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2023 NFL Predictions: Super Bowl LVIII, Playoff Picks, Award Winners and More From MMQB Staff
The 2023 regular season is finally here! After an exciting offseason that included the retirement of one legendary quarterback, the drawn-out trade process surrounding another, three QBs drafted in the first four picks, an implosion of the running back market, the sale of the Commanders and much more, we are ready for the games to start.
Check below for The MMQB’s staff predictions for award winners, division winners and full playoff brackets, including Super Bowl LVIII champions and MVPs. Plus, our bold predictions cover everything from Bijan Robinson to the Caleb Williams sweepstakes, from broken records to maybe even an undefeated season.
Here’s who our pickers are this season:
Albert Breer, senior NFL reporter
Conor Orr, senior writer
Gilberto Manzano, staff writer
Matt Verderame, staff writer
Greg Bishop, senior writer
Michael Rosenberg, senior writer
Andrew Brandt, business of football columnist
John Pluym, managing editor
Mitch Goldich, editor
Claire Kuwana, editor
Albert Breer
Super Bowl: Bengals 24, 49ers 17; Joe Burrow MVP
Season awards:
MVP: Josh Allen
OPOY: Ja’Marr Chase
DPOY: Micah Parsons
OROY: Bijan Robinson
DROY: Will Anderson Jr.
Comeback: Damar Hamlin
Coach: Pete Carroll
This feels like the sort of year where, when the regular season ends, we might have a handful of very legitimate MVP candidates. And that’s because the AFC is loaded (and the NFC is at least pretty balanced), and we’ll have teams knocking one another off, so the leader should be a moving target. Which, naturally, will lead into a playoffs when a handful of teams from the AFC alone are capable of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in Las Vegas.
So I picked the Bengals, a team that’s been knocking on the door for a couple of years now, to finally kick it down and beat the Niners to win it all (avoiding the Chiefs along the way), and Josh Allen to win regular-season MVP for a Bills team that knows it’s being overlooked and undersold.
Along those lines, could I see this being reversed, with Joe Burrow the regular-season MVP and the Bills, behind Allen, winning the Super Bowl? Sure. Could I see the Chiefs winning a third championship in five years? I’d be a fool to say no. Or maybe the Jets, behind Aaron Rodgers, doing what the Buccaneers did after acquiring an all-timer at quarterback three years ago? I have them making it to the AFC title game, don’t I?
It all sets up for a fantastic, fun year of professional football. Buckle up, we’re only a couple of days away.
Bold prediction: Bijan Robinson will go for 2,000 yards from scrimmage as a rookie. Now, Eric Dickerson has the record for scrimmage yards for a rookie—and that mark of 2,212 yards has stood for 39 years. For a number of reasons, I don’t think Robinson will quite get there, and the distribution of the yards (Dickerson rushed for a staggering 1,808) will be different, with Robinson having a higher percentage via the passing game.
But I think Robinson is good enough to become the fourth player in NFL history to hit that number as a rookie. It’s, first and foremost, because of who he is as a player. It’s also because of Arthur Smith’s history of getting the most out of his tailbacks (see: Henry, Derrick). And because, with a young quarterback like Desmond Ridder, Robinson’s going to be incredibly valuable, both in generating manageable down-and-distance situations, and as an outlet guy to throw to. So yeah, buy all the Bjian stock.
Conor Orr
Super Bowl: Bengals 31, 49ers 27; Joe Burrow MVP
Season awards:
MVP: Joe Burrow
OPOY: Derrick Henry
DPOY: Myles Garett
OROY: Bryce Young
DROY: Christian Gonzalez
Comeback: Damar Hamlin
Coach: Bill Belichick
The Bengals will win their first of three Super Bowls during the Joe Burrow era this year. However, it will be a season defined by some classic old muscle. Derrick Henry, at age 29, will win the rushing title and the Offensive Player of the Year Award. Bill Belichick will wake the Patriots up from their brief holdover in mediocrity. Myles Garrett, just after his 28th birthday, will win Defensive Player of the Year by challenging the NFL’s single-season sack record. Aaron Rodgers will play really well, as will Matthew Stafford. But the defining story of this NFL season will ultimately be the offensive haves and have-nots. No matter what the prevalent scheme of the day is, having better players, better talent and more production on a roster is a team’s defining characteristic. Howie Roseman showed that. The Bengals, despite a reputation for cost-saving, have been spending wildly. The 49ers, too. The division between owners who would actually like to win a football game and owners who are content with being owners will widen, and hopefully the pressure from fans on teams to spend a larger portion of their owners’ money and to spend more than the bare minimum each year will increase, too.
