As I'm sure you all are aware, predicting a season for any given team is quite difficult. Not only do you have to know how each team finished last year but also which players were the most productive on each team. After that is established, you must then know which players the team decided to keep and which ones they let go for the upcoming season. Finally, you have to be familiar with the players coming out of the draft. Do you think the players drafted will make a small or large impact when the season officially starts.
FIRST PLACE - OAKLAND RAIDERS:
To start with, the Raiders hired a new head coach. He coached for not one but two different teams that went all the way to the Super Bowl. Those teams were the Tampa Buccaneers in 2003 and the Oakland Raiders in 2002. He has been a sportcaster for the past decade on ESPN but John Gruden is now back to what he does best - coaching. The Raiders finished 6 and 10 last year, however all the productive players (with the exception of Khalil Mack) still remain on the roster. That is why I am concluding a record of 11 and 5 for the 2018 season.
SECOND PLACE - LOS ANGELES CHARGERS:
The most important aspect (in my opinion) in regard to the Chargers is that they ALWAYS start off slow. As a permanent resident of San Diego I have my own conclusion on why this happens. The reason is because EVERYTHING is always in slow-motion or on "vacation mode" in the city of San Diego. This past year the owner of the Chargers, Dean Spanos, decided to take the team two hours north to the lively city of Los Angeles. The city is more fast paced and it should eliminate the consistent slow start for the Chargers. I have them making the playoffs and finishing the season at 10 and 6.
THIRD PLACE - KANSAS CITY CHIEFS:
Last year the Kansas City Chiefs surprised their fan base by drafting a quarterback as the tenth overall pick (round one). This year (2018) they got rid of their starting quarterback from their previous years (Alex Smith) and decided to make Mahomes the starting QB. As a football fan that means two things. First, you are going to be witnessing the future face of the Kansas City Chiefs all year long. Second, you are also going to be witnessing Mahomes throwing a ton of interceptions while he gets used to the speed of the NFL. Thus a record such as 6 and 10 is inevitable.
FOURTH PLACE - DENVER BRONCOS:
Just a few years removed from winning the Super Bowl the Denver Broncos continue with their ever quickening downward spiral. They just released their first round quarterback they drafted two years ago - Paxton Lynch. He was supposed to be Peyton Manning's replacement after Manning's retirement. Needless to say, Paxton Lynch replacing Manning didn't happen last year or the year before - and just yesterday they decided to cut him entirely from the team. Obviously trying to decide who will be your starting quarterback going into week one of the season is never a good thing. Which is why they finish at 5 and 11.
If your team is not listed above, I will be giving my predictions for all NFL teams in the next couple of weeks. So please give me a follow.
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