2020 NFL Bold Predictions

HOMER ALERT! HOMER ALERT! HOMER ALERT!

You’ve been warned. In the following write-up, you may or may not see that our hometown Kansas City Chiefs will win their second consecutive Super Bowl. Or, maybe I’ll surprise you and you’ll see the New York Jets/Giants lifting the trophy. Okay, probably not. Here’s the thing… Between politics, COVID, and winter knocking at our door, I figured it was time to shake things up and write about something positive! We’re going to keep this one fun and light-hearted. Take a look at my 2020 NFL bold predictions for how the season will wrap up as we move past the halfway point:

AFC East Division Winner:

Buffalo Bills: 11-5 

Move over Bill Belichick, there’s a new sheriff in town! Thank goodness TB12 and Bill went their separate ways. Josh Allen finally appears to have graduated to an elite QB. Front-office leadership brought in an additional weapon in Diggs that allowed the Bills to air the ball out a bit more than before. I’ll be honest, though. This pick has more to do with the weakness of the rest of the division than it does the strength of the Bills themselves. The Dolphins have the next best chance of giving them a run, and while their defense has kept them in games, Tua just isn’t polished enough yet to make a run in the second half of the season. Bills take this division easily, and find themselves as a top seed in the playoffs.

AFC North Division Winner:

Pittsburgh Steelers: 14-2

This record is nuts. Especially because I don’t think I’m drinking the Steelers Kool-Aid. The Steelers just limped past the Cowboys who are on their 4th quarterback of the season, I believe. They do tend to play to the level of their competition and that might have them losing more than just the two games I predict, but their strength of schedule is about as easy as it gets with the Bengals (twice), Redskins, and Jaguars. I do have them losing to the Ravens as well as the Colts, as I think the Colts defense will keep that game close enough to steal it. Tomlin has his team playing inspired football and with Lamar looking like he slightly regressed this year, I don’t think they’ll make a strong enough push to steal the division. Steelers take this one with ease, and possibly take the #1 seed in the playoffs.  

AFC South Division Winner:

Tennessee Titans: 10-6

This was tough for me. I would love to see the Colts win the division, but I just don’t see them having a great second half of the season with their upcoming schedule. Their defense is stellar, but Rivers looks like Rivers and his turnovers are going to destroy any chance that offense has of pulling upsets over some better teams. That leads us to the Titans clinching this division. They have a tough upcoming schedule as well, and my boldest prediction with them is that they’ll end the season with a loss, and be ousted in the first round of the playoffs. People know what to expect from them, I don’t think Tannehill is going to surprise anyone this year. Enjoy the division title guys, that’ll be the extent of your success this season.

AFC West Division Winner:

Kansas City Chiefs (Duh!): 12-4

I know, I know. Real original here, huh? Let’s be honest, no one in this division is going to unseat the champs. I do have the Chiefs losing a few games in the second half of their season, but thankfully, I don’t see it impacting much in the standings. Even though we’re 8-1, drafting CEH and signing Bell might seem like a good thing, but I think it creates a bit of conflict for Reid’s play-calling. I think the past two weeks you’ve seen them get back to their bread and butter with Mahomes slinging the ball around. The defense is, and will continue to be, a bend-don’t-break defense and we’ll just have to see how far it takes them with my final predictions!

NFC East Division Winner:

Washington Football Team: 7-9

Yeah, you’re reading that correctly. The Washington Football Team will win the division with a losing record. This division is a dumpster fire right now. And while the Eagles are seemingly in line to win the division, they have a tough schedule and I think they will continue to beat themselves. The Cowboys still have the offensive talent to make some noise, and their defense is slowly getting better, but I just don’t think the QB play will be good enough to get them to the finish line (Sorry @Nate!). I’m mainly going with this pick because I think it’d be an amazing comeback story for Alex Smith. Washington’s defense is above average, and they have some good young talent on the team. You could close your eyes and throw a dart at any of these four teams and be right at the end of the season, I’m picking the team with no name!

NFC North Division Winner:

Green Bay Packers: 12-4

Unfortunately the Vikings have established their identity a little too late and barring any major injuries to the Packers, it’s their division to lose. Dalvin Cook makes the Vikings have a chance at a WC spot, but I think they’re too far back to do anything in the division. With a healthy Devante Adams, Rodgers looks like his old self. If Aaron Jones can get healthy and stay healthy, this offense is as scary as anyone in the league. I think so long as Rodgers is in the division, and Kirk Cousins is the QB for the Vikings, Aaron and the Packers will be the Kings of the North. Not much more to say here!

NFC South Division Winner:

New Orleans Saints: 13-3

I’m writing this after Drew Brees and the Saints just beat up on TB12 and the Bucs 38-3, IN TAMPA BAY! Michael Thomas is back, Kamara is healthy, and Brees seems like he’s out to prove that even with the GOAT coming to Tampa, he’s still at the top of the South. This offense is scary, the defense is scary, and they should win the majority of their games in the second half. Could Brees have the perfect ending to his career with a lift of the Lombardi at the end of the year?! You’ll have to wait and see!

NFC West Division Winner:

Arizona Cardinals: 11-5

This was the toughest division for me to pick. While it feels disgusting to pick against Russ with him playing out of his mind right now, the Seahawks defense is a problem and I think it’ll lead to them just missing out on the division lead. Don’t worry, they’ll still make the playoffs and probably make a deep run, I just don’t see them winning the actual division. The Cardinals offense is too good and their defense normally is too. I think Kyler takes a step towards elite status to end this year and the Cardinals close out the season with a division win. 

Super Bowl Matchup

Now, what you’ve all been waiting for. My Super Bowl matchup……. Drumroll please! 🥁  🥁. 🥁

The New Orleans Saints will take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. And as much as I’d love to see Mahomes take another championship, he’ll kneel to one of the greatest QB’s to play the game. Drew Brees. I can’t think of a better sunset to sail off into than winning the most prestigious award in the NFL. It’ll be the most exciting Super Bowl in history, and will have no shortage of drama. At the end of the day, Mahomes will have plenty of rings on his fingers, but this year belongs to the Saints.

Thanks for taking this walk down NFL lane, and whoever your team is, I hope they make as much noise as possible to wrap up this crazy season. Until next time! 

Author: Ben Guertin, TCS Managing Partner

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