It is time to wrap up my division by division breakdown. In this blog I will have an overview on the NFC north and west divisions. It was easy to predict the top dogs of these divisions, but that does not mean these divisions will not be highly competitive.
NFC North

4th Place: Not hard to predict, I have the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings have an unproven quarterback in Christian Ponder and in my opinion I thought he was a reach in 2011 draft. RB Adrian Peterson is coming off a major knee injury, but is expected to give it a go in week 1. Peterson might be risking his career if he tries coming back to soon. I believe Peterson Is not 100% and will be limited in the Vikings offense during the season and might have to shut it down completely. The Vikings also struggle in the secondary even though they have agreeably the best pass rusher in DE Jared Allen. I do see Vikings being competitive, but ultimately finishing last.

3rd Place: This was a tough one but I am leaning towards the Detroit Lions. The Lions were everyone’s sleeper pick last season and they did not disappoint. QB Matthew Stafford finally had a healthy season and showed he can be an elite quarterback. It makes life easier for Stafford when you are throwing the ball to the best wide receiver in the NFL; Calvin Johnson. The passing game in Detroit is lights out, but they have no running game. That can become problematic when facing team with a strong front four. The Lions finished 2011 with a defense ranked 23rd. The Lions are talented, but still short a few players from becoming a Super Bowl contender.

2nd Place: This will depend on health, I have the Chicago Bears. The Bears were looking like a very strong team until they faced season ending injuries to RB Matt Forte and QB Jay Cutler. If those two can stay healthy through the course of the season in 2012, then I definitely see the Bears in the playoff picture. The Bears biggest offseason move was acquiring WR Brandon Marshall. Cutler and Marshall will be reunited from when they were teammates in Denver. This will be the first time Cutler will have a pro bowl caliber receiver since going to Chicago and one he is familiar with. The defense will continue to be solid, ignore the 17th rank from 2011. The defense was asked to do too much once the offense had no more fire power. Expect the Bears to be a contender in 2012.

1st Place: Obviously it is the Green Bay Packers. The Packers were the best team in the 2011 regular season. The offense was unstoppable led by eventual NFL Most Valuable Player; QB Aaron Rodgers. The passing attack is as close to impossible to stop as you can get. Expect the Packers offense to put up big numbers and they also had a good sneaky pick up by signing RB Cedric Benson. The biggest issues for the Packers are there offensive line which has been having struggles in the preseason and the defensive line. As long as Rodgers is healthy, the Packers are a Super Bowl contender.

NFC West

4th Place: At the bottom in the west I have the Arizona Cardinals. There are too many questions in Arizona after ending the 2011 season in a hot streak. The biggest being at quarterback, which was resolved when the Cardinals named John Skelton as their starter. Either quarterback will not make a difference, especially with an offensive line that might be one of the worst. I do not see RB Beanie Wells having another solid year and the offense will struggle to score points throughout the season. The defense was good last season finishing tied for 18th in total defense, but with a tough schedule that has been dealt to the NFC west; I don’t see the defense being as effective.

3rd Place: In a bit of a surprise I have the St. Louis Rams and do not be surprised if they finish second. I am a big believer in QB Sam Bradford; last year was a tough year for Bradford with injuries to himself and his teammates. I like the signing of head coach Jeff Fisher, he is a great leader and will help a young team mature quicker than expected. If the Rams do not get bit by the injury bug in 2012, they will be a highly competitive team. The defense was poor last season finishing ranked 22nd, but Jeff Fisher will quickly change that and make the defense a more disciplined unit. The Rams will surprise many this year, just hope not too many.

2nd Place: I am not too comfortable in this pick, but I have the Seattle Seahawks. I am not too happy with this pick because of starting rookie QB Russell Wilson. I do not think anyone saw this coming when the Seahawks drafted Wilson in the third round. Head coach Pete Carroll loves his determination and football I.Q. We’ll see how long he remains the starting quarterback, eventually the job will be handed back to QB Matt Flynn. With that said the Seahawks have a great rushing attack with RB Marshawn Lynch and have a top ten defense. The Seahawks remind me a little of the Niners, they are strong in all aspects with the only question being at quarterback. They will be a threat in the NFC west.

1st Place: Niners, Niners, Niners!!!! It will be San Francisco at the top of the division. I believe they have the best defense in the NFL along with the best special teams unit in the NFL. They have a great rushing attack led by RB Frank Gore, but do not be surprised if RB Kendall Hunter has a breakout year. Wide receivers have been upgraded with the acquisitions of Randy Moss, Mario Manningham, and first round pick A.J. Jenkins. Like last season, if the Niners want to be elite and become Super Bowl champions, QB Alex Smith will be the key. But I must admit that QB Colin Kaepernick might be better suited to lead the Niners. He has looked marvelous in the preseason and is undoubtedly the future at quarterback for the Niners. The Niners will be in the playoffs and fighting for a spot in the Super Bowl.

There are my predictions. Please leave me comments and let me know if you agree or disagree. Although the Niner pick is dead on.

