NFL 2018-19 Preview

NFL 2018-19 Preview

by Host Alex Strizak

It's that time again... The NFL season is right around the corner and once again we'll have some fun pretending like we know what we're talking about...

Football is one of the toughest sports for me to predict Power Rankings. The injuries are just so random and in such great amount and I always felt like I wanted to bet on the team I thought had the best chance of staying healthy...

But I'm learning that there's just too many injuries to worry about which team might have the most starters standing by the end of the year (See these stats at my article here). What seems to have the most impact on an NFL team is the coach and his system...

The Rams, Jaguars, and Patriots are all great examples of this.

On the flip side, the Giants and Cincinnati are an example of the negative effect it can have where it looks like a franchise is wasting talented players.

So, this year... I'm making my predictions based on how much I trust the coaching staff and systems, THEN which team I think has the most talent, THEN which team I think will stay healthy.

Let's open up with the division predicted standings:

AFC

East

1. New England Patriots

2. Buffalo Bills

3. New York Jets

4. Miami Dolphins

North

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

2. Baltimore Ravens

3. Cleveland Browns

4. Cincinnati Bengals

South

1. Houston Texans

2. Jacksonville Jaguars

3. Indianapolis Colts

4. Tennessee Titans

West

1. Los Angeles Chargers

2. Kansas City Chiefs

3. Denver Broncos

4. Oakland Raiders

NFC

East

1. Philadelphia Eagles

2. New York Giants

3. Dallas Cowboys

4. Washington Redskins

North

1. Minnesota Vikings

2. Green Bay Packers

3. Detroit Lions

4. Chicago Bears

South

1. Carolina Panthers

2. New Orleans Saints

3. Atlanta Falcons

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

West

1. Los Angeles Rams

2. San Francisco 49ers

3. Seattle Seahawks

4. Arizona Cardinals

Some predictions here that stand out:

I think the Texans with Watt, Watson, and Clowney looking healthy and ferocious will be enough to take the division from Jacksonville. Don't forget Houston fans that when Watson was healthy AND Watt wasn't, your Texans lost by 3 to the Super Bowl bound Patriots and kicked the crap out of Tennessee 57-14...

Yep. The Chargers are my favorite to win the West and it makes me all the more bitter that they're not in San Diego with this talented team. Instead, this talented team will get to show their skills in StubHub and make me depressed. But on a football side, their defense is solid and I believe the offense is even better this year which puts them in a good spot to leapfrog the Chiefs who are going through Round 1 of a new QB situation...

I might be getting too excited with the Giants. But I'm a true believer in that a coach and the system he runs have the most impact on a team. Even over talent. And this Giant team has so much talent that them finally getting back to a decent coaching staff should be enough to get them back in the hunt.

The NFC South is usually pretty crowded and this year is no different. However, Cam Newton is hanging out with Tom Brady and Norv Turner? Sign me up. Cam looks motivated to not only regain an MVP, but lock down that elusive championship that has slipped away from him multiple times since taking off the Auburn uniform. Oh, and Head Coach Rivera running the defense with Norv Turner running the offense? The Chargers in 2009 went 13-3 with the two coaches and this Panthers team arguably has more talent... That's an intriguing situation...

Now, let's get to your favorite part of Power Rankings with one sentence summarizing each team so you can tell me how I'm wrong.

Power Rankings

1. Los Angeles Rams

They added 2 Pro Bowl caliber corner backs and Suh to the line with an already well-run offense that now has a vertical threat in Brandin Cooks. Sheesh, lookout...

2. Philadelphia Eagles

It's always hard to repeat a championship, but it helps when you win a championship WITHOUT your super star quarterback and left tackle AND they both come back for your team the next year...

3. Minnesota Vikings

Super talented with some nice new additions and some key players returning from injury make them immediately a Super Bowl threat...

4. New England Patriots

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick still run this team? Enough said.

5. Houston Texans

Welcome back the electrifying Watson and Watt... That is all...

6. Carolina Panthers

Welcome back MVP Cam Newton with some new tricks up his sleeve. We'll be lucky enough to see him hit it off with the right coaching staff in place...

