bold Prediction: Sam Darnold leads the league in interceptions… despite being benched with 4 games left in the season

AFC East

1st: Buffalo Bills (13-4, 1 seed)

The Buffalo Bills just can’t beat the Chiefs. They have now lost to the Chiefs in the playoffs in 4 of the last 5 postseasons, with all games coming down to the wire. This is our generation’s version of the Peyton Manning-led Colts teams that always fell just short to the Patriots… until one year, when they didn’t. Could this be that year for the Bills? I think it’s quite possible, especially if you look at their off-season moves. They made some nice veteran additions to the defense when they signed edge rush Joey Bosa, linebacker Shaq Thompson, and brought back a fan favorite in cornerback Tre’Davious White. They also used their first 5 draft picks on the defensive side of the ball. That’s all great, good stuff for sure. At the end of the day though, this team will go as far as Josh Allen can take them. The Bills should run away with their division en route to being the AFC’s number one seed.

Biggest Addition: Joey Bosa

Biggest Departure: Von Miller

Rookie Watch: Maxwell Hairston

X-Factor: Dalton Kincaid

Bold Prediction: Joey Bosa leads the NFL in sacks

2nd: New England Patriots (10-7, 6 seed)

Are the Patriots back? As much as that question makes me want to vomit, I think they are. It starts with new head coach Mike Vrabel, who was able to turn the Titans to a legit contender despite having Ryan Tannehill as his quarterback. They improved the roster on both sides of the ball, providing Drake Maye with even more weapons while also molding a defense that fits what Mike Vrabel wants to do. Ultimately though, the biggest reason I’m high on the Patriots is Drake Maye. I don’t know man, I just think he has the goods! He was in a nightmare situation with the bad offensive line, no explosive weapons, and a first time head coach that seemed lost most of the season. Yet, he still showed flashes throughout the season, displaying arm talent, touch, poise, and escapability at times that made me think he could do so consistently if he had a more talented roster. Well, here it is! I was hoping the Patriots would be terrible for 20 years since they were the best team for 20 years, but I’m really high on this Patriots team. I have them finishing the season with a 10-7 record, good enough for the 6th seed in the AFC.

Biggest Addition: Stefon Diggs

Biggest Departure: David Andrews

Rookie Watch: TreVeyon Henderson

X-Factor: Christian Barmore

Bold Prediction: The Patriots finish with the league’s best defense

3rd: New York Jets (7-10)

As the biggest Justin Fields supporter amongst my friends, I really wanted to have the Jets be a playoff team… but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. While I think Fields and the offense may surprise people with how effective they are, especially running the ball, I think that the defense lost too many valuable players to be good this year. Yes, Aaron Glenn is a great defensive mind, but with the personnel they currently have? They have the top end talent, but the secondary outside of Sauce Gardner looks rough. Opposing teams know that if they can get up early that they will probably win the game, as this team is built to run the ball and hold leads. If they fall behind early and need Fields to pass them back in the game, I just don’t know how that will turn out. I will be rooting for Justin Fields to prove the doubters wrong this year, but I am not sure how successful he will be in doing so. I have the Jets going 7-10 this year but I’ll say this: They play the Patriots and Bills the last two weeks of the season and will play spoiler in at least one of those games. This is a beatable team, but nobody will really want to play them late in the year.

Biggest Addition: Justin Fields

Biggest Departure: Davante Adams

Rookie Watch: Mason Taylor

X-Factor: Breece Hall

Bold Prediction: Justin Fields shows real growth and the Jets confidently bring him back as a starter next year

4th: Miami Dolphins (7-10)

The Dolphins are in a similar boat to the Rams, but they are less talented across the board. Their season also comes down to the health of their quarterback, Tua “Brain Salad” Tagovailoa. Sorry, that was mean. Concussions are a serious issue, which is exactly why there were rumors last year that Tua would retire. He didn’t, so it must be noted that when he has been healthy, the Dolphins offense is one of the best in the NFL (25 PPG).  The Dolphins defense was sneaky good last season,although they did lose multiple players from that unit. They did bring in reinforcements in safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and first round defensive tackle Kenneth Grant, however I’m very concerned about the secondary outside of Fitzpatrick. At the end of the day, the Dolphins will go as far as Tua can take them. Unfortunately, I don’t think that is that far. I have the Dolphins finishing with a 7-10 record, But hey, on the brightside, it means Mike McDaniels will start a podcast with Dan Soder.

