2005 NFL Division Picks
Whoa two entries in a month? What's goin on here? Yeah don't get gassed, I just figured I'd just do this for fun, and see how right I am in January. Ok, so i'm gonna give you the winners of each division, the wild card teams, and the participants in Super Bowl XL (Xtra Large Super Bowl, & I'll tell you why later.) And maybe I'll even pick a winner. Ok, Here we go.
I'll list the division leaders as of the end of week 9, and the rest of the teams in order.
AFC North
Cincinanati Bengals (7-2)
Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
Cleveland Browns (3-5)
Baltimore Ravens (2-6)
Ok, this is a tough pick. The Steelers were favored to be repeat divisional champs, but then the Bengals came outta nowhere and showed themselves as contenders. But wait, if you remember last year, they were contenders too, but they finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs. What's different this year? Well, Carson Palmer is playing like a well-seasoned QB in his third(?) year as a Bengal. Chad Johnson & TJ Houshmandzadeh are double threats along both sidelines, and I guess Rudi Johnson is doin his job as a RB cuz there hasn't been any news about him. BUT, the AFC North is Pittsburgh's to lose. Jerome Bettis, Duce Staley, & Willie Parker as triple threats at RB, Hines Ward & Antwaan Randle-El catchin balls from Big Ben (as long as he's healthy), they'll make it to the playoffs. What about the Ravens & the Browns you say? The Browns are a joke, and more suprisingly so are the Ravens. That defense that was feared many seasons ago, is as scary as a pussycat. Pittsburgh wins the AFC North.
Winner: Pittsburgh Steelers
NFC North
Chicago Bears (5-3)
Detriot Lions (3-5)
Minnesota Vikings (3-5)
Green Bay Packers (1-7)
The worst division in the NFL, hands down. Not even the NFC West is this horrible. Surprisingly enough, the Chicago Bears lead this division. It's like a blind deaf-mute leading the blind. Oh well, idk how long this'll last, but whoever leads the division in week 15 will make the playoffs. I'm gonna guess it'll be the Bears b/c they've quietly won 4 games in a row and they've got an easier schedule to close out the season. They might be a surprise in the playoffs, but then again they can just be all sound & fury signifying nothing. But what kinda kills me is the Packers. Brett Favre has been toying w/the idea of retirement for a few seasons now. I still think he's got juice left, but the team around him isn't playing well enough. Recievers are dropping passes (which reflect on the QB rather than the WR who dropped it), and the running game is lackluster. I think Brett Favre has two options: to retire and pass the torch over to the newer, younger Packers, or to leave Green Bay and try and make a Super Bowl run w/another team. Because if Brett stays and tries to build up another Super Bowl worthy team, his time might be up. I feel real sorry that it might end like this, but he's won a Super Bowl, right?
Winner: Chicago Bears
AFC East
New England Patriots (4-4)
Buffalo Bills (3-5)
Miami Dolphins (3-5)
New York Jets (2-6)
Usually this is the Pat's division every year w/the Jets not too far behind. But this is lookin more and more like the NFC North. The Pats are fallin apart (YES!) and it didn't help their morale that the Colts finally exacted their revenge on them. The Jets are disappointing since they lost Chad Pennington and Jay Fiedler & brought in Vinny. Who knows about the three-time Super Bowl losers Buffalo Bills? And the Dolphins haven't been doin too much since the return of Ricky Williams. Again, it's the Pats division to lose, but it is halfway thru the season. The Pats take the East, but who knows how far they'll get in the playoffs w/the way they're playing now.
Winner: New England Patriots
NFC East
New York Giants (6-2)
Dallas Cowboys (5-3)
Washington Redskins (5-3)
Philadelphia Eagles (4-4)
The best division in the NFL with no teams under .500. The other Super Bowl participant is 4-4 after losing T.O. It's starting to look like 2003 after the Bucs & Raiders started to suck. Anyway, the Giants are lookin great now that a Manning is manning the helm. Tiki, Plaxico, Amani, & Shockey are playing like it's a contract year, and Eli is finally showing his namesake. The Cowboys are finally getting their act together under Bill Parcells after bringin in Drew Bledsoe. Their defense is good and the offense is great especially with Terry Glenn. The Redskins are a surprise, but not really since they now have Santana Moss. Santana F. Moss, hell of a playmaker. I'm mad he wasn't like that when he was a Jet. But Mark Brunell is a prime candidate for Comeback Player of the Year. And that Redskins Defense is pretty solid. Now, the Philadelphia Eagles might be in trouble. If you don't know, I love this team & Donovan F. McNabb. And it kills me that this whole T.O. situation had to happen, but we now have to look at it as them losing one of their main offensive weapons. But the Eagles do have L.J. Smith, Reggie Brown is showing promise, and let's not forget Brian Westbrook. The defense worries me though, they need to tighten up whatever bolt is loose on that side. But as long as they have Donovan F. McNabb, they'll be a contender. Yes he's hurt, and yes I personally think he should have gotten that surgery to correct that sports hernia as soon as possible so he could come back full strength for the second half of the season, but the time for that has passed. Donovan needs to prove to himself & the team that they don't need T.O. and McNabb can get the job done through injury. Especially in the second half of the season, where they have 5 division games (3 at home) and most of the rest of their games at home. The Eagles find it in them to win this tough division.
