Are you ready for some football? 2009 NFL Preview

The Autumn wind is upon us – football season is finally here! It’s time for 17 weeks of hard-hitting football, and we’re going to celebrate the kick-off at Unsportsmanlike Conduct by offering a look into our predictions for the NFL season.

AFC WEST: Oakland Raiders (8-8)
AFC NORTH: Pittsburgh Steelers (14-2)
AFC SOUTH: Indianapolis Colts (14-2)
AFC EAST: New England Patriots (12-4)
WILD CARDS: Houston Texans (10-6), Baltimore Ravens (12-4)

Analysis: You read that right – I am calling my shot, Oakland wins the West this year and has a (gasp) home playoff game. Now before you get all out of control, realize two things: First, that the Raiders will finish 8-8, which isn’t that spectacular of a record; and second, that the division is absolutely atrocious. Remember that 8-8 did, in fact, win this division last year. The Broncos are in for a very bad season, and the Chiefs won’t be much better this year. San Diego could still win this division, but even if they do it won’t be at better than 9-7. The Chargers have to deal with an aging LaDainian Tomlinson, and Norv Turner will always cost a team at least a game or two every year. Oakland’s three-headed running back monster of Darren McFadden, Michael Bush and Justin Fargas is going to take a lot of pressure off of JaMarcus Russell, and Richard Seymour is in a contract year - at age 30 he needs the last big score to set up the rest of his career. Expect Seymour to play with a fire in his belly, and immensely improve both the run and pass defense. If the Raiders do play better defense and effectively hand the ball off about 30 times a game, 8-8 is very much within reach. They are going to get stomped on in the first round of the playoffs though, anyway.

As for the others, Pittsburgh has a soft schedule, and the Steelers are a good team that hasn’t gotten any worse – they will have the No. 1 seed in the postseason. The Colts won’t lose much without Marvin Harrison since Anthony Gonzalez has stepped up. As for New England, the Patriots are going to find their defense is not what it used to be now that most of the leaders have left, but they have enough firepower to overwhelm most teams. When New England runs into teams that can pressure Tom Brady, it’ll be in serious trouble. The Ravens also have a favorable schedule, which allows them to use a steady offense and still-great defense on the way to 12 wins. The pieces are all in place for Houston, and now is the time for the Texans to make their first postseason trip in franchise history.

NFC WEST: Arizona Cardinals (10-6)
NFC NORTH: Minnesota Vikings (11-5)
NFC SOUTH: New Orleans Saints (11-5)
NFC EAST: Philadelphia Eagles (13-3)
WILD CARDS: Chicago Bears (11-5), Dallas Cowboys (10-6)

The NFC East gets a huge boost this season because it gets to play all of the AFC West teams, which is almost like guaranteeing three wins a piece. Philly has the defense to stop good offenses, and Donovan McNabb finally has an offense that is stacked with young, explosive weapons. The Eagles were already a conference championship favorite before Michael Vick, but his addition could add a dimension that makes their offense virtually unstoppable. The Vikings are also a team poised for a huge year, because all Brett Favre has to do is complete a few deep passes a game to keep defenses from stacking the line. If Adrian Peterson continues to dominate, Favre is going to be especially deadly with play-action passes to speedsters like Bernard Berrian and Percy Harvin. The Saints haven’t been able to put it together the last couple of seasons, but Tampa Bay is going to struggle and Carolina and Atlanta can’t help but regress a little, so I look for New Orleans to capitalize and win the division. The Cardinals will actually finish with a better record than they did last year, thanks to a favorable schedule and a boost of confidence from their Super Bowl run last season. But if Kurt Warner gets hurt or regresses to his fumble-prone ways, the West is a division that could be stolen by either the San Francisco 49ers or the Seattle Seahawks.

The Bears with Jay Cutler will be successful, but they can’t overcome Minnesota in the division. The Cowboys, like the Eagles, benefit mightily from playing the AFC West, and finally make it back to postseason play. Look for Washington to make noise in this division as well. Jason Campbell has improved steadily every year, and the addition of Albert Haynesworth will be huge. There have been few defensive players that have such an impact as he does – he really is a game changer. I will be shocked if two teams from the NFC East aren’t playing postseason football.

PLAYOFFS

AFC
Wild Card
Baltimore over Oakland
New England over Houston

Divisional
Indianapolis over New England
Pittsburgh over Baltimore

Conference
Pittsburgh over Indianapolis

NFC

Wild Card
Dallas over Arizona
New Orleans over Chicago

Divisional
Minnesota over Dallas
Philadelphia over New Orleans

Conference
Philadelphia over Minnesota

SUPER BOWL XLIV
Pittsburgh over Philadelphia