NFL 2013 Season Predictions: Redskins, Ravens, 49ers, Playoffs, & Super Bowl

I guess its a better time than any to give my predictions for this year.  Last years predictions weren't too off, I projected the Ravens to finish 10-6 winning their division along with the Patriots, Texans, and Broncos.  My predictions for the Redskins were 8-8 and with a chance at the Wild Card slot, they stepped it up to 10-6 and won the division with their end of the year winning streak. Other than the 49ers, Falcons, and Packers my NFC Playoff picks looked off.  I predicted the 49ers would finish 10-6 and win the division.  It's a bit tough to predict a tie, so I'll give myself the benefit of the doubt.  My fandom Super Bowl prediction of Ravens vs 49ers actually happened, but my real prediction of Packers losing to the Texans in the Super Bowl fell short.

Ok so lets break down my picks for this year like the ESPN Experts did, well minus the Coach of the Year, MVP, and ROY predictions.

NFL Season Predictions

		My Fan Picks	My Actual Predictions
SUPER BOWL CHAMPION
AFC East		Patriots	Patriots
AFC North		Bengals	Bengals
AFC South		Texans	Texans
AFC West		Broncos	Broncos
AFC wild cards		Bills, Chiefs	Bills, Ravens
NFC East		Redskins	Redskins
NFC North		Packers	Packers
NFC South		Saints	Falcons
NFC West		49ers	Seahawks
NFC wild cards		Seahawks, Falcons	49ers, Saints
AFC champion		Texans	Broncos
NFC champion		49ers	Saints

Story book ending for Peyton Manning, he ascends into football heaven (retirement) with his 2nd Super Bowl ring then Ray Lewis jumps out of the stands and hugs him, which ends up looking more like a tackle because Peyton wasn't expecting it.

Ok time to do the Redskins, Ravens, and 49ers predictions.  I'll start with the local teams then finish with my favorite team.

The Redskins had a great finish to their season last year, their Rookie QB and Rookie RB combo was practically unstoppable, until the injury.  RG3's injury does worry me somewhat, but I think as long as he takes it easy and stays away from Clay Matthews and Ndamukong Suh in weeks 2 & 3, he'll be ok and return from the BYE at full speed.

1. Eagles - LOSS - I think the Redskins will start off somewhat refrained and the Eagles will be full steam ahead.
2. at Packers - LOSS - Home Advantage
3. Lions - WIN - Shoot Out game.
4. at Raiders - WIN - Not sold on the Raiders
5. BYE
6. at Cowboys - WIN - I hear that the Redskins own Cowboys Stadium
7. Bears - WIN - Depends on which Bears show up, but this is winnable.
8. at Broncos - LOSS - The Bronco's should have all of the parts of their defense at this point
9. Chargers - WIN - I don't believe in the Chargers
10. at Vikings - WIN - Refrain (you can't stop) AP, and this is a win in the bag
11. at Eagles - WIN - The offense will be at full speed and keep up with the Eagles for a very enjoyable game to watch
12. 49ers - LOSS - I'll be here in my 49ers gear, the 49ers are winning this one. (Fan Pick)
13. Giants - WIN - Home Advantage
14. Chiefs - WIN - Andy Reid will make this interesting, but the Redskins appear to have a better team than the Chiefs, plus they are at home.
15. at Falcons - WIN - They almost won it last year, I think they can win it this year with a healthy RG3.
16. Cowboys - LOSS - These last two games could flip flop, they are more so to make the NFC race for 2nd place more interesting as the Cowboys, Giants, and Eagles chase the Wild Card slot.
17. at Giants - WIN

 That puts them at 11-5, one win better than last year and a much more balanced full season.  I think they will win the division by 1 or 2 games, it won't come down to divisional wins in the NFC East this year.  The other 3 teams will be scrambling for wins towards the end of the season to get a wild card spot.

