CC Sports Weekly

Before I get into predictions, I have to address the black and gold elephant in the room. My Steelers should be playing this weekend, but instead they played themselves out of it. I don’t care about Lev not showing up. I don’t care about all the drama with everyone all year. I don’t even care about the awful reffing in a few games down the stretch. At the end of the day, you have nobody to blame when you go out and lose to OAKLAND and DENVER and TIE THE BROWNS. Even the Chargers debacle can be overlooked if y’all win one of those games. The sheer amount of talent on this team should mean a division title ever year, EASILY. You should be competing for a ring every year, but you never do. Whatever. Even without the Steelers, there’s a solid slate of games this weekend. Let’s start with the least interesting one.

Bears 27, Eagles 10

Sorry, Nick. The Eagles are the worst Wild Card team of the bunch. Not a bad thing this year when they’re all actually good, but still. The Bears will be eager to eat up a playoff win in their first appearance since the 2010 season. Their defense will ultimately prove too much at home.

Colts 38, Texans 37

You know it was a wild year when the AFC has 2 compelling games on the first weekend, a pleasure we’ve missed out on the last few years (looking at you, Jaguars vs. Bills). These 2 teams are hot. They also both lack an imposing defensive presence, so we may be looking at a shootout. It has a last second shootout-y feel to it, and the “rivalry” element only adds to the fun. Colts at the buzzer.

Seahawks 23, Cowboys 17

Screw the Cowboys. Year after year we see mediocre quarterbacks stumble in the playoffs, especially ones who have little experience/have never won on the big stage. Dak is both of those things. Russell Wilson is neither one. He’s been there, done that, has one ring, should have two, and has also never gone one and done. The score won’t really do this one justice, but the 12s (ugh) get a win anyway.

Ravens 20, Chargers 9

My regular season predictions were wrong. Maybe I’ll be wrong again. Regardless, I see the Ravens winning this one. They already beat the Chargers pretty easily two weeks ago in LA, and now they come home to an always raucous crowd in Baltimore. The Chargers have never been a team that’s good in prime time, so the 1 o’clock time slot could play to their advantage, but that’s about all they have going for them. The Ravens defense made Rivers look pretty stupid in December, and there’s no reason to believe that’ll change.

There’s my untrained, “biased” predictions for the Wild Card Round. Again, let me reiterate that the Steelers should totally be playing this weekend and they kinda chose not too. It’s nice having no bad teams or Kirk Cousins in the playoffs. We might actually be in for a good matchup every game. See you next week for the “Why I Was Wrong.”

Anderson Burke

We’ve officially reached the point where it can be “midseason.” Teams are separating from the pack in both directions, with the contenders and dumpster fires becoming clearer every Sunday. Different rankings lists actually sorta mean something now, so here you go. Here’s my divisional rankings before Monday Night Week 6.

8. NFC West. The West has the best team in football in the Rams and then literally nothing else. Seattle is mediocre at best, and the Niners and Cards are probably the two worst teams in the NFC. Not much to see here. Rams will go 13-3 (at least) with their weak schedule.

7. AFC South. Meh. I’m probably too low on this division, but there’s really no good teams. The Titans/Mariota are puzzling on a weekly basis, the Texans are impotent in the red zone, and the Colts are like Plaxico Burress if he aimed at his foot. Most importantly, the Jags look mediocre. When Jalen Ramsey shuts up, you know improvements gotta be made soon, Jag-gos.

6. NFC East. This is a close race, but an uninteresting one. The Skins are somehow in first and their fans have no optimism. The defending champs look weak, and the Giants are a diva show train wreck. I think… this hurts. I think the Cowboys will win this division. YIKES. Very one dimensional, but they’re the best the East has to offer.

5. AFC East. What else is new? The only reason they’re this high is because the Dolphins have looked like a competent organization, something this division hasn’t seen much this millennium. It’s more of the same outside of that. Jets and Bills are mediocre, Pats will easily take the division. Ho hum moving on.

4. AFC West. Two good teams in one division? Gasp! The Chiefs have looked offensively outstanding due to the lack of film on Mahomes and proper usage of Tyreek Hill. The Chargers look 9-7 again, which is probably good for a playoff spot. After this it kinda drops off. Denver has looked ok, with Keenum regressing to average. Then there’s the worst team in football. Chucky’s guys are lost.