Biggest Addition: Minkah Fitzpatrick

Biggest Departure: Terron Armstead

Rookie Watch: Kenneth Grant

X-Factor: Tua’s health

Bold Prediction: Tua plays all 17 games

AFC North

1st: Baltimore Ravens (12-5, 2 seed)

The Ravens season ended in heartbreak last year when Mark Andrews failed to haul in a two point conversion that would have tied the game late in the 4th quarter against the Buffalo Bills. Another year, another disappointing playoff finish for a team with legitimate championship aspirations. They added a couple of key veterans on each side of the ball with wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and  cornerback Jaire Alexander, two players that both have something to prove. They also added two legit day one starters in the draft with safety Malaki Starks and edge rusher Mike Green. This Ravens team is just as good, if not better, than last year’s team. This is the year. Lamar finally beats his playoff demons, leading the Ravens to Super Bowl glory.

Biggest Addition: Jaire Alexander

Biggest Departure: Michael Pierce

Rookie Watch: Mike Green

X-Factor: DeAndre Hopkins

Bold Prediction: Ravens finally get it done

2nd: Cincinnati Bengals (10-7, 7 seed)

The Bengals were very fun to watch last year, constantly in shootouts due to their amazing offense and atrocious defense. While being fun is nice for me as an NFL fan, for a team with a top 5 QB, they would rather be boring and winning then fun and missing the playoffs. They brought in a bunch of new players on defense, though I’m not sold that they will be better. But Cooper, can they really be worse than they were last year? Absolutely. I do think the offense will be even better, as Chase Brown is probably the most underrated running back in the league currently. He came on really strong to end the year and should be universally known as a top ten running back by year’s end. This is probably the team I went back and forth on the most, as I was debating whether to put them or the Raiders as the last wild card team in the AFC. Ultimately, I decided to go with the Bengals, as I have seen them in the playoffs pretty recently while the Raiders success this year is more of a hypothetical. The Bengals are my AFC 7 seed, just barely making it into the wild card. I hope Bengals fans aren’t happy with this off-season. Because until the Bengals are good on defense, they simply can’t be taken seriously as a title contender.

Biggest Addition: Samaje Perine

Biggest Departure: Sam Hubbard

Rookie Watch: Shemar Stewart

X-Factor: Trey Hendrickson

Bold Prediction: The Bengals finished with the worst defense in YPG allowed… but are the number 1 offense in points scored

3rd: Pittsburgh Steelers (7-10)

If Aaron Rodgers still has it, this could be one of the most dangerous teams in the AFC. Quick question, does anyone still think that this guy has it? I am out on Rodgers personally, I mean the guy is 41 for Christ’s sake. You do have to give the Steelers credit though, as they have made a legit effort to provide Rodgers with weapons. They swapped George Pickens out for D.K. Metcalf, an upgrade in my opinion. They got Jonnu Smith to allow them to run two tight end formations with Pat Freiermuth. Doing so will allow them to provide Rodgers with extra protection when needed, as well as help establish a physical run game with 3rd round rookie running back Kaleb Johnson. They project to have a good defense again this year (can you remember the last bad Steelers defense?). The only issue, and it’s a huge one, is that I’m not super confident in the Steelers offensive line. I mean they are decent, but Rodgers doesn’t have the mobility that he used to. If they aren’t protecting Rodgers on a weekly basis, he will play horribly, or even worse, he will get injured. This is the main reason why I don’t believe in the Steelers this year and have them securing Mike Tomlin’s first losing season ever with a 7-10 record.

Biggest Addition: Aaron Rodgers

Biggest Departure: George Pickens

Rookie Watch: Kaleb Johnson

X-Factor: The other receivers (Roman Wilson, Calvin Austin, Robert Woods, Scotty Miller, Ben Skowronek)

Bold Prediction: Mike Tomlin has his first losing record 

4th: Cleveland Browns (4-13)

I want to start this by saying that yes, this team will stink this year. However, I think that the Browns had a pretty good off-season all things considered. They extended franchise cornerstone Myles Garrett. They brought back Joe Flacco to be the starter, which is a lot better than *redacted*. They also had a really good draft, trading back with Jacksonville from 3 to 5 and picking up the Jaguar’s 2026 first in the process. They then proceeded to draft the following players:  Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham, UCLA middle linebacker Carson Schwesinger, running backs Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson, quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, tight end Harold Fannin Jr, and wide receiver Isaiah Bond. If you had told me when I was playing NCAA 25 last summer that the Browns would get all these players, I would have said you are full of shit. While the Browns are still a long way away, this season should prove to be a step in the right direction. With two first round picks next year, the Browns could turn this thing around quicker than people might think.