Bold prediction: The NFL will turn away a popular, wealthy and gregarious person who makes a high-profile bid to buy one of its for-sale franchises. As a supplement to this prediction, I think we’ll learn that a high-profile NFL franchise we did not realize was available is for sale. Let’s say, for example, Taylor Swift would like to purchase the Buccaneers. Would the secretive club of NFL billionaires dare let her become the most popular owner in the league?
Gilberto Manzano
Super Bowl: Bengals 31, 49ers 27; Joe Burrow MVP
Season awards:
MVP: Jalen Hurts
OPOY: Ja’Marr Chase
DPOY: Maxx Crosby
OROY: Anthony Richardson
DROY: Will Anderson Jr.
Comeback: Lamar Jackson
Coach: Robert Saleh
I really wanted to pick at least six teams that didn’t make the playoffs last year to make it this year, because that’s the average number of the past five years. I chose three new teams in the NFC (Lions, Saints, Packers), but I couldn’t do more than one (Jets) in the loaded AFC. It’s not a good year for pesky underdog teams in the conference—maybe next year, Dolphins, Patriots, Steelers, Browns and Raiders. Yes, I think the Raiders will be decent, which explains why I have Crosby winning DPOY. I’m definitely the guy who gets carried away with upsets for March Madness brackets. But just like in most college basketball seasons, two perennial favorites will be the last two standing.
The 49ers have the best roster in the NFL, and Brock Purdy appears to be the right quarterback to lead them to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. The Bengals aren’t as loaded as the 49ers, but they have the quarterback advantage with Burrow, which will be enough for Cincinnati to earn its first Lombardi Trophy, and some payback for the two Super Bowl losses in the ’80s against San Francisco. And don’t worry about Burrow’s calf injury because Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Burrow “looks great.” Coaches never lie about injury reports. Right? In all seriousness, adding Orlando Brown Jr. in the offseason could be the difference-maker. Now Burrow has two solid bookend tackles, with Jonah Williams moving from left to right tackle, to take more shots downfield with Chase and Tee Higgins.
But I must admit, I almost went with the Jets over the Bengals in the AFC title game. I’ve probably been watching too much Hard Knocks, but New York’s shaky offensive line is concerning. If the Jets do make it to the AFC title game, that’s technically a new team making a push for the Super Bowl. That would provide enough Cinderella moments for me. And yes, Aaron Rodgers is not the underdog type, but let me feel better about my not-so-bold playoff bracket. Although I am taking a risk with the Chiefs’ being bounced in the wild-card round. Eventually, someone else has to win the AFC West, and there hasn’t been a repeat Super Bowl champion in nearly two decades.
Bold prediction: Expect the Bears to make a late push for a wild-card spot, similar to what the Lions did last season. I’m not saying they’ll win eight of their final 10 games like Detroit did, but with so many new pieces Chicago has the talent to make noise after Justin Fields establishes a rhythm with DJ Moore and the revamped offensive line—yes, I’m aware of the current injuries. Also, coach Matt Eberflus will probably get better defensive results for his second season in Chicago with the additions of linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards.
Look for the Bears’ run to begin with back-to-back wins versus the Saints and Panthers in Weeks 9 and 10. Let’s say they win six of their final nine games and lose to Green Bay in Week 18 to barely miss the postseason with an 8–9 record. And while I’m at it, count on Fields to throw for at least 30 passing touchdowns. I should stop writing now.
