BY ROSS HABER, JAMIE HOROWITZ, SAM KAHN AND MATT LEHMAN
After the lockout ended on July 25, NFL players and fans were eager for the season to start. Well, autumn is here and football is back!
AFC East
For the past few years, the American Football Conference (AFC) East has been a top division, featuring one of the premier rivalries in the league: The New England Patriots and the outspoken New York Jets.
This year, these teams will likely be competing for the AFC East title once again. This division also includes two teams on the rise, the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins. This offseason, the Patriots acquired the entertaining Chad Ochocinco from the Cincinnati Bengals, and Albert Haynesworth, whose career had taken a downward spiral in Washington. If these acquisitions work out correctly, it could propel the Patriots to Super Bowl contention.
The Jets have made it to the AFC Championship game the past two seasons but were defeated both times. The expectation of many hopeful New Yorkers is that the Jets could be back to the AFC Championship again this season, and possibly make it all the way to the Super Bowl. The Jets recently added Plaxico Burress and re-signed Santonio Holmes, which could help Mark Sanchez make big plays in the passing game.
The Dolphins made a splash this offseason with the acquisition of Reggie Bush, who should improve their running game. The Bills used their third overall pick to obtain Marcell Dareus. Both of these teams will be competitive, along with the rest of this division, to make it an exciting season.
AFC North
The AFC North division includes t-wo of the toughest defensive teams in the league: the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both play smash mouth football: they run the ball hard and make big plays on defense. The bottom feeders in this division, for the past few years, have been the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Baltimore Ravens were great last year and should continue their success this year. Their core players stayed with the team, but they made a few acquisitions. The Ravens added Lee Evans in a trade from the Buffalo Bills, and signed the thunderous fullback Vonta Leach, which should be a big help to block and run against the Steelers’ defense.
However, the Steelers lost in the Super Bowl last year, and are ready for revenge. They should have another big season from running back Rashard Mendenhall and speedy receiver Mike Wallace. The Bengals had a good draft this year, drafting quarterback of the future, Andy Dalton, and wide receiver A.J. Green. The Browns should have a better year with a healthy Colt McCoy. Additionally, they have Madden 12 cover athlete Peyton Hillis running the ball. This division is going to be full of tension, solid hits, and close games.
NFC North
The reigning champs, the Green Bay Packers, look to return to victory with Aaron Rogers leading their talented receivers, including Greg Jennings, and defensemen.
Although the Detroit Lions have essentially been out of the game in the past years, sports fans should look out for them to bounce back this year and make a real improvement. They are back and strong with the always-solid Calvin Johnson, Matthew Stafford returning from injury, the talented Jahvid Best and the animal Ndamunkong Suh
Lovie Smith’s Chicago Bears are also hoping to make it back to the top this season. After the Cutler scandal wrapped up the season last year, the Bears hope to start anew. With the re-signing of Matt Forte and the additions of former Cowboys’ Roy Williams and Marion Barber, they got some offensive support for their already stellar defense.
Last but not least are the Minnesota Vikings who have finally gotten rid of Brett Favre, and added 35-year-old Donovan McNabb. McNabb will be joined by one of the premier backs in the league: Adrian Peterson.
NFC South
The Atlanta Falcons are a young and surging team. Coming off a very impressive season with the league’s best record of 14-2, the Falcons look for playoff revenge. Led by Matt Ryan, Roddy White and Michael Turner, the Falcons are always tough to stop offensively. The team was lacking slightly defensively and signed DE Ray Edwards to help the pass rush.
Following the Falcons should be the New Orleans Saints. Led by the unstoppable Drew Brees, the Saints are always a due to their multiple talented receivers running downfield. The main issue with this team lately has been their defense. The Saints need to be able to stop the passing game and hold runners to minimal gains. They have a young secondary that may be picked on often so the Saints need to be ready to shut down skilled QBs like Matt Ryan, who they will see twice this season.
Next, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers turned a lot of heads last year with their mighty turnaround from only three wins in 2009 to 10 wins in 2010. The team is capable of winning, as proved last season, but the Bucs will strive to make it as far as the playoffs this year. Their young, talented and well-liked QB Josh Freeman is a great leader and fits in well with the rest of the team.