3. NFC North. Here we have two good teams, Aaron Rodgers, and the Lions. The Bears are a lot like the 2017 Rams, where they’re good and you can tell there will be better years to come in the future. The Vikings have flashed shades of last year as well, at times looking like the dominant force that made an NFC Championship appearance. As always, the Packers are the wild card. They can win any game they’re in just because of #12, but have no other weapons. Then there’s the Lions, who continue to be the Rays of football. Hovering around .500 every year and underachieving is their thing, and I have to respect it.

2. NFC South. Who dat? The Saints look poised for a bye as the conferences second best team. The Panthers are inconsistent, but they get a lot of unnecessary hate. They’re a good team who’ll probably sneak into a wild card spot. The other two in the South are a mystery. The Falcons continue to get screwed by a terrible defense, which is funny, but they’re still good enough to elevate this division. And then the Bucs. The only real problem with Jameis is that he can’t win games. It sounds stupid that way, but statistically he’s a decent passer and there’s no way the Bucs should move on after this season, even after 4 times missing the postseason. This division has 4 competent teams, but they don’t even compare to my #1.

1. AFC North. Am I biased? Yes. Am I right? Yes. This is the only division with (dare I say) 4 good teams. The Steelers and Ravens are both Super Bowl contenders when they play to their defensive and offensive potentials, respectively. Cincy is sitting in first right now and will probably drop out, but they will still look to be in the hunt for a wild card. Their offense is good when firing on all cylinders. The Browns have also actually looked decent this year. They’re a kicker away from 4-2. That would put them in first. WACK. It’s not their year, but in 2 or 3 it could be. If a division could send 4 teams to the postseason, especially in the AFC, this would be it.

Burke

Thursday Night Football Recap: The New England Patriots won. The Colts arent very good, that is all.

Week 5 is loaded with important and high quality matchups as the NFL landscape for 2018 starts to take shape.

MY WEEK 5 LOCKS:

Panthers over Giants- The Giants offense has seemed lost this season, its as if Ben McAdoo never left! Cam Newton has looked good this season, quietly good; the most common criticism of Cam, his accuracy, he, or Norv Turner, seemed to have solved as Newton is completing 68% of his passes through three games. Carolina also presents Eli with perhaps the NFL’s best front seven. Carolina wins this easily

Rams over Seahawks- Seattle, other than Russell Wilson, do not present much of a challenge to the NFC’s, and maybe the NFL’s best team. Rams win easily.

WEEK 5 UPSET:

Cardinals over 49ers- I cant say if this game will be televised, however, the Jimmy-less Niners are a 4 point favorite against Arizona. Josh Rosen was impressive last week, despite the losing effort. Arizona is 0-4, but they are NOT the NFL’s worst team. Rosen will get his first win on sunday. 

(Two this week, damn)

Jets over Broncos- Sam Darnold is due for a bounceback week against a team reeling from a tough loss to KC, now Denver travels for a 1:00 game on the east coast, The Jets get their second win.

BEST MATCHUPS:

Falcons at Steelers- If there is such a thing as a playoff game in week 5, its going to be at Heinz Field this sunday. This time last month, Atlanta and Pittsburgh would have been a perfectly respectable pick for Super Bowl 53. Now, both are arguable playing for their season. Atlanta, at 1-3 will risk falling even  further into last place. The Steelers, similarly, desperatly need to keep somewhat pace with 3-1 Cincy and Baltimore. This will be a sloppy game played in desperation, i have a feeling the Steelers will pull it out though, ill lose no sleep being wrong on this though.

Jaguars at Chiefs- A fantastic sunday night matchup, oh wait, thats Texans and Cowboys, nevermind. Regardless, this is THE game of week 5 in my opinion. Jacksonville’s number one defense trys to stop Kansas City’s 4-0 momentum at Arrowhead. This will be 60 minutes of fantastic football, im partial to great defenses, so im rolling with the Jags.

Vikings at Eagles- To a much lesser degree than the other game in Pennsylvania, this matchup will also have a very important feel to it. Both participants in last years NFC title game have started off slow, another loss really for either team will ensue some panic in those fanbases and organizations. The Eagles have looked hungover thus far, and Minnesota has played somewhat of a tough first 4 games. Kirk Cousins has impressed me, and the Vikings performance in LA last week would have beat nearly any other team. I like the Vikings to send the champs to 2-3.