Now it is time to move to the NFC. Obviously the NFC is important to us Niner fans because we play in the conference. Last season the Niners were very close to representing the NFC in the Super Bowl. It will be interesting to see how the competition fairs this season. Here are my predictions for the NFC east and south.
NFC East

4th Place: Although the future looks bright, I have the Washington Redskins finishing last in the division. QB Robert Griffin III looks to be the savior for the Redskins franchise, but can he do it right away? In the past years rookie quarterbacks have had lots of success and a few have led their teams to playoff berths. I do not see the same for RG3, mainly because he plays in a very difficult division. I like the players around RG3; WR Pierre Garcon, WR Josh Morgan, TE Fred Davis, and RB Roy Helu are all viable weapons. The defense is not bad; they finished ranked 13th in 2011. The Redskins might be the best last place team in the NFL.

3rd Place: I was going back and forth on this one, but I am going with the Dallas Cowboys. As a Niner fan I am breed to hate the Cowboys, but I really wanted to believe that they will actually make the playoffs this season. The Cowboys have always had the talent, just never do anything with it. The offense has many questions due to injuries; TE Jason Witten, WR Miles Austin, and WR Dez Bryant are all battling injuries. RB DeMarco Murray is a player with great potential, but has injury issues dating back to college. The defense will be solid; they will improve from their 14th rank in 2011. They can get to the quarterback and now have improved in their back field by acquiring CB Brandon Carr and drafting CB Morris Claiborne. If “Big D” can get it together, my 3rd place prediction can be way off.

2nd Place: I have the Super Bowl defending champions New York Giants. This is a spot where they want to be. In their last two Super Bowl victories, the Giants had to squeak into the playoffs before going on their championship run. From what I know the Giants did not make many off season moves. They kept most of their key players around and added a few promising rookies. RB David Wilson and WR Rueben Randall were the Giants first two draft picks and will play big roles on the Giants defending their Super Bowl title. Once again they are flying under the radar; don’t be surprised if they are still playing in late January.

1st place: Last year so called “Dream Team” will indeed be a contender in 2012, they are the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles are stacked with talent, especially on the offense side of the ball. I’m not going to name all their offense stars, but there is one to note. QB Michael Vick has to stay healthy, if the Eagles want to make a Super Bowl run. He needs to know when to throw the ball away and when to slide. The struggles came on defense lasts season, but have fixed the issue by acquiring LB DeMeco Ryans and by drafting some young talented defenders to add depth to the defense. If all goes well the Eagles could be playing for a first round bye in the playoffs.

NFC South

4th Place: This was between the Tampa Bay and Carolina. Came down to who I trust more, Cam Newton or Josh Freeman, I went with Cam. The Bucs are my last place team even though they undoubtedly won the off season. They made key acquisitions such as; WR Vincent Jackson, OG Carl Nicks, and first round rookies SS Mark Barron and RB Doug Martin. The two big issues for me is QB Josh Freeman, he regressed so much in 2012 and got me thinking if he has what it takes to be a good quarterback in the NFL. The other one is head coach Greg Schiano; he did not really do much at Rutgers, which makes me assume that he cannot run a NFL team to greatness. Maybe I’m wrong.

3rd Place: I have the previously mentioned Carolina Panthers. The question surrounding the Panthers organization is will QB Cam Newton reach the next level? Last season the offense was superb led by Newton, but the defense had their share of problems. They finished ranked 28th in 2011, if the Panthers expect to compete for a division crown they will have to drastically improve on that defensive ranking. Other than that it is difficult to examine the Panthers. Again success will mainly depend on Newton, but I do see him struggling at times. Expect a mediocre record from the Panthers.

2nd Place: With all the offseason issues and distractions, I have the New Orleans Saints. Finishing running up will be a victory for the Saints after having the dismal offseason that they have had. When it comes down to it the Saints still have QB Drew Brees, RB Darren Sproles, WR Marques Colston, TE Jimmy Graham, and a great offense line. The offense will win many games for New Orleans. They will miss head coach Sean Payton, he is a great coach and play caller. The defense has a few players suspended for a number of games, a unit that was ranked 24th last season. I see the Saints being as effective as they were last season; the defense will not be very good this season as they were last year. However the offense will still be explosive and the Saints will be in contention for a playoff berth.

1st Place: I believe the Atlanta Falcons will be a force in 2012. QB Matt Ryan will take the step needed to be in the top tier in his position. He has been solid throughout his career, but with WR Julio Jones, WR Roddy White, TE Tony Gonzales, running backs Michael Turner and Jacquizz Rodgers as weapons……expect fireworks from the Falcons. The only concern is the defense; they have aging stars and will have to keep up with a division that has many young talented offensive players. I did like the acquisition of CB Asante Samuel, although he is a vet now, he still provides playmaking abilities. I predict that Matt Ryan will win his first playoff game in 2012.

There you have it. Next blog I will wrap up my breakdowns with the NFC north and west. Like always please leave comments and let me know if you agree or disagree with my picks.

Last time I blogged I went over my winners for the AFC east and south. Now I am going to wrap up the AFC with my winners in the north and west. These divisions were more difficult to breakdown, but after much deliberation I believe I made the correct picks. Here they are.

