11/2 for comeback player of the year !
Von Millers season in jeopardy with an ankle injury.
Predictions?
AFC
east - No comment
west - Chiefs
north - Ravens
south - titans
Ravens v Chiefs - Ravens.
NFC
east - cowboys
west - 49ers
north - vikings
south - Saints
Cowboys v Seahawks - Seahawks
SB - Ravens v Seahawks - Ravens
Bills
Ravens
Colts
Chiefs
Cowboys
49ers
Vikings
Saints
AFC - chiefs v Ravens
NFC - no idea
Super bowl - chiefs and again in 2021
AFC East - Bills
AFC North - Ravens
AFC South - Titans
AFC West - Chiefs
Wildcards - Colts, Steelers, Browns
NFC East - Cowboys
NFC North - Vikings
NFC South - Saints
NFC West - Seahawks
Wildcards - Bucs, Cardinals, Lions
MVP - Russell Wilson
OPOY - Chris Godwin
DPOY - Danielle Hunter
Off Rookie - Clyde Edwards Helaire
Def Rookie - Kenneth Murray
Coach of the Year - Mike Vrabel
Comeback Player - Matt Stafford
#1 Pick 2021 - Jaguars
Well bollocks. Chubb is on a snap count as well.
We seem to be thinking along similar lines â I put 49ers in to top the west but Seahawks have a very soft start - I think if they keep their RBs fit they;ll go a long way⌠the NFC south should be interesting also. Saints without their noisy dome to win it but I think the Bucs will have a strong finish after ironing out some Brady issues. No one is looking at the Falcons but if they start like they finished their last 7/8 games last year theyâll be there abouts also.
Players trying to get paid now rather than risk a long term drop in league revenue and associated salary reductions
1 Like
Is there any talk of fans being allowed in at a later stage of the season?
Saints allowing fans in week 3.
Heard on a podcast that most stadiums will proceed with 70 decibel background noise that shouldnât affect the communication on the offense.
Iâm sure Seattle will find a way to organically modify that at CLink
Do they not just add the crowd noise to the TV broadcast in most sports? Why would they bother with the noise in the stadium?
Evans with more hammer issues âŚ
Is Odell jnr getting any sh1t over these rumours? Pun not intended
The Gameday season preview sponsored by Loweâs is a great watch on nfl network currently. Michael Irvine is every bit as crazy as I imagined from reading that boys will be boys book. Heâs a great tv analyst and completely insane
Tampa have cut the only Gay in the league - outrageous carry on.
The Athletic NFL Staffâs 2020 Season Predictions
Amy Parlapiano Sep 9, 2020
207 
The past six months have been such a blur of days colliding into one another that we have all blinked and suddenly, thereâs football on tomorrow. Safe to say there has never been as peculiar and unsettling of an offseason as this one, and yet here we are, with NFL kickoff staying on schedule and with some stadiums even allowing fans to attend at a limited capacity during Week 1. One of those stadiums is Arrowhead, where 22% of capacity will welcome the reigning Super Bowl champions back against the Houston Texans, who just signed their own dynamic young quarterback to a four-year, $160 million extension. Are the Chiefs about to embark upon a season that will result in the NFLâs first repeat title winner since the 2003 Patriots did it? Our panel of 46 writers and editors think so.
We polled our staff on that and much more, from each division winner to the first coach fired to whether the Super Bowl would be played in front of fans. Their variety of predictions, including a few very bold ones, are below. Remember, playoff expansion means that there will be three wild-card teams in each conference this year.
