NFL training camps are officially underway. There are position battles to be had, roster spots to be earned, and a lot of unknown variables still left to be discovered. Naturally that makes this the perfect time to predict the final results of the season, right? Some things are just fun to attempt. And if I hit on a lot of these, best believe I will be taking a victory lap come January/February.

And if I miss? Well, how many of you will really remember? With all of that said I took a look at each week’s lineup of matchups and predicted winners. This led to a final standings. I used the NFL’s tie-breaker scenarios to create accurate seeding and then put together how I think the playoffs will shake out.

I hope you all enjoy. Or feel free to tell me how delusional I am!

AFC East

Buffalo (15-2)

New England (11-6)

Miami (9-8)

New York (7-11)

Throughout the NFL Buffalo is widely regarded as having a Top 3 roster and a Top 5 quarterback. Add in an out-of-conference slate that includes the NFC North and you have the recipe for a potentially dominant record. You’ll see I have this division in general performing well. New England posts double-digit wins thanks to a predicted step-forward for second year signal-caller Mac Jones.

Miami posts a winning record thanks to a good defense and one of the best groups of offensive playmakers in the game. However, they are held back by their quarterback and an offensive line that I still view as below average. Finally, the Jets take a step forward after having a fantastic draft.

AFC South

Indianapolis (9-8)

Tennessee (7-10)

Jacksonville (3-14)

Houston (2-15)

Bucs OLB Shaq Barrett – Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

For me this is the worst division in football. I have the Colts winning the South with a barely above .500 record. Not that their team isn’t good, but they have some tough conference matchups against Kansas City, Denver, New England, and Las Vegas. In addition, they match up against the NFC East who I think will be much more competitive this year. I see Tennessee taking a big step back this year. Trading away AJ Brown without a true replacement (as much as I like Treylon Burks) causes this team to take a big step back on offense. And while I like the team’s defense overall, I worry about their edge rushers.

I still see Jacksonville and Houston as being bottom tier teams. Jacksonville because I still see glaring holes on their roster, and Houston because I don’t trust Lovie Smith to get the most out of his middling roster. I am excited to see what each of these team’s second-year quarterbacks are going to do though.

AFC North

Baltimore (12-5)

Cleveland (10-7)

Cincinnati (10-7)

Pittsburgh (8-9)

While there has been much to-do made about the AFC West (and rightfully so!), I think some may be sleeping on the AFC North. It features the AFC’s representative in the Super Bowl last year. Joining the Bengals is potentially the best top-to-bottom roster in the NFL in the Browns. The Ravens have an extremely talented team that should be much healthier this year. Add in a Steelers squad that has never finished below .500 with Mike Tomlin as head coach and the standings here could get wild!

AFC West

Los Angeles (14-3)

Kansas City (12-5)

Las Vegas (9-8)

Denver (9-8)

This was one of the toughest divisions to predict. Each team has a Top-12ish quarterback who can light up the scoreboard. Each team features a strong cast of playmakers. A few notes on how I came to these standings. I am all-in on Brandon Staley and the Chargers. I like their roster-building philosophy and their aggressive, in-game decision-making. Add in the fact that Justin Herbert looks to be ascending to a Top 5 quarterback and I’ll die on the hill that the Chargers usurp Kansas City this year.

I have Vegas sweeping Denver this year head-to-head which is why they finish third in the division to the Broncos’ fifth. For me it came down to the fact that I think new head coach Josh McDaniels will get more out of an inferior roster. Plus, I am higher on Derek Carr than most. For him to lead his team to the playoffs last year through all of the distractions they had to endure … well there’s something special about that.

NFC East

Dallas (12-5)

Philadelphia (9-8)

Washington (7-10)

New York (6-11)

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott – Photo by: USA Today

No longer the NFC “least,” this division takes a step forward with consistent competitive football. Dallas runs away with the division due to having the best quarterback by a considerable margin. Philadelphia makes things interesting and earns a playoff berth due to the NFC being in a down year comparatively to the AFC.

New York and Washington earn some spoiler wins throughout the year, as each team has a decent core of players dragged down by bottom-tier quarterbacks. It’s a new start for the Giants with Brian Daboll, but it’s time for Ron Rivera to show some improvement with the Commanders.

NFC South

Tampa Bay (13-4)

New Orleans (8-9)

Carolina (4-13)

Atlanta (2-15)

If I had led with this division in the standings none of you would have read the rest. So, I kept it here towards the bottom. I have the Bucs running away with the South. They have by far the best roster and the best quarterback. And despite a gauntlet of a schedule, I still see the team tying 2021 for the most wins in franchise history.

For those wondering I have the Bucs losing to the Saints in New Orleans, Baltimore, Cleveland, and San Francisco. The Saints make the playoffs in this scenario despite a losing record. And as you can see, I am very, very low on the Panthers and the Falcons’ outlooks.

NFC North

Green Bay (13-4)

Detroit (8-9)

Minnesota (7-10)

Chicago (3-14)

Despite a wide receiver room that is suspect at best I see Green Bay still dominating in the North standings. Tying Tampa Bay for the best record in the NFC, the Pack will get the No. 2 seed due to losing to the Bucs in the regular season.

I think Detroit is building something special and people tend to forget that Jared Goff has quarterbacked multiple playoff teams. That includes a 2017 Rams team that made it all the way to the Super Bowl. If you put some talent around him, he can win some games. Minnesota will continue their close-game, middling record ways. And poor Justin Fields…

NFC West

Los Angeles (12-5)

San Fransisco (12-5)

Arizona (7-11)

Seattle (2-15)

Bucs NT Vita Vea – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Having split the head-to-head matchups, I have the Rams winning the division standings over San Francisco due to a better division record. I am fading the Cardinals. There are a lot of holes on that roster. DeAndre Hopkins is set to miss a good chunk of the season due to suspension, and apparently their quarterback has to be forced to study. Seattle is in a full-on rebuild and their record reflects that.

Playoff Seeding

AFC

1. Buffalo
2. Los Angeles Chargers
3. Baltimore
4. Indianapolis
5. Kansas City
6. New England
7. Cleveland

The defending AFC champs miss the playoffs due to tiebreakers with Cleveland. Buffalo lands the bye week.

NFC

1. Tampa Bay
2. Green Bay
3. Los Angeles Rams
4. Dallas
5. San Francisco
6. Philadelphia
7. New Orleans

The Bucs get the bye week while New Orleans has to travel to Green Bay.

Wild Card Week

L.A. Chargers beat Cleveland

New England upsets Baltimore

Kansas City beats Indianapolis

Green Bay beats New Orleans

L.A. Rams defeat Philadelphia

San Francisco beats Dallas

Divisional Round

Buffalo beats New England

L.A. Chargers beat Kansas City

Tampa Bay beats San Francisco

Rams beat Green Bay

Conference Championships

L.A. Chargers defeat Buffalo

Tampa Bay defeats L.A. Rams

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today

Super Bowl

Tampa Bay defeats L.A. Chargers

In a close game I predict Tom Brady’s experience edging out the phenomenal talent of Justin Herbert. Todd Bowles puts together a defensive game plan similar to the 2021 Super Bowl. That helps keep Herbert and the Chargers offense in check. Brady rides off into the sunset. Fade to black.