7. New Orleans Saints

Talent throughout with solid coaching will keep them as a contender in a tough NFC...

8. Pittsburgh Steelers

Their no-huddle offense should be a hit with Big Ben, Bell, Brown, and Ju-Ju which should be a blast to watch...

9. Jacksonville Jaguars

Because they didn't add the perfect fit in Bridgewater, they go from the #1 on this list to their current spot because all it takes is one Bortles mistake and you're on the couch watching Brady, once again...

10. Green Bay Packers

Rodgers is back with something to prove... Will he have enough help on defense to make them Super Bowl bound in a stacked NFC?...

11. Los Angeles Chargers

They're really good, but Jason Verrett is already on the Injured Reserve. How many more injury blows can the Chargers endure before it leads to the end of their season?

12. Atlanta Falcons

Speaking of coaching systems, Matt Ryan will make Steve Sarkisian look good even though I'm not a fan of Steve and eventually his coaching will lead to the end of the Falcons championship hopes...

13. Kansas City Chiefs

They'll have some growing pains with Mahomes, but their talent should keep them in the AFC West race the whole way...

14. San Francisco 49ers

They'd be higher up if their defense was better, but at least this team is going in the right direction and should be excited for the future...

15. New York Giants

The hardest team to figure what is going to happen to them this season. I could see them at #5 on this list or #25 by Week 4...

16. Detroit Lions

They're not bad, but do they have enough fire power to win in a stacked NFC and especially a stacked NFC North?...

17. Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck is back which makes this team at worst middle of the road... Must be nice for Colts fans to always be lower in total talent and yet still be in playoff talks...

18. Baltimore Ravens

They'd be higher up if they just admit that Flacco wasn't worth the price tag and they start Lamar Jackson who, in my mind, has a bright future ahead of him...

19. Denver Broncos

Their defense is good again, but will Case Keenum be what John Elway is expecting from his quarterback position?...

20. Dallas Cowboys

They lost a lot of targets on offense, so it'll be interesting to see how many carries Zeke has vs how many INT's Prescott has the first 3 weeks of the season... That'll be the decider if this team can hang...

21. Washington Redskins

Alex Smith is good, but the supporting cast is too weak for me to think this team has a chance in the NFC... Maybe in the AFC they'd be a Wild Card team...

22. Chicago Bears

They're doing the rebuild right, just gotta be patient and wait for these Vikings and Packers teams to get older which (good news for the Bears) happens quickly in football...

23. Cleveland Browns

They're much better and still have a lot of solid draft picks for the future. Patience my fellow Browns fans our time will come, patience...

24. Seattle Seahawks
I always get scrutinized for hating on Seattle, but Russell Wilson and Doug Baldwin keep this team from being #32 on this list...

25. Tennessee Titans

Mariota just does not look good and that's awful news for Titans fans who have such a good O-line to protect him...

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

If Winston comes back motivated, they have a good defense to go with him... If not, adios...

27. Buffalo Bills

They're going to miss Tyrod Taylor, but I think Josh Allen will be a very good NFL quarterback. He just needs time so be patient like Rams fans were with Goff after his rookie season...

28. Oakland Raiders

Their O-line and Cornerbacks are very below average and I feel those are the spine of your team. So good luck when Carr is on his @$$ and other team's wide receivers are as open as the receivers on Saturdays in the American Conference...

29. Arizona Cardinals

Rosen looks like he has some potential and David Johnson might stay healthy but I'm not betting on this team...

30. New York Jets
Let's not get ahead of ourselves here... Darnold has looked good but that doesn't automatically make him Joe Namath...

31. Cincinnati Bengals

They should be embarrassed that they've had the same coaching system for 15 years and they're 0-7 in the playoffs over that span... How can you win a championship win you haven't won a playoff game in the past 27 seasons?? (I'm looking DIRECTLY at you Seattle Mariners...)

32. Miami Dolphins

Kenyon Drake has some super star talents which should be fun to watch but the rest of the team looks gross and their wins will inflate a little since they are a part of the weakest division in football...

As of 31 August 2018

-Host Alex Strizak