Here at Rambling Ever On (REO), we are in a constant state of evaluation and evolution. We do this because we want to create the best content possible for you, our readers. A few months ago, we launched The NFL on REO as a more comprehensive and complete look at the game of professional football. So far, it has been a successful decision on our part.
But, we are not content to just let things remain the same and grow stagnant. We want The NFL on REO to be as informative, entertaining, and thought-provoking as possible, so we have decided to change things up a bit. Instead of this being just one man’s perspective, we felt it would be a benefit to our readers to include more voices and more perspectives. So, from this point on, The NFL on REO will include contributions from many of the REO writers. We hope you enjoy the tweaked format.
For this week, Mike Lytle has gazed into the future and made five predictions for the 2017-2018 season.
Mike on the Mic
After my NBA predictions last season went so well I decided to look into my crystal ball and make some NFL predictions for the upcoming season. The NFL is much more unpredictable than the NBA so my crystal ball is a bit cloudy. Even so here are a few things I think could very well happen this season. They are in order of how likely I think they will happen, with one being the least likely and number five being the most likely.
1. The New England Patriots will finish 15-1 this season.
Not 16-0, not 14-2. They will lose exactly 1 game in the regular season. Love them or hate them, the Patriots are always in the mix. They typically win 13 or so games each year regardless of who they add or subtract, who gets injured, or even what controversy they have created for themselves that particular year. Last season in games that Brady started they were 14-1 (including playoffs). They should have a healthy Rob Gronkowski this year and they’ve added quality players on both sides of the ball. They won’t go 16-0 like they did in 2007. That is virtually impossible, but they will be very good and only have one slip up until the Titans take them out in the playoffs!
2. A wide receiver will break the 2,000 yard mark this season.
This has never happened before in the history of the league. Calvin Johnson came the closest in 2012 when he totaled 1,964 yards. Teams pass more than ever before and the rules allow for a more wide open game. This record will fall at some point and this will be the year. Julio Jones, Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr. are just three of the guys who are capable of breaking this record if things break right for them this year. Last season was actually a down year with no receiver even topping 1,500 yards. I expect to see those numbers trend up this year.
3. The Panthers and Cardinals will both bounce back.
In 2015 these were the top two teams in the NFC going 15-1 and 13-3 respectively. They met in the NFC championship game with the Panthers winning and going on to lose in the Super Bowl. Last season they both regressed and finished under .500. I expect both to have winning records and fight for a playoff spot this season.
4. Bill Belichick will be less than forthcoming at a press conference.
He may be angry about something that did not go exactly right in practice. Perhaps he will not like a question or the tone of a reporter after a 37-10 victory. He may even be having the best day of his life. Whatever the circumstances I am predicting that he will mumble and answer all questions in the shortest and least informative way possible.
5. Media and fans will overact to wins and losses each week for the first two months of the season.
The NFL season is short. They only play 16 games and injuries are more likely than in other sports so it is difficult to predict anything or really be sure how good (or bad) your team might be. This leads to huge overreactions each week, especially early in the season. Your team loses a close game on a last second field goal and they are the worst team ever. They win a close game because the other team misses a field goal and they are suddenly great. My advice would be to give it time before rushing to judgment, but I don’t expect that to happen.
Let me know what you think if these and if any loyal reader has a bold prediction they would like to make feel free to do so in the comments.
- The NFL and the Myth of Parity (The NFL on REO) - November 29, 2017
- The NFL on REO: Five Predictions For the Upcoming Season - August 4, 2017
I predict that we will once again be tired of the color pink in NFL games before they have finished the noon games on October 1. I would much rather see the NFL just make large donations to cancer research than spend even more money buying pink kickoff tees and penalty flags to give the appearance that they’re making a difference.
I also predict that there is someone out there in the world who would read the previous paragraph and somehow incorrectly interpret that to mean that I actually hate research on finding a cure for cancer.
Haters gonna hate!
I like these. I’ll try a few
1. The Bears will win 2-4 games.
2. Clowney will have a breakout season that draws LT comparisons.
3. The Packers will make the Super Bowl.
4. Dak P. will regress stat wise for several common stats but actually improve in key ways.
5. We will hear Tom Brady’s age mentioned approximately 79 times every game he plays and at least 12 in games he doesn’t.
Last year in games Brady didn’t play the Patriots were 3-1. I’m not sure why the stat was thrown out there as if it is only when he is healthy that they can or do win. They win either way.
I don’t think the stat was thrown out there for that reason at all. It was just to show that the Patriots win a lot – and win the overwhelming majority of those games with Brady as the QB.
That stat was thrown out because 14-1 is basically a full season sample size, unlike 3-1 or 2-0. Also because I expect Brady to start most if not all of the games in this 15-1 prediction, which makes his record relevant unlike the other 2 guys who probably won’t play. Finally, the stat was thrown out because I wrote the article and wanted to throw it out.
They are better with Brady because Brady is better than the other two guys, one of which will almost certainly be a scrub the rest of his life. But I still think Garop could have gone 4-0. Oh well. Life is rarely fair, especially in sports.
When I read the 14-1 thing by Mike I took that to mean he was trying to prove 15-1 this year based on 14-1 last year, not that the Patriots don’t still win a lot without Brady. They may have gone 11-5 or 12-4 with the other two guys, which is great, but we know they won 14 of 15 with Brady. That helps measure the prediction this year. I think that’s fair.
They were 2-0 with garrapollo so I assume they would’ve been 16-0 with him.
Now that’s just crazy talk. Although I’d give $100 to see what their record would have been.
1. Aaron Rodgers will win the regular season AND Super Bowl MVP awards.
2. Colin Kaepernick will be picked up by some team, and actually be a deciding factor in winning at least 2 games for said team.
3. The Panthers win the NFC South again
4. The NFC East remains the most competitive division in the NFL, with the winner owning a 10-6 record, and last place finishing 7-9
5. Andrew Luck rebounds from a lackluster 2016, leading the Colts to the AFC Championship Game.
I really hope you are wrong about number 5!
Bears fans will continue to blame everything on Jay Cutler.
Where’s the lie?
That’s funny since the Bears haven’t had a decent QB since Harbaugh.
Yet Cutler is the reason they are bad…
I don’t see NE going 15-1. They will go 11-5 or 12-4. This team isn’t as good as people think. They lost Edelman, #2 TE Dwayne Allen isn’t as good as Martellus Bennett, they may not have as good of a running game, and they lost three potential pass rushers (Derek Rivers, Kony Ealy, and Rob Ninkovich) that they couldn’t afford to lose.
I also see Siemian getting hurt the first few weeks in Denver, and Oz taking over for him the rest of the year.
Well, these predictions were made prior to Edelman getting hurt.
Fair enough. They will miss him more than people realize. Him and Brady seemed to have a chemistry. Also, the defense looked like crap on Thursday night.