Official 2008-09 NFL thread

[Martok]

NFC East: As much as it pains me to say so, the Cowboys -- my favorite team to hate -- has the edge to win the division. Eli and the Giants will still be pretty good, but they lost too much talent in the offseason to compete with Dallas. New York will finish second, getting one of the wild card slots. Philly will finish at around .500, with Washington continuing to struggle.

Cowboys
Giants (wild card)
Eagles
Redskins


NFC North: Yes, my beloved Vikings ponied up the dough in this past spring/summer and did some serious beefing up of their player roster. Yes, Green Bay has lost Favre, and his heir-apparent is still a largely-untested QB. Despite this, however, the Packers will still just edge out Minnesota for the division title, with my team landing the other wild card berth. Chicago will just barely avoid the cellar, relegating that role (as usual) to Detroit.

Packers
Vikings (wild card)
Bears
Lions


NFC South: In one of of my surprise picks, I'm actually going with Tampa Bay to repeat. The Saints are decent, but they're also overrated IMHO. Atlanta will again finish last, although Carolina probably won't do much better.

Bucs
Saints
Panthers
Falcons


NFC West: It's Seattle's division to lose this year. Arizona should give them a run for their money, but will fall probably short in the end. I predict San Francisco will finally begin to show signs of life, possibly going 8-8. St. Louis will continue to suffer setbacks.

Seahawks
Cardinals
49ers
Rams


AFC East: New England -- not that that one's a tough call. Buffalo and New York will finish at or just above .500, with Miami winning *maybe* 6 games this season (if they're lucky).

Patriots
Bills
Jets
Dolphins


AFC North: I agree Pittsburgh still has the edge, but with Cleveland nipping at their heels the whole way -- either way, one team will win the division crown, while the other gets a wild card slot. I think Baltimore, while not competitive this season, will still do better than most are expecting. Cincinnati will continue to free-fall.

Steelers
Browns (wild card)
Ravens
Bengals


AFC South: Indianapolis will win their division again, despite their injuries -- with my beloved Dungy retiring, they're going to play all-out this season. Also, I don't think Garrard is quite as good as some people think he is, nor the team as a whole (for all that I'm a del Rio fan). In fact, I'm picking Houston to finish second and just edge out the Jaguars for a wild-card slot. I do agree, however, that Tennessee will continue to go nowhere until they find someone for Young to throw to.

Colts
Texans (wild card)
Jaguars
Titans


AFC West: Yep, San Diego for the division crown. Denver will finish second, but not really threaten, with KC doing surprisingly well given their druthers the last few seasons (wouldn't be surprised if they managed to go 8-8). Oakland....sucks. They have for years, and will continue to do so.

Chargers
Broncos
Chiefs
Raiders



Final Predictions:

NFC: Cowboys over Seahawks

AFC: Patriots over Chargers

Super Bowl: Patriots over Cowboys (which is close to my ultimate nightmare scenario, by the way -- two teams I despise )