Matt Verderame
Super Bowl: Chiefs 31, Cowboys 27; Patrick Mahomes MVP
Season awards:
MVP: Joe Burrow
OPOY: Saquon Barkley
DPOY: Micah Parsons
OROY: Jahmyr Gibbs
DROY: Christian Gonzalez
Comeback: Damar Hamlin
Coach: Pete Carroll
The obvious surprises here are the 49ers not winning their division, the Ravens and Chargers not qualifying for the playoffs, and the Cowboys going to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1995.
Let’s run them down in order. For San Francisco, the question at quarterback is significant. Brock Purdy played well in a short stint as a rookie, but will he struggle as a sophomore? Maybe I’m in the minority, but I trust Geno Smith more than Purdy after watching them in 2022. Give me the Seahawks in the NFC West.
As for Baltimore and Los Angeles, it’s a numbers game in the AFC. In those respective divisions, I’m taking the favorites in the Bengals and Chiefs. That puts the Ravens and Chargers in a fight for those three wild card spots. Over the past two years, Lamar Jackson has gotten hurt, missing 10 cumulative games. Meanwhile, Los Angeles employs Brandon Staley. He has overseen some of the most mind-numbing defeats in recent memory, including a Week 18 classic against the Raiders to end the 2021 season and then the playoff debacle in Jacksonville last January.
Now, the Cowboys. Basically, if not now, when? It’s very hard for teams that lost the Super Bowl to win it all the following year. In fact, over the Super Bowl era (1966 to present), it has happened only three times. I’m not betting on the Eagles to become the fourth, even if they’re loaded. Dallas has the benefit of a second-place schedule and the additions of both receiver Brandin Cooks and corner Stephon Gilmore.
Lastly, give me a bounce-back season for Dak Prescott. Prescott was bad last year, leading the league with 15 interceptions despite missing five games. But the year before, he threw for 37 touchdowns and 4,449 yards. In 2019, Prescott went for 4,902 passing yards and 30 scores. He’ll return to form.
As for the Chiefs, it’s the chalk pick, but the correct one. They have both the best quarterback and best coach in football. The offensive line is a top-three unit. The defense saw five rookies play major snaps in 2022 and still ranked 11th. It should improve. All told, Kansas City is the best team in football. If it plays its best, it’ll win again.
Bold prediction: The Raiders are going to be in the Caleb Williams sweepstakes. What reason is there to believe in the Silver and Black? Last year, the defense ranked 27th in yards per play against, last in takeaways (13) and 24th in pressure rate, despite a 12.5-sack, Pro Bowl year from defensive end Maxx Crosby.
Las Vegas did very little to improve its defense, save for first-round edge rusher Tyree Wilson. Furthermore, the Raiders downgraded at quarterback, releasing the venerable Derek Carr and replacing him with the oft-injured, low-ceiling Jimmy Garoppolo.
This offseason had all the earmarkings of what we’ve seen from every other former Patriots coach. Josh McDaniels got rid of established talent to replace it with men who played in New England. Thus the signings of receiver Jakobi Meyers and quarterbacks Brian Hoyer and Garoppolo.
Factor in having to play in the brutal AFC, which includes seven games against the Chiefs, Chargers, Bills, Dolphins and Jets, and Las Vegas could be buried under an avalanche of points.
Are the Raiders as bad as the Cardinals? Probably not. Are they the worst team in the AFC? It’s not a stretch.
Greg Bishop
Super Bowl: Chiefs 31, Eagles 28; Travis Kelce MVP
Season awards:
MVP: Patrick Mahomes
OPOY: Justin Jefferson
DPOY: Sauce Gardner
OROY: Bijan Robinson
DROY: Jalen Carter
Comeback: Damar Hamlin
Coach: Doug Pederson
An executive once told me something that has proved true every year since they said it (around 2018). They said that fans/journalists/pundits/etc. are often one year ahead of when a team will be really good, when they’re truly on the cusp. The Lions strike me as an excellent candidate this year to prove this source correct once more. There’s a lot to like about what Detroit is building. But the full-stop belief coming from every corner of the sports universe? It’s a little much.