WORST MATCHUP:

Similar to my locks and not using the Bills early on, i may have to keep myself from picking Dallas games in this category. Holy hell why is this a sunday night matchup? I understand it will get great ratings for the prestigious and high quality franchise that is The Dallas Cowboys, but this is certainly the “who cares” game of week 5. Both teams arent very good and have been incredibly underwhelming this season. 

@plsorioles

I have to admit, the two thursday night games thus far have been significantly more entertaining than i thought they would be. Last night we saw the Jets come out fast, and Cleveland come out like Cleveland, as the Jets led 14-3 at the half. In the second half the Browns offense began to get going, their defense stiffened up, and before we knew it we were tied at 17. One final drive from Cleveland sealed their first victory since December of ’16, and truthfully, a much deserved victory for the Cleveland faithful, who have been through it over the last five.. ten.. fifteen.. long time.

MY WEEK 3 LOC.. wait, i feel like i forgot to mention something. Oh, yeah. Baker Mayfield had a little something to do with the Browns comeback victory last night. A concussion to Tyrod Taylor, who, up to that point in the game, and really this whole season, has looked incredibly pedestrian, allowed the number one overall pick to take the field for his NFL Debut, and he did not disappoint. In the second half, Mayfield completed 17 of 23 passes for 201 yards while leading the Browns to an 18 point second half. That, mixed with some really great defensive play from the young, and explosive Browns defense is what allowed the victory coolers to finally be cracked open. Two notes on the victory cooler thing; 1) greatest marketing campaign of all time, its beer companies specialty after all. 2) Im very glad i didn’t happen to be on the roads last night in the Cleveland area. In all seriousness, however, Mayfield was impressive, i truly dont think many had the Browns making that comeback. Despite the Mayfield/ Cleveland bandwagon now reaching speeds of approximately Mach 16, i think we all need to be a bit hesitant, we need to consider the defense he was picking apart (virtually non-existent), and the simple fact that was not even one game, but one half. The coming weeks will surely tell if Baker is the answer Cleveland has been waiting for. As far as the Jets are concerned, Darnold will be fine, he has no line, no receivers, no running game, and no assistance in sight from his defensive teammates, so you probably cant say the same for the Jets as a whole.

MY WEEK 3 LOCKS

*I was perfect in my picks last week and that wont happen again, so i look forward to ripping myself apart next week.

• Minnesota over Buffalo- I’ve seen some people pick this as their upset this week, for the life of me i dont know how. Kirk Cousins has been impressive thus far, and now coming off of an incredibly disappointing tie (honestly cant believe ties are thing in PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL) the Vikings will be looking for a punching bag, and that is where the Bills come in. Josh Allen hasn’t looked spectacular, they have no one to catch the ball, protect Allen, or keep the Vikings out of the end zone. This one will almost certainly be ugly.
• Jacksonville over Tennessee- The Jags are coming fresh off a revengeful victory over the New England Patriots, and now plan to improve to 3-0 with a win against the Titans. Tennessee hasn’t shown me much of anything this year, sure a win against Houston (dont get me started), however there is a good chance Blaine Gabbert, who still plays football professionally, by the way, will be the starter once again for the Titans. If he is, this is an easy third win for Jacksonville, if Mariota starts, it will be more competitive, but regardless, the Jaguars are a significantly better team and will pull this victory out.
• New England over Detroit- After being outplayed by Blake Bortles, Tom Brady will not spend any time messing around with Detroit on Sunday night. Since 2001, the Patriots are 38-13 in the week following a loss. Combine New England off a loss with this Detroit Lions team, and this is close to my most confident pick with the Vikings. This game will not be close, and the Patriots will rebound to their second victory of 2018.
• Honorable Mention: Chicago will beat Arizona

UPSET WATCH

• Carolina over Cincinnati- The point spread is Carolina at -3, however in my opinion, Carolina winning this game would be an upset, and i think they will do it. Cincinnati’s offense has been impressive in the first two weeks, however the loss of Joe Mixon will be noticeable, immediately. Carolina’s front 7 is perhaps the NFL’s best, and with no running game, this will be the most pressure Andy Dalton has faced so far this season. With home field advantage and Carolina’s strong D, they get the upset win over the Bengals.

