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Predicting the NFL conference champions

Tom Brady was an absolute steal in the draft. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Roar Guru
31st August, 2015
29

Trying to pick which NFL team is going to win their conference each year isn’t easy, but history helps us pick some favourites.

Philosopher George Santayana once famously declared that: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

But history isn’t the ultimate decider of winners either – an NBA player by the name of LeBron James once famously declared that “history is made to be broken”.

We’ll start with the AFC. We all know that the Patriots will win the AFC East, even if Tom Brady is suspended for the first four games. The Patriots have been AFC champions a record six times in the past 14 years, and with possibly the greatest quarterback of all time (depending on who you ask) under centre, it would be more of a shock if they didn’t repeat as Super Bowl champions in Santa Clara.

The Indianapolis Colts will look to repeat as AFC South champions. People rave on about Andrew Luck’s talent, but he’s failed to produce when it matters so far. If a healthy Jadeveon Clowney can team with JJ Watt, the Houston Texans will dominate teams defensively.

The Denver Broncos will have the AFC West locked down as usual, and this will be Peyton Manning’s last chance for that second Super Bowl ring. However, the 39-year-old knows that if he plays poorly like he did down the stretch last year, the Broncos won’t even make it past the divisional round.

The AFC North sent three teams to the playoffs last season, but both the Ravens and the Bengals will take steps back this year. The Ravens lost key players in free agency, and to quote the great Dennis Green, the Bengals are what they thought we were. They’ll make the playoffs then lose the first game.

The only real threat to the Patriots is the Pittsburgh Steelers. With Le’Veon Bell in the backfield and the trio of Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton out wide, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t improve on their 11-5 record and give the Patriots a real run for their money.

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Moving onto the NFC, we’ll start with the division that is probably the worst in the NFL – the NFC South. The Panthers would be expected to repeat as ‘champions’ (if you can be called that with a negative record), but losing Kelvin Benjamin for the year with a torn ACL really hurts their offence.

The Seattle Seahawks are favourites to retain their NFC West crown. With the addition of Jimmy Graham, they finally have a receiver threat for Russell Wilson to throw to. The Arizona Cardinals look unlikely to have another 11-5 season, as their defensive maestro is now the head coach of the Jets.

The NFC East looks likely to send the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles to the playoffs. Dallas lost a big part of their offence with their workhorse running back heading to the rival Eagles, but both teams will look to put together double-digit wins and make a strong run in January.

Many are picking the reigning NFC North champions Green Bay Packers to make it to the Super Bowl – whether they win is a different matter. Losing Jordy Nelson for the season is a big blow, but with Aaron Rodgers throwing the football, it doesn’t matter who’s catching it – they’re going to win.

The Detroit Lions took a big step forward last year, but losing Ndamukong Suh to the Dolphins was a big blow on defence. Luckily for them, they signed Haloti Ngata, one of the premier defensive tackles in the league. With their explosive offence, expect them to be favourites for a deep run.

So after all this analysis, who do I think will be in the Super Bowl? I think the AFC Championship Game will be the New England Patriots against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Patriots will triumph to get Tom Brady his seventh AFC Championship (and possibly his fifth Super Bowl ring).

The NFC Championship Game is much harder to predict. I suspect the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers will be left standing after the dust has settled. Let’s throw a bit of an upset in here – Seattle against Green Bay, at Lambeau Field, and the Packers will win it in OT.

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Packers against Patriots? Rodgers against Brady? Now there’s a Super Bowl I’d pay to see.

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