To that end, I picked Minnesota, which has a complete roster, the best nonquarterback in football and another season with Kevin O’Connell at the helm, to edge Detroit in a tight division race. The only other team I considered for a playoff spot but left out was the Seahawks. I like the quarterbacks more in Dallas and New York, which served as a tie-breaker for me.
I’m not a fan of how much chalk is in both my brackets. I don’t want to overthink this, though. Philadelphia has the most talent in the conference, and it’s not particularly close for me—the difference between the Eagles and the 49ers is a crucial one at quarterback, with Jalen Hurts a major separator. That said, I’d love to see Eagles and 49ers again in the conference championship, with a healthy Brock Purdy available for San Francisco.
In the AFC, I looked for ways to not pick the Chiefs. Anyone who does that is simply trying too hard to be counterintuitive. Other than health—always a major factor—there’s no reason to drop K.C. at this point from the perch it earned last season. I had a harder time picking the AFC wild-card entrants—some close, even, could-go-either-way competition there. I also considered the Chargers, Raiders, Dolphins and Patriots as playoff teams. I chose Pittsburgh, due to a feeling about Kenny Pickett (one, in all likelihood, shared by anyone who watched him this summer). And I chose the Jets because there’s so much talent on that roster, and I think they’ll get their offensive line to a point where Aaron Rodgers can make a playoff push. But win it? Not without some help up front. I flirted, at the end, with choosing Jacksonville over Kansas City. But the Jags? In January? Going into Arrowhead? Beating Mahomes? I can see it, but not with nearly enough certainty to pick Jacksonville. So it’s the Chiefs, who’ll then win a rematch over the Eagles, in another nailbiter. I could make an argument there, either way.
Tie-breaker: Mahomes.
Dynasty: legitimized.
Bold prediction: Dak Prescott will be in the MVP conversation into December. The criticism of him, for me, always feels overblown. The Trey Lance trade, for instance, turned into a referendum on Prescott’s soul. When the Cowboys are built well around him—and they are, as Micah Parsons should be in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation—and Prescott is healthy, he has a long and significant track record of playing elite football. He threw too many picks last year. Both things are true, as is this: Pick somebody in sports to bounce back. Anybody. Prescott would be a solid bet there, having proved precisely that, again and again.
Michael Rosenberg
Super Bowl: 49ers 34, Jaguars 27; Christian McCaffrey MVP
Season awards:
MVP: Patrick Mahomes
OPOY: Ja’Marr Chase
DPOY: Micah Parsons
OROY: Bryce Young
DROY: Will Anderson Jr.
Comeback: Damar Hamlin
Coach: John Harbaugh
My picks might be completely wrong. You might find me to be the lone dim bulb among Sports Illustrated’s staff of bright lights. You might be right about all that. But one thing you must admit is that my predictions would be fun.
Aaron Rodgers will lead the Jets to a division title, generate a lot of MVP talk in the process—and then watch the Packers and Patriots advance further in the playoffs. The Ravens will play the Steelers in the playoffs. The 49ers will start the season by dumping a quarterback they moved into the top three to draft (Trey Lance) and end it by winning the Super Bowl behind Mr. Irrelevant (Brock Purdy).
Two 24-year-olds, Trevor Lawrence and Purdy, will start at quarterback in a Super Bowl. Trent Baalke’s Jaguars will take on his old team, the Niners, for the title. Bill Belichick will prove he is still a defensive mastermind—leading New England past the Miami sprint squad for a playoff spot, then torturing the Jets again, then stunning Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid in Kansas City in January ... and then suffering another heartbreaking defeat to a Doug Pederson–coached team. The Lions will get their first playoff win in 32 years, then lose at home to the hated Packers.
