NFC Predictions for the 2017 Football Season

The time once more approaches when football takes over and every other sport takes a backseat in our frenzied minds.

Though the NFL regular season is still weeks away there’s no reason why we can’t take a stab at making some predictions for this year.

Especially when some people are predicting the Patriots to go 16-0, which isn’t too far-fetched considering the betting lines for the football season at many online sportsbooks have them at Over/Under 11.5.

Let’s go ahead and make some predictions of our own:

NFC East

New York Giants: If they can win at least four road games, establish a decent ground game to enhance their air attack, they should be able go 10-6 and perhaps win the division.

Dallas Cowboys: There’s good reason to believe it’s Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliot’s year (of course, if he’s not suspended). Even if there are a couple of newlings in the offensive line and not bearing the problems they could still have on offense, the Cowboys are solid for an 11-5 record.

Philadelphia Eagles: Carson Wentz will see some new weapons at his disposal and the O-line is still solid, but the defense gives a few reasons to concern especially in the secondary unit. 9-7 feels about right.

Washington Redskins: Kirk Cousins’ future with Washington is a thin line, but fans are hoping he’ll be there for a long time. It doesn’t help that he lost two receivers who caught for over 1,000 yards each, but they can at least win 5 games.

NFC North

Green Bay Packers: Though facing a tough schedule with games against Seattle and then at Atlanta early on, but count on them to win at least 12 games.

Minnesota Vikings: Expect Sam Bradford to have a decent season. Expect the defense to once more be solid. The addition of Latavius Murray and Dalvin Cook will go far to improve the offensive attack. 9-7 is a good number.

Chicago Bears: The Bears had a tough, tough season last year that saw them lose 13 games. They also face opponents early on which finished with .500 last year. 5-11 is about right.

Detroit Lions: Don’t expect the huff and puff to carry the Lions this year. They really need players such as Ziggy Ansah and Ameer Abdullah to get into the thick of things if they want to have a successful season.

NFC South 

Atlanta Falcons: Playing at a new stadium might give this team an extra boost, which for arguments sake they shouldn’t really need considering their power-packed roster. Then again, they’ve also lost Kyle Shanahan, have four road games over five weeks including one in New England and another in Seattle, and might have the wickedest Super Bowl hangover in history which might trouble some people. Have faith though, 12-4 is a good record.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: DeSean Jackson and O.K. Howard should give the offense some balance. 10-6 is a good number.

New Orleans Saints: Adrian Peterson should give Saints’ fans some hope that their team can pull through the first month. But, it’s going to be a long road when your only home game in that timespan is against the Patriots. 8-8, that’s the number.

Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton needs to figure out the revamped offense if the Panthers want to avoid last year’s forgettable outcome. 7-9 is a big improvement from last year.

NFC West 

Seattle Seahawks: With a healthy Russell Wilson and Earl Thomas, the Seahawks look good for at least 11 wins. They do face a tough road schedule with games against the Packers, Titans, Giants, and Cowboys, but they’ll pull through.

Arizona Cardinals: David Johnson is a great player and if Carson Palmer and Tyrann Mathieu bring the A-game, their good for at least 10 wins.

Los Angeles Rams: Don’t put too much faith on a team that’s in rebuilding phase; 4-12 looks right.

San Francisco 49ers: 2-14 once more, but it’ll be somewhat better than last year for the Niners simply because it’s a new time for the team without Chip Kelly.