Biggest Addition: Joe Flacco

Biggest Departure: Nick Chubb

Rookie Watch: Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders

X-Factor: Running backs Jerome Ford, Quinshon Judkins, and Dylan Sampson

Bold Prediction: The Browns finish the season with a top 10 defense

AFC South

1st: Houston Texans (12-5, 3 seed)

The Texans are probably my safest pick to win their division. This is largely due to the quality of the other teams in the division, as the Jaguars, Colts, and Titans combined for just 15 wins last year. They went 5-1 in the division last year, which should be repeated this year. If you go 5-1 in the division, there isn’t much you need to do outside of that to make the playoffs. That being said, I still have the Texans finishing with a record of 12-5, meaning they have a 7-4 record in non-division games. Why am I so optimistic? Let’s start with their amazing defense, led by home grown talents Will Anderson and Derek Stingley Jr. This unit is top 5 in the league, hands down. On offense, there were a lot of changes made this off-season after they disappointed on that side of the ball last year. Nico Collins is the only wide receiver returning from last year and they replaced every starter on the offensive line. They also replaced offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, hiring former Rams pass game coordinator Nick Caley. The offense should improve from last year’s squad without a doubt. But what about Joe Mixon? Quite frankly, I have never been impressed with him as a running back. I think the committee of Nick Chubb, Dameon Pierce, and Woody Marks should be able to replace his production between the three of them. I still don’t think the Texans are ready to compete for a championship, but they are good enough to do what they seem to do every year: Win the wild card game and lose to a much better team in the divisional round.

Biggest Addition: Sheldon Rankins

Biggest Departure: Laremy Tunsil

Rookie Watch: Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel

X-Factor: Revamped offensive line performance

Bold Prediction: CJ Stroud leads the league in passing touchdowns

2nd: Tennessee Titans (7-10)

I can’t remember a time where a number one overall pick was discussed less than Cam Ward. Especially a number one overall pick quarterback. Word out of Titans camp has been that he has taken a real leadership role right away, with him being known as a first one in, last one out type of player already. This tracks, as he worked his way from Incarnate Word University (huh?) all the way to University of Miami and the number one pick for the Titans. While I don’t know how good he will be in year one, I am confident that he will end the season playing better than he did at the start. I also think the Titans will rally around this guy and play very hard to help him achieve since they see how much work he puts in. Honestly, the only thing stopping me from picking this team to make the playoffs is that I think their defense will be diabolically bad. Because of this, I think we see them go 7-10 this year, which is a massive step up from last season. If they can nail next off-season, the Titans might be a team to watch in 2026.

Biggest Addition: Dan Moore Jr

Biggest Departure: Kenneth Murray Jr

Rookie Watch: Cam Ward

X-Factor: Calvin Ridley

Bold Prediction: Cam Ward leads the Titans to a top half of the league offense

3rd: Jacksonville Jaguars (7-10)

The Jaguars are coming off a disappointing 4-13 season that resulted in the firing of former Super Bowl winning head coach Doug Pederson. Insert Liam Coen, the awkward but smart offensive guru assigned with the task of getting Trevor Lawrence back on track to becoming an elite quarterback. He had Baker Mayfield playing so well last season when he was Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator that Jacksonville sacked their previous GM Trent Balkie just to hire Coen. This led to them hire James Gladstone, the 2nd youngest GM hire in NFL history (34). Cut it out! Oh wait, that’s Joey Gladstone. Anywho, James Gladstone showed right away that despite being a young GM who would be judged extra harshly, he has made aggressive moves this off-season. He gave up a first round pick next year with a so-so roster just to get his guy: potential game changing cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter. How good will he be in year one having to learn both sides of pro football schemes at once? Don’t get me wrong, the Jaguars do have potential to be the breakout team of 2025. I just think that this roster is still very flawed on the offensive line, which limits how successful Coen can be at inserting a new offensive system. Their secondary is also rough, with Hunter likely being the best corner on the roster even though he is initially expected to be limited to obvious passing situations only. That being said, I do have Jacksonville improving by 3 games to finish with a record of 7-10. The future is bright in Jacksonville, but it may take more than one season to turn this one around.