My picks also seem ... out there. I have Kansas City, Philadelphia, Cincy and Buffalo—four of the top five teams, according to most Super Bowl oddsmakers—winning zero playoff games. But the NFL always seems more predictable in August than it actually is. Stuff happens. Stuff has already happened. The Eagles lost both coordinators, Buffalo has an aging team in a deep division, Kansas City star Chris Jones is holding out and Joe Burrow is hurt.
Bold prediction: Ron Rivera will be the early-season front-runner for Coach of the Year ... and then he will be the first head coach to get fired. The Commanders’ early schedule is soft enough to set up a solid start. They’ll play Arizona, Buffalo and Chicago at home. They’ll visit Denver, Philadelphia and Atlanta. Even the toughest of those matchups, the one in Philly, includes a little gift for Washington: The Eagles will be coming off a Monday night road game. Washington’s defensive front can keep it in games. A 4–2 start is very much in play.
But at some point, reality will hit from two sides: This team isn’t that good, and new owner Josh Harris did not hire Rivera. Harris’s Philadelphia 76ers fired two winning, respected coaches (Brett Brown and Doc Rivers), and his New Jersey Devils have fired two coaches in the middle of a season. When it becomes clear that the fourth season of Rivera’s tenure is going nowhere, Harris will want a head start on his coaching search.
Andrew Brandt
Super Bowl: Eagles 36, Dolphins 24; Jalen Hurts MVP
Season awards:
MVP: Jalen Hurts
OPOY: Ja’Marr Chase
DPOY: Micah Parsons
OROY: Bijan Robinson
DROY: Emmanuel Forbes
Comeback: Damar Hamlin
Coach: Arthur Smith
My sense is that there will be two teams that greatly exceed expectations this season: the Dolphins and the Packers.
While many in the AFC focus on the continued success of the Chiefs, Bills, Ravens and Bengals and the rise of teams such as the Jets and Jaguars, there is not much attention being paid to the Dolphins. This may be related to continuing questions about Tua and some lazy criticism out there, but I am a believer. The offense will be as dynamic as any in the league, and the defense added the best free-agent pickup of the 2023 offseason: defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. I still like the Chiefs to represent the conference in the Super Bowl, but the Dolphins will emerge from all the others.
The NFC is still owned by the Eagles, and then there’s everyone else (see my bold prediction below), but the Packers will surprise. I know, I know: I have a Green Bay bias that will never leave me, but in terms of the NFC North, I am not buying the hype around the Lions, I expect a regression from the Vikings and the Bears are, well, still the Bears. The Packers will showcase a lot of young talent, including at quarterback, that will be a testament to their scouting, coaching and ability to win without a certain now Jets quarterback.
As for awards, Jalen Hurts has the drive, talent and temperament to keep getting better, and he will. There’s not much of a gap between him and whoever is the most valuable player in the league, and he will close it. Elsewhere, as noted above, Tagovailoa will return to the form that led the Dolphins to a lot of winning last year. And Arthur Smith will make some noise in Atlanta in Year 3 of his system being implemented with a wide array of weapons.
Bold prediction: The Eagles will not lose. Not a regular-season game, not a playoff game, not the Super Bowl. This is a team that barely lost last year, and it is even more stacked this year. The Eagles have the top offensive line in the NFL and one of the top two or three defensive lines. They have an established star (A.J. Brown) and a rising star (DeVonta Smith) at wide receiver. They have the MVP runner-up at quarterback, who is only getting better.
There is no one on the Eagle’s schedule, or any schedule, that matches their talent. And there will be no slippery field to thwart their pass rush in this year’s Super Bowl. Yes, undefeated. And I don’t think that’s a bold prediction.
John Pluym
Super Bowl: Chiefs 35, 49ers 31; Patrick Mahomes MVP
Season awards:
MVP: Patrick Mahomes
OPOY: Christian McCaffrey
DPOY: Nick Bosa
OROY: Bryce Young
DROY: Christian Gonzalez
Comeback: Damar Hamlin
Coach: Dan Campbell
The Lions and Jaguars are two of four teams never to make it to the Super Bowl. And while I don’t think either will make it this season, I do like both to win their divisions. Detroit won eight of its last 10 games last season, including dispatching the Packers in the final game. And who can forget how Jacksonville rallied to beat the Chargers in the AFC wild-card round? Trevor Lawrence is one of the top five quarterbacks in the AFC, which is saying something when you consider the talent at the position. And while the Lions will finally win a division title for the first time since 1993, they still don’t have enough to overtake the rest of the NFC.
