Are you ready for some football?
Well, you know, you better be, because the 2018 NFL season begins Thursday night with a bird bowl between the Atlanta Falcons and defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
With no time to waste, here are our NFL panel’s picks for who will win MVP, make the playoffs, and etch their names on the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Craig Battle, Editor
MVP: Drew Brees
AFC playoff teams: 1) Patriots, 2) Steelers, 3) Chargers, 4) Texans, 5) Chiefs, 6) Titans
NFC playoff teams: 1) Rams, 2) Saints, 3) Vikings, 4) Eagles, 5) Packers, 6) Seahawks
AFC champion: Patriots
NFC champion: Saints
Super Bowl champion: Saints
Storyline to watch: The old guard vs. the new at quarterback. Of my 12 playoff picks, five are led by pivots 34 or older, and five are led by guys 25 or younger. At least a few names in the former group, including Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger, are near — or outright overdue for — retirement. This could be the last right for one or more of them, and we shouldn’t expect any of them to waste it. Meanwhile, on top of the list of young QBs leading likely playoff teams, there were five guys taken in the first round of the draft who could all see starts this season to give us a preview of the next next generation.
Donnovan Bennett, Staff Writer
MVP: Deshaun Watson
AFC playoff teams: 1) Jaguars, 2) Patriots, 3) Steelers, 4) Chiefs, 5) Texans, 6) Broncos
NFC playoff teams: 1) Rams, 2) Saints, 3) Eagles, 4) Vikings, 5) Giants, 6) Panthers
AFC champion: Jaguars
NFC champion: Rams
Super Bowl champion: Rams
Storyline to watch: NFL anthem protests. The most competitive fight this season won’t be on the field. Nike, who is a league partner, promoting Colin Kaepernick in their latest ad campaign has reignited the anthem debate that refuses to stay dormant for very long. A few things to look out for: Kaepernick and Eric Reid’s on-going collusion case against the league; U.S. President Donald Trump continually using the NFL’s media spotlight to engage his base; and the NFL owners and NFLPA actively trying to find a solution while the players themselves don’t seem to be willing to concede their right to protest freely. Roger Goodell is kept up most at night by the politicization of the NFL, and that layered and nuanced storyline that isn’t going to go away any time soon.
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Mike Johnston, Staff Writer
MVP: Philip Rivers
AFC playoff teams: 1) Steelers, 2) Patriots, 3) Chargers, 4) Titans, 5) Jaguars, 6) Chiefs
NFC playoff teams: 1) Rams, 2) Packers, 3) Falcons, 4) Eagles, 5) Saints, 6) Vikings
AFC champion: Chargers
NFC champion: Falcons
Super Bowl champion: Chargers
Storyline to watch: The health of the league’s stars. Marquee players get hurt each and every season but, at least anecdotally speaking, the sheer number of stars whose 2017 campaigns were cut short due to injury seemed outlandishly high compared to previous years. By early November the NFL injured reserve already boasted an All-Pro-calibre roster of players. The on-field product is better when stars stay healthy and that’s what football fans care about most.
Geoff Lowe, Editor
MVP: Todd Gurley
AFC playoff teams: 1) Chargers, 2) Steelers, 3) Jaguars, 4) Patriots, 5) Ravens, 6) Texans
NFC playoff teams: 1) Vikings, 2) Rams, 3) Falcons, 4) Giants, 5) Eagles, 6) Packers
AFC champion: Chargers
NFC champion: Rams
Super Bowl champion: Rams
Storyline to watch: Jon Gruden and the power struggle in Oakland. The NFL has anticipated the return of “Chucky” to the sidelines for years, and when Gruden signed a 10-year deal in Oakland in January the reaction was one of anticipation. Fast forward nine months and the Raiders enter the new season having just traded away the team’s best player, while Gruden has either benched or purged many of GM Reggie McKenzie’s other players. With the spotlight now directly on Gruden and the Raiders — starting Monday night against the L.A. Rams — expect the coach vs. GM chatter to remain at the forefront, especially if Oakland struggles early.
Emily Sadler, Staff Writer
MVP: Aaron Rodgers
NFC playoff teams: 1) Vikings, 2) Rams, 3) Saints, 4) Eagles, 5) Packers, 6) Seahawks
AFC playoff teams: 1) Patriots, 2) Steelers, 3) Jaguars, 4) Chargers, 5) Texans, 6) Chiefs
AFC champion: Steelers
NFC champion: Vikings
Super Bowl champion: Vikings
Storyline to watch: Drama in Pittsburgh. Lately it seems that wherever the Steelers go, drama is never far behind. This year, it’s centred around Le’Veon Bell. It was easy to assume the star running back was simply following in last year’s footsteps by holding out until the last possible minute to sign his franchise tender — and as we saw in last season’s stats, it really didn’t affect his performance. And that very well may be the case this year. But things feel a little different now, with various Steelers players speaking out about Bell’s situation with some not-so-kind words.
While I still assume it won’t be long before he’s back on the field (and dominating, as per usual), it sounds like we’re in for some drama on this talented team that can never quite escape it. It’ll be an interesting story to follow… all the way to the Super Bowl.
