NFL 2012: Predicting The NFC Standings
May 29, 2012 9:52 am
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NFC South
1) New Orleans Saints: This division will again belong to the Saints in 2012. The Saints have too many weapons on offense led by quarterback Drew Brees and with strong defensive play it will be too much for division foes to overcome. Despite losing head coach Sean Payton for the year due to suspension from Bountygate, the Saints will have another division championship banner in the Super Dome.
2) Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons don't always look the best or play the best but they get the job done and 2012 will be no different. The Falcons, led by quarterback Matt Ryan, will challenge Drew Brees and company but will settle for the NFC's other Wild Card. If the Falcons can play with consistency on defense, they will make noise in 2012.
3) Carolina Panthers: The Panthers have enough offensive weapons to put up points in bunches but the defense must play better if they are to improve on the six wins from a year ago. Second-year quarterback Cam Newton was shattering rookie records a year ago and one must wonder if he will have a sophomore slump in 2012.
Newton must duplicate last season and get help from his defense or the Panthers will once again miss out on the postseason.
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs are bad. The 4-12 record of a year ago could get worse for Tampa this season due to their schedule. The offense could not score while the defense ranked 29th in the NFL. The Bucs are just not good enough to contend this season and are still a work in progress.
NFC West
1) San Francisco 49ers: The Niners were the surprise team in the NFL last season, missing a trip to the Super Bowl by one game. Mistakes did them in against a veteran Giants team. Look for second-year coach Jim Harbaugh to lead the Niners to its second straight division title in 2012. The success of the 49ers will depend on how well the feelings of quarterback Alex Smith have healed after the 49ers' pursuit of Peyton Manning in the offseason. If Smith again plays well, the Niners will make another serious push.
2) St. Louis Rams: The Rams missed out on the playoffs in 2010 by one game. Last season, they managed just two wins. They had injuries to deal with, particularly to quarterback Sam Bradford. With the addition of head coach Jeff Fisher and some key free agent signings, the Rams will make a major improvement in 2012 if Bradford stays healthy but this team is still a year or two away from seriously contending.
3) Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals thought they had their man with quarterback Kevin Kolb last season but that did not go as planned. Unfortunately, Kolb is still their best option after missing out in the Peyton Manning sweepstakes. He will have weapons to work with but he will have to perform as he did in Philadelphia to keep the Cardinals in contention.
The Cardinals will struggle in 2012 as we could see a change at quarterback at some point this season.
4) Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks believe they have their quarterback of the future in Matt Flynn. They had better hope they are right because Seattle is just not very good.The Seahawks ranked 28th in the NFL offensively a year ago and will have to have another strong year from their ninth ranked defense if they are to avoid a last place finish out west.
There is the complete run down of the NFC. The division champions will be Dallas, Green Bay, New Orleans, and San Francisco with Philadelphia and Atlanta taking the Wild Card spots. The AFC Forecast will be coming to Football Nation on Wednesday.
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Also, gotta stick up for my Lions. Bad offseason hopefully does not mean bad regular season. I don't understand how anyone thinks the Falcons are that good. I see them taking a giant fall this year.
Nice article tho!
And the NFC East might have three of the best teams in the conference, but they are going to beat each other up. Last year, none of the teams won 10 games. I think only Philly or Dallas will make it and open the door for Chicago, Detroit or maybe even a Arizona.
Thats what everyone said about Philly last year. They upgraded the back half of the Def. Dallas upgraded with Rookies and FA it takes time to learn and mature in a system that any Ryan runs.
I will give you this in 2 years Dallas will have a great team. They have a good team now. Ryan Blitzes so much I think his CB's need atleast a year or 2 in that system to get it down enough to beat the big boys.
Your really going to bring up Injuries to Cowboys and Eagles with the Giants... Come on man you know the Giants lost more players. I'm not going to sit here and list them all since its almost the whole defense. Giants played better and won the SB and will win the NFC East again.
Guess we will see Sept 5th. (Agree with the other Div winners BTW)
That alone tells you that the Eagles will not make the playoffs, Vick sucks and will once again be injured and the birds will go down.