Belief and Skepticism: NFC divisions

Predicting the teams that won't break your expectations: Seaside Joe 1648

On Monday, I posted the AFC teams that I most believe in this season and the ones (who have relatively high expectations) that I am most skeptical about. This is that, but for the NFC.

NFC East

I choose to believe in: The Philadelphia Eagles

Seahawks face: Week 15, December 17, at home

I’ve got nothing original to say about the Eagles that would surprise you and generally speaking the NFC makes this exercise much easier to do than the AFC. I played poker over the weekend and the consensus from the conversation about the NFL was that there could be more good teams in the AFC North alone than there are in the entire NFC.

Maybe there aren’t, maybe the NFC is better than I assume, but it sure seems like there could be.

Even being more skeptical of Jalen Hurts than the average fan, and acknowledging that Philadelphia lost not one or two but three coordinators (Vic Fangio being the third), the Eagles seem too talented to not win the division by at least three games.

I am most skeptical of: The New York Giants

Seahawks face: Week 4, October 2, on the road (MNF)

The media is talking about Ron Rivera as if he’s already been fired in Washington, and the Cowboys should at least make the playoffs, so I’m skeptical of both but not in a surprising way. If the Giants didn’t make the playoffs last season, would they be projected for more than six wins this season?

Paying Daniel Jones $40 million per year after three seasons in which he’s thrown a combined 36 touchdowns feels very Mariotismal. (Mariotismal, noun adverb: One who resembles Marcus Mariota.)

NFC North

I choose to believe in: The Minnesota Vikings

Seahawks: Do not face

I sense that believing in the Vikings over any of the other three teams will be my least popular entry in this entire series, but why is everyone assuming that just because Kirk Cousins is ordinary and Minnesota won a lot of close games last season that they won’t still be the best team in the division?

Is Cousins still the best quarterback in the division? Probably. Could Kevin O’Connell be the best head coach and offensive coordinator in the division? Possibly. Is Justin Jefferson the best player in the division? Potentially.

You don’t have to love the Vikings in order to project them as division winners. You just have to not love the other quarterbacks in the NFC North, including…Love.

I am most skeptical of: The Chicago Bears

Seahawks: Do not face (NFC North opponent is Lions, Week 2, on the road)

I am also very skeptical about the Lions and Packers, but I could also see either of them winning the division. What I don’t see enough of is people saying that the Bears could repeat as being the worst team in the NFL. It’s going to be hard to be worse than the Cardinals, but that’s what they said about the Texans last season and yet Chicago managed to do it with this same quarterback, same coaching staff, mostly-same supporting cast, and mostly-same defense.

NFC South

I choose to believe in: The New Orleans Saints

Seahawks: Do not face

My heart wants to pick Bryce Young, but my brain says to go with a team that has an actual offensive line. The fact that Carolina’s top edge rusher is holding out doesn’t help either.

Aside from not being a fan of Derek Carr, the Saints have the most talented roster in the division: Chris Olave, Ryan Ramczyk, Alvin Kamara (suspended), Cam Jordan, Marshon Lattimore, Demario Davis, Pete Werner, Andrus Peat, Michael Thomas, Jamaal Williams, Tyrann Mathieu, Marcus Maye, Erik McCoy, Trevor Penning, Cesar Ruiz, Juwan Johnson, and first round pick Bryan Bresee.

Only the worst coach in the NFL shouldn’t go at least 9-8 in this division, which Dennis Allen…

I am most skeptical of: The Carolina Panthers

Seahawks face: Week 3, September 24, at home

I wanted to believe that the Panthers could win the division this season because of a major upgrade at the quarterback position, in addition to an improved coaching staff and a defense that seemed like it could be really good. However, both the offensive line and the receiving weapons could be the worst in the division, if not the entire conference. Now Brian Burns, Carolina’s best edge rusher, if not best all-around player, is holding out and in danger of missing Week 1. He could even sit out through Seattle’s game against the Panthers in Week 3.

So maybe the defense isn’t as good as I assumed, but I’m also more skeptical about Frank Reich’s coaching staff than I was before the preseason.

The Panthers put Bryce Young in harm’s way far too many times for an exhibition season and in my opinion Frank Reich’s actual resume doesn’t match the hype he’s received as a head coach or offensive coordinator. Reich didn’t win enough games while coaching in the AFC’s worst division, will he win enough games while coaching in the NFC’s worst division?

NFC West

I choose to believe in: The Seattle Seahawks

We’ll see what happens, I do think that the Seahawks have less to prove than the 49ers (a team with huge questions at quarterback, offensive line, and the Nick Bosa holdout) and more to prove than the Cardinals and Rams. So Seattle seems like the obvious choice to me for the NFC West, whether you’re a biased or unbiased observer making the call. We all want to see the Seahawks ‘prove it’ though after turning over so many key positions in the last two offseasons.

I am most skeptical of: The Los Angeles Rams

Seahawks face: Week 1, Sunday, at home!

It was pretty much all said in Sunday’s article, ‘Ram Parts’.