So you know from my NFC predictions, I pick the Falcons to finish last in the NFC South, but here’s my predictions and projections for some of the things that happen this year.

Schedule & Results

Week 1 – Detroit – W
Week 2 – at Tampa Bay – L
Week 3 – Kansas City – W
Week 4 – at Carolina – L
Week 5 – at Green Bay – L
Week 6 – Chicago – L
Week 8 – at Philadelphia – L
Week 9 – at Oakland – L
Week 10 – New Orleans – L
Week 11 – Denver – L
Week 12 – Carolina – W
Week 13 – at San Diego – L
Week 14 – at New Orleans – L
Week 15 – Tampa Bay – W
Week 16 – at Minnesota – L
Week 17 – St. Louis – W

I’m predicting the Falcons to finish this year 5-11. I think they will have a nice start to their season, winning 2 of their first 3 games. And everybody will be firmly on the Matt Ryan bandwagon. And then they’ll go into a skid, losing 7 straight, which basically ends any playoff chances. But then we’ll improve down the stretch and win a few more games to improve our record.

Statistical Leaders
Some projections for what kind of numbers guys will put up.

PASSING             ATT  CMP  PCT  YDS  TD INT   RTG
Matt Ryan           450  265  58.9 2850 14  17  72.1
Chris Redman         75   45  60.0  525  3   5  66.8

RUSHING             ATT  YDS  AVG  TD
Michael Turner      280 1125  4.0   7
Jerious Norwood     110  600  5.5   2
Matt Ryan            40  100  2.5   1

RECEIVING            NO  YDS   AVG TD
Roddy White          80 1025  12.8  6
Michael Jenkins      50  525  10.5  3
Jerious Norwood      45  425   9.4  1
Laurent Robinson     40  450  11.3  2
Harry Douglas        30  375  12.5  2
Ben Hartsock         25  225   9.0  1
Michael Turner       20  150   7.5  1
Ovie Mughelli        15  100   6.7  1

KICKING             FGM FGA XPM XPA
Jason Elam           30  36  28  28

PUNTING              NO  YDS  AVG  NET
Michael Koenen       90 3850 42.8 38.5

DEFENSE             TCK SACK INT FF
Michael Boley       110  3.0   1  2
Keith Brooking      105  1.5   0  0
Curtis Lofton        95  1.5   1  2
Lawyer Milloy        90  1.0   1  1
Chris Houston        75  0.0   1  0
Erik Coleman         70  0.0   3  1
Brent Grimes         55  0.0   2  0
Jamaal Anderson      45  4.5   0  1
Domonique Foxworth   35  0.0   1  0
Jonathan Babineaux   35  4.0   1  0
Chevis Jackson       30  0.0   1  0
John Abraham         25  7.5   0  3
Grady Jackson        25  1.0   0  0
Simon Fraser         20  2.0   0  0
Stephen Nicholas     20  0.0   0  0
Kroy Biermann        15  2.0   0  0
Kindal Moorehead     15  2.0   0  0
Chauncey Davis       15  1.0   0  0
Stephen Nicholas     15  0.0   0  1
Coy Wire             15  0.0   0  0
Thomas DeCoud        10  0.0   0  0
Jamaal Fudge         10  0.0   0  1
Tony Gilbert         10  0.0   0  0
Antoine Harris       10  0.0   0  0
David Irons          10  0.0   0  0
Jason Jefferson      10  0.0   0  0

Falcons Rankings
Where the Falcons will rank in comparison to the rest of the league.

Rushing Offense: 120 ypg (13th in NFL)
Passing Offense: 210 ypg (20th in NFL)
Total Offense: 330 ypg (19th in NFL)
Scoring Offense: 17 ppg (24th in NFL)
Rushing Defense: 125 ypg (25th in NFL)
Passing Defense: 245 ypg (31st in NFL)
Total Defense: 370 ypg (31st in NFL)
Scoring Defense: 25 ppg (30th in NFL)
Turnover: -6 (23rd in NFL)

Well, you saw that I had the Colts in the Super Bowl from my AFC predictions, and the Eagles from my NFC predictions. So now we find out who wins it all.

Of course, I’m picking the Colts. I’m no fool. Always pick the AFC. I think we’ll be hearing all about Tony Dungy going out on top come February, and then I’ll probably be thinking because of all the hype they are giving the Colts, the Eagles have a chance to upset them. But then in the game, the Eagles will be a bit lackluster. They’ll remain in the game, as they did in the 2004 Super Bowl against the Patriots, but they’ll just come up short.