BEST MATCHUPS

• Denver at Baltimore- The Broncos and Ravens both have very strong defenses, however i think Baltimore’s upgraded offense this season is just a bit better than Denver’s. Case Keenum has throw more picks than touchdowns thus far and i dont think Baltimore’s defense will allow him to turn it around. This one will stay close, despite Baltimore likely missing CJ Mosley and their depth on the secondary growing thin, i give a slight edge to the Ravens.
• New Orleans at Atlanta- This is going to be a shootout, no question. Neither team has shown to very capable of defending things yet this season, and it will continue Sunday. I like Atlanta at home, but if im forced to pick between Matt Ryan and Drew Brees, i will always pick the latter.
• Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay- Each week the Steelers dysfunction grows more and more obvious, it will become really difficult to curb my enthusiasm for it. However, this will be a Monday Night Football game worth watching. These teams are actually considerably more similar than i would have ever thought; Incredible talent on the offense, and none on defense. Ryan Fitzpatrick (wont jinx him with calling him you know what) has been fantastic through two weeks, out dueling the defending NFC South and Super Bowl champs in the Saints and Eagles, respectively. Ben Roethlisberger over the past few seasons has been a different quarterback away from Heinz Field, like night and day different. The Steelers have an absolutely atrocious secondary, and if Ryan Fitzpatrick looks the same in week 3 as in weeks 1 and 2, with the weapons at his disposal, i think it’s likely Pittsburgh falls to 0-2-1.

SNOOZERS

• NY Giants at Houston- Both of these teams have looked awfully underwhelming through two weeks, I wont be paying to much attention to this matchup, However i think Houston will “win” their home opener.
• Dallas at Seattle- Irrelevant matchup by in large, neither one of these teams will win their divisions, and its unlikely either one of them will even make the playoffs. It is a must win for both the Cowboys and Seahawks, so expect a sloppy game, with two pedestrian offenses, playing in some week 3 desperation. I’m honestly surprised this is a 4:00pm game, This matchup just screams Sunday Night to me.

@plsorioles

The Jets travel to First-Energy Stadium this week to play a Cleveland Browns team filled with heartbreak after two very devastating games. After being seconds away from beating Pittsburgh in overtime Week 1, the Browns nearly pulled off a miracle upset against the Saints that was unfortunately stopped short by a couple of kicking mistakes and poor decisions by Tyrod Taylor late in the game. Despite their 0-1-1 record, the Browns are arguably the most impressive team right now in the AFC North (which isn’t really saying much). On the other hand, the Jets, who are led by rookie quarterback Sam Darnold, have yet to prove themselves after a very inconsistent start to the season. After beating the Lions 48-17 in week 1, the Jets followed up their blowout win with a rather poor performance against their AFC east division rivals. Can the Browns finally get their first win in nearly two years? Will Sam Darnold establish himself as the best quarterback to come out of the star-studded 2018 draft class? Hopefully this anything but high-profile game can help us answer those questions. Stay tuned for my post-game analysis sometime tomorrow.

~Henry

No, you don’t need to wipe your glasses and read it again. I actually think Cleveland can make the postseason this year, although it is a longshot. The dry spell has to end sometime, and 2018 could be the year amidst a power shift in the upper echelons of the NFL. This team could shock a lot of us, and there are 5 big reasons to believe so.

1. Denzel Ward and Myles Garrett

These two showed up on Sunday, albeit against an anemic Pittsburgh offense. Ward was (debatably) the most controversial pick of the draft, but 2 picks off a Hall of Famer in your debut ain’t too shabby. Garrett also had 2 sacks and 2 forced fumbles, proving that he deserved the #1 pick last year. The talent of these guys, combined with the consistency of a guy like Joe Schobert, could form the beginnings of a powerful defensive core to build around. As any middle aged white man will tell you, defense wins championships, or in the Browns case, gives you a chance to.

2. An effective RB committee

So often, we see teams without a truly great running back try the committee approach to no avail (looking at you, Packers and Redskins). But the Browns might have the right idea with their RB group. We’ve seen Carlos Hyde be serviceable with the Niners, and Duke Johnson is the most underrated pass-catching back in the league, but the crown jewel might be Nick Chubb, the second rounder from Georgia. He’s the most talented of the three, and you just know he’ll be great because he had that nasty injury in college and he came back. For now though, he needs to bide his time and find a way to achieve his potential. He fits nicely into the Browns backfield until that happens.