I’ve got my money on the 49ers and Eagles to play in the NFC championship game for the second consecutive season. They’re the two most talented teams in the conference, especially at quarterback with Brock Purdy and Jalen Hurts. But the 49ers’ having Christian McCaffrey for an entire season and a rejuvenated Deebo Samuel will be enough for San Francisco to dethrone Philadelphia and advance to the Super Bowl.
And all roads lead to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas, where the Chiefs will become the first team since the 2003 and ’04 Patriots to win back-to-back titles. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady won six Super Bowls together, and Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid have only two Lombardi Trophies right now. But the prediction here is they will win at least two or three more before Reid starts manufacturing his own line of Hawaiian shirts. And I wouldn’t be too concerned about Chris Jones missing all of training camp. He’ll be there for the Chiefs when the games count the most, and that’s the playoffs.
As for my award winners, the best player in the NFL plays for the Chiefs, which is why Mahomes will win his third MVP. McCaffrey will play a full season for the 49ers, giving coach Kyle Shanahan even more options for his offense. And Nick Bosa has been unstoppable on defense for the Niners. I’ve watched enough of Young and Gonzalez to know they’re going to be two of the best young players in the league. And Damar Hamlin is easily one of the best comeback stories in NFL history. I know I’ve said plenty about the Lions, but I love how Campbell is building that team with GM Brad Holmes, and he’ll win Coach of the Year.
Bold prediction: McCaffrey will break Michael Thomas’s NFL single-season receptions record of 149 in 2019, catching 160 balls from Purdy. I don’t think there’s any doubt McCaffrey is the best all-purpose running back in the league. And he plays for probably the best offensive coach in the NFL. McCaffrey was traded at the deadline last year from the Panthers to San Francisco, and he had 85 receptions. So, yes, I’m betting big that McCaffrey will average nearly 10 receptions a game. But we were asked for a bold prediction, and my son-in-law Eric says this is a very bold prediction. Enjoy the season!
Mitch Goldich
Super Bowl: Eagles 33, Jaguars 27; Jalen Hurts MVP
Season awards:
MVP: Jalen Hurts
OPOY: Ja’Marr Chase
DPOY: T.J. Watt
OROY: Bijan Robinson
DROY: Jalen Carter
Comeback: Damar Hamlin
Coach: Pete Carroll
Overall, my bracket is pretty chalky, with just four new playoff teams compared to a year ago (although the Vikings are returnees, but not exactly a popular pick).
The AFC is impossible, and in the end I decided I just had to have three teams from the North, even if that meant no wild cards from the headline-grabbing East. The Chiefs are the best team in the conference, which I’ve reflected by giving them the No. 1 seed, but the best team does not always make it through to the end. It would be easy to just pick Patrick Mahomes to go back to the Super Bowl for the next 12 years in a row, and you’ll probably be right at least a few more times. But nobody would be surprised to see Trevor Lawrence make it to the big game at some point; the hard part is just going out on a limb to pick the right year. So often we see young quarterbacks take a massive leap in their second NFL seasons. Lawrence did, and I like the idea of another one in his second post–Urban Meyer season.
Over in the NFC, I think I’m higher on the Seahawks than most people. I’m giving them a sneaky division title and—would you believe?—the first career Coach of the Year Award for Pete Carroll. The Eagles are too deep and too talented on both sides of the ball for me to pick anyone else. I know it can be tough for the Super Bowl runner-up to get back there, but I think they are hungry, well-run and well-coached. Call me a homer if you want, given my Philadelphia roots, but I have spent the majority of my life assuming this team would not win the Super Bowl, so it’s rare for me to feel this good about it.