And while I’ve predicted the Colts-Eagles in the big game, I’ll mention a few more teams that I think can go from each division:

AFC

Patriots – I have them in the conference championship, so it’s not going to be a big stretch to see them in the Super Bowl.
Chargers – Now I’m sure most people think they have a shot, but I don’t. I just can’t see a Norv Turner-coached team in the Super Bowl.
Steelers & Jaguars – They are talented enough to make it to the game, but I don’t think Tomlin or Del Rio are Super Bowl coaches (yet).

NFC

Cowboys – They are a circus. They’ll win a lot of games, but they won’t be able to lock down their mental toughness at the end and win. And again, I can’t imagine Wade Phillips coaching a team in the Super Bowl, no matter how talented.
Saints – I could see them getting hot and making a playoff push, but I don’t think they’ll have the defense to get them over.
Panthers – If their running game is on, then I see good things for the Panthers, but everything will have to fall into place for them to get back to the Super Bowl.
Seahawks – This is my dark horse pick for the Super Bowl, just because I think they’ll have one of the better defenses in the league, and they definitely have the experience.
Vikings – They have a great running game and defense, but at the end of the day, I think Tarvaris Jackson is going to have to win them some games in the playoffs. I don’t think he’s ready (nor do I think he’ll ever be ready).

Well, I already got the AFC teams going. Now here are the NFC teams.

NFC East

1. Philadelphia Eagles
Yeah, I picked the Eagles to win 12 games this year.
2. Dallas Cowboys
They’ll probably win 11 or 12 games as well, but won’t win the division.
3. New York Giants
A good team but I expect significant dropoff from last year.
4. Washington Redskins
They’ll be competing with the Titans for the best last place team in the league.

NFC North

1. Minnesota Vikings
They should no problem rolling in this division.
2. Green Bay Packers
Rodgers will take his licks, but they’ll be a competitive team.
3. Chicago Bears
They’ll improve from last year, but this is not a good football team.
4. Detroit Lions
I’m not buying that this team is improving under Marinelli.

NFC South

1. New Orleans Saints
The Saints will look more like their ’06 version than ’07 version.
2. Carolina Panthers
This should be a year in which the Panthers should make the playoffs.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
They’ll be one of the toughest 7-9 teams around.
4. Atlanta Falcons
I’m sorry, it’s just not going to happen.

NFC West

1. Seattle Seahawks
Their defense should help them roll in this division.
2. St. Louis Rams
We’ll see some life in this team but they won’t finish above .500.
3. Arizona Cardinals
They’ll be competitive, but will still manage to lose more games than they should.
4. San Francisco 49ers
Sayonara Mike Nolan. The highlight of your tenure there was how good you looked in a suit, not your football team.

Playoffs

Eagles take out the Vikings in the conference championship game. The other playoff teams will be the Cowboys, Saints, Seahawks, and Panthers.

Here are my predictions for the AFC for the 2008 season.

AFC East

1. New England Patriots
No surprise picking the Patriots to win this weak division. They’ll probably win at least 13 games again this year.
2. New York Jets
Their moves in the off-season should improve their record, but they are still far from a playoff team.
3. Buffalo Bills
The Bills are a young up and coming team. But they are a bit too young. I think they could be a team to watch in 2009 or 2010, but not yet.
4. Miami Dolphins
This is one of the worst teams in the NFL.

AFC North

1. Pittsburgh Steelers
This division has no other playoff teams. Steelers shouldn’t have too much trouble winning this division.
2. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals aren’t good, but they are probably the second best team in this division.
3. Cleveland Browns
One of the most overrated teams in the league this year. I think they will be like the 2007 Saints, a trendy pick for the playoffs that won’t come close to it.
4. Baltimore Ravens
They are too young on offense and too old on defense. Not a good combination.

AFC South

1. Indianapolis Colts
Will as usual be one of the top teams in the AFC.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars
I don’t really like the Jaguars, but I can’t deny that they are going to win a lot of games and probably make the playoffs again.
3. Houston Texans
Earlier, I thought the Texans could make the playoffs this year, but not so much anymore. They should get close and hover around .500 though.
4. Tennessee Titans
They will probably be the best last place team in the league, finishing just below .500 as well.

AFC West

1. San Diego Chargers
This team is going to win a lot of games this year, but I don’t like their playoff chances.
2. Denver Broncos
Finally Mike Shanahan should lead this team back to the playoffs.
3. Oakland Raiders
They’ll win a few games, but they’ll still be one of the league’s lesser teams.
4. Kansas City Chiefs
Again, one of the worst teams in the league. Will be lucky to win 5 games.

Playoffs

The Colts go into Foxboro and beat the Patriots, a big stunner. The six playoff teams will be the Pats, Colts, Chargers, Steelers, Broncos, and Jaguars.