The Super Bowl Champion Ravens, I think this will be a tough transition year for them.  That got younger, which ultimately will mean they will be faster and possibly healthier, but I think it will take some time to get all components of the team to gel properly.  I know that the preseason means nothing, but at times they looked like confused misfits.  All that tells me is that position ranks weren't really determined and the 1st team hasn't had a chance to get used to playing as a unit.  It will take time, luckily the AFC North and the AFC East have a few teams that should help build confidence.

1. at Broncos - LOSS - Offense vs Offense, I gotta pick Peyton and his deep WR core. This should be a great game, I can't see it being a blow out for either team.
2. Browns - WIN - I expect the Browns to do something this year, just not against the Ravens
3. Texans - LOSS - Texans Defense wins this one
4. at Bills - LOSS - A sleeper loss.  Bills have a decent defense, a better QB, a great RB, and good WRs, I think the Bills can sneak away with this one.
5. at Dolphins - WIN - All of Baltimore will be in Miami on Instagram for this game, the stadium will likely be 75% purple and the Ravens get a big confidence booster.
6. Packers - LOSS - I'm going with Aaron Rodgers on this one.  If the Ravens pass rush is effective, they can make this swing the other way.  Defense will need to be excellent to win this one.
7. at Steelers - WIN - Nice win going into the bye week
8. BYE
9. at Browns - WIN - Feeling fresh from the bye another win to OWN the Browns.
10. Bengals - WIN -  Home Win against the Bengals to feed Ravens divisional confidence
11. at Bears - LOSS -  This could go either way, Home Advantage
12. Jets - WIN -  Do you really want me to explain this?
13. Steelers - WIN - Steelers OWNership with a home win.
14. Vikings - WIN - Home Advantage, plus I trust Flacco more than Ponder.
15. at Lions - LOSS - The Lions high powered offense will out power the Ravens in this road game.
16. Patriots - LOSS -  I just made a bunch of people angry with this one, sorry. I think the Patriots will have a surprisingly good year, this game will put the icing on the season for them.
17. at Bengals - LOSS -  This will likely be a must win for a Wild Card spot, if the Bengals are still playing starters in hope to get a bye then they will get this home win.

Finishing their season at 8-8, I would venture to say that they can get 1 out of the either the Lions or the Bills to finish 9-7 with a chance at the Wild Card in the AFC.

The NFC Champion 49ers, fell short from a Super Bowl win.  Some say it was the refs fault, but I'll just say that the team with more big game experience came out and played harder from the very beginning.  Its hard to expect to win if you are trailing by so much with half of the game gone.  Plus you can never count on refs calls to win games, teams have to play hard all 4 quarters to win games.  I think it was a good experience for a young team, young QB, and a fairly new Coach.  With the emergence of the Seahawks, and a target on their mobile QB, this season will likely be tougher than last year.  The past two years I would say that we were somewhat under the radar, even after going to the NFC Championship most "experts" predicted a huge fall off. 

1. Packers -WIN -  I'll give the advantage to our defense.  Tough game to start the season.
2. at Seahawks - LOSS - Home Advantage plus Guinness World Book Record for loudest crowd might make this game unbearable to watch as a 49ers fan.  It would be awesome if we could silence them though.
3. Colts - WIN - Back home for a win.  Luck  likes to throw INTs, and we have a bunch of folks that like to catch them.
4. at Rams - LOSS -  I don't think we should lose any games to the Rams, but they knew us too well last year, I'll give them this home win.
5. Texans - LOSS - Fanship says we'll win, my gut says it will be close.  I'll give this to the veteran team.
6. Cardinals - WIN - We still have the Cardinals number, Carson or no Carson.
7. at Titans - WIN -  Another nice win to build confidence.
8. at Jaguars (London) - WIN -  Should be a very convincing win, might see BJ Daniels or Colt McCoy in this game at some point.
9. BYE
10. Panthers - WIN - I'll give this to the QB with more weapons and the team with the better offensive line.  Not to mention this is a home game coming off of a bye.
11. at Saints - LOSS - Saints have a vendetta against the Harbaugh led 49ers, with Sean Payton back I think they may have a chance to get this home win against us....maybe.
12. at Redskins - WIN - I already commented on this above.  Defense wins and contains.
13. Rams - WIN -  Bounce back from the week 4 loss with a home win.
14. Seahawks - LOSS -  This game will likely be the deciding game for who will win the division, and the Seahawks will likely have Percy Harvin at this point.  Fanship says we win, but to make things interesting I'll give the Seahawks the sweep. It will make it more fun if we meet in the post season.
15. at Buccaneers - WIN - Might see some backups in the game as well.
16. Falcons - WIN - Last game at Candlestick Park, going out with a West Coast Win over the Dirty Birds
17. at Cardinals - WIN - A strong win going into the post season.

