BY CHRIS MORRISON
sportsnet.ca
With the NFL season set to kick off Thursday night, Sportsnet.ca's Chris Morrison offers his predictions for each team.
AFC East
1) New England Patriots
1st down: Tom Brady, a year removed from a major knee injury, gets back on track and the offence regains its form from 2007.
2nd down: Rookie tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez and second-year receiver Julian Edelman inject youth into the offence, taking the load off Wes Welker and Randy Moss.
3rd down: Rookies Devin McCourty and Brandon Spikes become key additions on a defence that finally establishes an identity.
4th down: Patriots finish 13-3.
2) Miami Dolphins
1st down: QB Chad Henne has a breakout year, largely benefiting from the addition of receiver Brandon Marshall.
2nd down: Marshall will have a major impact on opposing team's game plan for the Dolphins. Overall, his numbers will decline in an offence that is geared around running the ball.
3rd down: The Dolphins’ defence improves against the pass and the run with the addition of linebacker Karlos Dansby.
4th down: Dolphins finish 10-6.
3) New York Jets
1st down: Darrelle Revis returns to his island, but his play suffers from not being at practice or playing any pre-season games.
2nd down: Quarterback Mark Sanchez experiences a sophomore slump and struggles without a solid run game and being relied on to win games with his arm.
3rd down: The Jets’ defence remains airtight as expected, however struggles to get enough turnovers to compensate for a sub-par offence.
4th down: Jets finish 8-8
4) Buffalo Bills
1st down: RB C.J. Spiller will provide a spark on offence, but the lack of other skilled players around him will hurt his production.
2nd down: The defence will be the heart and soul of the Bills. The Bills’ defence will give a valiant effort, only to fall short week in and week out.
3rd down: The Bills will do the right thing and struggle this season in the hopes of getting a high pick in the 2011 draft, in what could be a deep draft at quarterback.
4th down: The Bills finish 3-13.
AFC North
1) Cincinnati Bengals
1st down: Carson Palmer becomes an elite quarterback, benefiting from the addition of Terrell Owens and the solid running of Cedric Benson.
2nd down: Rookie receiver Jordan Shipley and tight end Jermaine Gresham step in and make immediate contributions.
3rd down: On defence, cornerbacks Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph form the league’s top cornerback duo and the Bengals lead the league in forcing turnovers.
4th down: The Bengals finish 10-6.
2) Baltimore Ravens
1st down: Ray Rice breaks 2,000 all-purpose yards, achieving at least 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards.
2nd down: Joe Flacco throws for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns with the addition of receivers Anquan Boldin and T.J. Houshmandzadeh.
3rd down: The defence struggles with injuries sustained in the secondary. The loss of safety Ed Reed for six games is too much to overcome.
4th down: The Ravens finish 9-7.
3) Cleveland Browns
1st down: Jake Delhomme redeems himself and provides some stability at the quarterback position, paving the way for rookie quarterback Colt McCoy.
2nd down: The Browns’ defence improves with the additions of linebackers Chris Gocong and Scott Fujita, putting the bite back in the dog pound.
3rd down: The Browns become more competitive and the front office receives recognition as executives of the year in the NFL for turning this once dismal franchise around.
4th down: The Browns finish 6-10.
4) Pittsburgh Steelers
1st down: Ben Roethlisberger serves his suspension and struggles to regain his confidence on the field and his voice in the locker room.
2nd down: Dennis Dixon wins over fans and teammates with his dynamic play, as Roethlisberger falls out of favour.
3rd down: The defence continues to be one of the best in the league and rookie linebacker Jason Worilds will contend for AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
4th down: The Steelers finish 6-10.
AFC South
1) Houston Texans
1st down: Matt Schaub stays healthy for a second consecutive season and passes for 4,000 yards and over 30 touchdowns.
2nd down: The offence continues to grow. Receiver Jacoby Jones becomes a better compliment to Andre Johnson on the outside, therefore moving Kevin Walter to the slot, where he flourishes.
3rd down: The defence struggles with the loss of linebacker Brian Cushing to suspension and cornerback Dunta Robinson to free agency, forcing the offence into shootouts.
4th down: The Texans finish 11-5.
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| Can Peyton and the Colts keep up the potent offensive attack? |
2) Indianapolis Colts
1st down: Peyton Manning continues his dominance, but the offence shows signs of decline with an inconsistent running game.
2nd down: The offensive line struggles to protect Manning and the offence sees a decline in numbers.
3rd down: Head coach Jim Caldwell experiences a sophomore slump as the once-unstoppable Colts show signs of weakness.
4th down: The Colts finish 10-6.