Winner: Donovan McNabb's Philadelphia Eagles
AFC West
Denver Broncos (6-2)
Kansas City Chiefs (5-3)
San Diego Chargers (5-4)
Oakland Raiders (3-5)
This is supposed to be the Chargers' division since LT, Antonio Gates, & Drew Brees are all healthy and active, but Jake The Snake has apparently disagrees w/that. Jake Plummer has turned a team famous for its running game, into a team to be feared for its passing game. They showed that against the defending NFC champs. The Raiders are a huge disappointment even now that they have Randy Moss & LaMont Jordan. The Chiefs are really 50/50 to make the playoffs as a wild card, but I'm going to give this division to the Broncos, who btw are the favorites to be T.O.'s next new victims home.
Winner: Denver Broncos
NFC West
Seattle Seahawks (6-2)
St. Louis Rams (4-4)
Arizona Cardinals (2-6)
San Francisco 49ers (2-6)
Horrible division w/the only shining star being the Seattle Seahawks. Rams always look like contenders and always disappoint. 49ers never look like contenders and never disappoint, execpt for this year w/#1 pick Alex Smith at the helm, but they're still disappointing. But I'm upset at the Cardinals. They've got so much talent, but they still suck. I guess there's a reason that people play football on grass and turf instead of the hard desert ground. Shaun Alexander is lookin to have an MVP year with the way he runs through defenses, & Matt Hasselbeck is quietly having a spectacular year. The Hawks win this easily.
Winner: Seattle Seahawks
AFC South
Indianapolis Colts (8-0)
Jacksonville Jaguars (5-3)
Tennessee Titans (2-7)
Houston Texans (1-7)
Ok, um, the Indianapolis Colts? Come on now, really. They're 8-0. They FINALLY got that monkey off of their back by beating the New England Patriots who have been their kryptonite every year in the playoffs. The Indy Defense is surprisingly a force to be reckoned with, especially w/Dwight Freeney wreaking havoc in every backfield. The Jags are always contenders, but it's either injuries or critical errors during important games that always make the Jags lose. It's always something w/them. The Titans are an entirely new, young team that have still yet to find that winning formula. Maybe next year. The Texans have been a new team for years and still haven't gotten it together. At least they're not gonna go winless this year. Colts own this division, but they won't go undefeated. They might lose to the Bengals or Steelers.
Winner: Indianapolis Colts
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons (6-2)
Carolina Panthers (6-2)
Tampa Bay Buccanners (5-3)
New Orleans Saints (2-7)
I just wanna start off sayin that it's a shame that the Saints have the record they do. W/Katrina messing up their home dome, and threats that they might move to Los Angeles, they look like they're falling into obscurity. With that said, this may be the most competitive division. With the Bucs one game behind a three-way tie for first place, they've got a brand-new Cadillac that's been workin sorta well for them. The Falcons usually own this division, but the Panthers have their #1 receiver Steve Smith back in action & he's a ridiculous athlete. Makin catches btwn 4 defenders and running for touchdowns. Crazy. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that the Panthers take the South from Mike Vick & his Falcons.
Winner: Carolina Panthers
Ok let's recap:
AFC Division Champs
Pittsburgh Steelers
New England Patriots
Denver Broncos
Indianapolis Colts
NFC Division Champs
Chicago Bears
Philadelphia Eagles
Seattle Seahawks
Carolina Panthers
Now for the Wild Card teams:
AFC Wild Card Teams
Cincinnati Bengals
San Diego Chargers
NFC Wild Card Teams
Atlanta Falcons
New York Giants
Now as far as the AFC Conf. Champ, that's gonna be between the Steelers & the Colts. But I think that the Colts will want it more since they knocked out the Pats, and don't know when else they'll have such good luck. And the NFC will be between the Eagles and the...Giants! As cool as I think it'd be for both Mannings to go head to head in the Super Bowl, it's not gonna happen as long as Donovan F. McNabb is running the show in Philly. I say it's gonna be the Philadelphia Eagles vs. the Indianapolis Colts in Detroit in February. You all know who i want to win, but it's kinda tough to call. But then again i could be far from the truth. But time will tell. And there it is. I hope you've enjoyed my picks for the 2005 NFL Season. Feedback will be appreciated.