3. Jarvis Landry

Jarvis is a quiet beast. He had a disappointing year in 2017, but some of that can be attributed to poor QB play in Miami. He’s a guy who you can throw 100 balls to and expect results from. In the aftermath of the Josh Gordon release, the Browns will be in desperate need of a reliable target for Tyrod/Baker. Landry can provide that while also creating favorable matchups against weak AFC North secondaries.

4. They didn’t lose???

A tie was the Brownsiest way to end the losing streak, but maybe the losing mentality that clouds over the city has a tiny little streak of sunlight shining through it now. Hue Jackson is technically undefeated since he took that bath in Lake Erie. Perhaps he keeps it up.

5. Competent QB play

After a long, long time of waiting, we finally cleared the air about this question on Sunday: what can the Browns do with an actual QB under center? The answer? Be meh. Tyrod Taylor is fine, but he’s also efficient, which led to actual points on the board. Imagine what Baker could do for them, after getting an ego deflation from riding the bench for freaking Cleveland. If the Browns can be meh at QB for a whole season, they could go 9-6-1 in their lousy conference. That can get you a playoff spot while we’re still in this AFC transitional period.

There you have it. Feel free to fight in the comments if you’re fired up and angry that the Ravens lost to the red rocket. I hope you all feel like you’ve had your hot take fill for the day, and I’ll see you next week for some more early season overreactions.

Burke

The first official thursday night matchup (thank god football is back where it belongs: during the work week, now featuring the venerable one, Joe Buck), had the Baltimore Ravens traveling to Cincinatti for what was expected to be a typical 60 minute AFC north brawl, with a close score the whole way. The spread was less than a point either way, after all. The final result spoke truth to this. However this divisional primetime affair started very differently from what most expected. The Bengals came out swinging and backed the Ravens, who had just steamrolled Buffalo 5 days prior, in to a corner early, scoring 21 points on three touchdown drives in the first 17 minutes, each terminating in Andy Dalton touchdown tosses to AJ Green. Part of the Ravens first half defensive struggles could be blammed on an early injury to star linebacker C.J Mosley, although an unbalanced offensive attack and an offensive line featuring 3 turnstyles quickly allowing defensive pressure to flush Joe Flacco out of the pocket was no help. The Ravens did manage to muster two touchdown drives of their own in the 2nd quarter, bringing themselves to a reasonable 14 point halftime deficit, given the horrid start for Baltimore. The second half saw momentum stay mostly in Baltimore’s favor as they held Cincinatti’s better than expected offense out of the endzone. Baltimore could not get out their own way for much of this game, committing key penalties and turnovers, questionably trying to convert a 4th down from basically midfield, and whatever sorry excuse for clock management the team displayed in the final 2 minutes and change. Everyone knew each matchup for this Ravens team would not look like what happened to Buffalo in week one. Despite a very slow start, the Ravens did show an ability to tighten up and claw back into the game, an important trait for any team with playoff aspirations. Its not time to ring the alarm bells yet in Baltimore, with matchups with Denver, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Tennessee, the Ravens will likely be able to right the ship. Cincinnati has thus far appeared to be a better football team than most of us thought. Joe Mixon, who was very impressive last night, appears to be emerging as an every down back. Andy Dalton has seemed on his game thus far, however i think it’s a bit premature to officially declare the Bengals a contender. The AFC north remains a bit hazy, Pittsburgh’s showing this weekend against the high flying but perennially underachieving Chiefs will help shape the division landscape a bit more.

MY WEEK 2 LOCKS:

• Chargers will appear significantly closer to their high expectations against what may be the worst team in the league, Buffalo

• Saints rebound after shocking loss against the Browns, not much else to say here, its Drew Brees and its Cleveland.

WEEK 2 UPSET WATCH

• Fitzmagic (yeah, i said it) and the Bucs over an Eagles team that was a bit underwhelming in their opener against Atlanta (yeah, i said it again)

BEST MATCHUPS

• Tom Brady and the Patriots traveling to Jacksonville for an AFC Championship rematch should be a fantastic game. It’s hard to bet against the Pats, i wouldnt recommend it.

• The Vikings traveling to Green Bay, featuring perhaps the most complete roster in the NFL, and Kirk Cousins, as they try and establish NFC North dominance over Aaron Rodgers. Gotta beat the king to be the king, and this king has long proved he is no easy out.

