2021 NFL Season Preview: NFC Edition

The NFC is a really hard conference to predict. Besides a few teams, you don’t know who is going to be good or bad. Lets parade through this 16 team slate and see who stands out over everyone else.

Dallas Cowboys (Jerry Jones vs the World AGAIN!): Behold the most overhyped team in the NFL for roughly the 15th year in a row! This year’s edition of “Dem Cowboys” features an offense led by Dak Prescott that in most people’s eyes is ready to explode. (They still have questions on the O-Line with injuries) The biggest questions surrounding this team involve the guys behind the bench, Mike McCarthy and Dan Quinn are trying to prove that they don’t have to be carried by the wonders of High-End Talent. I like the fact that they brought in Keanu Neal and Micah Parsons but how will they use Jaylon Smith? I know, run a 3-4 scheme that is new for Quinn but hey it’s better than what they have had in years past. All I can say is we cannot have the Cowboys beating the Bucs in Week 1! The insufferability from Dallas would be insane. (That’s the last thing Roger Goodell needs, JerryBoy trying to run the league AGAIN!)

New York Giants (What’s your conspiracy theory now?): There will be no excuses for the Giants this year. Despite overhauling the roster with receivers this offseason any chance at an emergence of being a gongshow will be on Daniel Jones plus the offensive line. Now that Saquan Barkley is back it should be easier for their QB to improve. If he doesn’t Dave Gettleman would have made a massive mistake in drafting him over the other Josh Allen and Ed Oliver. The good news for the G-Men is that their defense made positive strides last year and now with a full offseason this unit could make serious noise. They’re the team with the most upside in the NFC East based on coaching and scheming. There is one positive, they are the most well-run team in the division! That always is a plus. (That’s because the other 3 owners are total egotistical maniacs)

Philadelphia Eagles (Lorie’s Never-Ending QB Circus): Who would have thought that the Eagles could have gone from Super Bowl Champions in 2017 to being potentially the Tank Bowl favorites in the NFC 4 years later? That’s because of injuries, bad luck, arrogant players and coaches, plus the clown at the top known as Jeffery Lorie. (Roseman is all but his puppet these days) Learning nothing from years past he hired a puppet of a coach in Nick Sirianni and his new coach hasn’t named their starting QB thanks to signing Joe Flacco, and trading for Gardiner Minshew. You have a 2nd year QB in Jalen Hurts who played outstanding last year in the few games he played, stop thinking it’s 2014! Although the DeVonta Smith pick looks like a home run, it’s going to be a long year at the Linc this year. Enjoy the sounds of those tanks Philly!

Washington Hogs (You still don’t have a name): This is one of the few times that I talk about this team in terms of on the field action. Most of the nonsense coming out of HogLand has come from Dan Snyder and whatever name rights and off-field problems they have. Those things take away the fact that Washington is gearing up for a potential deep playoff run. They did bring in Ryan Fitzpatrick, Curtis Samuel, and Kendall Fuller this offseason and most of that defense that suffocated their late season competition is back as well. But I just don’t know how they can survive against a suddenly improved division. Any chance of these guys getting past Dallas and New York will be in the hands of Ron Rivera and FitzCeption. If they can’t get a rhythm going it’s going to be another long season. (As a Marylander all I want is for them to play 2nd fiddle to the Ravens in terms of Beltway bragging rights AGAIN!)

Chicago Bears (Trying to fix a glitch in the offense): The Bears are trying to regain their 2018 form by any means necessary! Even after another playoff berth they decided to throw Mitch Trubisky into Lake Michigan and then potentially replace him with a generational talent in Justin Fields. Even if he is not the starter right away Andy Dalton won’t have to have all of the pressure on him because of their defense and David Montgomery. (Add Allen Robinson and Tarik Cohen as well) Chicago is going to have to be in playoff contention this year since they don’t want to have their 1st Round pick which is Giants property in the Top 10, and they know it too. As long as their momentum isn’t smoke and mirrors they have a shot. Just don’t count on the Packers going away any time soon either! (The Bears thought they had a cakewalk path to the NFC North title when Rodgers was holding out, NOT!)