I'll list the division leaders as of the end of week 9, and the rest of the teams in order.
AFC North
Cincinanati Bengals (7-2)
Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
Cleveland Browns (3-5)
Baltimore Ravens (2-6)
Ok, this is a tough pick. The Steelers were favored to be repeat divisional champs, but then the Bengals came outta nowhere and showed themselves as contenders. But wait, if you remember last year, they were contenders too, but they finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs. What's different this year? Well, Carson Palmer is playing like a well-seasoned QB in his third(?) year as a Bengal. Chad Johnson & TJ Houshmandzadeh are double threats along both sidelines, and I guess Rudi Johnson is doin his job as a RB cuz there hasn't been any news about him. BUT, the AFC North is Pittsburgh's to lose. Jerome Bettis, Duce Staley, & Willie Parker as triple threats at RB, Hines Ward & Antwaan Randle-El catchin balls from Big Ben (as long as he's healthy), they'll make it to the playoffs. What about the Ravens & the Browns you say? The Browns are a joke, and more suprisingly so are the Ravens. That defense that was feared many seasons ago, is as scary as a pussycat. Pittsburgh wins the AFC North.
Winner: Pittsburgh Steelers
NFC North
Chicago Bears (5-3)
Detriot Lions (3-5)
Minnesota Vikings (3-5)
Green Bay Packers (1-7)
The worst division in the NFL, hands down. Not even the NFC West is this horrible. Surprisingly enough, the Chicago Bears lead this division. It's like a blind deaf-mute leading the blind. Oh well, idk how long this'll last, but whoever leads the division in week 15 will make the playoffs. I'm gonna guess it'll be the Bears b/c they've quietly won 4 games in a row and they've got an easier schedule to close out the season. They might be a surprise in the playoffs, but then again they can just be all sound & fury signifying nothing. But what kinda kills me is the Packers. Brett Favre has been toying w/the idea of retirement for a few seasons now. I still think he's got juice left, but the team around him isn't playing well enough. Recievers are dropping passes (which reflect on the QB rather than the WR who dropped it), and the running game is lackluster. I think Brett Favre has two options: to retire and pass the torch over to the newer, younger Packers, or to leave Green Bay and try and make a Super Bowl run w/another team. Because if Brett stays and tries to build up another Super Bowl worthy team, his time might be up. I feel real sorry that it might end like this, but he's won a Super Bowl, right?
Winner: Chicago Bears
AFC East
New England Patriots (4-4)
Buffalo Bills (3-5)
Miami Dolphins (3-5)
New York Jets (2-6)
Usually this is the Pat's division every year w/the Jets not too far behind. But this is lookin more and more like the NFC North. The Pats are fallin apart (YES!) and it didn't help their morale that the Colts finally exacted their revenge on them. The Jets are disappointing since they lost Chad Pennington and Jay Fiedler & brought in Vinny. Who knows about the three-time Super Bowl losers Buffalo Bills? And the Dolphins haven't been doin too much since the return of Ricky Williams. Again, it's the Pats division to lose, but it is halfway thru the season. The Pats take the East, but who knows how far they'll get in the playoffs w/the way they're playing now.
Winner: New England Patriots
NFC East
New York Giants (6-2)
Dallas Cowboys (5-3)
Washington Redskins (5-3)
Philadelphia Eagles (4-4)
The best division in the NFL with no teams under .500. The other Super Bowl participant is 4-4 after losing T.O. It's starting to look like 2003 after the Bucs & Raiders started to suck. Anyway, the Giants are lookin great now that a Manning is manning the helm. Tiki, Plaxico, Amani, & Shockey are playing like it's a contract year, and Eli is finally showing his namesake. The Cowboys are finally getting their act together under Bill Parcells after bringin in Drew Bledsoe. Their defense is good and the offense is great especially with Terry Glenn. The Redskins are a surprise, but not really since they now have Santana Moss. Santana F. Moss, hell of a playmaker. I'm mad he wasn't like that when he was a Jet. But Mark Brunell is a prime candidate for Comeback Player of the Year. And that Redskins Defense is pretty solid. Now, the Philadelphia Eagles might be in trouble. If you don't know, I love this team & Donovan F. McNabb. And it kills me that this whole T.O. situation had to happen, but we now have to look at it as them losing one of their main offensive weapons. But the Eagles do have L.J. Smith, Reggie Brown is showing promise, and let's not forget Brian Westbrook. The defense worries me though, they need to tighten up whatever bolt is loose on that side. But as long as they have Donovan F. McNabb, they'll be a contender. Yes he's hurt, and yes I personally think he should have gotten that surgery to correct that sports hernia as soon as possible so he could come back full strength for the second half of the season, but the time for that has passed. Donovan needs to prove to himself & the team that they don't need T.O. and McNabb can get the job done through injury. Especially in the second half of the season, where they have 5 division games (3 at home) and most of the rest of their games at home. The Eagles find it in them to win this tough division.
