With the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints kicking off the 2011 season on Thursday night, Drew Forrester and I looked into our crystal ball for our predictions on how the NFL division races will look and who will be hoisting the Vince Lombardi trophy in Indianapolis on Feb. 5, 2012.
We’ve listed our records for the projected division-winning teams — without scientifically going through the schedule and picking each individual game — and an asterisk (*) denotes the teams earning wild card berths.
DREW FORRESTER’S PREDICTIONS
NFC East
Philadelphia (11-5)
New York Giants
Dallas
Washington
NFC South
New Orleans (12-4)
*Atlanta
*Tampa Bay
Carolina
NFC West
St. Louis (11-5)
Seattle
Arizona
San Francisco
NFC North
Green Bay (12-4)
Minnesota
Detroit
Chicago
AFC East
New York Jets (12-4)
*New England
Miami
Buffalo
AFC South
Houston (9-7)
Tennessee
Indianapolis
Jacksonville
AFC West
San Diego (11-5)
*Kansas City
Denver
Oakland
AFC North
Baltimore (11-5)
Pittsburgh
Cleveland
Cincinnati
LUKE JONES’ PREDICTIONS
NFC East
Philadelphia (11-5)
Dallas
New York Giants
Washington
NFC South
New Orleans (13-3)
*Atlanta
Tampa Bay
Carolina
NFC West
St. Louis (10-6)
Arizona
Seattle
San Francisco
NFC North
Green Bay (12-4)
*Detroit
Chicago
Minnesota
AFC East
New England (11-5)
*New York Jets
Miami
Buffalo
AFC South
Houston (10-6)
Indianapolis
Tennessee
Jacksonville
AFC West
San Diego (11-5)
Kansas City
Oakland
Denver
AFC North
Pittsburgh (11-5)
*Baltimore
Cleveland
Cincinnati
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP PICKS
Drew Forrester
NFC: New Orleans over Atlanta
AFC: New York over San Diego
Luke Jones
NFC: Green Bay over Atlanta
AFC: New England over Baltimore
SUPER BOWL PICKS
Drew Forrester: New Orleans over New York, 27-20
Luke Jones: New England over Green Bay, 31-27
LEAGUE MVP
Drew Forrester: Michael Vick
Luke Jones: Aaron Rodgers
Luke Jones
Luke Jones is the Ravens and Orioles beat reporter for WNST BaltimorePositive.com and is a PFWA member. His mind is consumed with useless sports knowledge, pro wrestling promos, and movie quotes, but he often forgets where he put his phone. Luke's favorite sports memories include being one of the thousands of kids who waited for Cal Ripken's autograph after Orioles games in the summer of 1995, attending the Super Bowl XXXV victory parade with his dad in the pouring rain, and watching the Terps advance to the Final Four at the Carrier Dome in 2002. Follow him on social media @BaltimoreLuke or email him at Luke@wnst.net.
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