3) Tennessee Titans
1st down: Chris Johnson will break the single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards.
2nd down: Vince Young stays mentally strong and plays the entire season. He'll find a connection with second-year receiver Kenny Britt and put up the best numbers of his career.
3rd down: The Titans bring back Albert Haynesworth to improve a defence that was second worst against the pass last season.
4th down: The Titans finish 7-9.
4) Jacksonville Jaguars
1st down: Head coach Jack Del Rio finds himself on the hot seat during the Jaguars’ third straight losing season.
2nd down: David Garrard will struggle with consistency and end up being replaced by back-up quarterback Luke McCown.
3rd down: Maurice Jones-Drew is traded before the Week 6 trade deadline as the Jaguars begin the rebuilding process.
4th down: The Jaguars finish 3-13.
AFC West
1) San Diego Chargers
1st down: Head coach Norv Turner changes his game plan and adopts a run-first philosophy, similar to the one he had when he was offensive coordinator of the Cowboys.
2nd down: Philip Rivers completes 70 per cent of his passes and thrives passing to Antonio Gates, Malcom Floyd, Legedu Naanee and Patrick Crayton.
3rd down: The loss of cornerback Antonio Cromartie will prove costly and the Chargers will struggle to defend against the pass.
4th down: The Chargers finish 10-6.
2) Kansas City Chiefs
1st down: Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles give the Chiefs a solid one-two punch at running back, opening up the passing game for quarterback Matt Cassel.
2nd down: Rookie safety Eric Berry will make the biggest impact with his new team, the defence will play with more swagger.
3rd down: Receiver Dwayne Bowe has a bounce-back season, feeding off emotional head coach Todd Haley. Bowe catches 100 balls for the first time in his career.
4th down: The Chiefs finish 8-8.
3) Oakland Raiders
1st down: Jason Campbell is stable under centre and puts up solid numbers across the board.
2nd down: Rolando McClain grabs the reins of the Raiders’ defence and wins the AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
3rd down: Darrius Heyward-Bey will catch at least 50 passes and finish with seven touchdowns, making a significant improvement from nine catches and one touchdown a year ago.
4th down: The Raiders finish 8-8.
4) Denver Broncos
1st down: Rookie quarterback Tim Tebow will be named starting quarterback by the end of the season and form a close bond with head coach Josh McDaniels.
2nd down: The receiving corps will struggle to fill the void left by Brandon Marshall, who was traded to the Dolphins.
3rd down: The defence will give a valiant effort, but will struggle to rush the passer without defensive end Elvis Dumervil.
4th down: The Broncos finish 7-9.
NFC East
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| Cowboys rookie receiver Dez Bryant. |
1) Dallas Cowboys
1st down: Rookie receiver Dez Bryant enjoys a successful campaign and wins the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
2nd down: DeMarcus Ware breaks the single-season sack record.
3rd down: Tony Romo reaches the 30 touchdown mark for the second time in his career and the Cowboys’ offence continues to be one of the best in the league.
4th down: The Cowboys finish 13-3.
2) Washington Redskins
1st down: Donovan McNabb turns the Redskins into a formidable opponent and resurrects the careers of receivers Santana Moss and Joey Galloway.
2nd down: The Redskins’ defence remains one of the best at defending against the pass and linebacker Brian Orakpo will continue to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks.
3rd down: The Redskins enjoy success under head coach Mike Shanahan and fight for a wild-card playoff spot.
4th down: The Redskins finish 10-6.
3) New York Giants
1st down: The Giants’ defence will suffer without middle linebacker Antonio Pierce, who retired in the off-season. They will be susceptible against the run.
2nd down: With the addition of receiver Victor Cruz, quarterback Eli Manning will have no excuse but to be more consistent and keep the Giants in contention in the competitive NFC East.
3rd down: The addition of safety Antrel Rolle will help a secondary that struggled to stay healthy and subsequently was shredded against the pass last season.
4th down: The Giants finish 8-8.
4) Philadelphia Eagles
1st down: Kevin Kolb will be overwhelmed and show a lack of consistency due to his lack of experience.
2nd down: The Eagles turn to quarterback Michael Vick, who has regained his speed and elusiveness, but will struggle running the West Coast offence.
3rd down: Rookie defensive end Brandon Graham will capitalize from being in an aggressive system and become a cornerstone on the defensive line.
4th down: The Eagles finish 6-10.
NFC North
1) Green Bay Packers
1st down: Aaron Rodgers continues to establish his legend and is more decisive in the passing game, leading to fewer sacks.
2nd down: The addition of first-round draft pick Bryan Bulaga helps the Packers protect Rodgers and also adds needed depth to the offensive line.