Detroit Lions (The NFL’s “Rebuilt” Complex): Once again the Lions are going through a massive overhaul of a rebuild but at least they aren’t trying to clone the Patriots. Matt Stafford is gone but they at least got Jared Goff in return. With the hiring of Dan Campbell, Detroit is looking to beef up that defense especially Jeff Okudah and Jamie Collins if they want to have a bright future. Hopefully Penei Sewell overcomes his rough preseason and becomes the blindside blocker you guys think he can be. Let me put it to you this way, Campbell is either going to be the greatest hiring in Lions History, or the next Freddie Kitchens. I’m not the only one saying that but from recent trends that is probably a true statement. Now where’s the next Calvin Johnson or Barry Sanders that could save this team?

Green Bay Packers (The Cheesehead Factory): No team had a more crazy offseason and had more drama than the Green Bay Packers. First we had Aaron Rodgers being angry at Brian Gutekuntz for not drafting Terrace Marshall or Elijah Moore, then he threatened Mark Murphy to trade him, he was on Jeopardy, plus he was listening to Taylor Swift during downtime, and he got so motivated by the Bucks winning the NBA Championship that he decided to come back and claim that this is no farewell tour and that “we are trying to win a Super Bowl.” Now that Rodgers and Randall Cobb are back where they belong, the Packers are trying to overcome losing in the NFC Championship during the last 2 years. They know that this is their last chance before Cap Hell comes their way. Matt LeFleur is trying to avoid following the pre-2019 Andy Reid trial of not getting past the NFC Title game and they now have to prove that they can get past Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. As long as they don’t get burned over the top they have a chance. CRACK! “Beer King” Bakhtiari being out 6 weeks is going to be tough but unlike his injury last year they are well prepared for something like this.

Minnesota Vikings (Kirk Cousins is the least of your issues): Here is why I can’t be high on the Vikings. Because like most years any expectations that they have for making a deep playoff run are erased thanks to one side of the ball being a total liability. During 2018 it was the offense, now it’s the defense and Mike Zimmer being unable to scheme against the powerhouse teams in their conference. Even if Minnesota has some of the most talented offensive players in the NFL at their positions they are going to need Kirk Cousins to not suck against teams over 500. It’s been a massive concern for them this year and with the schedule that they have it’s going to be very hard for them to make the playoffs. Who am I kidding? The NFC is wide open excluding the NFC West Green Bay and Tampa.

Atlanta Falcons (They still think they can make the playoffs): Even if Julio Jones and Todd Gurley are long gone the Falcons still think they can make noise this season. I don’t blame them since they got a generational Tight End in Kyle Pitts and hired an offensive mastermind in Arthur Smith as their next head coach. But like most years anything holding this team back is Arthur Blank being loyal to his servants and the defense not being a mess. Like most years Matt Ryan is a bright spot but how does the offense adjust to a new scheme? I honestly don’t know anymore.

Carolina Panthers (New year, New QB AGAIN!): Well their rebuild is going well despite the 5-11 finish last year. Once again the Panthers are trying to shuffle the deck in terms of QB play by replacing Teddy Bridgewater with Sam Darnold, in my opinion from a coaching standpoint this should be a good fit between him and Matt Rhule. As long as Christian McCaffery is healthy this season they have a chance to shock some people. Although the massive otherhauling on the defense could also come back to bite them. Who knows how this story ends.

New Orleans Saints (A World without Brees): Even without the best player that their franchise has ever had the Saints still have plenty of talent to make noise in the NFC. They still have Alvin Kamara, and their defense is still very good in terms of scheming and discipline. The only thing concerning this team is how they will fare with Jameis Winston as their starter. (It’s good that they are keeping Taysom Hill as a TE/WR) If he limits his turnover trends thanks to the aid of Sean Payton this team can take off again. GRUMBLE! Why is the ground shaking? (Saints to vacate Superdome for Week 1 against Packers thanks to Hurricane) Oh gosh, is this punishment for Brees retiring? I think it is punishment because this same exact scenario happened the year before he arrived. The Superdome Curse never dies!

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (The Sports Capital of the United States): In a first in the Salary Cap era, a team that won the Super Bowl the year before has brought back all 22 of their starters from that championship season. It’s easy when Tom Brady takes much less money than the average starting QB is paid so that he can have a great supporting cast. The Bucs are trying to do what their inner city brothers in the Lightning did this past June. RUN IT BACK! This is a team with no true weaknesses and if they stay healthy #TompaBay could easily defend their title. The only down part this offseason was when the Diva known as AB started a massive fight with the Titans at an intersquad scrimmage. Just shake it off and get ready for the season. (The last thing the NFL needs is Tom Brady winning Super Bowl #8)

