With the 2023 NFL season quickly coming, it was necessary to give some predictions ahead of the new season.
Here's our picks for this seasons division winners, wild card qualifiers, and Super Bowl teams.
American Football Conference
East Division Champion: Buffalo Bills
The AFC East could wind up being extremely competitive after an offseason that saw a lot of moves, highlighted by Aaron Rodgers being acquired by the Jets. But this division is the Bills to lose. Quarterback Josh Allen, who spent the last half of the 2022 season battling an elbow injury, should be poised for a big year. And the Bills defense should be improved with Tre’Davious White and Von Miller starting the season fully healthy.
North Division Champion: Cincinnati Bengals
While the AFC North will be cluttered with tough competition, the Cincinnati Bengals might be the most complete team to manage winning the division. The Bengals come into 2023 with an experienced offensive line that is being touted as the best the franchise has had in a long time. So when you also take into account Joe Burrow and the rest of the offensive weapons returning, there's no doubt the Bengals are the favorite.
South Division Champion: Jacksonville Jaguars
It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that the AFC South is one of the weakest divisions in the NFL. However, the Jaguars do have the most well constructed team. They have a top-10 QB in Trevor Lawrence and a solid wide receiving corp that even got a boost with the offseason addition of Calvin Ridley. This team should win the division handily. As for the playoffs, Jacksonville's weak spots, such as its offensive line, could become exposed.
West Division Champion: Kansas City Chiefs
This division is the Chiefs to lose until otherwise. Despite the losses of Smith-Schuster and Hardman in the offseason, the Chiefs still have a good core of offensive players returning and a defense. And to top it off, the Chiefs have a favorable schedule that could see them sitting at 6-1 heading into week 8.
Wild Cards: Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Chargers
National Football Conference
East Division Champion: Philadelphia Eagles
This will be the most competitive division in the NFC and we could see the Cowboys make a serious challenge for the top spot. Sporting the leagues' best offensive line, this could be the biggest factor in the Eagles winning the division. And couple that with Philadelphia returning most of its core talent to compliment Jalen Hurts, the Eagles should be poised to take the No.1 spot in the NFC playoffs.
North Division Champion: Minnesota Vikings
Overall, this division will see ups and downs. While the Vikings and Lions should be duking it out for the top spot, the Packers and Bears will be in rebuild mode. Detroit has made plenty of improvements in recent years, and could very well make a serious challenge for the division title. But in the end, Kirk Cousins will get the job done with WRs Justin Jefferson and rookie Jordan Addison at his disposal.
South Division Champion: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Saints made a bog splash with their acquisition of Derek Carr, but there's still a question of whether or not there's enough around him to win a relatively weak division. Same can be said for Tampa Bay and their acquisition of Baker Mayfield who has had many struggles with different teams. So it begs the question: Can Mayfield not only get the Bucs over the hump, but also get himself over too? We seem to think this could be his best shot.
West Division Champion: San Francisco 49ers
The West Division consists of a lot of weak offensive units, which is good news for the 49ers, because they have one of the best defensive teams in the league. And San Francisco's offense should be viable enough to win the division despite being thin at the offensive line position. Brock Purdy will be full strength coming into this season after suffering an elbow injury and could be poised for another strong campaign.
Wild Cards: Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks
Super Bowl Prediction: Buffalo Bills vs. Philadelphia Eagles
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