It’s that time of year.  Training camp is approaching.  Soon enough the NFL season will be getting started.  This year, football will return with a boom.  After a somewhat disappointing 2016 NFL season, I expect this league to bounce back and have an exciting year.  Divisions will come down to the wire.  Many teams will compete in a tight wild card race.  Then, the playoffs will give us thrills, comebacks, and strong victories.  Who will win it all?  Keep reading to hear my thoughts.

AFC East

1.  New England Patriots 13-3
2.  Miami Dolphins 10-6
3.  Buffalo Bills 5-11
4.  New York Jets 2-14

The Pats won the Super Bowl, and now they’ve gotten better.  There’s no way they’ll lose the AFC East.  Tom Brady has so many good receivers to throw to.  This team even added Brandin Cooks and Dwayne Allen.  They will be unstoppable.  The Dolphins still have a strong offense, and finally revamped their TE depth chart.  The defense will also be tough to play against.  They could make the playoffs again.  The Bills just don’t have the depth offensively or defensively to be good.  They have so few quality receivers for Tyrod Taylor to throw to.  Taylor has good potential, but please Buffalo, don’t leave him with this slim an offense again.  But if you think the Bills are bad, wait till you see the Jets.  They have no quality receivers at all, and no strong QB.  The defense isn’t as good either.  They have earned the title of worst team in the NFL.

AFC North

1.  Pittsburgh Steelers 12-4
2.  Cincinnati Bengals 7-9
3.  Baltimore Ravens 6-10
4.  Cleveland Browns 4-12

The only strong team in this division is the Steelers.  They have one of the best offenses in the NFL, so they should win a good amount of games.  They may be one of the biggest threats to the Patriots this year.  Not the biggest, but one of the biggest.  They don’t have the best defense, that is their downfall.  The defense is good enough, but not great.  The Bengals and Ravens are starting to fall out of contention.  Both of these teams had something last year that they don’t have now.  The Ravens had a much better front seven last year, and the Bengals had a more productive offense.  The Bengals are depending on a couple rookies to lead their offense now.  A.J. Green is the only player locked in for a strong year.  The Browns are slowly starting to improve, but they’re not even close.  They aren’t at the bottom of the NFL, but they really don’t have a good offense, defense or special teams.  The offense has improved slightly though.

AFC South

1.  Tennessee Titans 10-6
2.  Indianapolis Colts 9-7
3.  Jacksonville Jaguars 8-8
4.  Houston Texans 7-9

The Titans have got this.  Corey Davis was a really nice draft selection, and Eric Decker will help out offensively.  Mariota finally has the tools to succeed.  A good o-line, two strong receivers, a good running back, and a dominant tight end.  The Colts are also looking better.  The defense finally has the tools to succeed.  That will make it easier for Andrew Luck to win games for the Colts.  Good defense leads to good offense.  I don’t know if I should give in to the Jags’ intriguing off-season again.  I’d say they’re a .500 team, a decent offense, and an improving defense.  They just don’t match up to playoff contenders yet.  The Texans are also in a bad position.  Without a good QB, this offense will not succeed, and without a decent offense, this defense can’t win games alone.

AFC West

1.   Oakland Raiders 11-5
2.  Kansas City Chiefs 10-6
3.  Los Angeles Chargers 8-8
4.  Denver Broncos 7-9

The Raiders are the most intriguing team in this division.  They signed Marshawn Lynch, they have a powerful young QB with many receiving weapons, and the defense has gotten better.  Even though the Chiefs defense is better, the Kansas City offense isn’t great.  Sure, Spencer Ware is a strong running back and Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce are tough to guard, but the Raiders are a better all-around team.  On the other hand, the Chargers have a strong young offense, but their defense will hold them back.  With the kind of defense they have, they are a .500 team at most.  The Broncos have a strong defense as well, but without Manning and Osweiler, this offense just isn’t doing it.  The running game needs a boost.  They need a better QB and tight end despite a strong receiving game, and they won’t contend until those things happened.