Finishing the season at 11-5, but losing twice to the Seahawks could put us in a Wild Card position if the Seahawks play as expected.  As a fan I believe that we can beat the Texans, get the home win against the Seahawks, and possibly beat the Saints in their house again.  So I guess as a fan I'm saying 13 to 14 wins, but hey I'm a fan, what can I say.

NFL Playoff Predictions Going Into Week 16

This playoff prediction is based on my week 16 and week 17 weekly picks using the ESPN Playoff Machine (http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/machine).  My predictions put starting rooking QB's in the playoffs and two of the squaring off in DC, while the other one travels to Baltimore to face a QB that has been in the playoffs since his rookie year.  Which makes for some exciting times in the Maryland/DC area.

An Appropiate Award for Robert Griffin III???

On ESPN's front page for NFL they had a poll for what would be the most appropriate end of the season award for RG3, so I voted Rookie of the Year.  Below are the results for the rest of the US.  The funny thing is that Kentucky is neutral, but Indiana (home of the Colts and Andrew Luck) and Washington State (home of the Seahawks and Russell Wilson) both said that he doesn't deserve the Rookie of the Year or the MVP award.  Its understandable but just seemed comical to me.

My Week 6 Picks: NFC Championship Rematch

Well I'm going to have to say that the game of the week this week is the New York Giants at the San Francisco 49ers.  Not just because I'm a fan, but because these two teams met in the NFC Championship last year and the winner of that match up went on to win the Superbowl.  Two #1 overall drafted Quarterbacks face off for only the 3rd time in their careers.  Even though this is Eli's 9th year and Alex's 8th year in the league last year was the first time they played each other.  Eli faced Cody Pickett's 49ers in 2005, Trent Dilfer's 49ers in 2007, and J.T. O'Sullivan's 49ers in 2008, he beat all three versions of the attempting to rebuild team as Alex was dealing with injuries and between getting benched by various coaches.  The Alex vs Eli match up is tied up 1-1, both games were played in San Francisco last season, the first game the 49ers won 27-20 and lost in the NFC Championship 17-20 in overtime after two dropped kick returns.  Most 49ers fans feel cheated, however I feel like it was a necessary evil to help the 49ers to address some of their weaknesses and to help them play with more of a chip on their shoulder.  This will be the 3rd New York opponent for the 49ers in a row but most would argue that those other two teams weren't really an opponent at all beating them by a total score of 79 points to 3.  Regardless of those scores no one in their right mind would think that this game will be a blowout for either team.

As a 49ers fan I'm picking the San Francisco 49ers to win this game by 7.  As a fan of football I am also selecting the San Francisco 49ers to win based on their improved offensive and defensive lines. 

The 49ers Offensive line will have to play to a perfection to fight off the Giants fierce Defensive line and pass rushers. 

On the other side of the ball the Giants Offensive line hasn't looked too strong this year and with the 49ers Defensive Line and Pass Rushers playing very well its likely that Eli will be getting reintroduced to the Candlestick grass.

I do expect this to be a dog fight, the best defensive stand will lead to the winner in this game.  The 49ers can win this game as long as they play focused and aren't focused on revenge.

Ok so here's the rest of my picks.