AFC North

4th Place: I have to admit this pick was not difficult and it is the Cleveland Browns. They will be led by two rookies on offense; QB Brandon Weeden and RB Trent Richardson. It has been reported all throughout the offseason that Richardson will be the work horse of the offense, but plans are already hitting a setback with a knee injury hampering the young running back. A hurt Richardson will put too much pressure on Weeden to carry the offense. The Browns have a good defense, they were one of the top pass defensive teams last season, but a lack of scoring from the offense will keep the Browns in last in their division.

3rd Place: In a bit of a shocker, I have the Pittsburg Steelers in the bottom two in their division. I think age and injuries are going to make the difference for the Steelers. SS Troy Polamalu and LB James Harrison are both former NFL Defensive Players of the Year, but both are passing their primes in their great careers. As for QB Ben Roethlisberger he is battling a tear in his rotator cuff, an injury that can linger throughout the season. RB Rashard Mendenhall is dealing with injuries as well and WR Mike Wallace is still a holdout. Safe to say there are many questions surrounding the Steel City.

2nd Place: I am taking a chance here, but I have the young Cincinnati Bengals finishing as the runner ups. The Bengals have young playmakers to build on. They were blessed by the draft picks of WR A.J. Green and QB Andy Dalton. They each had amazing rookie season as they led the Bengals offense to an unexpected playoff berth. The defense also had playmakers of their own with players such as; LB Thomas Howard, LB Ray Maualuga, and FS Reggie Nelson. The Bengals have the nucleus, but will they take the next step in the 2012 season? I think yes.

1st Place: it’s hard not to choose the Baltimore Ravens. The only curve ball with the Ravens is that this might be the year that the offense will surpass their defense. Like the Steelers the Ravens have aging stars in LB Ray Lewis and FS Ed Reed, and in the offseason 2011 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Terrell Suggs suffered an injury that will have him miss a significant amount of time. The offense on the other hand has QB Joe Flacco who is poised for a breakout year, the second leading rusher of the 2011 season in RB Ray Rice, and many pass catching weapons. I particularly like the tight ends Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson; they will be big parts of the Ravens offense in 2012. The defense will be solid enough and the Ravens will win another division title.

AFC West

4th Place: Sorry Raider nation, but your Oakland Raiders are my last place team in the west. I see the Raiders being an inconsistent team in 2012, led by an inconsistent QB in Carson Palmer. Palmer threw 13 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 2011. It felt as if Palmer threw the ball up for grabs too many times during the course of the 2011 season, which is obviously not a smart way to play quarterback. The Raiders do have talented skill position players such as; wide receivers Darruis Heyward-Bay and Denaruis Moore. But the one player that can make a difference to the season will be RB Darren McFadden, but the big “IF” is can he stay healthy. My guess is probably not, meaning more passing plays which equals more interceptions for Palmer. Turnovers will put too much pressure on a defense that finshed 29th in 2011. This could be a long season for the Black Hole.

3rd Place: I have a team that is notorious for being underachievers, which are the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers are always one of the harder teams to evaluate before the start of a season. To be honest they would be higher for me if it was not for the injury to RB Ryan Matthews. Matthews was expected to take the leap of becoming one of the best at his position and being a huge piece to the Chargers offense. With his status being in a bit of jeopardy, the offense will rest on the shoulders of QB Phillip Rivers. The departure of WR Vincent Jackson will hurt the productivity of the offense unless wide receivers Malcolm Floyd and Vincent Brown step up. Remember they still have TE Antonio Gates, who is looking healthy and ready for a big year. The defense should be descent, they finshed ranked 16th in 2011 and are led by one of the premier safeties in the game; Eric Weddle. Again, they got the talent, but you just never know with San Diego.

2nd Place: it all revolves on the health of QB Peyton Manning. The Denver Broncos could simply be in fourth with one huge hit that reinjures the neck of Manning. Then again Peyton might be 100% and ready to lead the Broncos to a Super Bowl run. It is really hard to tell. Peyton has weapons around him with players such as; wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker, and has a bunch of running backs to work with. The defense has great pass rushers, but overall I am a bit skeptical, they finished 20th overall in 2012. Still it is hard to ignore the fact that the Broncos have Peyton Manning on their team and all Peyton does is win football games.

1st Place: That’s right I have the Kansas City Chiefs as my winners. The Chiefs won the division in 2010 and last year they were hit by injuries to key players. Even with the injuries, the Chiefs remained highly competitive and with players like RB Jamaal Charles, SS Eric Berry, and TE Tony Moeaki healthy once again, Kansas City could have a big year. The defense finished ranked 11th last season and can simply finish as one of the best in 2012. LB Derrick Johnson is a great playmaker along with fellow linebacker Tamba Hali. The offense has weapons with WR Steve Breaston, last season’s first round pick WR Jon Baldwin, Dexter McCluster, and a healthy Jamaal Charles. The two concerns surrounding the Chiefs are the holdout of pro bowl wide receiver Dwayne Bowe and if QB Matt Cassel can reach the ability of playing at a pro bowl level. I believe the Chiefs will surprise people in 2012.

That is it for the AFC, next time I will breakdown the NFC east and south. Remember leave comments, let me know if you agree or disagree.