Who will win the AFC East?
| TEAM | VOTES |
|---|---|
 Buffalo Bills |
26 |
 New England Patriots |
19 |
 Miami Dolphins |
1 |
What a difference a year makes. Last season, we joked in this same predictions column about the one staff member who voted for the Bills to win the division. Now, 26 (56.5%) of the voters think that the Bills, who traded for WR Stefon Diggs this offseason and signed CB TreâDavious White to a four-year, $70M extension last week, are heading toward their first AFC East win since 1995. That doesnât mean itâs a runaway though â a good amount of voters still have enough trust in Bill Belichick to prevail regardless of the fact that his roster already was lacking in weapons before some key players opted out of the season (eight total). And shout out to the one person who is riding the Tua Train all the way to a division title.
Who will win the AFC North?
| TEAM | VOTES |
|---|---|
 Baltimore Ravens |
41 |
 Pittsburgh Steelers |
5 |
The Ravens are coming off of a historic, canât-look-away season, and while itâs unlikely theyâll finish 14-2 again, 12-4 or 13-3 seem like good bets. They are the clearest roadblocks to the Chiefs in the AFC, but donât count out the Steelers, who somehow finished 8-8 last year with Devlin Hodges and Mason Rudolph as their quarterbacks. With a healthy (and, according to reports from camp, an impressive) Ben Roethlisberger and standout defensive players Minkah Fitzpatrick and T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh could be the trendy pick to shake things up in the North (though just 10.9% of our staffers think theyâll actually win it.)
Who will win the AFC South?
| TEAM | VOTES |
|---|---|
 Indianapolis Colts |
33 |
 Houston Texans |
9 |
 Tennessee Titans |
4 |
In a year of constant change and confusion, one thing stays the same: Who really knows what to think about the AFC South? (Except that the Jaguars are going to be very bad.) Most voters here believe the Colts will find success in reuniting Frank Reich with Philip Rivers and putting Rivers behind one of the best offensive lines in the league. But say what you want about Bill OâBrien and his questionable decision-making and roster management (and thereâs a lot to say about it) but the Texans have won the AFC South four of their six years under OâBrien, including the last two in a row. Over in Tennessee, (where Jadeveon Clowney now plays,) Ryan Tannehillâs performance from the second half of the 2019 season is not sustainable, but 8.7% of our voters still think Tennessee will be able to keep up some of the momentum from its AFC title game run.
Who will win the AFC West?
| TEAMS | VOTES |
|---|---|
 Kansas City Chiefs |
46 |
The only unanimous answer of any of the division picks, this one is a pretty safe lock in a relatively weak and young division. Though this will be hilarious to look back on if, say, the Las Vegas Raiders are somehow the best team in the league.
Who will win the NFC East?
| TEAM | VOTES |
|---|---|
 Dallas Cowboys |
41 |
 Philadelphia Eagles |
5 |
The expectations are high for the Cowboys, who garnered 89.1% of the votes after an 8-8 finish last year. Thereâs reason for that optimism: this offseason, they extended Amari Cooper, added some depth on defense and nailed some draft picks, including nabbing CeeDee Lamb and CB Trevon Diggs with their first two picks. That, and theyâve finally moved on from Jason Garrett after nine full seasons. And while the Eagles were the ones who made the postseason last year, our staff isnât sold on them outlasting Dallas in the East, with only 10.9% voting for Philly.
Who will win the NFC North?
| TEAM | VOTES |
|---|---|
 Minnesota Vikings |
23 |
 Green Bay Packers |
20 |
 Detroit Lions |
3 |
The Packers have had a bit of a tumultuous offseason, pretty much entirely because, as you may have heard by now, they selected Jordan Love in the first round of the NFL Draft instead of an immediate impact receiver. This led everyone to talk nonstop for months about how the end could be near for Aaron Rodgersâ time in Green Bay. That uncertainty (and that lack of weapons) has led to some doubt about the Packers, though 20 voters still think theyâll repeat as division champs. Still, a few more think the Vikings, who now include recent addition Yannick Ngakoue, will claim the North this year. And look, three votes for the Lions. With its new-look defense and a healthy Matt Stafford throwing to a reliable and productive receiving corps, Detroit could be a potentially fun team to keep an eye on. (If youâre interested, Sheil Kapadia suggests taking a long-shot bet on Kenny Golladay to have the most receiving touchdowns).