Steelers over Titans - The Titans haven't been able to get anything going yet this year.  Maybe if they rush the ball 30 times and get CJ going this will be competitive other than that, I can't see the Titans winning this one.

Buccs over Chiefs - I just think that Tampa should be able to pull this one off at home.

Ravens over Cowboys - Both of these teams have alter egos but I think the Cowboys alter ego is the worse of the two, the Cowboys would have to win this game on the ground to open up for the passing game, other than that Romo will have another rough game.

Falcons over Raiders - The Falcons will keep rolling with their undefeated record, last week was probably the best chance for them to lose one.  The Falcons do have a weakness against the run, but I haven't noticed McFadden having any stellar games lately.

Eagles over Lions - The Lions seem like they are missing something and the Eagles have been able to pull out wins at home this year.

Bengals over Browns - Bengals are just a better team.

Colts over Jets - The Colts look good, the Jets look bad, easy pick if you ask me.

Cardinals over Bills - The Bills look really bad right about now, and the Cardinals still have a pretty good defense.  The Cardinals should be able to bounce back from that road loss with a win at home this week.

Seahawks over Patriots - This is my underdog pick of the week.  I'm going with the 12th man and the defense to show up against the Patriots this weekend.  The Patriots have been able to play better when they can get the running game going, against the Seahawks defense I think that running game will suffer.

The San Francisco 49ers over GiAints - I explained this above.

Vikings over the Redskins -  I went back and forth with this one.  The Skins usually win when I pick against them and lose when I pick them so who knows what will happen.  The Vikings have looked like they have a good offense and the defense has also showed up lately, where as the Skins have way more offense than they do defense right now so I'm going with the more balanced team.

Texans over Packers - You would think the Packers would bounce back this week, but they have a tough match up against a team that knows how to play solid defense, get to the QB, and run the ball effectively to set up for the play action pass so I think they will have to wait a game or two for that bounce back.  The Texans still look like the complete package even after a not so impressive game against the Jets.  Texans stay undefeated for another week.

Broncos over Chargers - Tough pick, I flipped a coin.  Plus Peyton is more dependable than Phillip.

My NFL Week 8 Picks

This week I'm going to do it a little different, it seems like the majority of the games are highly favored to one team this week so I'm only going to touch on a couple of the games.  My Spotlight game is one that looks like  a AFC Playoff game in the makings, The New England Patriots travel to Pittsburgh to battle the Steelers.  Earlier this week ESPN (AFC East Blog) spotlighted this game as well but spoken like a fan they named the article "Why Tom Brady Owns the Steelers" where they laid down valid points and stats about past games and why the Steeler have a 1-7 losing record against Tom Brady. Also they mentioned points about no matter how great the Steelers defense is playing that Brady single handedly pulls them apart. 

I'm a believer in Brady, I believe he is the best QB in the league right now (with Aaron Rodgers pulling at his coat tail).  I also believe that at their primes he's better than Peyton Manning, but I'm not going to argue that point because it would go on for days with no resolution.  But with all that said I'm completely going against Vegas and ESPN and picking the getting hot Steelers to win this one at home.  Why? Man I just got a feeling.  The Patriots are good this year, but they are flawed, they have shown vulnerability.  The Steelers are my 2nd least favorite team in the NFL, but I think they will make the needed adjustments so that Brady doesn't make them look like the Miami Dolphins.

I'm also Picking The Eagles at home to win over the Cowboys.  I have a feeling that this will be a mistake heavy game and the game will be won on the ground and not through the air like most people probably believe.  The Eagles have a stronger ground game and their defense might actually be coming together after all of these weeks.

San Diego Chargers over Kansas City Chiefs at home.  I believe the Chargers have the better offense but for some reason it doesn't seem like they have been able to put it all together this year, but I think they will step it up to hold their grown in the division.

