Friday, September 07, 2012

How the NFC could shake out in 2012

For every AFC preview, there must be an NFC one! Here is how I project the NFC division races will shake out.

NFC East
Projected finish: New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys
Going up: Redskins. They will be dramatically improved at the most important position and could have a fairly stout defense again.
Going down: Giants. The champs have nowhere to go but down, and they have not always handled success well.
Summary: I think any team could win this division. The Eagles have the most talent, but their execution and QB Michael Vick's injuries were problematic a year ago. The Cowboys also have a lot of talent, but I question how their lines will hold up over the course of a season. This is the league's toughest division.


NFC North
Projected finish: Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings
Going up: Vikings. They're in rebuild mode, but some of the young players who gained experience last season, notably QB Christian Ponder, should be better.
Going down: Packers and Lions. Green Bay won't go 15-1 again, not even close. Detroit still has no secondary and no offensive line. Not good in a division with QBs Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler, as well as pass rushers extraordinaire Jared Allen, Julius Peppers and Clay Matthews.
Summary: I think the Packers are in much tougher this season. Interesting to me that a 15-1 team is breaking in five new starters. Chicago's defense is due to decline because of age and injuries and it has little in the secondary, but it's offense should be dynamic. Any of the top three teams could win this highly competitive division.

NFC South
Projected finish: Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Bucs
Going up: Panthers. If their defense improves a reasonable amount, they have the talent on offense to hang with Atlanta and New Orleans.
Going down: Saints. At some point not having a coach, GM and defensive captain has to catch up to them. 
Summary: Atlanta is supposed to be good every year, and this one is no exception. But at some point the Falcons need to have a run in the playoffs. The Saints could win the Super Bowl or be 8-8. Was 2010's 10-6 record a mirage for the Bucs? Or are they closer to last season's team that ended the year with 10 consecutive losses.

NFC West
Projected finish: Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams
Going up: Seahawks. Two good options at quarterback -- Matt Flynn and Russell Wilson -- which is two more than they had last season. Who they will throw to is the major question. The defense and run game are sound and they enjoy a very good home-field advantage.
Going down: 49ers. They're probably going to make the playoffs again, but it's tough for me to see Alex Smith having another nearly mistake-free season and their injury-prone RBs staying healthy. A strong defense got career years from everyone in their secondary. I know the Niners are good, but I question if they can sustain it.
Summary: If you could combine the Cardinals receivers with the Rams RBs, you might have a pretty good offense. These two seem a notch below the Seahawks and Niners.



1 comment:

Ernest said...

I have to hope that with all the money Jerry spent on the corners this off season, that Dallas will reap some benefits from it. The line is questionable and so is the health of our receivers. ( Miles Austin) You are right: toughest division by far; but I have to go with the Boyz!! Hagee would disagree!