Who will win the NFC South?
| TEAM | VOTES |
|---|---|
 New Orleans Saints |
36 |
 Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
9 |
 Atlanta Falcons |
1 |
It was an official rule of the spring and summer that every 9.2 seconds, the Bucs had to sign another offensive playmaker to join the Brady Bunch (the most recent: running back Leonard Fournette.) Still, it was not enough to sell our staff on Tampa besting the ever reliable Saints, whoâve won the division three years in a row and finished with a 13-3 record the last two years.
Who will win the NFC West?
| TEAM | VOTES |
|---|---|
 Seattle Seahawks |
22 |
 San Francisco 49ers |
20 |
 Los Angeles Rams |
2 |
 Arizona Cardinals |
2 |
The leagueâs most intriguing (and arguably best) division is also the only one that received votes for every team. Voters are nearly evenly split between the Seahawks and 49ers, and, like last year, most believe whichever of the two doesnât win the division will be a wild card. (Last year, the 49ers won the division at 13-3 and the Seahawks were the No. 5 seed at 11-5). The Ramsâ shine has worn off since their electric Super Bowl season, but with Sean McVay at the helm and Aaron Donald leading their defense, itâs hard to write them off completely, even with the questions that surround Jared Goffâs ability to rise above a system QB. The Cardinals, who just gave new WR DeAndre Hopkins a whopping two-year, $54.5M contract extension, are going to be one of the most exciting teams to watch in the league, and two voters think theyâll be good enough to rise all the way to the top of this very talented and deep NFC West.
Who will the AFC wild cards be?
|
|
VOTES |
|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers |
34 |
| Tennessee Titans |
20 |
| Buffalo Bills |
16 |
| Houston Texans |
13 |
| New England Patriots |
12 |
 Las Vegas Raiders |
11 |
 Cleveland Browns |
10 |
| Indianapolis Colts |
6 |
 Los Angeles Chargers |
6 |
| Baltimore Ravens |
5 |
 Denver Broncos |
3 |
 Cincinnati Bengals |
1 |
| Miami Dolphins |
1 |
The Steelers were far and away the most popular pick here, but after that, the voting got tight. It seems that those who think the Patriots will win the AFC East still feel confident that the Bills will nab a playoff spot. And in the South, the Titans have the edge over the Texans. Note the 10 votes for the Raiders, and one vote for the team who picked first in the 2020 draft in April. If the Bengals were to make the playoffs this year, theyâd be the first team to go from the No. 1 pick to the playoffs since the Chiefs did it in the 2013 season (see, Bengals fans, now youâve got your six-year path to the Super Bowl blueprint!)
Who will the NFC wild cards be?
|
|
VOTES |
|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
27 |
| Seattle Seahawks |
19 |
| San Francisco 49ers |
18 |
| Philadelphia Eagles |
14 |
| Green Bay Packers |
11 |
| New Orleans Saints |
11 |
| Minnesota Vikings |
11 |
| Los Angeles Rams |
9 |
| Arizona Cardinals |
7 |
 Chicago Bears |
5 |
| Detroit Lions |
4 |
| Dallas Cowboys |
1 |
| Atlanta Falcons |
1 |
The voters may not be all-in on the Bucs winning the South, but they still are having trouble imagining a postseason without Tom Brady in it for the first time in 11 years. As mentioned above, the Seahawks and 49ers voters are mostly assuming the one who doesnât win the division will be the wild card. And the love for the Lions continues into the postseason, perhaps a result of what some perceive to be a weaker NFC North, and the addition of that third wild card spot.