I'll also take Cincy over Seattle in Seattle.  Now most people probably don't care about this game.  Cincy on the low has proven to have a solid defense this season, not sure if that will take them anywhere with a Rookie QB, Rookie WR, and RB running from the law in a division with the Ravens and the Steelers, but it will win them some games.  Seattle is considered one of the toughest places to play, the noise level in Detriot caused multiple offsides and bad snaps for the past few weeks, Seattle is that time 10 for every game.  I'm sure it has to be the accoustics in the stadium, I can't believe a Seattle team would have more rowdy fans than any team that has actually been winning the past few decades.

Thats All Folks, if any of the other upsets win, just know that I didn't pick the underdog this week (minus the Steelers).

Have a Happy and safe Halloween

My NFL Week 17 Picks & Playoff Predictions

My NFL Week 17 Picks 

& 

Playoff Predictions

Ok here we go with the quick rundown and just so you know my picks are submitted into a pool every week so I do think about my picks before I make them because at the end of the games I like to collect money.  I have only won once this year, but I've been amongst the people battling for the pot on Monday Night several times.  With that said he's the quick rundown.

Atlanta over Carolina: They are in Atlanta, yeah they lost to the Saints but the Saints are the Superbowl champs, who are the Panthers? Road Kill.

Pitt over Cleveland: This will be a tough matchup but I think the Steelers will have the most heart and the most to play for to pull this one out.

Minnesota over Detroit: This could be a close joint, but the Viks looked good last week if they can keep that going they should be able to win without any issues.

Oakland over KC: Oakland has been amazing against divisional opponents this year and they will be the first team to be undefeated in their division but not make the playoffs.

New England over Miami: The Dolphins can't beat the Patriots, unless they decide not to show up today because they got their #1 seed clinched.

New Orleans over Tampa Bay: this was a hard pick for me but I think the Saints will be able to pull this one out mainly because they are at home.  I have a feeling it will be down to the wire though...

NY Jets over Buffalo: The Jets know they need this to make the playoffs and I think they won't allow the Bills to come into NY and play the spoiler role.

Baltimore over Cincy: Cincy has played the Ravens hard in the past few years but I'm confident that the Ravens who are now aware that they have the best WR core, will run the Bengals out of town.

San Diego over Denver: Honestly I picked this because Rivers said its a privilege to play in the NFL and even though his team won't make the playoffs he's going to play today.  And because in one of my fantasy football leagues I'm in the championship with Rivers as my QB (I added Tebow on the bench to give Rivers some encouragement to do better, it worked for Aaron Rodgers in my other Championship I won last week).  

Green Bay over Chicago: The Packers at home will show the Bears why they were predicted to win the division before all of the injures and what not.  Aaron Rodgers has been amazing this year and he will show his talent today against the Bears to give his team playoff hopes.

Indy over Tennessee: The Titans stink and Indy knows if they lose this and the the Jags win, then they are out of the playoffs, its not going to happen.

Philly over Dallas: Vick will use this game as a bounce back game to prove to the people that have started to talk and doubt him based on last weeks performance that him and his young teammates can take this all the way.

San Francisco over Arizona: The Niners beat them in Arizona, I expect nothing less than that from them at home.  Plus I think this year every first game for the new coaches that take over teams, they have won, I expect this to continue for this last game of the season.

NY Giants over Washington: The Giants are an up and down team and have looked more down than anything lately, but I think they will win this game today but it won't be a blow out. I think it will be a game that has a difference of one score in the end.  The win will mean nothing because they still won't make it to the playoffs.

Houston over Jacksonville: If MJD isn't playing I don't think the Jaguars will have what it takes to beat Houston for the 2nd time this year.  They need this win and Indy to lose to make the playoffs, the chances of both happening are probably Vegas odds that could win someone their whole salary by betting just a weeks worth.  

Seattle over St. Louis: I'm only picking this because of home field advantage and as most people know the 12th man in Seattle has helped them win plenty of games.  On top of that the Rams have been horrible on the road this year.  But on the other hand if the Seahawks are smart they will throw this game so that they don't go down in history as the worst team to ever make the playoffs at 7-9, in my opinion.