NFC East

1.  New York Giants 11-5
2.  Dallas Cowboys 9-7
3.  Philadelphia Eagles 9-7
4.  Washington Redskins 6-10

The Giants should win this tight division.  They’ve had a strong offense for several years, and now their defense is just as good.  I don’t think the Cowboys can top last year, and the defense is lacking depth, so I don’t see them making the playoffs.  The Eagles have an intriguing roster, and Alshon Jeffery and LeGarrette Blount will boost this team, but the defense is still only mediocre, and it’ll be a couple years before the Eagles return to the playoffs.  They will do much better this year though.  With the Giants, Eagles and Cowboys on top of the division though, the Redskins will not succeed.  They’ve lost the great receiving game they had last year and the defense is still not great.

NFC North

1.  Green Bay Packers 12-4
2.  Detroit Lions 8-8
3.  Minnesota Vikings 7-9
4.  Chicago Bears 3-13

The Packers are in line for another strong season.  They signed tight end Martellus Bennett to improve their receiving game.  They could use another running back but I believe in Jamaal Williams.  Although the defense has some bad times, I think the Packers will be led by an overall all-around team.  The Lions also have a good offensive core, but the defense is holding this team back.  They need to improve defensively if they want any chance at a playoff berth.  The Vikings tried to improve their offense this off-season, but I just don’t see them contending with the receiving game they have.  The defense is good, but the offense is a problem.  Don’t even get me started with the Bears.  They have no defense, and barely any offense.  They will be one of the worst this year.

NFC South

1.  Carolina Panthers 11-5
2.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10-6
3.  Atlanta Falcons 10-6
4.  New Orleans Saints 6-10

The Panthers may have had defensive problems last year, but they improved their defense, and their running and receiving game.  I’m expecting them to bounce back.  The Bucs also improved this off-season.  DeSean Jackson and Mike Evans will be a dynamic receiver duo, and the defense has the power to improve this year.  The Falcons will also be a contender in this strong division.  Their defense isn’t as good and has some fatal flaws, but the offense is strong as ever.  The Saints also have a good offense, but their defense needs help.  A lot of help.

NFC West

1.  Seattle Seahawks 10-6
2.  Arizona Cardinals 8-8
3.  Los Angeles Rams 4-12
4.  San Francisco 49ers 3-13

This division isn’t what it used to be.  The Seahawks still have a strong defense and a good offense, but they’re the best of the worst.  They get an easy division win.  The Cardinals are almost as good, but they don’t have the best offense anymore, and the defense is subpar, nothing compared to Seattle’s.  The Rams have no offense, despite a decent defense, they can’t put up a good amount of points.  The Niners just need to rebuild.  They need receiving help, QB help, and defensive help, despite some strong pieces of their team.

 NFL Playoffs
AFC

1. New England Patriots 13-3
2. Pittsburgh Steelers 12-4
3. Oakland Raiders 11-5
4. Tennessee Titans 10-6
5. Kansas City Chiefs 10-6
6. Miami Dolphins 10-6

NFC

1. Green Bay Packers 12-4
2. New York Giants 11-5
3. Carolina Panthers 11-5
4. Seattle Seahawks 10-6
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10-6
6. Atlanta Falcons 10-6

Wild Card Round
Dolphins @ Raiders
The Dolphins have a strong all-around team. They have a good running game and receiving game, and pretty good defense. But the Raiders will be hard to beat. Derek Carr is really blossoming into a strong QB, and he has multiple good receiving targets. If Marshawn Lynch is still Marshawn Lynch this year, the Raiders will have a great running game that is difficult to cover. Their defense is no more than mediocre, but this offense will be overwhelming for even some of the best defenses. I don’t think the Dolphins will be able to handle this Raiders offense.  
Dolphins: 20

Raiders: 27

Chiefs @ Titans
The Chiefs have one of the best defenses in the league. But the Titans really improved their offense this off-season. Marcus Mariota will have a huge game, he has plenty of people to throw to and good protection. The Chiefs offense just doesn’t match-up. They don’t have enough receiving options or a good enough QB. The run game is okay but might be stopped by an improved Titans defense. I’ve got the Titans winning this one.  
Chiefs: 23

Titans: 26
Falcons @ Panthers 
The Falcons almost won the Super Bowl last year. They have a dominant offense, and a defense good enough for a playoff team. The defense has declined from last year though, and the Panthers are in line for a bounce back year. Their defense is headed in the opposite direction and I like the changes they made to their offense. Carolina is honestly the better team at this point. In a high scoring game, I have the Panthers winning.  

