2012 NFL Preseason Predictions

IT'S BACK!  Football is back!  And I couldn't be happier.  I love football season.  Honestly, fall is the best sports time of the year.  Between football, the baseball postseason drive, and the beginning of hockey (hopefully) and basketball seasons...there's a ton going on!  The weather here is usually warm in the fall.  My birthday is in October.  Fall is just awesome.

So, football is back, and life is awesome.  Thus, its time for my preseason predictions!  As always, I'll pick the division winners, the wild cards, put them into seeds, and then run the playoffs through and pick a champion.  Obviously, I'll be hugely wrong...but its fun!  I might even add in some postseason awards predictions, like I do for the other sports.  Lets get going!

NFC:

West:  San Francisco (2)

East:  Philadelphia (4)

North:  Green Bay (1)

South:  Atlanta (3)

Wild Card:  Chicago (5)

Wild Card:  New Orleans (6)

Green Bay and SF are pretty easy picks.  Chicago should be awesome this year, but with GB in their division will have to settle for a wild card.  Atlanta should be really good.  I like them taking the South over New Orleans, who could struggle without their coach, at least out the gate.  Still have NO getting the last wild card spot.  I'll take Philly in the East, but I'm not happy about it.  I think all those teams are terrible.

AFC:

West:  Denver (4)

East:  New England (1)

North:  Baltimore (3)

South:  Houston (2)

Wild Card:  Pittsburgh (5)

Wild Card:  Cincinnati (6)

New England and Houston seem like pretty easy picks.  Baltimore in the North is a tough one...Pittsburgh and Cincy should both be very good once again.  I'll take Ray Rice and Torrey Smith for the division, and have the AFC North sweep the wild card spots again this year.  Just too good.  I'll take Denver in the West...but much like the NFC East, I don't like it.  None of those teams are very good.  The entire division could finish 8-8 again, like last year.

Playoffs:

Wild Card Round

Chicago over Philadelphia

New Orleans over Atlanta

Denver over Pittsburgh

Baltimore over Cincinnati

Divisional Round

Green Bay over New Orleans

San Francisco over Chicago

New England over Denver

Houston over Baltimore

Conference Championships

San Francisco over Green Bay

Houston over New England

Super Bowl:

San Francisco over Houston

Hahaha, yeah, I'm a homer.  But, really, the Niners should have won the Super Bowl last year...and this year they should be even better...especially on offense.  Add in a competent level offense to our stellar defense...they'll be tough to stop!  Should be fun.  I like Houston in the AFC, assuming they can stay healthy.  Houston would have probably marched to the Super Bowl last year had Schaub and Andre been healthy.  Both these teams seem to be on an upswing, and would be a rather intriguing Super Bowl matchup!  Make it happen, Niners!

Regular Season Award Predictions:

NFL MVP:  Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay
Offensive Player of the Year:  Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans
Defensive Player of the Year:  Patrick Willis, LB, San Francisco 
Offensive Rookie of the Year:  Doug Martin, RB, Tampa Bay
Defensive Rookie of the Year:   Melvin Ingram , LB, San Diego
Coach of the Year:  Lovie Smith, Chicago

And, as always, all predictions wrong or your money back!