Who will be the AFC Champions?
| TEAM | VOTES |
|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs |
32 |
| Baltimore Ravens |
12 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers |
2 |
Before the Chiefs this year, the AFC had been won by the same three quarterbacks dating all the way back to 2003 (with the exception of Joe Flacco in 2013): Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger. The point: great quarterbacks win consistently, and Patrick Mahomes is the best there is. We may already be on our way to a new version of that consistent AFC domination, this time from Mahomes and Lamar Jackson over the next 15 years.
Who will be the NFC Champions?
| TEAM | VOTES |
|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints |
18 |
| Seattle Seahawks |
10 |
| Dallas Cowboys |
7 |
| San Francisco 49ers |
5 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
4 |
| Detroit Lions |
1 |
| Minnesota Vikings |
1 |
While the Saints still somewhat predictably claimed the most votes, the NFC certainly offers more choices here than the AFC, including one vote for⌠squints. ⌠the Lions? Matt Patricia? Is that you?
Who will win the Super Bowl?
| TEAM | VOTES |
|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs |
23 |
| Baltimore Ravens |
9 |
| New Orleans Saints |
6 |
| San Francisco 49ers |
3 |
| Seattle Seahawks |
3 |
| Dallas Cowboys |
1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers |
1 |
Another way to interpret this: Kansas City Chiefs: 23, any of the six other talented NFL teams in this table: 23. The obvious must be stated: Repeating championships is very difficult, particularly in football. And yet, if any team can do it, itâd be the Chiefs, who are arguably even better than they were last year, when they were dealing with an injured Patrick Mahomes.
Which team will be a pleasant surprise?
Carolina PanthersThe thing about preseason predictions, particularly during a preseason-less pandemic, is we donât really know anything about these teams yet, which means that pretty much everyone could be the surprise team, as reflected in these votes. The Browns didnât have the dizzying hype they had last season, and they have new coach Kevin Stefanski in charge, so some think theyâll finally take a step forward. Others are high on potential franchise savior Joe Burrow, while one voter has faith in Drew Lockâs Broncos (though that vote was before the Von Miller injury) and another is optimistic about the Tyrod Taylor/Justin Herbert experiment in L.A. So basically: Could be anyone!
Whoâll be the biggest disappointment?
Well, everyone, hope youâre ready to be let down, because our staff has identified half the league as candidates here, with the ultra-hyped Bucs coming in first. Respect for the one voter who put the Jets â even when expectations are at their lowest (Sheil Kapadia ranked them at No. 30 in his preseason power rankings) thereâs still always room for more disappointment.
Who will win NFL MVP?
| PLAYER | VOTES |
|---|---|
 Patrick Mahomes |
34 |
 Dak Prescott |
6 |
 Russell Wilson |
3 |
 Lamar Jackson |
2 |
 Drew Brees |
1 |
It was a bit surprising to see so few votes for reigning MVP Lamar Jackson here, but then again, in the last 20 years only Peyton Manning has won MVP in back-to-back years (2008, â09). Most assume Mahomes, if he stays healthy, will nab his second in three years. Another note: Somehow only three votes for Russell Wilson, who has carried his team year after year, and whose Seahawks received quite a few votes above to win the NFC.
Whoâll be Defensive Player of the Year?
| PLAYER | VOTES |
|---|---|
 Nick Bosa |
10 |
 Aaron Donald |
10 |
 T.J. Watt |
7 |
 TreâDavious White |
3 |
 Joey Bosa |
3 |
 Chandler Jones |
2 |
 J.J. Watt |
2 |
 Khalil Mack |
2 |
 Myles Garrett |
2 |
 Cam Jordan |
1 |
 Danielle Hunter |
1 |
 Jadeveon Clowney |
1 |
 Jamal Adams |
1 |
 Minkah Fitzpatrick |
1 |
A victory for little brothers everywhere: both Nick Bosa and T.J. Watt bested their respective brothers, Joey and J.J., in our voting. And itâs OK to think pretty much every year is the year Aaron Donald will win his third DPOY award.