Falcons: 30

Panthers: 31
Buccaneers @ Seahawks
The Bucs are getting better. With an improved defense and a strong offensive core, they should be going places. Winston will be boosted by his new dynamic receiving duo to throw to. The Seahawks still have one of the best defenses in football, but their offense hasn’t been taking them far lately. Eddie Lacy is a nice addition, but they still haven’t filled Lynch’s hole. They could also use another receiver, but Jimmy Graham has been a strong receiving tight end for them. Honestly, although the Seahawks have a nice offense and powerful defense, the Bucs have made some nice moves, and have built a better team this year, one that can top the Seahawks.  
Buccaneers: 23

Seahawks: 16
Divisional Round
Titans @ Patriots
The Titans are building a nice offense, but I don’t know if Mariota’s bunch can top the offense of Tom Brady’s Pats. The Titans have a better running game, but the Pats have two Top 20 receivers and a Top 5 tight end. The Patriots offense will kick butt, starting with the Titans. The Titans defense just isn’t built enough to stop Brady and crew. The Patriots should easily win this game, no matter how much Decker and Corey Davis are in red zone situations.  
Titans: 26

Patriots: 28
Raiders @ Steelers 
This is going to be a close game. The Steelers have the best offense in the NFL. But the Raiders have an elite young offense that will compete with the Steelers. This will be an offensive shootout with two of the best offenses but just mediocre defense. This is about which team will outscore the other. Carr has Marshawn Lynch, Michael Crabtree, Jared Cook and Amari Cooper, while Big Ben has Bell, Brown and Bryant. Who will win this tight game? It will be close, but I’m going to say the young Raiders pull away.  
Raiders: 28

Steelers: 20

Buccaneers @ Packers
The Buccaneers will compete in this game. They have the strong offense to. They have the rebuilt defense to. But the Packers are just too good for them. I know they have a serious problem at running back, but they at least have Ty Montgomery and Jamaal Williams at the position. They also have a lot of receiver depth. Jordy Nelson, Martellus Bennett and others will make a big impact in this game. The Packers have another weakness, defense, but their defense is decent enough for them to win this game. The Packers should control this game.  
Buccaneers: 27

Packers: 30
Panthers @ Giants
The Panthers may have improved from last season, but look what they did last year. They can’t be that much better. They have some nice offensive pieces, but the Giants’ team is just more solid. Strong defense, solid offense, and not many weak spots. The Giants are going far this year. I think they can beat a Carolina team that’s still working on improving their entire team.  
Panthers: 23

Giants: 24

AFC Championship
Raiders @ Patriots
The Raiders have some great young offense, but the Pats have a very powerful all around team. This defense may be strong enough to slow down the Raiders, and the Patriots offense should definitely outscore them. The difference in this game may be because the Pats have added Brandin Cooks, Dwayne Allen and other receiving targets this offseason. The Pats just have so much depth at the position, and Gronk should be healthy too. When he’s healthy, he’s a beast at this time of year.  
Raiders: 19

Patriots: 27
NFC Championship
Giants @ Packers
The Giants may have this nice all around team, but the Packers are dominant in the receiving game. They will put up a lot of points although the Giants defense will be able to slow them down. The Giants have a strong offense as well, but their passing game is not nearly as good as Green Bay’s. The Packers should dominate this game as well, and this is where the Giants will go down for good.  
Giants: 21

Packers: 24

Super Bowl LII
Patriots vs. Packers
This could very well top Super Bowl LI as the best Super Bowl ever. Brady vs. Rodgers. The battle of two league leading, future hall of fame QBs. Although Aaron Rodgers may have as good of a receiving game than the Pats, if not better, neither team, especially the Packers can effectively run the ball. The Patriots have so much depth though, at running back and receiver. That’s what Green Bay is missing. Offensive depth. Offensive depth is the reason that Brady will win the Pats their 2nd straight Super Bowl.  
Patriots: 31

Packers: 27

Well, the Pats have only gotten better, so why wouldn’t I predict them as Super Bowl LII Champions after last year’s win?