• Kansas City and Pittsburgh will answer questions about eachother, a Loss for Pittsburgh would change the entire AFC narrative this season as the Chiefs try and prove their legitimacy by passing a major road test. Heinz is a hard place to get a win, and i really cant say how i feel this one is gonna go.

• Sunday Night’s Matchup featuring the Giants and Cowboys, is NOT an interesting matchup, and i felt it important to point out. Both teams are mediocre until they prove us other wise. Neither team looked particularly great last weekend. The Cowboys offense looked absolutely abhorrent while the Giants looked about as “okay not great not awful just the Giants” as they possibly could. The Eagles ARE better than these two, and the Redskins LOOKED better than these two. Thankfully, the federal mandate that this matchup must be on National television both times each fall isnt going anywhere.

Enjoy week 2!

@plsorioles

As I’m sure some of you noticed, the last post was sort of incomplete. You all must have finished the article and thought to yourselves, where are the NFC predictions? Has Anderson forget to do them? Did the NFC dissolve in the offseason, and did this news go unnoticed by me? Well, you can all exhale, because here they are. Presenting CCSports Weekly’s official NFC predictions for the 2018-19 regular season.

NFC East:

1. Eagles 11-5 (3 seed)
2. Cowboys 8-8
3. Giants 7-9
4. Redskins 5-11

This was to be expected. It would be shocking to see the defending champs win less than 10 games, even if they do end up starting the season with Foles under center. The Cowboys will benefit from a full season of Zeke, but with nobody to throw the ball to, Dak will be meh and the ‘Boys will miss the postseason (Haha). Last season for the Giants was surprisingly bad. There should be massive steps forward, with Eli regaining competence and Barkley carrying the whole team using just his quads. The Redskins are a different story. Alex Smith and this organization are a match made in heaven, forgettable quarterback to forgettable franchise.

NFC North:

1. Packers 11-5 (4 seed)
2. Vikings 9-7 (6 seed)
3. Lions 8-8
4. Bears 7-9

After a short-lived window of contention for the other 3 teams last year, a healthy Aaron Rodgers should have no problem leading the Pack to a division title. You’d think the Cousins-led Vikings would be able to throw together another bye-worthy season, but Vikes gonna vike. They should be able to coast into a back door postseason appearance. The Lions can’t finish with double digit anything (it’s against the team rules), and the Bears will need another year or two for Trubisky to develop. I really do think Trubisky could be great, but there are definitely kinks to iron out.

NFC South:

1. Falcons 12-4 (1 seed)
2. Saints 9-7 (5 seed)
3. Panthers 8-8
4. Buccaneers 7-9

It’s been 5 years since the Falcons last wasted home field advantage, so they’re definitely due to do it again. The Minneapolis Miracle will have lasting effects on the confidence of the Saints, but there’s enough defensive talent and HOF QB play to get them to January. The Panthers will keep being volatile and unpredictable by not recording a winning season. And for the billionth year in a row, we will hear all about how this year is the Bucs year and Jameis just needs to take the next step, but it’s more likely that he just forgets how to walk and they have a losing season. Gotta love getting a bust with the first overall pick. At least Mariota won a playoff game.

NFC West:

1. Rams 11-5 (2 seed)
2. Cardinals 8-8
3. 49ers 8-8
4. Seahawks 8-8

Some people are really high on this division. Some people think there’s a chance we see 3 playoff teams from the NFC West. And some people are me. The only team I have high expectations for is the Rams. After going all in like they did during free agency, there’s no way they don’t get a bye. Sam Bradford will be his trademark .500 self before getting hurt by Thanksgiving, leaving Josh Rosen to take the reins and keep the ship sailing straight. Jimmy G will finally lose a game as a starter (gasp!) and the Niners will come up short of the ridiculous hype. Last but not least, Jesus smiles upon us and gives a mediocre Seahawks season. The Legion of Boom and the insane bandwagon fanbase are no more, and Russell Wilson rots for at least a few years, until Seattle transforms themselves into a contender once more.

So how are the playoffs shaping up? I see it like this:

1. Falcons (bye, home field advantage)
2. Rams (bye)
3. Eagles (h) vs. 6. Vikings
4. Packers (h) vs. 5. Saints

Will this happen? No. Will there only be 1 “new” playoff team in the NFC? Absolutely not. But I think this is pretty reasonable. These have been my NFC regular season predictions. Be ready for the playoffs to come out in the next few days!

Anderson Burke