Football season is upon us once again which means it’s time for our annual “Crystal Ball” article. Here, we will take a gander into our special sphere and reveal which teams will succeed, which ones will fail, and what players will rise above the rest. So, here we go….

NFC OPOTY

Some will look at the NFC and think that it’s a bit short stacked compared to the AFC when it comes to offensive firepower. That may be true to a degree, but it’s loaded at the top. At the position of wide receiver, there may be none better than Justin Jefferson. He has been setting records left and right and has been one of the most consistent players since his arrival in the NFL. With the Viking s drafting Jordan Addison, it may actually open things up more for Jefferson who will win NFC Offensive player of the year.

AFC OPOTY

This one is a bit murkier to call, but someone did come through ever so slightly in the crystal ball. In a close competition, Nick Chubb of the Browns shows why he’s the most dependable all around back in the league. At a rough and tough position, he has only played less than 14 games once in his career, and in what should be an improved offense that will run through him, he will easily eclipse 1300 yards and double digit touchdowns.

NFC DPOTY

This one was the clearest image through our readings. There may not be a more impressive player on the defensive side of the ball than Micah Parsons. He can do it all, and there’s no sign of him letting up this season. He will improve on his 13.5 sacks from last year and will also be among the league leaders in tackles for a loss.

AFC DPOTY

While all of the hype around the Jets is the arrival of Aaron Rodgers, people seem to forget about the major talent on the interior defensive line in Quinnen Williams. The 25-year old exploded for 12 sacks last season, and with an improved unit, he should surpass that number to bring him the Defensive Player of the Year award.

NFC Rookie Of The Year

When the Falcons took Bijan Robinson 8th in this year’s draft, some people scratched their heads as the team had many more needs. Plus they already have a good young running back in Tyler Algieer. Well, it will scratch more heads after Jahmyr Gibbs of the Lions beats him out for rookie of the year, who was taken 5 picks later. Gibbs is in a better system with more talent around him where teams will load up on Robinson, who will underwhelm his expectations.

AFC Rookie Of The Year

The Colts streak of having bad/old quarterback play comes to and end as Anthony Richardson will have a very productive season to win rookie of the year for the AFC. He won’t light the world on fire through the air, but his rushing numbers will jump off the charts to help keep the Colts in games.

NFL MVP

He was THISCLOSE last year to winning both this award and the Super Bowl, and there is clearly a chip on the shoulder of Jalen Hurts. After the extraordinary season he put together a year ago, it’s hard to imagine that Hurts will do even better this year, but somehow he will. These days it’s rare to see a player who has such a killer instinct and a burning desire to win at such a young age, but Hurts wants it more than anyone right now.

Now we take a look at some bold predictions as well as team performances. Who will rise above the rest, who will disappoint, and who brings it all home.

First coach to get canned

Maybe this is low hanging fruit, but the early impression that Jonathan Gannon is making in Arizona has been disturbing. They seem to be intentionally tanking, however the brass knew this was a throw away season. He keeps his job. Instead, after several years of disappointment, Mike Vrable of the Titans is sent home. It’s not all his fault, though. The front office has made some questionable decisions over the last few years with personnel but it’s not enough to keep him on board.

End of an era

The Patriots dominance since the turn of the century was a masterclass on how to manage a team through the free agency era, but since the departure of Tom Brady, the team has struggled to find a rhythm, and Bill Belichek will call it a day. He won’t leave the NFL entirely, but that fire goes away after his team has another lackluster season.

The Niners will still cry, for other reasons

GM John Lynch along with coach Kyle Shanahan, another appointed “genius” in the NFL has given up on Trey Lance by trading him to the Cowboys. They will regret this. Not saying that Lance will be a stud, but the Niners will find out Brock Purdy was an anomaly last season, and the team will be looking for another quarterback in the near future. The fans will still cry and whine about last year’s NFC Title game, but now they will just be whimpers and sniffles realizing their team has once again failed them.

Most Disappointing Team

See above. Yes, the 49ers have an outstanding defense. There is no denying that. However there are still some questions if Nick Bosa will be a part of the team this season as he’s going through contract negotiations. And as mentioned, the offense will underwhelm this year that is to poor quarterback play. So far in his career, it is rare that Christian McCaffrey has lasted through an entire NFL season. Last year was one of those seasons, but the chances of that happening again are very slim, leaving the team with limited options and will struggle to get a playoff spot.

Most Surprising Team

The other team that used to play in the Bay area also feature a quarterback that played for the Niners in Jimmy Garoppolo, is the Raiders. There is a feeling that they will impress and surprise some teams this year to finish second in the AFC West behind the Chiefs, booting the Chargers who seem to be everyone’s darling team year after year. Now that Josh Jacobs is happy with a new contract, the offense led by Davante Adams, should be potent enough to make a splash to improve on a very poor showing last season.

NFC Division Winners

Eagles, Vikings, Saints, Seahawks

NFC Wild Card Teams

Giants, Cowboys, Lions

AFC Division Winners

Bills, Bengals, Chiefs, Jaguars

AFC Wild Card Teams

Dolphins, Raiders, Browns

Championship Games

AFC: Jaguars vs Bengals

NFC: Seahawks vs Eagles

Super Bowl 58

Eagles over Bengals

There you have it! The crystal ball has spoken. Perhaps the ball was found in a dumpster in South Philly with some of the “homer” picks, but hey…who are we to call it a liar?