Official 2015 NFL Predictions

Official 2015 NFL Predictions

Standings

AFC

West                           North                                      South                          East

KC       10-6               BAL     10-6                           IND     12-4                 NE       12-4

DEN    9-7                 PIT      9-7                              HOU    7-9                  MIA     10-6

SD       8-8                 CIN      8-8                             JAC      6-10               BUF     8-8

OAK    6-10               CLE     5-11                           TEN     4-12                NYJ      7-9

NFC

West                           North                                      South                          East

SEA     10-6                GB       12-4                          ATL     9-7                  DAL     10-6

STL      9-7                 MIN     10-6                           NO       8-8                 PHI      9-7

ARI      7-9                 DET     7-9                             TB       6-10                NYG     8-8

SF        5-11               CHI      6-10                          CAR     6-10                WAS    3-13

AFC Playoffs

Round 1: (3) KC 24, (6) PIT 20                  (4) BAL 27, (5) MIA 13

Round 2: (1) NE 21, (4) BAL 23                 (2) IND 24, (3) KC 31

Round 3: (3) KC 20, (4) BAL 17

NFC Playoffs

Round 1: (3) SEA 27, (6) PHI 20                (4) ATL 27, (5) MIN 31

Round 2: (1) GB 34, (5) MIN 23                 (2) DAL 26, (3) SEA 21

Round 3: (1) GB 24, (2) DAL 21

Super Bowl

(3) KC 20, (1) GB 27

2015 Super Bowl Champions: GREEN BAY PACKERS

Bets

•       Division Winners: Dallas (+200), Atlanta (+200), Baltimore (+160), Kansas City (+320). Minnesota (+177) and Miami (+140), YES for making playoffs
•       Julio Jones OVER 1500 yards (+400), over 100 yards in 8 games (+600), most receiving yards in the NFL (+600)
•       Jamaal Charles most rushing yards in NFL (+800)
•       Offensive Rookie of the Year: Amari Cooper (+800)
•       AFC Champion: Kansas City (+1800), Baltimore (+1200)
•       Super Bowl Champion: Green Bay (+750), Dallas (+1800)

Bold Predictions

Arizona Cardinals: Tyrann Mathieu will be responsible for forcing 8 turnovers.

Atlanta Falcons: Julio Jones will finish as the number one wide receiver in fantasy, with 111 receptions, 1,682 yards, and 12 touchdowns.

Baltimore Ravens: CJ Mosley will lead the league in tackles, and the Ravens will get at least to the AFC Championship Game.

Buffalo Bills: Neither LeSean McCoy, nor Sammy Watkins will break 1,000 yards.

Carolina Panthers: Rookie Cameron Artis-Payne will lead the team in rushing yards.

Chicago Bears: Martellus Bennett will finish as a top-2 tight end in fantasy, with 86 receptions, 922 yards, and 10 touchdowns.

Cincinnati Bengals: Jeremy Hill will rush for over 1,300 yards but will not reach double digit rushing touchdowns.

Cleveland Browns: Rookie Duke Johnson will lead the team in rushing yards, and Johnny Manziel finishes the season with more turnovers than touchdowns.

Dallas Cowboys: Tony Romo will throw for at least 4,000 yards AND 30 touchdowns, something he has only done twice in his career, the last time being 2011. Dallas will reach the NFC Championship Game, and if they can actually beat the Packers this time, then I think they win the Super Bowl. That’s right, the Cowboys are my backup pick to win it all. I love even more that they’re actually under the radar because of Philly in their division. But I won’t pick them as champs because I have a soul.

Denver Broncos: Peyton Manning is my favorite player of all time, so this is especially painful for me, but…the Denver Broncos will NOT make the playoffs, and Peyton will throw for less than 35 touchdowns, although I do think that CJ Anderson will be a top-5 running back in fantasy.

Detroit Lions: Ameer Abdullah finishes the year with 500 rushing yards, 500 receiving yards, and 5 total touchdowns.

Green Bay Packers: Davante Adams will have 65 receptions, 950 yards, and 9 touchdowns, and even without Jordy Nelson, the Packers win the Super Bowl. I think Eddie Lacy has a shot for 15 total touchdowns, and Rodgers probably wins MVP.

Houston Texans: JJ Watt wins Defensive Player of the Year with 18 sacks and over 30 tackles for loss. He will also score three offensive touchdowns.

Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck will be the top fantasy quarterback, leading the league in passing yards and throwing 38 touchdowns. Andre Johnson will have 71 receptions, 1,034 yards, and 9 touchdowns. However, the Colts will not make it to the Super Bowl this year, although I would root for them if they do.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Julius Thomas has less than 40 receptions, 500 yards, and 6 touchdowns. However, Dan Skuta will have at least 10 sacks.

Kansas City Chiefs: Jamaal Charles leads the NFL in rushing yards with 1,658, and is a top-2 fantasy back. Justin Houston gets to 20 sacks again, and the Chiefs lead the NFL in turnover margin. I absolutely love this team, and the Kansas City Chiefs are my pick to win the AFC and play in the Super Bowl.

Miami Dolphins: I was ready to pick the Dolphins to win the East until Brady’s suspension was overturned. Nonetheless, I think they will start 6-0, win 10 games, and get the 5 seed in the AFC. Jarvis Landry catches 100 passes for over 1,000 yards, and DeVante Parker has 5 touchdowns over the last eight games of the season. The D/ST will be top 5 in fantasy and Suh will get 8 sacks and 5 forced fumbles.

