NFC East:
Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys will struggle out of the gate with new Head Coach Mike McCarthy, but have the best quarterback and roster in the division which will put them over the top.
Prediction: Cowboys win the division, but bow out of the playoffs earlier than expected once again.
Philadelphia Eagles: The injury bug has bitten the Eagles again, and the season is just one game in. Carson Wentz, oft-injured, will be unable to stay healthy all season, and his team will suffer because of it.
Prediction: The Eagles miss the playoffs and the doubt surrounding if Wentz is truly a franchise quarterback will only grow.
Washington: New Head Coach Ron Rivera, and rookie defensive end Chase Young, will be a great match this season as the defense of Washington will be the only bright spot on an otherwise forgetful season.
Prediction: Quarterback Dwayne Haskins will struggle this season for last place Washington.
New York Giants: Quarterback Daniel Jones will build off what was a promising rookie season with new coach Joe Judge at the helm.
Prediction: Jones will show signs of improvement in 2020, but the Giants will still finish third in this division.
NFC South:
New Orleans Saints: The Saints will be unable to overcome the heartbreaking fashion in which they lost in the playoffs the past three seasons and the comments that quarterback Drew Brees made about standing for the national anthem. These two factors will converge on one another, and cause the Saints to fall short once again of Super Bowl expectations.
Prediction: The Saints will be competitive in the division all season, but their championship window has officially shut completely. This will be the last season of Brees’ career.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tom Brady comes to Tampa with a plethora of weapons at his disposal. The best collection of weapons he’s had in his illustrious career. Tampa Bay will struggle over the first month of the season, but once they get going, they will be a force to be reckoned with in the NFL.
Prediction: Brady will turn back the clock in the “Sunshine State” and win his seventh Super Bowl in the process.
Carolina Panthers: Teddy Bridgewater will be a vast improvement over the quarterback play the team enjoyed last season, but the Panthers are still a work in progress with first-year coach Matt Rhule.
Prediction: The Panthers will hover around .500 all season, and Christian McCaffrey will only continue to cement his status as the best back in the league.
Atlanta Falcons: Atlanta will build off a very solid second half of the season which saw them go 6-2. The Falcons will get back on track after a couple of down years, and the job status of Head Coach Dan Quinn will not be in jeopardy at season's end.
Prediction: The Falcons will be the third playoff team from the NFC South in 2020, and quarterback Matt Ryan will be in the MVP discussion once again.
NFC North:
Minnesota Vikings: Minnesota is the class of the division, and will win it easily in 2020. Kirk Cousins, now with a playoff win under his belt, will be the best quarterback in this division.
Prediction: The Vikings will win the division, but lose in the first round of the playoffs in a very deep NFC.
Green Bay Packers: The Packers will suffer a substantial regression this season after winning 13 games a season ago. The best years of Aaron Rodgers’ career are behind him, and the first-ballot Hall of Famer will be unable to lift a below-average supporting cast.
Prediction: The Packers will miss the playoffs, and Packers fans will be left wondering if rookie Jordan Love will be the starter sooner rather than later.
Chicago Bears: Chicago is left with two quarterbacks, Nick Foles and Mitchell Trubiksy, they have no confidence in. The Bears offense will continue to not allow them to reach their fullest potential in 2020.
Prediction: The Bears have a great roster, but seem totally lost at the most important position.
Detroit Lions: The Lions had a disastrous 2019 season, and will be able to improve in 2020. Head Coach Matt Patricia is coaching for his job in 2020 and can be fired during the season if Detroit gets off to a slow start this season.
Prediction: The Lions will be in playoff contention for most of 2020, and Patricia will earn himself another season in the “Motor City.”
NFC West:
Arizona Cardinals: Quarterback Kyler Murray will be able to take a huge step forward thanks in large part to DeAndre Hopkins being his new teammate. A second year in Kliff Kingsbury’s system will mean the Cardinals offense will only get better in 2020.
Prediction: The Cardinals will be improved in 2020, but will still finish last in an extremely tough division.
Los Angeles Rams: The Rams were unable to follow up on a trip to the Super Bowl by missing the playoffs in 2019. Quarterback Jared Goff must be better in 2020 if he wants to make a return to the playoffs.
Prediction: Goff will improve in 2020, but it will not be enough. The Rams will miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Seattle Seahawks: Seattle once again enters a football season with a subpar supporting cast, and quarterback Russell Wilson is expected to come behind and lead the Seahawks to a victory. The Seahawks will be unable to duplicate the magic of last season when Seattle went 9-2 in games decided by eight or fewer points. Even for a player as skilled as Wilson, it is too much to always have to save your team late in the game.
Prediction: Seattle will finish second in the division once again in 2020, but their conservative play calling will continue to hold them back.
San Francisco 49ers: The Niners will suffer from a Super Bowl hangover after having the game in their grasp in the fourth quarter. The fact that Head Coach Kyle Shanahan took the ball out of Jimmy Garoppolo’s hands on multiple occasions late in the playoffs will cause tension in the locker room all season.
Prediction: The Niners will win the division once again, but Garoppolo will be unable to gain his coach’s trust late in the playoffs. The Niners will not be making a return to the Super Bowl this season.
NFC Playoff Predictions: Playoff seeding of teams will be in parentheses
NFC East: Dallas Cowboys (4)
NFC South: New Orleans Saints (2)
NFC North: Minnesota Vikings (3)
NFC West: San Francisco 49ers (1)
Wild Card Teams:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5)
Seattle Seahawks (6)
Atlanta Falcons (7)
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