Whoâll be Offensive Rookie of the Year?
| PLAYER | VOTES |
|---|---|
 Joe Burrow |
24 |
 Clyde Edwards-Helaire |
8 |
 Henry Ruggs |
4 |
 J.K. Dobbins |
3 |
 Jerry Jeudy |
2 |
 Tua Tagovailoa |
2 |
 A.J. Dillon |
1 |
 CeeDee Lamb |
1 |
 Justin Herbert |
1 |
Burrow got a lot of love, as expected, but thereâs a ton of rookie receiving talent this year, perhaps paving the way for the award to go to a WR for the first time since Odell Beckham Jr. won it in 2014.
Whoâll win Defensive Rookie of the Year?
| PLAYER | VOTES |
|---|---|
 Chase Young |
35 |
 Isaiah Simmons |
6 |
 Jeff Okudah |
2 |
 Patrick Queen |
2 |
 Javon Kinlaw |
1 |
Thereâs not much silver lining when it comes to the Washington Football Team and their bleak outlook for the 2020 season (Sheil Kapadia ranked them No. 31 out of 32 teams and is predicting a 4-12 record), but their No. 2 pick does provide at least a little bit of light, and may very well be one of the only reasons to tune into their games this season.
Who will win Coach of the Year?
| COACH | TEAM | VOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Frank Reich | Indianapolis Colts |
6 |
| Mike McCarthy | Dallas Cowboys |
6 |
| Bill Belichick | New England Patriots |
5 |
| Sean McDermott | Buffalo Bills |
5 |
| Bruce Arians | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
4 |
| Andy Reid | Kansas City Chiefs |
3 |
| Kevin Stefanski | Cleveland Browns |
3 |
| Sean Payton | New Orleans Saints |
3 |
| Pete Carroll | Seattle Seahawks |
3 |
| Brian Flores | Miami Dolphins |
1 |
| John Harbaugh | Baltimore Ravens |
1 |
| Jon Gruden | Las Vegas Raiders |
1 |
| Kliff Kingsbury | Arizona Cardinals |
1 |
| Kyle Shanahan | San Francisco 49ers |
1 |
| Matt Patricia | Detroit Lions |
1 |
| Mike Tomlin | Pittsburgh Steelers |
1 |
| Zac Taylor | Cincinnati Bengals |
1 |
OK, this confirms it: Matt Patricia has officially hacked into The Athleticâs Google Form. Shouldâve made those sharing settings stricter.
This is another category with wide variance, ranging from the oldest coach in the league, Pete Carroll (68), to two of the youngest, Zac Taylor (37) and Kevin Stefanski (38). It includes the longest-tenured NFL coach (Bill Belichick) and one in his first year as an NFL head coach (Stefanski). Notably missing from this list without a single vote: the guy everyoneâs been trying to hire replicas of, Sean McVay.
Who will be the yearâs breakout player?
| PLAYER | POSITION | VOTES |
|---|---|---|
 Kyler Murray |
QB | 12 |
 Drew Lock |
QB | 4 |
 Devin Singletary |
RB | 3 |
 Brian Burns |
DE | 2 |
 Calvin Ridley |
WR | 2 |
 NâKeal Harry |
WR | 2 |
 T.J. Hockenson |
TE | 2 |
 A.J. Brown |
WR | 1 |
 Baker Mayfield |
QB | 1 |
 Chris Godwin |
WR | 1 |
 Devin Bush |
LB | 1 |
 Devin White |
LB | 1 |
 DK Metcalf |
WR | 1 |
| Joe Burrow |
QB | 1 |
 Josh Allen |
QB | 1 |
 Marquise Brown |
WR | 1 |
 Mecole Hardman |
WR | 1 |
 Michael Gallup |
WR | 1 |
 Miles Sanders |
RB | 1 |
 OJ Howard |
TE | 1 |
 Preston Williams |
WR | 1 |
 Ronald Jones |
RB | 1 |
 Stefon Diggs |
WR | 1 |
 Teddy Bridgewater |
QB | 1 |
| Tua Tagovailoa |
QB | 1 |
 Van Jefferson |
WR | 1 |
Murray hit his stride during the second half of his rookie season, and the fact that he now has DeAndre Hopkins to throw to makes him a logical selection here. The list also contains three offensive members of the Bucs, another indication of the power of the Brady Effect on these predictions.
