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Wednesday night, the 107th NFL season kicks off, as the Seattle Seahawks begin their Super Bowl title defense in a rematch against the New England Patriots.
We made it.
Football is back.
It’s a beautiful thing.
As is a time-honored tradition, despite these predictions rarely winding up worth the paper internet bandwidth they’re written on, it’s time to go on the record with my official predictions for the upcoming campaign, including my Super Bowl pick!
We’ll tackle the major awards (MVP, Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, and Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year, and of course our Super Bowl prediction), as part of the 4 Downs that make up this column.
But, first, here’s who I see emerging from each division and surviving the gauntlet into the postseason:
Division Winners
NFC East: Dallas Cowboys
NFC North: Chicago Bears
NFC West: Los Angeles Rams
NFC South: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
AFC East: New England Patriots
AFC North: Baltimore Ravens
AFC West: Denver Broncos
AFC South: Houston Texans
Wild Card Teams
NFC: Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles
AFC: Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers
Sound familiar?
Over 4 million people have had the same lightbulb moment.
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First Down: NFL MVP - Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow is on a mission.
Arguably the premier pocket passer, and one of the most clutch performers in the sport, Burrow stepped to the podium this summer and essentially called this the ‘now or never’ season for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Like so many other seasons that have kicked off on the shores of the Ohio River, the Bengals’ 2026 campaign will hinge largely on Burrow’s ability to stay healthy.
After all, Burrow has only completed three healthy seasons since being chosen No. 1 overall back in 2020, and was limited to just eight games last season.
However, when healthy, Burrow is the catalyst for the Bengals’ success and the pieces are around him entering this season to surpass his 4,918-yard and 43-touchdown 2024 season.
In his career, Burrow has powered six fourth quarter comebacks and 11 game-winning drives, including the postseason, but Cincinnati finally loaded up this offseason to build out a complementary defense to take significant pressure off its franchise quarterback by trading for All-Pro nose tackle Dexter Lawrence, and signing Boye Mafe, Kyle Dugger, and Jonathan Allen in free agency.
The pieces are there for this to be a special season for the Bengals, and Burrow to lead an assault on the single-season passing record books alongside Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
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