With the NFL season creeping up, fans and writers around the country have been hyping up their teams, expecting this to be the year. Unfortunately, only one team can hoist the trophy at the end of the season. That being said, the NFL season is long and grueling. There’s a lot that can happen between Week 1 and Week 18. Today, I predict how the entire NFL standings shape out at the end of the year.
AFC North
Cincinnati Bengals: 13-4
Joe Burrow had a injury scare early in training camp, but that will be a non-factor. Burrow and the Bengals will run the AFC this year on their quest to a Super Bowl. This team is my AFC Super Bowl favorite.
Baltimore Ravens: 10-7
The Ravens will have an up and down season but ultimately pull through on a winning streak to end the year. They’ll make the playoffs, but will they win a playoff game?
Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-8
The Steelers keep their winning seasons streak alive here, but they miss out on the playoffs slightly. I like the Steelers but I also feel they are a year away from being anything special.
Cleveland Browns: 7-10
The Browns won’t be huge contenders this year. They’ll fool you halfway through the season but they’ll ultimately fall behind in this competitive division.
AFC South
Jacksonville Jaguars: 13-4
This one is certainly bold but I have a lot of faith in Trevor Lawrence and Doug Pederson. This team looked to be on the brink last year, I think they take the leap this season.
Tennessee Titans: 8-9
The Titans quarterback situation seems like one that can easily cause problems this season. Vrabel will get them close but they won’t be able to overcome the drama.
Indianapolis Colts: 6-11
The Colts will make some improvement but will ultimately struggle to put wins together. This team will be competitive in the future, just not this year.
Houston Texans: 5-12
Like the Colts, I think Houston makes improvements but it’s nothing substantial. They will also be competitive a few years down the line.
AFC East
Buffalo Bills: 11-6
With Aaron Rodgers addition to the division I think Buffalo takes a slight step back. They’ll struggle for a good part of the year, maybe even start 6-6, but ultimately pull it together late in the year.
New York Jets: 11-6
I felt like this team was good last year, they just didn’t have a quarterback. Now, they have a future hall of famer. I expect nothing less than a playoff spot for the Jets.
Miami Dolphins: 8-9
While I like the Dolphins, the Jets finally being competitive hurts them the most. I expect the Dolphins to look good early on and fall off towards the end.
New England Patriots: 7-10
This team still has nothing around Mac Jones. What’s worse is he’ll be to blame. I expect them to be semi-competitive, but they won’t overcome their lack of a receiving core.
AFC West
Kansas City Chiefs: 12-5
Not much to say here, the Chiefs will do normal Chiefs things. They’ll be great and easily slide in the playoffs. However, the big story will be how they aren’t the best team in the AFC this season. Can Mahomes overcome that?
Los Angeles Chargers: 10-7
The Chargers will have an up and down year. Staley’s job will be on the “hot seat” multiple times this year, but they’ll pull through to make the playoffs. The question is, can they do anything more than that?
Denver Broncos: 9-8
The Broncos will be quite the whirlwind this season. They’ll look rough to start the year but after the bye Sean Peyton will have this team on the right track. They’ll fall short of the playoffs, but they’ll at least have hope.
Las Vegas Raiders: 4-13
Introducing the worst team in the AFC, the Las Vegas Raiders. I’ve never been a Josh McDaniels fan and that’s not changing. Vegas will hit reset after this year.
NFC North
Detroit Lions: 11-6
Yes, that’s right. The Lions win the NFC North. I am a big believer in what Dan Campbell has been trying to build in the Motor City and I think it finally pays off here. The Lions make the playoffs, no problem.
Chicago Bears: 10-7
The Bears breakout this year in a big way thanks to their new additions on offense. The defense will hold them back a bit, but not enough to keep Chicago out of the playoffs.
Green Bay Packers: 8-9
I don’t see Jordan Love coming in and absolutely succeeding this year. There will be growing pains and struggles, but the Packers will finish with more hope than they had at season start.
Minnesota Vikings: 8-9
Following right behind Green Bay, the Vikings will take a step back this year. They won’t be as lucky in one score games which will easily add a few losses. They miss out on the playoffs in 2023.
NFC South
New Orleans Saints: 11-6
The addition of Derek Carr will prove to be a positive one for the Saints and with Tom Brady now gone, they are back on top in the NFC South once again. I expect them to be one of the more surprising teams this year. Time will tell if Carr is a good fit in NOLA.
Carolina Panthers: 6-11
Carolina will show signs of life under new head coach Frank Reich, but they won’t win enough close games. I expect this team to be remembered for losing a ton of one score games.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5-12
The loss of Tom Brady along with other key players will hurt this team in a big way this year. They’ll find ways to fight and stay in games, but they’ll consistently fall short of winning. This year will be weird for Bucs fans, and unfortunately it won’t feature a lot of winning either.
Atlanta Falcons: 5-12
The Falcons feel like a team that absolutely can win games, I just can’t seem to by into the team and specifically, Desmond Ridder. I can see the Falcons showing signs with the playmakers they added, but I don’t see it correlating to the playoffs,
NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles: 14-3
The Eagles will be the class of the NFC and I see them dominating the conference this year. There is so much talent on this squad that anything short of a double-digit win season should be considered a failure.
Dallas Cowboys: 10-7
Dallas will have a solid year but it will also come with some losses to some bad teams. The Cowboys will be their usual selves, including a playoff birth with a disastrous ending.
New York Giants: 9-8
The Giants will be all over the place this year. When running through the schedule, I have them starting 2-6 before picking things up in the back half of the year. Things will look grim early on, but big blue will pull through come seasons end.
Washington Commanders: 2-14
The quarterback situation here really isn’t favorable and I expect it holds the Commanders back greatly. They’ll be pleased with the first pick and ultimately winning the Caleb Williams sweepstakes.
NFC West
San Francisco 49ers: 10-7
I think the 49ers will be dangerous in the playoffs, but they’ll struggle at times this year. 10-7 is something they’ll certainly take, but they’ll feel like they’ve taken a step back overall.
Seattle Seahawks: 9-8
Seattle will prove to have carried their momentum from last year, but they’ll struggle putting together consistent wins. The Seahawks will be so close to being a NFC top dawg, but they’ll just miss the mark.
Los Angeles Rams: 6-10
The Rams will improve from last year but they have a lot of concerns with an aging roster. They aren’t quite ready to compete once again. Give them a year or two(if McVay stays) and they’ll be back in the fold once again.
Arizona Cardinals: 4-13
Cardinals fans will feel comfortable seeing some improvement with a new coaching staff. The defensive line will need help and they’ll need a running back most definitely. In the end, Arizona will be happy with Murray at the helm come seasons end.
Overall Season
With that, those are my predictions for each team’s record this coming season. I have some strong beliefs that I will revisit at the end of the season. These are just my opinions, if you disagree please comment below!
Mason Wood is a writer and editor for Back Sports Page based out of Gilbert, Arizona. Mason mainly works on football and motorsports content. He is a co-host of BSP motorsports podcast, Coming to the Line. You can check out more articles by Mason Wood here!
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