2014 NFL predictions thread

Dan, it's one thing to say the Broncos won't get back to the Super Bowl, which is reasonable and in fact a prediction I agree with, and another to say they're going to struggle to reach double-digit wins., since even weaker Denver teams have had a pretty significant home field advantage. It's unlikely Manning will be as productive as in 2013, since he set all those records, but it seems to me equally unlikely he'll plunge below career norms.

 

I'll go the Raiders and Bills over

 

Well done.

 

What Seattle also did in the Super Bowl was provide the blueprint on how to beat the Broncos.

Granted, most teams don't have the defensive talent of the 2013 Seahawks but they found the proper combination to make Peyton Manning incredibly uncomfortable.

 

AFC West - Denver
AFC East - New England
AFC South - Indy
AFC North - Baltimore
Wild Card 1 - San Diego
Wild Card 2 - Pittsburgh

NFC West - San Francisco
NFC East - New York
NFC South - Atlanta
NFC North - Green Bay
Wild Card 1 - Seattle
Wild Card 2 -Arizona

NFC Championship Game - San Francisco-Green Bay
AFC Championship Game - Denver-New England

Super Bowl - Green Bay over Denver

MVP -Aaron Rodgers
Defensive Player of the Year - Robert Quinn
Offensive Player of the Year -Rodgers
Offensive Rookie of the Year -Beckham
Defensive Rookie of the Year - Kyle Fuller
Coach of the Year - Mike Smith
First coach fired-Philbin

 

This.

People forget that Peyton Manning was putting up those numbers while playing with a high ankle sprain much of the season. No, that doesn't mean he's going to throw 60 TDs this year if he stays healthy. But I sure don't expect him to come crashing down to 20 TDs. A 40-TD season is certainly within his grasp, especially because he has good receivers.

I will agree that the Broncos weren't physical enough in the Super Bowl, but that's a big reason they signed Aqib Talib and T.J. Ward, because those guys are physical players. They also shuffled around the offensive line a bit. Zane Beadles was terrible in pass protection, so they let him walk, moved Orlando Franklin to guard and are letting Chris Clark play right tackle.

I will admit part of the reason I picked the Broncos to go to the Super Bowl is the Bronco fan in me, but another part is because, assuming everyone stays healthy, they should have a better offensive line and a better defense than they had last year. Of course, "assuming everyone stays healthy" applies to a lot of teams, but back to Peyton...

I find the comparisons to Brett Favre to be laughable. First of all, Favre made it no secret he wanted to play for Minnesota when it was made clear he wasn't going to be welcome back in Green Bay after his first "I'm retired... no, I want to play" ordeal. He got his wish two seasons later, got his chance to beat the Packers and claim a win over every team, then ran into a physical Saints team in the playoffs. Then he played his "do or I don't I" game that offseason and it all came back to haunt him.

There are legitimate criticisms of Peyton Manning, but you can't criticize him for playing "do I or don't I" games in the offseason. He didn't make a huge fuss when the Colts released him, understanding it was a business decision. The media may have followed him around to every visit he went, but he didn't talk himself up a lot. He just goes about his work.

I personally believe Peyton will want to play for two more seasons, and whether he plays after that will depend on how close he is to certain records and whether he wants them or not. I think people who still say "the neck injury" are now blowing it out of proportion. Peyton's taken quite a few hits and he's been fine. That doesn't mean he won't have a career-ending injury, but it doesn't mean it's his destiny to have Favre's final season in the NFL, either.

 

I don't see Manning and the Broncos going 8-8. They'll win the AFC West and, probably, comfortably. I just don't perceive them as an elite squad.

I also think that, given Manning's NFL odometer, he doesn't have 20 "good games" in him for the season -- I felt the same way about Favre in his last five years.

Once they get past the Chiefs and Chargers for good (probably mid-November), I would sit Manning for 3 or 4 weeks and bring him back the last two weeks of the regular season before the playoffs.

They'll win the AFC West. They'll get people excited. Then they'll have another playoff flameout.

 

They'll throw a lot of 1-yard touchdown passes in the second half against teams like Oakland and Tennessee.

 

Manning hasn't shown the inconsistency that Favre showed late in his career.

Favre had probably the worst season of his career in 2005, was mediocre in 2006. Was a MVP runner-up in 2007, was mediocre with the Jets, played at a MVP level during his first season in Minnesota and was pretty awful his last season, when he got hurt.

With the obvious exception of the year he missed, Manning has been incredibly consistent. I don't think he's thowing 50+ touchdowns again this season, but I agree that he'll likely be in the 35-40 range.

 

That's true, RJ.

He has been consistently great the first two months of the season, racking up his fantasy stats before that killer pick in January or February.

 

I also think Manning fading in the playoffs/Super Bowl has more to do with trying to do too much than anything else. I don't think it's an issue of him being tired.

Manning needs a coach who calls the plays. He does so well in the regular season that people think it won't be an issue, until they lose a game that they shouldn't lose.

It's never going to change, but he would be much better suited to have a situation where someone calls the plays and he has clearance to audible or change the play if he thinks that's necessary. Brady and Rodgers seem to do this. Not sure about Brees.

 

this wasn't known before the super bowl?