It's early September and that means it's the start of the National Football League's season. Here's how it might shape up when January comes around:
American Football Conference:
East Division Winner: New England Patriots
Sorry Bills Fans, but as long as. J.P. Losman remains the starting quarterback of a team that went 5-11 last year, there may not be much to enjoy. As for the Jets, running back Curtis Martin's injury is costly on a team that was already struggling on offense. Miami's new starting quarterback is Daunte Culpepper, but he hasn't shown he can do much without wide receiver Randy Moss. Chris Chambers will help, but quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots are too strong. New England may have lost kicker Adam Vinatieri, but they will not need him to repeat as division champions.
North: Pittsburgh Steelers
Some experts have questioned the lack of playing time given to Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the preseason during his recovery from a motorcycle accident. However, it's hard to argue with the judgment of head coach Bill Cowher when he has last year's Super Bowl ring on his finger and a team with 19 returning starters from last season.
With the addition of quarterback Steve McNair, Baltimore will put up a strong fight with Cincinnati for the wild card spot. However, their defense is not as dominant as it was a few years ago and the team lacks depth at almost every position.
After a rough off-season, where five Bengals players had trouble with the law, the team should be able to use the field as an escape from their off-field woes. Carson Palmer has looked great in preseason coming off his knee surgery and as long as Chad Johnson doesn't get suspended for an overly excessive touchdown celebration, the Bengals will sniff the playoffs for the second season in a row.
South: Indianapolis Colts
The Colts lost running back Edgerrin James to Arizona, but Indianapolis still has the best quarterback in the NFL - Peyton Manning. With Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, the best receiving duo in the NFL, the Colts will have no trouble scoring points. Jacksonville lacks a target at receiver for quarterback Byron Leftwich. Houston and Tennessee still need a few years to develop.
West: Denver Broncos
Oakland may have had a good preseason, but Aaron Brooks remains a question mark at quarterback. Kansas City will challenge the Chargers for the wild card with running back Larry Johnson leading the way. However, San Diego's soft schedule will allow first-year starting quarterback Philip Rivers to get comfortable. It also helps when you have running back LaDainian Tomlinson to hand the ball off to. Head coach Mike Shanahan and his platoon of running backs will lead the Broncos to another division championship.
AFC Wild Cards: Cincinnati Bengals, San Diego Chargers
National Football Conference:
East: Philadelphia Eagles
This is the toughest division because every team has a chance to win. Washington has looked dismal in the preseason. Dallas did well in the preseason even with some distractions from the infamous wide receiver Terrell Owens. In New York Eli Manning fell apart towards the end of last season, showing signs of being a young quarterback, but he is improving every year.
A few weeks ago, it appeared the Eagles wouldn't do much better this season than their 6-10 record last year. However, trading for WR Dont?(c) Stallworth gives Philly a much-needed target for quarterback Donovan McNabb.
North: Chicago Bears
Everyone has heard the saying, "Defense wins championships." Well that's good, because every team in this division has a pathetic offense. In Green Bay, quarterback Brett Favre is getting older and they lost wide receiver Javon Walker during the off-season. The Chicago Bears are the only team with a dominant defense that will win many low-scoring games. The Bears will also benefit from having one of the softest schedules in the NFL.
South: Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a Super Bowl worthy team. After losing in the NFC Championship game to Seattle last season, the Panthers hope adding wide receiver tandem Keyshawn Johnson and Steve Smith will get them to Miami in January. In Atlanta, quarterback Michael Vick seems to have slowed his progress in recent years. New Orleans needs more than running back Reggie Bush, and Tampa Bay probably won't go very far with quarterback Chris Simms.
West: Seattle Seahawks
Running back Shaun Alexander is enough to carry this team to the playoffs once again. Arizona will improve with the addition of running back Edgerrin James. Wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin give the Cardinals a nice offense, but their defense isn't quite playoff-worthy. The same is true for the defense in St. Louis. San Francisco also faces the same troubles, and their offense isn't up to snuff.
NFC Wild Cards: New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys
Playoff Prediction:
Wildcard:
(3) New England over (6) San Diego
(3) Chicago over (6) Dallas Cowboys
(5) Cincinnati over (4) Denver
(4) Philadelphia over (5) New York
Divisional:
(1) Pittsburgh over (5) Cincinnati
(1) Carolina over (4) Philadelphia
(3) New England over (2) Indianapolis
(2) Seattle over (3) Chicago
Conference Championships:
(1) Pittsburgh over (3) New England (1) Carolina over (2) Seattle
Super Bowl:
Carolina 28
Pittsburgh 17
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