Arizona Cardinals (The AirRaid Hype Machine): The desert is in need of a great team to rally behind. The Diamondbacks have the worst record in the NL, the Coyotes are on the verge of moving, and the Suns blew a 2-0 lead in the Finals. The Cardinals are trying to overcome these woes with a deep playoff run of their own. Even if Larry Fitzgerald is most likely not coming back, Arizona replaced him with AJ Green. The big prize for them is getting JJ Watt for a base salary to overcome the loss of Patrick Peterson. Even if the 2 longtime faces of the franchise are gone, the Cards are trying to prove that their collapse from last year was unusual. The biggest issue for them is that they have no running game. Especially in their division with the other 3 teams having strong pass defenses it could be doomsday for them. If they fall short again, we don’t want to talk about it!

Los Angeles Rams (McVay is out for blood): There is only one reason why the Rams are a popular pick for the Super Bowl. No, it has nothing to do with the defense or getting Matt Stafford, or the LA market, or perhaps the genius known as Sean McVay. It’s because of one simple fact, THEY AND THE CHARGERS ARE HOSTING THE SUPER BOWL! After seeing what the Buccaneers did last year everyone thinks they can follow in those shoes. The Rams have an outstanding defense with Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey in their primes. But here is the thing that concerns me, LA has no running game. Plus they lost most of their receivers from the 2018 team. Stafford is in the same situation that was in with the Lions except Detroit never had a Top 5 defense. Once again I’m going to ask, do you trust these guys beating the 49ers and Seahawks with those things I just mentioned? I can’t tell.

San Francisco 49ers (Everything is back to normal): Last year will not be discussed by anyone in the Bay Area. Setting an NFL record for players on IR in 2020 was obviously a tough pill to swallow. Now that the 49ers are healthy they have a great chance at making the playoffs. The only thing that is a problem for them is who the starting QB is going to be? Jimmy Garoppolo is going to be the starter Week 1, but Trey Lance has looked outstanding this preseason. This could be a Mahomes-esk situation in Kansas City in 2017 where they let Jimmy G play this year and then trade him for a few picks. Either way regardless of their starting Qb they will have plenty of weapons like George Kittle and Raheem Mostert coming back from injuries. They still have that rock solid defense that took them to the Super Bowl in 2019. The only thing holding them back is injuries and consistency. It will be an uphill climb for them to regain their NFC West title.

Seattle Seahawks (Chef Russ’ Annual Offensive Juggernaut): I don’t know how they do it but the Seahawks have this infamous potential thing they have going for them on offense. Getting Chris Carson back is a huge lift for that team especially if they want to maintain their title as the team to beat in the NFC West. Russell Wilson and DK Metcalf still lead the charge but the defense is the key to their success. They need to fill the void left by KJ Wright if they want to avoid having one of the worst defenses in the NFL. At least they still have Jamal Adams and Bobby Wagner. (Speaking of Adams he got a massive extension) As long as they stay healthy they are in good shape but how long until Russell Wilson gets angry and demands the team to trade for a big game wideout? Let me guess 6 weeks?

The NFC is looking to be not as packed as in years past but as they say anything can happen. Let’s take a peek at the predictions shall we.

NFC East

1. Giants 10-7 (#4)
2. Cowboys 9-8
3. Hogs 8-9
4. Eagles 4-13

NFC North

1. Packers 13-4 (#2)
2. Bears 9-7-1
3. Vikings 9-7-1
4. Lions 5-12

NFC South

1. Buccaneers 15-2 (#1)
2. Saints 11-6 (#6)
3. Panthers 7-10
4. Falcons 6-11

NFC West

1. Seahawks 11-6 (#3)
2. 49ers 11-6 (#5)
3. Rams 10-7 (#7)
4. Cardinals 8-9

NFC Wild Card

#2 Packers over #7 Rams

#6 Saints over #3 Seahawks

#5 49ers over #4 Giants

NFC Divisional

#1 Buccaneers over #6 Saints

#2 Packers over #5 49ers

NFC Championship

#1 Buccaneers over #2 Packers

Super Bowl LVI

#1 Buccaneers over #1 Chiefs (AGAIN!)

Awards

NFL MVP: Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs

Offensive Player of the Year: Derrick Henry, Titans

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Mac Jones, Patriots

Defensive Player of the Year: Chase Young, Hogs

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Micah Parsons, Cowboys

Comeback Player of the Year: Saquan Barkley, Giants

Coach of the Year: Bill Belichick, Patriots

Super Bowl MVP: Tom Brady, Buccaneers