Football season is finally upon us. After months of waiting, the NFL season is set to begin Thursday night with the Baltimore Ravens visiting the Denver Broncos. For those of you who did not pay attention during the offseason, it was one of many arrests. According to arrestnation.com, 53 players have been arrested since 2013 started. That was the second most arrests in any one sport, besides college football. Some notable arrests were Aaron Hernandez, Von Miller and Adam “Pacman” Jones. Also, Riley Cooper of the Philadelphia Eagles was in hot water after a video surfaced of him using a racial slur at a Kenny Chesney concert.
However, not all stories in the offseason were bad in the NFL. There have been tough and competitive position battles during training camp and preseason. Both rookies and veterans have been working hard to solidify their spots in the starting lineups. Some of the top teams in the league improved even more through the draft, free agency and trades.
Here are my predictions for the regular season, playoffs and the Super Bowl.
Regular Season MVP: Peyton Manning
Offensive Player of the Year: Drew Brees
Defensive Player of the Year: J.J. Watt
Offensive Rookie of the Year: E.J. Manuel
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Star Lotulelei
Coach of the Year: Jim Harbaugh
Comeback Player of the Year: DeSean Jackson
AFC Seeds
- Denver Broncos (12-4)
- New England Patriots (11-5)
- Houston Texans (11-5)
- Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) *Tiebreaker over Pittsburgh*
Wildcards
- Indianapolis Colts (10-6)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
NFC Seeds
- Green Bay Packers (13-3)
- San Francisco 49ers (12-4)
- New Orleans Saints (10-6)
- Washington Redskins (10-6)
Wildcards
- Atlanta Falcons (10-6) *Tiebreaker over Seattle*
- Seattle Seahawks (10-6)
Wildcard Round
AFC
- 1. Texans over Steelers
- 2. Colts over Bengals
NFC
- Seahawks over Saints
- Redskins over Falcons
Divisional Round
AFC
- Broncos over Colts
- Patriots over Texans
NFC
- Seahawks over Packers
- 49ers over Redskins
Championship round
AFC
Broncos over Patriots
NFC
49ers over Seahawks
Super Bowl
Broncos over 49ers
I believe a Broncos-49ers super bowl matchup is inevitable based on the sheer talent of both teams. San Francisco came within a couple of plays of winning it all last year over the Baltimore Ravens, and Denver would have had a good shot at a super bowl berth had it not been for Baltimore’s hail mary late in their game.
Quarterback Colin Kaepernick will come into this season with even more leadership and experience, and will be ready to show the NFL what he can do in a full season of action. Meanwhile, quarterback Peyton Manning and the Broncos improved even more in the offseason with the addition of wide receiver Wes Welker. Denver will need to withstand the suspension of star linebacker Von Miller, who is sitting the first six games after violating the leagues’ substance abuse policy. However, they should have enough offensive firepower to outscore any team they play.