Biggest Addition: Dyami Brown

Biggest Departure: Mitch Morse

Rookie Watch: Travis Hunter

X-Factor: Liam Coen

Bold Prediction: Travis Hunter ends the season playing only offense

4th: Indianapolis Colts (3-14)

There are two teams that I wish I didn’t have to watch play football this year. The Colts are one of them. They seem to have no organizational sense of direction, benching Anthony Richardson (former 4th overall pick) after just 15 career starts for Daniel Jones. Daniel Jones has started 69 games in his NFL career, so we know what Daniel Jones is by now: a bad quarterback. At least with Richardson, there is some upside that if he develops, he becomes a Cam Newton, Josh Allen type of quarterback. They’ve given up already, and for what? The chance that they are an 8-9 win team? It’s mind-boggling that the Colts are trying to be a win now team. The rest of the roster is decent, but they aren’t a playoff level roster to me by any means. Combine that with the quarterbacking of Daniel Jones, and we get what we saw during most of Jones’s years in New York: a losing record and a high draft pick. I am aware that they will probably win more games than what I’m about to predict, as the NFL is random. The phrase any given Sunday exists for a reason. That being said, looking at their schedule, I was only able to pick 3 games where I think the Colts could win. I have them as the worst team in the AFC this season.

Biggest Addition: Charvarius Ward

Biggest Departure: Ryan Kelly

Rookie Watch: Tyler Warren

X-Factor: Daniel Jones

Bold Prediction: Tyler Warren has an even better rookie season than Brock Bowers did last year

AFC West

1st: Kansas City Chiefs (11-6, 4 seed)

Everybody knows by now that the Chiefs went 10-0 in one score games last year on their way to going 15-2 and winning the AFC. Normally, that is the type of stat where regression is due. However, if you’ve watched Patrick Mahomes’s career and had to use one word to describe him, that word would be clutch. Could they do it again? Probably not, but they will still likely have a winning record in such situations. The Chiefs enter this season with a healthy Isaiah Pacheco leading their rushing attack, something the Chiefs struggled in with him missing most of the season last year after he got injured in week two. They don’t have receiver Rashee Rice to start the year, as he is out for the first six games serving a suspension for an off the field incident. They traded offensive guard Joe Thuney and let offensive tackle D.J. Humphries walk in free agency. This comes after the Eagles defensive line absolutely dominated the Chiefs offensive line in the Super Bowl last year. They signed tackle Jaylon Moore in free agency and drafted tackle Josh Simmons at the end of the first round to help address this problem, but how good will those guys be this year? As for the defensive side of the ball, the team brings back roughly the same unit from last year when they ranked in the top ten in least yards and points allowed per game. I have the Chiefs regressing in 2025 to 11-6, as the combination of no Rice to start the year along with regression in one score games proves to take its toll on the team. They win the AFC West… but lose to Denver in the wild card round. I’ll probably regret this prediction.

Biggest Addition: Jaylon Moore

Biggest Departure: Joe Thuney

Rookie Watch: Josh Simmons

X-Factor: Xavier Worthy

Bold Prediction: The Chiefs win the division for the 10th straight year… but get upset in Super Wild Card Weekend

2nd: Denver Broncos (10-7, 5 seed)

I have the Denver Broncos as the 5 seed in the AFC, and I’m honestly wondering if they should actually be the division winner. I’m a coward and refuse to bet against the Chiefs winning the division until I see it, but I truly believe that the Broncos are the more well-rounded team. They added linebacker Dre Greenlaw, safety Talanoa Hufanga, and first round pick Jahdae Barron to an already stacked defense. On offense, they added two running backs in free agent addition J.K. Dobbins and 2nd round pick R.J. Harvey. With a more balanced attack, Bo Nix should be able to build off his outstanding rookie season. They also provided Nix with a couple more pass catchers, signing veteran tight end Evan Engram and drafting Pat Bryant in the 3rd round. The Broncos have the most returning players out of any roster in the league, and they were already good last year. My expectations are mile high for the Broncos this season, as I have them going all the way to the AFC championship as a wild card.