Winner: Donovan McNabb's Philadelphia Eagles
AFC West
Denver Broncos (6-2)
Kansas City Chiefs (5-3)
San Diego Chargers (5-4)
Oakland Raiders (3-5)
This is supposed to be the Chargers' division since LT, Antonio Gates, & Drew Brees are all healthy and active, but Jake The Snake has apparently disagrees w/that. Jake Plummer has turned a team famous for its running game, into a team to be feared for its passing game. They showed that against the defending NFC champs. The Raiders are a huge disappointment even now that they have Randy Moss & LaMont Jordan. The Chiefs are really 50/50 to make the playoffs as a wild card, but I'm going to give this division to the Broncos, who btw are the favorites to be T.O.'s next new victims home.
Winner: Denver Broncos
NFC West
Seattle Seahawks (6-2)
St. Louis Rams (4-4)
Arizona Cardinals (2-6)
San Francisco 49ers (2-6)
Horrible division w/the only shining star being the Seattle Seahawks. Rams always look like contenders and always disappoint. 49ers never look like contenders and never disappoint, execpt for this year w/#1 pick Alex Smith at the helm, but they're still disappointing. But I'm upset at the Cardinals. They've got so much talent, but they still suck. I guess there's a reason that people play football on grass and turf instead of the hard desert ground. Shaun Alexander is lookin to have an MVP year with the way he runs through defenses, & Matt Hasselbeck is quietly having a spectacular year. The Hawks win this easily.
Winner: Seattle Seahawks
AFC South
Indianapolis Colts (8-0)
Jacksonville Jaguars (5-3)
Tennessee Titans (2-7)
Houston Texans (1-7)
Ok, um, the Indianapolis Colts? Come on now, really. They're 8-0. They FINALLY got that monkey off of their back by beating the New England Patriots who have been their kryptonite every year in the playoffs. The Indy Defense is surprisingly a force to be reckoned with, especially w/Dwight Freeney wreaking havoc in every backfield. The Jags are always contenders, but it's either injuries or critical errors during important games that always make the Jags lose. It's always something w/them. The Titans are an entirely new, young team that have still yet to find that winning formula. Maybe next year. The Texans have been a new team for years and still haven't gotten it together. At least they're not gonna go winless this year. Colts own this division, but they won't go undefeated. They might lose to the Bengals or Steelers.
Winner: Indianapolis Colts
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons (6-2)
Carolina Panthers (6-2)
Tampa Bay Buccanners (5-3)
New Orleans Saints (2-7)
I just wanna start off sayin that it's a shame that the Saints have the record they do. W/Katrina messing up their home dome, and threats that they might move to Los Angeles, they look like they're falling into obscurity. With that said, this may be the most competitive division. With the Bucs one game behind a three-way tie for first place, they've got a brand-new Cadillac that's been workin sorta well for them. The Falcons usually own this division, but the Panthers have their #1 receiver Steve Smith back in action & he's a ridiculous athlete. Makin catches btwn 4 defenders and running for touchdowns. Crazy. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that the Panthers take the South from Mike Vick & his Falcons.
Winner: Carolina Panthers
Ok let's recap:
AFC Division Champs
Pittsburgh Steelers
New England Patriots
Denver Broncos
Indianapolis Colts
NFC Division Champs
Chicago Bears
Philadelphia Eagles
Seattle Seahawks
Carolina Panthers
Now for the Wild Card teams:
AFC Wild Card Teams
Cincinnati Bengals
San Diego Chargers
NFC Wild Card Teams
Atlanta Falcons
New York Giants
Now as far as the AFC Conf. Champ, that's gonna be between the Steelers & the Colts. But I think that the Colts will want it more since they knocked out the Pats, and don't know when else they'll have such good luck. And the NFC will be between the Eagles and the...Giants! As cool as I think it'd be for both Mannings to go head to head in the Super Bowl, it's not gonna happen as long as Donovan F. McNabb is running the show in Philly. I say it's gonna be the Philadelphia Eagles vs. the Indianapolis Colts in Detroit in February. You all know who i want to win, but it's kinda tough to call. But then again i could be far from the truth. But time will tell. And there it is. I hope you've enjoyed my picks for the 2005 NFL Season. Feedback will be appreciated.