What a 2022-2023 season we had...some of the greatest team and individual comebacks you'll ever see, some horrific and disappointing seasons, and everything else in between. This is why we watch...this is why we love football. We'll take a look back here at how our record predictions fared as well as some other guesses we took a swing at for the year.
Original Record *Predictions*
AFC North | AFC East | AFC South | AFC West |
Cincinnati Bengals (12-5) z | Buffalo Bills (12-5) x | Indianapolis Colts (10-7) x | L.A. Chargers (13-4) y |
Baltimore Ravens (12-5) x | Miami Dolphins (10-7) | Tennessee Titans (7-10) | Kansas City Chiefs (12-5) |
Cleveland Browns (7-10) | New England Patriots (8-9) | Houston Texans (5-12) | Denver Broncos (11-6) z |
Pittsburgh Steelers (7-10) | New York Jets (8-9) | Jacksonville Jaguars (4-13) | Las Vegas Raiders (8-9) |
NFC North | NFC East | NFC South | NFC West |
Minnesota Vikings (11-6) x | Philadelphia Eagles (10-7) x | T.B. Buccaneers (10-7) x | LA. Rams (13-4) y |
Green Bay Packers (10-7) z | Dallas Cowboys (10-7) z | New Orleans Saints (9-8) | Arizona Cardinals (9-8) z |
Detroit Lions (6-11) | Washington Commanders | Carolina Panthers (6-11) | San Francisco 49ers (8-9) |
Chicago Bears (4-13) | New York Giants (5-12) | Atlanta Falcons (4-13) | Seattle Seahawks (3-14) |
*Actual* Team Records
AFC North | AFC East | AFC South | AFC West |
Cincinnati Bengals (12-4) _ | Buffalo Bills (13-3) _ | Jacksonville Jaguars (9-8) _ | Kansas City Chiefs (14-3) _ |
Baltimore Ravens (10-7) _ | Miami Dolphins (9-8) _ | Tennessee Titans (7-10) _ | L.A. Chargers (10-7) _ |
Pittsburgh Steelers (9-8) _ | New England Patriots (8-9) _ | Indianapolis Colts (4-12-1) _ | Las Vegas Raiders (6-11) _ |
Cleveland Browns (7-10) _ | New York Jets (7-10) _ | Houston Texans (3-13-1) _ | Denver Broncos (5-12) _ |
NFC North | NFC East | NFC South | NFC West |
Minnesota Vikings (13-4) _ | Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) _ | T.B. Buccaneers (8-9) _ | San Francisco 49ers (13-4) _ |
Detroit Lions (9-8) _ | Dallas Cowboys (12-5) _ | Carolina Panthers (7-10) _ | Seattle Seahawks (9-8) _ |
Green Bay Packers (8-9) _ | New York Giants (9-7-1) _ | New Orleans Saints (7-10) _ | L.A. Rams (5-12) _ |
Chicago Bears (3-14) _ | Washington Commanders (8-8-1) _ | Atlanta Falcons (7-10) _ | Arizona Cardinals (4-13) _ |
KEY:
Green= Correct Record Prediction
Yellow= Correct Divisional Placement
Blue= Correct for both Divisional Placement/Record
Red= Wrong for both
Hitting five out of eight divisional winners ain't too shabby all considered. Getting three records exactly right leaves some room for improvement, but estimations are far from an exact science. All considered, we knocked our AFC North and East guesses out of the park, but we really struck out on each conference out West. Weird season out on the Pacific coast.
Based off our picks, the Rams were the team that underachieved the most on the year, with a -8 win total from our prediction. On the other end of the spectrum, the Niners and Jaguars each outperformed our beliefs, recording five more wins over anticipated. Credit to Doug Pederson for such a quick turnaround in Duval, and props to Kyle Shanahan for having his teams compete year in and year out. Both teams had great seasons and greater futures.
Award Predictions
Correspondent Kevin and myself put together some predictions for who was taking home the major awards for the season. Similar to the section above...didn't go so hot.
MVP: Patrick Mahomes (QB- KC)
Well...a big whiff for me on this one. Lamar Jackson came out the gate strong but faded in the middle of the season before injuring his knee. Maybe next year...hopefully in Baltimore. Kevin's pick Josh Allen had a much sharper year as a whole but just didn't put together quite impressive enough of a resume by the end of things. A UCL injury surely didn't help, but this was a career year for Mahomes.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Garrett Wilson (WR- NYJ)
Two viable options chosen here! Breece Hall was absolutely a lock for this award prior to his ACL injury, but his teammate Garrett Wilson was a steady force down for the Jets all season, despite some atrocious quarterback play. Kevin's choice of James Cook came on really strong in the running and pass game for Buffalo during the second half of the year, often looking more comfortable in the role than Devin Singletary.
My pick Chris Olave, Wilson's college teammate at Ohio State, should have won the award in my opinion...but here we are. Shoutout to Kenneth Walker too for a nice season up in Seattle; really strong rookie class here.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Sauce Gardner (CB- NYJ)
Neither of our picks here were going to win the DROY with the amount of time they missed due to injury, but each had a noticeable impact on their teams when healthy. Kayvon Thibodeaux became a strong piece on the Giants' D line, recording four sacks and forcing two fumbles in twelve games. Low sack numbers aside, his pressure on the quarterback was hard to ignore. Jordan Davis was only active for eight games. While he didn't fill up any stat sheets, it was clear that Philadelphia's run defense was substantially better with him plugging up the middle. Maybe not quite the impact you're looking for from the #13 pick overall, but he definitely effects the opposing offense's game plans.