Biggest Addition: Evan Engram

Biggest Departure: Javonte Williams

Rookie Watch: RJ Harvey

X-Factor: Marvin Mims Jr.

Bold Prediction: Broncos to the AFC Championship game

3rd: Las Vegas Raiders (9-8)

(Chris Berman voice) THE RRRRAIDERS. I hate to give the Raiders credit, but they might be the team I am most excited to watch other than my own. The offense has potential to be explosive, with them trading for quarterback Geno Smith and drafting star college running back Ashton Jeanty. They also have more receiver depth than last year, drafting two wide receivers in Jack Bech (2nd) and Dont’e Thorton Jr. (4th) while also bringing back former Raider and fan favorite Amari Cooper in free agency. Add legendary coach Pete Carroll to the equation and I don’t see how this offense finishes in the bottom half of the league this year. Unfortunately for the Raiders, football is more than just having a sexy offense. This defense is rough. Like Bengals rough. They did add some veterans on one year “prove it” deals that could be highly motivated to help on that side of the ball, but the odds of it all coming together to the point of them having even an average defense seems unlikely. I do have the Raiders finishing with a winning record at 9-8, but they just miss out on the playoffs. Still, there is a lot to be optimistic about if you’re a Raiders fan. I think most Raiders fans would be happy with this result given how tough the AFC west is this year and how poor they were last year.

Biggest Addition: Geno Smith

Biggest Departure: Robert Spillane

Rookie Watch: Darien Porter

X-Factor: Pete Carroll

Bold Prediction: Brock Bowers breaks all time tight end records for receiving yards and receptions in a single season

4th: Los Angeles Chargers (9-8)

My favorite team comes into the season with the worst vibes of any playoff team from last year in my opinion. For starters, they lost an ugly Super Wild Card game last year to the Texans, in which Herbert threw four interceptions after he only threw three all season long. They signed  star offensive tackle Rashawn Slater to an extension this summer… only for him to suffer a season ending injury the very next week during practice. They let Poona Ford, our breakout defensive tackle from last year, walk in free agency to the landlord, A.K.A the Los Angeles Rams. They brought back wide receiver Keenen Allen after trading him to the Bears last year, a move that baffled me at the time. Am I happy that Allen is back? Yes. Am I still salty we ever got rid of him? Yes. Despite these horrendous vibes, I want to make the case for why the Chargers could still be a playoff team this year. The case is purely based on the offense improving this year, with Herbert going into year 2 in the Greg Roman offense. They gave Herbert more weapons this year, starting with the addition of running backs Najee Harris and Omarion Hampton. If these two can be the physical, downfield running attack that Harbaugh envisions for this team, it should help increase production on the play-action pass, a huge part of our offensive scheme. With the previously mentioned veteran Keenen Allen along with rookies Tre Harris and KeAndre Lambert-Smith, the Chargers should have better pass catching options this year for Herbert (no more Jalen Reagor!). Honestly, I do think the offense will be better this year. The main reason I have the Chargers regressing to 9-8 and missing the playoffs though is that there is no way that we finish with the number 1 defense in least points allowed for the second straight year. In fact, I think our defense is closer to league average than it is to the top of the league. As much as I would love to be a homer and pick my Chargers to make the playoffs, I just don’t see how this team gets there.

Biggest Addition: Mekhi Becton

Biggest Departure: Poona Ford

Rookie Watch: Omarion Hampton

X-Factor: Tuli Tuipulotu

Bold Prediction: Omarion Hampton is the best rookie running back

Postseason Results

AFC Seeding: 1. Bills 2. Ravens 3. Texans 4. Chiefs 5. Broncos 6. Patriots 7. Bengals

NFC Seeding: 1. Eagles 2. Buccaneers 3. Packers 4. 49ers 5. Cardinals 6. Bears 7. Commanders

AFC Semis: Texans at Ravens

Broncos at Bills

NFC Semis: Packers at Buccaneers

49ers at Eagles

AFC Championship: Broncos at Ravens

NFC Championship: 49ers at Packers

Superbowl: Ravens-Packers

NFL Champion: Ravens

NFL Awards

MVP: Josh Allen

The case for Josh Allen to repeat as MVP is simple. He has the highest ceiling of any quarterback in my opinion, and I am projecting his team to finish as the 1 seed in the AFC. He puts up the numbers he does with a very average set of weapons around him, playing the role of the biggest floor raiser in the league. He is the closest thing we have seen to prime Cam Newton and honestly, he’s even a little better than prime Cam. While it can be debated if he had a better season last year than Lamar, I think this year he leaves no room for discussion. 