3rd down: The Packers defeat Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings, avenging last year’s sweep.
4th down: The Packers finish 14-2.
2) Minnesota Vikings
1st down: The return of quarterback Brett Favre doesn't have the same affect, as the future Hall Of Fame pivot hobbles on a bad ankle and will struggle to resurrect the magic he had last year.
2nd down: Tarvaris Jackson becomes the starting quarterback as Favre is forced to finally miss a game due to fatigue and/or injury.
3rd down: The defence continues to be ferocious in chase of the opposing teams’ quarterbacks and continues to be one of the best in the league.
4th down: The Vikings finish 9-7
3) Detroit Lions
1st down: Matthew Stafford benefits from the addition of rookie running back Jahvid Best and continues to grow with receiver Calvin Johnson.
2nd down: Rookie defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch create chaos in opposing teams’ back fields, giving the Lions a vastly-improved defence.
3rd down: The Lions get more competitive and get out of the basement of the NFC North to earn some R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
4th down: The Lions finish 4-12
4) Chicago Bears
1st down: Jay Cutler will continue to struggle with turnovers as the Bears did nothing to improve the receiver position.
2nd down: Mike Martz brings his offensive system to Chicago, but it will be rendered ineffective as none of the receivers will emerge as a true No. 1.
3rd down: The defence will regain its stature as one of the league’s best with the addition of defensive end Julius Peppers.
4th down: The Bears finish 4-12.
NFC South
1) Atlanta Falcons
1st down: The depth at the running back position should take some of the wear off starter Michael Turner, who struggled last year with injuries.
2nd down: The Falcons will benefit from a weak schedule as they face teams from the lowly NFC West.
3rd down: The addition of cornerback Dunta Robinson will improve a defence that was fifth-worst against the pass last season.
4th down: The Falcons finish 11-5.
2) New Orleans Saints
1st down: Drew Brees and the offence will continue to put up a flurry of points and shred defences, as they've lost virtually no starters on offence.
2nd down: The pass defence was suspect last season and they'll benefit from a fairly weak schedule.
3rd down: The Saints will suffer from a Super Bowl hangover and Brees will feel the effects of the Madden curse.
4th down: The Saints finish 10-6.
3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1st down: Josh Freeman will take the necessary steps and improve with a young team that has nothing to lose.
2nd down: Gerald McCoy will step in and lead right away for a defence that needs a presence up front.
3rd down: The addition of rookie receivers Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn will give Freeman playmakers on the outside and open up tight end Kellen Winslow in the middle of the field.
4th down: The Buccaneers finish 6-10.
4) Carolina Panthers
1st down: The running back tandem of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart will combine for 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns.
2nd down: Dwayne Jarrett finally emerges as a No. 1 receiver, allowing Steve Smith to step back and mentor.
3rd down: Without defensive end Julius Peppers, this once top-ranked defence will have trouble getting off the field.
4th down: The Panthers finish 6-10.
NFC West
1) San Francisco 49ers
1st down: Alex Smith finally is comfortable in an NFL offence. This is the first time in his career where he's had the same offensive coordinator in back-to-back seasons. Smith should benefit from a full year with receiver Michael Crabtree.
2nd down: Patrick Willis will be the NFL Defensive Player of the Year and the 49ers will have one of, if not the best, defences in the league.
3rd down: Playing in the weakest division in the NFL will disguise the fact that the 49ers are still a young, rebuilding team and not at the level of the NFL's elite.
4th down: The 49ers finish 11-5.
2) Seattle Seahawks
1st down: Matt Hasselbeck stays healthy behind the blocking of rookie left tackle Russell Okung.
2nd down: Former USC standout receiver Mike Williams becomes the go-to guy in the offence and is complimented nicely by rookie receiver Golden Tate.
3rd down: The Seahawks are fortunate that they have the best home-field advantage in the league, play in a weak division and get teams from the second weakest division, the AFC West, in their schedule.
4th down: The Seahawks finish 9-7.
3) Arizona Cardinals
1st down: Derek Anderson leads the passing attack, but it doesn't come close to the level it did with Kurt Warner under centre.
2nd down: Larry Fitzgerald sees his numbers reduce dramatically, as the offence will struggle without Warner and receiver Anquan Boldin.
3rd down: Joey Porter will wish he kept his talents in South Beach.
4th down: The Cardinals finish 5-11.
4) St Louis Rams
1st down: Rookie quarterback Sam Bradford gives the Rams hope for the future.
2nd down: Steven Jackson will exceed the average number of carries for a running back and begin to show signs of wearing down.
3rd down: They match the '08 Lions and fail to win a game this season.
4th down: The Rams finish 0-16.