Sauce was always going to be the winner though. The dude lived up to all the hype, early and often, locking down opposing WR1's with authority. The Texans got a nice player in Derek Stingley Jr. with their #3 pick, but it feels like Gardner is the superior player.
Offensive Player of the Year: Justin Jefferson (WR- MIN)
First of the predictions here where we both missed badly. Jonathan Taylor and Lamar Jackson each fell well short of the high ceilings many hoped they'd ascend to, in performance and durability. Can't sleep on either for bounce backs in 2023, but many disappointed fans and fantasy managers of these two.
Justin Jefferson was a force to be reckoned with all year for Minnesota, totaling 1,809 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. He cleared the century mark in ten games and had six performances with double-digit receptions. Damn near unstoppable for much of the season, an award well deserved.
Defensive Player of the Year: Nick Bosa (DE- SF)
Joey Bosa was my guess for DPOY, continuing a streak of bad picks by yours truly. Including the postseason, Joey only played in six games for the Chargers, racking up just 2.5 sacks. He's probably going to be most remembered this year for his helmet-throwing antics after their massive playoff meltdown in Jacksonville.
Kevin's pick Myles Garrett was much more in play for this honor, recording sixteen sacks for the lowly Browns-- good for second in the league. If Jadaveon Clowney didn't suck so bad, he'd have probably notched a few more.
Nick Bosa though was a monster in the Bay Area, notching 18.5 sacks as the standout talent on an elite defensive line. The 49ers have their star under one more season of control, but will absolutely be looking to extend him this offseason. He's a world-class pass rusher who'd have many blank checks thrown his way if he hit the open market.
Coach of the Year: Brian Daboll (NYG)
Not a wrong choice by me or Kevin here for Coach of the Year. Despite some unspectacular moments, Kevin O'Connell had the Vikings at 13-4 and the #2 seed in the NFC. They need a lot of help on defense, but O'Connell had this team winning most of their games, which is his job at the end of the day. Dan Campbell was briefly on a hot seat before a monumental turnaround in Detroit that saw them just fall short of the postseason. He's firmly solidified himself as the man in the Motor City, can't wait for the encore performance.
However, this award appropriately goes to Brian Daboll. The rookie head coach turned a really weak Giants roster into one that not only made the postseason, but won a game while there. Daniel Jones was as effective as he's been as a pro, Saquon Barkley looked revitalized and the defense overachieved. What a massive upgrade from Joe Judge for the G-Men.
First Coach Fired: Matt Rhule (CAR)
Hit this one on the head! It was surprising enough that Rhule was brought back for this season, but it was universally acknowledged that his leash was going to be a short one. After a 1-4 start, David Tepper gave him his pink slip and promoted Steve Wilks to interim coach. He went 6-6 in the role, nearly helping turn what looked to be a lost season into a divisional title.
Statistical Predictions
Passing Yards Leader: Patrick Mahomes- 5,250 yards
Had the same pick here of Justin Herbert. Unfortunately, he didn't lead league in passing, but he did come in second. So nicely done with two silvers, maybe could've gotten to the top with a competent offensive coordinator. Props to Mahomes for the gaudy yardage with a very average receiving core-- and Travis Kelce of course.
Rushing Yards Leader: Josh Jacobs- 1,653 yards
We loved both of Najee Harris and Jonathan Taylor back in August. Each got new quarterbacks during the offseason and had some respectable weapons on the outside to keep defenses honest. It didn't produce the results we were looking for though! Najee finished 15th overall, while Jonathan Taylor came in at 23rd. Rough for two highly touted fantasy backs. Josh Jacobs led league with 1,653 yards for Las Vegas, conveniently after they declined his fifth year option. Typical Raiders there...we'll see if they try and retain the star RB or let him walk.
Receiving Yards Leader: Justin Jefferson- 1,809 yards
Another hit for me here, with Justin Jefferson leading league in receiving. The man was absolutely unguardable all season, racking up huge gains and highlight reel receptions with ease. Outside of a few duds, no opposing D gave him any trouble. Davante Adams, Kevin's guess to lead in receiving yards, came in third during his first season out in Vegas. When the Raiders remembered to throw him the ball, he was nearly impossible to cover. Will be curious to see if he stays out there this offseason with Derek Carr being shopped around.
Sacks Leader: Nick Bosa- 18.5 sacks
Guessed the wrong Bosa...the aforementioned Joey Bosa only recorded 2.5 sacks. Nick* actually lead league with 18.5 sacks out in San Francisco. Correspondent Kevin's pick of Myles Garrett came in a cool third place for the stat, and with no backup quarterbacks hit with a helmet! Successful season for the Brown.
Interceptions Leader: CJ Gardner-Johnson (PHI), Justin Simmons (DEN), Tariq Woolen (SEA) and Minkah Fitzpatrick (PIT)- 6 INTs each
What a better note to end this article on then two largely incorrect predictions. Marcus Peters and Xavien Howard each only had one interception all season, much to the disappointment of their respective fan bases. Despite some impressive stretches of play, the two were unable to boost their pick numbers. The four names above all tied for the league lead with six interceptions, most notably rookie corner Tariq Woolen up in Seattle. He's a prototypical Legion of Boom size who left quite a mark in his inaugural campaign. Joined some good company atop this list.
@Choppinglines
*I own no rights to any images found in this blog
Comments
Post a Comment