Minnesota Vikings: It is a little frustrating to watch the Vikings get all this hype leading into the season, because they were my favorite sleeper pick to grab a playoff spot since before Adrian Peterson was reinstated. With that said, I absolutely love this team to grab the 5 seed in the NFC, and I think they beat the Falcons to make it to the second round of the playoffs. Teddy Bridgewater throws 25 touchdowns, less than 12 interceptions, and Adrian Peterson rushes for 1,400 yards and 11 touchdowns. 10 wins, a playoff spot, and a first round upset. LOCK IT IN!

New England Patriots: I will say this very quickly regarding the outrageous events of Deflategate. I think the Patriots are scum and are very aware of the lines they cross in order to win. However, I am happy that Brady got his suspension overturned. That did not prove his innocence, but it did prove again how incompetent Roger Goodell is as commissioner, and if this loss diminishes his role in any way, or even leads to his firing, then in my book that is a massive success. So my prediction is that Brady throws for 4,500 yards and wins 12 games before being upset by their hated rival Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs. Jamie Collins makes the Pro Bowl with over 100 tackles, 5 sacks, and 5 forced turnovers, and Gronk scores 11 touchdowns.

New Orleans Saints: Mark Ingram runs for 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns, but Drew Brees throws under 30 touchdowns and over 20 interceptions.

New York Giants: Landon Collins leads the team in tackles, while on the offensive side of the ball, Odell Beckham Jr. scores 14 touchdowns, but has under 1,300 yards.

New York Jets: Chris Ivory will lead the team in touchdowns, and Darrelle Revis will only directly give up two touchdowns all season.

Oakland Raiders: 80 receptions, 1,200 yards, and 8 touchdowns for Amari Cooper, who wins Offensive Rookie of the Year, and 85 tackles with 11 sacks for UB’s own Khalil Mack!

Philadelphia Eagles: This team is fascinating. My first prediction is that they do NOT win the NFC East, and do NOT win a playoff game unless maybe they face the NFC South winner in round one. One player I am passionate about, however, is Jordan Matthews, who I think will catch 90 passes for 1,300 yards and 11 touchdowns. DeMarco Murray will play 14 games and rush for 1,200 yards and 9 touchdowns. I am not a believer in Sam Bradford and I believe he will throw less than 25 touchdowns and 3,500 yards. I will not predict a player to get seriously injured, but Bradford is frail, and I would watch out for their Week 10 game hosting Suh and the Dolphins. Finally, I predict rookie Nelson Agholor to average 18 yards per catch.

Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers barely get the 6 seed on tiebreakers over Denver, by beating the Broncos head to head in their Week 15 matchup at home. I’m all in on the big three studs offensively. Ben Roethlisberger is a top four fantasy QB, with 4,500 yards and 34 touchdowns. LeVeon Bell is a top-2 RB even after missing two games, with 2,300 yards from scrimmage and 15 total touchdowns. Antonio Brown has 114 receptions for 1,462 yards and 10 scores.

San Diego Chargers: Melvin Gordon rushes for 856 yards and 7 touchdowns.

San Francisco 49ers: What happened to this team??? I was not a fan at all of the Harbaugh-Kaepernick era, so I must admit I felt a little joy watching this team implode. However, some positives: Aaron Lynch records 10 sacks, and Kaepernick uses his legs more, rushing for 600 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Seattle Seahawks: They’ll still be good, but lack of depth will finally catch up to them, as they will not even make it to the NFC Championship Game, especially not without behemoth safety Kam Chancellor. Jimmy Graham puts up decent but not stud numbers, with 65 catches, 820 yards, and 8 touchdowns. Lynch is scaled back to 1,150 yards and 11 total touchdowns, and newly signed Fred Jackson contributes with 400 yards and 4 scores of his own. Side note: the Seahawks drafted backup offensive lineman Kristjan Sokoli in the sixth round this year, who I worked on a group project with in a class at Buffalo! Hopefully he’ll get some playing time.

St. Louis Rams: I almost put the Rams in the playoffs, but I still think they’re one year away. However, I think in 12 games, Todd Gurley will rush for 900 yards and 8 touchdowns. The D/ST will be number two in fantasy, and Aaron Donald puts up double digit sacks as a defensive tackle.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Show signs of progress with Jameis Winston at quarterback, who will throw for 3,300 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions.

Tennessee Titans: Will show fewer signs of progress than Tampa Bay with Marcus Mariota at QB, who will throw for 2,900 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. However, he will also rush for 450 yards and 3 scores, while tight end Delanie Walker will have 733 yards and 8 touchdown catches.

Washington Redskins: The most dysfunctional team in the league will finish with its worst record, at 3-13. Outside linebackers Ryan Kerrigan and Trent Murphy (remember his name!) will combine for 25 sacks.

            These are my 2015 season predictions for the NFL season. I’ll just recap some important thoughts to keep in mind: the teams I LOVE are Kansas City, Baltimore, and Miami in the AFC, and Green Bay, Dallas, and Minnesota in the NFC. My favorite wide receivers looking at huge years are Julio Jones, Jordan Matthews, and Jarvis Landry, with tight end Martellus Bennett included as well. I think that the Super Bowl Champion will be Green Bay, with Dallas as a backup pick, and I definitely think that whoever comes out of the NFC is going to win it all. Good luck to all the teams, and happy Opening Night everyone.