Whoâll be Comeback Player of the Year?
| PLAYER | VOTES |
|---|---|
 Cam Newton |
16 |
 Ben Roethlisberger |
10 |
 Alex Smith |
6 |
 Rob Gronkowski |
6 |
 A.J. Green |
2 |
 Matt Stafford |
2 |
 Philip Rivers |
2 |
| J.J. Watt |
1 |
| Teddy Bridgewater |
1 |
Newton is coming off a Lisfranc injury and Roethlisberger an elbow injury. The Steelersâ roster is more complete than the Patriotsâ right now, but the Pats have been raving about Newton all camp long. Elsewhere on this list, Matt Stafford was on pace to have one of, if not the, best season of his career in 2019 before he was sidelined by a back injury. And then thereâs Alex Smith, who has returned to the practice field after an arduous 21-month journey back from a grisly leg injury that required 17 surgeries. One voter was adamant the award belongs to Smith â âeven if he doesnât play a snap.â
Who will be the first coach to be fired?
| COACH | TEAM | VOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Doug Marrone |  Jacksonville Jaguars |
16 |
| Adam Gase |  New York Jets |
15 |
| Matt Patricia | Detroit Lions |
7 |
| Dan Quinn | Atlanta Falcons |
6 |
| Vic Fangio | Denver Broncos |
1 |
| Jack Del Rio (defensive coordinator) |  Washington Football Team |
1 |
Predictions may mean nothing, but these particular predictions brought you votes for Matt Patricia as both Coach of the Year and first coach fired. What a wild ride. The most popular picks here, though, are Adam Gase, whose short tenure with the Jets has been nothing but rocky, and Doug Marrone, whoâs coaching a team devoid of talent and seemingly on a straight path to the No. 1 pick. One voter actually went with an assistant coach here â Jack Del Rio, who has a particular fondness for controversial tweets.
Who will be the No. 1 pick in the draft?
| PLAYER | TEAM | VOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Trevor Lawrence |  Clemson |
46 |
College football is in a very uncertain and unusual place, but Lawrence has been a sure thing as the No. 1 pick in this draft since he took over at Clemson in 2018.
Will the NFL season finish on time?
| ANSWER | VOTES |
|---|---|
| Yes | 34 |
| No, there will be a delay due to COVID-19 | 12 |
The NFL has stayed on schedule so far, and in early August, said theyâre âlaser focusedâ on playing the Super Bowl on Feb. 7 as planned. Unlike the NBA and NHL, the NFL does not have a bubble, and MLB, which also does not have a bubble, has seen breakouts this summer. But the NFLâs results so far have been promising: The league released an update this week that said from Aug. 30-Sept. 5, 44,510 tests were administered to a total of 8,349 players and team personnel, with one new confirmed positive test among players and seven new confirmed positives among other personnel.
Will the Super Bowl have fans at it?
| ANSWER | VOTES |
|---|---|
| Yes, at reduced capacity | 36 |
| No, they will play in front of an empty stadium | 7 |
| Yes, at full capacity | 2 |
| There will not be a Super Bowl | 1 |
There are only a handful of teams opening their stadiums to fans in Week 1, and any that are will be operating at a reduced capacity. After the spring and summer weâve had, itâs almost unfathomable to envision a situation where the Super Bowl will be played in front of a full stadium a mere five months from now. But if things go well over the first few weeks, the league could be on the path to play in front of at least some fans this February.
The Patriots will win the east - fuck all yâall mother fuckers.