2013 NFC Predictions

Time to go on record with NFL Predictions as we inch ever so close to the Hall of Fame game.  There's some really good young teams heading into this season and as good a group of QBs as we've seen in a while.  We will start today with the NFC, predict the AFC later today, and finally do playoff and award predictions.

NFC East

1). Washington - Griffin will be back week 1 and the Skins also get Brandon Meriwether and Brian Orakpo back on D.
2). Dallas - Most talent in the division but they've made it impossible to pick them to win anything lately.  They need huge year from Romo and have his top 3 targets stay healthy.
3) NY Giants - Offense will keep them in the WC hunt, but G-Men miss postseason again
4). Philly - Chip Kelly will have a tough learning year but I think we will see some potential here.

NFC West

1). San Francisco - Great depth and talent on defense and Kaepernick is dangerous on the other side, especially now with the Crabtree/Boldin duo outside.
2). Seattle - Loved the Harvin signing and the secondary will be the NFL's best.  They can beat out SF here if they get a strong pass rush and Wilson continues to progress.
3).  Arizona - I don't think the Cards are that far away from competing with the top 2 here.  They'll need their 2 big veteran newcomers, Carson Palmer and Rashad Mendenhall to stay healthy and perform well to help the offense.  The defense should be very good and deep, maybe top 5 in the NFC.
4). St. Louis - It's time for Sam Bradford to become a top 15 QB if the Rams are going to stay out of the cellar.  The running game will be tough to get going with the loss of Steven Jackson.

NFC South

1). Atlanta - The Falcons offense will be even better with Steven Jackson, but there is a bit of a worry at OL.  If the new group can mesh, the only real question mark becomes pass rush.  Although Osi Umenyiora shoud be an upgrade from John Abraham, more will be needed from some of the young DL as well.
2). New Orleans - The Saints will see an improvement with Coach Payton returning, but their defense  is still a mess.  Now in a 3-4, Will Smith is now a stand up rush linebacker and John Jenkins was drafted to take up space in the middle.
3). Carolina - Carolina should be improved from 2012 with a strong nucleus returning.  They'll need the defense to be better, but draft pick Star Lotelelei will definitely help.
4). Tampa - There's some reason for optimism in Tampa with Doug Martin's rookie season and the Darrelle Revis acquisition.  Problem with Tampa is they haven't been able to get any consistency from Josh Freeman.  Another slow start could mark the beginning of the Mike Glennon era.

NFC North

1). Green Bay - An improved running game will help offset the loss of Greg Jennings.  Too many teams in this division have big time areas of concern to take anyone but Aaron Rodgers team here.
2).  Chicago - With Alshon Jeffery poised to break out opposite Brandon Marshall, Jay Cutler and company  could have an offense to match their always tough D.
3). Minnesota - The AP chase for 2,500 will be fun to watch, but it's tough to trust Christian Ponder, especially with the loss of Harvin.  Jennings and the addition of rookie Cordarrelle Patterson were nice, but Harvin was a veteran home run threat the Vikes needed to take some pressure off AP,
4). Detroit -The Lions are still a bit of a mess even with their QB recently extended.  The secondary is still scary and the D will need the Suh/Fairley combo to really be stout.