Expecting yet another last place finish this year are the Carolina Panthers, who had only two wins last year. Attempting to get a new face for the franchise, the Panthers decided to pick the well-liked, well-built and extremely talented college superstar Cam Newton of Auburn. This great player will not turn around the team in one season but has the potential to help in the long run.
AFC South
At the top of this year’s American Football Conference (AFC) South are the Houston Texans. Their offense has never looked better, led by quarterback Matt Schuab, running back Arian Foster and star wide receiver Andre Johnson. The largest concern for the Texans is Foster’s hamstring, which prevented him from playing in week one. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans will be fighting for second place in the South. If the Tennessee defense and veteran quarterback Matt Hasselback hold up, the Titans should be a strong contender for a wild card spot. The weakest team in this division is without a doubt the Indianapolis Colts, who have brutally exited the golden era of Peyton Manning due to his injury. With Kerry Collins and Joseph Addai leading the offense, the Colts have produced an average of just 13 points per game in their first two games. The good news for depressed Colts fans? They get first pick in the draft next year.AFC West
The AFC West is one of this year’s weakest divisions. The Kansas City Chiefs have only regressed after making it to the playoffs last year. The Denver Broncos look dreadful and can’t seem to figure out who their starting QB will be: Kyle Orton or Tim Tebow? Fans of both teams can only hope this year goes by quickly. The San Diego Chargers’ defense isn’t performing well, letting up an average of 26 points per game so far this season, and quarterback Phillip Rivers is most likely not going to be as explosive as he was last season. As a result of all the mediocrity, the Oakland Raiders may be able to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2002. However, if the Chargers pull themselves together soon, look out for a great finish in the Wild West.
NFC East
The Philadelphia Eagles have a star-studded lineup and are poised to take the division without breaking a sweat. While quarterback Michael Vick is capable of leading his team to the playoffs single-handedly, the addition of cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha can’t hurt the Eagles’ chances. With a newly assembled dream team, the Eagles are likely Super Bowl contenders.
Fully recovered from a broken collar bone last season, QB Tony Romo is looking to lead the Dallas Cowboys to the playoffs. Despite the losses of running back Marion Barber and wide receiver Roy Williams, the Cowboys’ offense remains potent with the talents of WR Dez Bryant and TE Jason Witten. If Romo stays healthy, the Cowboys just might give the Eagles some competition for the division.
The New York Giants lost key offensive players in WR Steve Smith and tight end Kevin Boss over the offseason, further distancing playoff hopes. With the Eagles’ enhanced roster, QB Eli Manning will need to cut down on interceptions (25 last year) if the Giants are going to be division contenders.
In the cellar of the NFC East lie the Washington Redskins, with playoff chances looking dismal at best. Due to the loss of Donovan McNabb to the Minnesota Vikings in the offseason, the fate of the Redskins will be in the hands of QB Rex Grossman, who is arguably incapable of leading his team to any sort of success.
NFC West
Coming off a strong rookie season, QB Sam Bradford will attempt to lead the St. Louis Rams to a division title. While the Rams have no outstanding offensive talents to aid Bradford, they do have a powerful offensive line, fortified by the addition of Harvey Dahl. Due to the weakness of the division as a whole, the Rams are likely to finish the season on top.
The Arizona Cardinals acquired QB Kevin Kolb from the Eagles during the offseason in an effort to revive their ailing offense. Kolb and WR Larry Fitzgerald are a potentially dangerous duo, and in the weakest division in the NFL, they might just have enough to take the title.
The loss of QB Matt Hasselbeck was accompanied by the loss of any hope at a division championship for the Seattle Seahawks. A feeble attempt at putting together an offense was demonstrated by the acquisitions of QB Tavaris Jackson and WR Sidney Rice. A quiet season is likely for the Seahawks.
At the bottom of the worst division in football are the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers will be learning new head coach Jim Harbaugh’s offense on the go due to the lockout and limited practice time. With no star talents, the season is looking very grim for one of the weakest teams in football.