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Cam Ward

I feel like this is the least people have talked about a number one overall pick quarterback in my lifetime. This is despite him coming into the league as the all time division 1 leader in touchdown passes and 3rd in passing yards. The reports out of training camp feel really similar to what Commanders coaching staff and beat reporters were saying this time last year about Jayden Daniels. Leader. Hard Worker. Mature. Special. If he can be even 75% of Jayden Daniels he should win this award. If I had any balls I would pick Tennessee to finish with a winning record, however I’m still not sold on the coaching staff. Still, this year will be a solid first step in turning things around in Nashville, with Cam Ward being the primary reason why.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Abdul Carter

Wow Cooper, you picked the 1st and 3rd overall picks to win offensive and defensive rookie of the year respectively, how brave. First of all, when did I ever call myself brave? Second of all, do you know how easy it will be for Carter this year? The Giants have the best defensive line in the league in my opinion, so Abdul Carter is going to get more 1 on 1 matchups than any other top pick defensive end has ever had. He should finish with double digit sacks this year, which should be enough to secure him the award. If Jaxson Dart is the real deal, this team could be playoff bound as soon as next season.

Coach of the Year: Jonathan Gannon

Pew Pew! That’s right, mister laser sound effect himself is my coach of the year. I have the Cardinals as my 5 seed in the NFC this year, finishing only 1 game behind San Francisco for the division winner. I think that Gannon finally has the personnel on defense that he has been so desperately needing the past two seasons, with major free agent additions Josh Sweat and Dalbin Tomlinson, along with the return of fan favorite Calais Campbell. They also went defense with their first 5 picks, showing that they are committed to improving on that side of the ball. Between the improvement I think we will see from the defense and my prediction that Kyler Murray will have a career year, the Cardinals become this year’s surprise playoff team.

Comeback Player of the Year: Christian McCaffrey

Was last year bullshit with McCaffrey? Yes. Between the 49ers saying he should be available week 1 to him not making his debut until week 10 last year, I wouldn’t blame you one bit for being out on McCaffrey. But let me try to convince you why you should be back on the bandwagon. For starters, teammates, coaching staff, and beat reporters have been raving about how fresh and explosive he looks in training camp. He is also going to be asked to carry as big a load as he ever has in a 49er uniform with Deebo Samuel getting traded to the Commanders and Brandon Aiyuk projected to miss the start of the season as he recovers from last season’s torn ACL and MCL. Look, I know it’s been a while, but do you remember how good CMC was in 2023? He tied an NFL record for most consecutive games with a touchdown. If he is even 75% of that player, he should run away with this award.

Offensive Player of the Year: Derrick Henry

I think Henry wins here because the Ravens end up with the number one rushing offense despite him being 31. Typically, running backs tend to see a drastic decline in productivity once they turn 30, often even earlier than that. The thing is, there is nothing typical about Derrick Henry. He’s 6 ‘2’’ 250 lbs, has the balance of Red Panda, and can run over a motherfucker whenever he pleases. He has the most yards after contact in NFL history and is playing for a Ravens team that has finished top 2 in yards before contact every year since 2018. Until I see Derrick Henry fall off, I’m just going to assume it isn’t happening. Henry is the best bet to lead the league in rushing this year to me and should record another monster season.

Defensive Player of the Year: Micah Parsons

Is Micah Parsons a real candidate to win this award? Yes. Am I also just riding the hype since he just got traded to the Packers? Absolutely. I think the Packers are going to win what I consider to be a loaded division, with the biggest reason being their now improved defense to go along with their usual top 10 offense. Micah Parsons was already a top 5 defender in the NFL to me, now he is going to be playing for a true championship contender after getting traded away from the team that drafted him, where the owner sent a clear message that they will be better off without him. This is more than a chip on a shoulder season, this is a whole plate of carne asada nachos with bean dip on the side season. I think we see Parsons play better than he ever has before, a notion that the rest of the league should be absolutely terrified by.