NFL Regular Season In Review

Well, the NFL regular season is over and as usual, it was quite fun, up until the final week. The craziness that was Week 17 gave us some great drama and great finishes. And in my mind, ultimately, the best teams in the playoffs.

But before I take a look forward at the postseason, I'm going to take a look back at my predictions and assess the damage. I said I would do terrible. Well, I did.

MY PREDICTIONS

* = playoff team

AFC EAST
New England ------ 12-4*
NY Jets ----------- 9-7
Buffalo ------------ 6-10
Miami ------------- 4-12

Analysis: Well, as you can see, I missed the boat on Miami. I had no clue Chad Pennington would turn this team around like he did. The Bills played as expected as did the Jets. I only gave them 9 wins because of Favre but as I expected, no playoffs. New England exceeded expectations considering I gave them 12 wins with Tom Brady under center. Cheers to Matt Cassel, Tony Sparano, and Pennington. Jeers to the Jets' meltdown, Brady's injury, and the Bill's sluggish second half.

AFC NORTH
Cleveland --------- 11-5*
Pittsburgh -------- 10-6*
Cincinnati --------- 8-8
Baltimore --------- 5-11

Analysis: Laugh it up. Yes, I picked the Browns to win the division. That didn't work too well. The Steelers were solid as usual, no surprise. Bengals would have been better with Carson Palmer so I get a mulligan for that. And the Ravens showed me that a strong defense can lead a team to a playoff berth any season. Cheers to Joe Flacco, the Steelers D, and the Bengals' inspiring finish. Jeers to the Browns offense, Palmer's elbow, and Bruce Gradkowski being back in the NFL.

AFC SOUTH
Jacksonville ------- 12-4*
Indianapolis ------- 11-5*
Houston ----------- 7-9
Tennessee --------- 7-9

Analysis: I thought Tennessee would be decent but had no clue that their defense would be strong. In contrast, the Jags were my Super Bowl pick and finished with just 5 wins. The Colts started slow but finished strong to make me look smart. And same goes for the Texans, who will be a team to watch in 2009. Cheers to Kerry Collins, Peyton Manning and Andre Johnson. Jeers to Hurricane Ike, David Garrard, and the Jags defense.

AFC WEST
San Diego --------- 13-3*
Denver ------------ 9-7
Kansas City ------- 5-11
Oakland ----------- 3-13

Analysis: I was a bit ambitious with the Chargers record but they did win the division. The Broncos were mediocre like I thought. As for the Raiders and Chiefs, both were awful this season. I gave KC more wins and jipped OAK of two but since neither were good, doesn't really matter. Cheers to Philip Rivers, Brandon Marshall and Tyler Thigpen's performance. Jeers to Al Davis, Ed Hochuli and Denver falling apart when it counted.

NFC EAST
Dallas ------------- 12-4*
Philadelphia ------- 11-5*
NY Giants --------- 10-6*
Washington -------- 7-9

Analysis: Well, I was right about this division being stacked with good team. The order was a bit off though, as I underestimated the Giants' chances of winning it. I was about dead-on with Washington but dead wrong about Dallas' record. And as for Philly, they made the playoffs like I thought, but no one, including me, saw a tie coming. Cheers to the Giants rushing game, Andy Reid for benching Donovan McNabb, and Jason Witten. Jeers to the Cowboys organization, Washington's sad second half, and Reid for benching McNabb.

NFC NORTH
Minnesota --------- 10-6*
Green Bay --------- 8-8
Chicago ------------ 5-11
Detroit ------------ 5-11

Analysis: I was perfect with the Vikings winning the division and with 10 wins. But I was off on everything else. The Bears were actually decent with Kyle Orton. The Packers were not decent with Aaron Rodgers. And the Lions were dreadful in general. But you can't predict an 0-16 season. Well, I guess now you can. Cheers to Tarvaris Jackson, Kyle Orton, and Rod Marinelli's staying classy. Jeers to Dan Orlovsky's field awareness, karma hitting the Packers in the record column. and the Lions making NFL history in my lifetime.

NFC SOUTH
Carolina ----------- 11-5*
New Orleans ------- 9-7
Tampa Bay -------- 8-8
Atlanta ------------ 3-13

Analysis: Well, the Falcons were better than 3-13. Other than that huge oversight, I didn't do that bad. The Bucs and Saints both missed the playoffs and finished about where I thought they would. And the Panthers won a tight division race and are in the playoffs. Cheers to Mike Smith, Matt Ryan, Lance Moore, and the Panthers dynamic duo in the backfield. Jeers to the Saints defense, Reggie Bush's injuries, and the Bucs falling apart in the last 4 weeks.

NFC WEST
Arizona ----------- 10-6*
Seattle ------------ 9-7
St. Louis ---------- 7-9
San Francisco ----- 5-11

Analysis: Glad to say that I predicted Arizona winning the division when many were taking the Seahawks. Seattle was not as good as I thought they would be though. St. Louis also had an awful season, making my prediction look silly. Meanwhile, San Francisco was no track to make me look good until Mike Singletary took over. Cheers to the Cardinals offense, Mike Singletary, and Mike Holmgren for all his NFL years. Jeers to injuries to Marc Bulger and Steven Jackson, J.T. O'Sullivan and the Seahawks for making Holmgren's final season miserable.

So there ya have it. Right when I thought I knew something about the NFL, the season happens and makes me look like an idiot. Thankfully, there's always the postseason to give me a chance of redeeming myself. But by the looks of things, don't count on it.