One year after the Eagles lost the Andy Reid Bowl, I envision them winning the Doug Pederson Bowl.
Bold prediction: The NFL’s single-season receiving record will be broken … by multiple players. It will take on a feeling akin to Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa both topping Roger Maris in 1998, even if the record isn’t as hallowed, with weekly updates on who’s ahead of whom and who’s on pace for what. Calvin Johnson’s record of 1,964 has stood since 2012, and, once the regular season expanded to 17 games, it clearly became just a matter of time. Cooper Kupp came within 20 yards in ’21, but the mark has thus far survived. I think Chase will finish on top, which is why I have him taking home the Offensive Player of the Year Award. He was a second-team All-Pro as a rookie and then actually averaged more yards per game last season, though he suited up only 12 times. As multiple players flirt with the pace for the record, it will become a major story line, leading to even more coverage and some possible stat-padding. Justin Jefferson is an obvious candidate to join Chase above Megatron’s mark. It’ll be either him, CeeDee Lamb, DeVonta Smith or Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Claire Kuwana
Super Bowl: Eagles 38, Bengals 24; Jalen Hurts MVP
Season awards:
MVP: Patrick Mahomes
OPOY: Ja’Marr Chase
DPOY: Myles Garrett
OROY: Bijan Robinson
DROY: Jalen Carter
Comeback: Damar Hamlin
Coach: Robert Saleh
Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are a combo lethal enough to fly through the regular season. But eventually, it’s bound to be one of the other star AFC quarterbacks’ turns to take a shot at the Lombardi Trophy, and this year, it’ll be Joe Burrow and the Bengals. The Cincinnati roster is loaded, with weapons, strong coaching and chemistry on both sides of the ball. Zac Taylor’s done it once before, and there’s no reason to say the young coach (with the help of a very, very convincing receiving trio) can’t take his team to the Super Bowl again. Along the way, Ja’Marr Chase—as the top receiver in the league not named Justin Jefferson—will secure OPOY accolades. The Jets will also use their talent in the passing game to go far, with Garrett Wilson following up on his rookie year in stride thanks to Aaron Rodgers. Because of this turnaround, for a team that’s historically the butt of most jokes, Robert Saleh will secure Coach of the Year.
But it’ll be an NFC team that takes home the trophy in February. Jalen Hurts will make good on his goal to return to the Super Bowl, and, this time, he will be the quarterback taking home the game MVP award. Despite losing a chunk of their defense this offseason, the Eagles will see dividends on their gamble to take Jalen Carter; as Albert Breer reported at training camp, the rookie DT is learning quickly from practicing against Philadelphia’s fabled offensive line. Carter will take home Defensive Rookie of the Year, edging out Will Anderson Jr. (who will help the Texans, but not enough for them to make the playoffs). Similarly, the addition of Bijan Robinson—who will share enough carries with Tyler Allgeier to prove the worth of taking a running back early and win OROY—a bounce-back season from Kyle Pitts and the settling in of Desmond Ridder will be enough to get the Falcons out of a meager NFC South and into the wild-card round.
Bold prediction: The Ravens will lead the league in total passing yards. Just like my Super Bowl prediction, I have chosen to live in blissful ignorance of the Chiefs, who led the league last season by nearly 500 passing yards (for reference, the gap between the second and third team leaders was two yards). This year, it’ll be Lamar Jackson’s unit that stomps on the NFL, with Odell Beckham Jr. providing just enough of a threat to unlock the potential of rookie Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman. Mark Andrews will also bounce back to his 2021 Octopus Award–winning form. (With regards to Andrews’s potential injury, I’m putting my trust in John Harbaugh, who said last week, “You don’t need to panic.”) All in all, the combination of these target options, a new offensive coordinator in Todd Monken and Jackson’s reignited commitment to the team—after signing his $185 million extension, the quarterback said he wants to throw for 6,000 yards—will take Baltimore’s passing unit from the bottom five last season to the top in ’23.
