This year’s NFL Draft has come and gone. The hype is at its peak for a number of teams because they all believe that they selected the next great player in their franchise’s history. Predicting the NFL division winners for the 2023 season could be a shot in the dark this early. Trades, injuries, and surprise cuts happen.
Predicting Every NFL Division Winner Post Draft
AFC East: Buffalo Bills
It’s very possible that the Bills are in the beginning of their own Patriots-like dominance of the division. Josh Allen is one of the greatest quarterbacks in the NFL and he has one of the best in the game in Stefon Diggs. As if they need it, the Bills used their first pick on TE1, Dalton Kincaid out of Utah. Kincaid is a legit receiving threat and was an uber-productive member of the Utes.
Overall, this could be the best, deepest division in all of football. The Patriots are going to continue to be annoying and stout, defensively. Miami has a great roster and even added a good number of quality players. Finally, there may have been a small quarterback trade sending Aaron Rodgers to the Jets. They’ll be fun to watch, nonetheless. The Bills are still the favorite to take it, but they’re going to have to earn it.
AFC North: Cincinnati Bengals
For the first time in franchise history, the Cincinnati Bengals won back-to-back division titles after the 2022 season. They were able to get past a rough start and run right through a murderer’s row of a second-half schedule last year. This year, the schedule lightens up a bit. The Super Bowl window continues to be open during Joe Burrow’s career and it’s propped wide open thanks to Ja’Marr Chase, one of the top talents in the league. Their defense lost Jessie Bates, but will likely be just as good.
It would be understandable to pick the Baltimore Ravens, of course. Lamar Jackson is back. Odell Beckham, Jr. is in town now. The Browns will finally get Deshaun Watson on a full year, so maybe that ridiculous contract will be worth it this year. And the Steelers can never be counted out. It’s almost like Mike Tomlin could coach the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 9-8 record.
Clearly sports books like https://najlepsibukmacherzy.pl/bonusy-bukmacherskie/ like the Bengals and it looks like they are on their way to winning the North in turn.
AFC West: Kansas City Chiefs
The report of the Chiefs’ death was greatly exaggerated. After the nuclear arms race that was the AFC West in last year’s offseason, the Chiefs cruised through yet again en route to yet another Super Bowl. Patrick Mahomes is the best in the business and they had drafted incredibly well of late. They are the kings of the division until further proven.
The Chargers will always be interesting with Justin Herbert but you can’t overlook that meltdown against the Jaguars in last year’s playoffs. The Raiders, while they added Jimmy Garoppolo, could be vying for position in the Connor Williams sweepstakes. And the Broncos? Well, hopefully they’ll be better than last year.
AFC South: Jacksonville Jaguars
Last year, the Jags took the NFL by surprise. Now, they’ll have the target. Trevor Lawrence has taken mighty strides to bring the franchise out of the dark ages. While Urban Meyer may have set the team back a few years, they’ve done well with what they have. The difference here is the fact that they won’t be starting a brand-new quarterback as the rest of the division is.
C.J. Stroud. Anthony Richardson. Will Levis. The Texans, Colts, and Titans, respectively, will be lining up with rookies and it’s going to be tough sledding. None of their rosters are quite up to snuff, so it’s going to be a developmental year for most of the division.
CJ Stroud interview immediately after being drafted and putting the Houston Texans hat on for the first time.
Check out what the franchise has to say. pic.twitter.com/reHFp4jBR1
— V̷a̷t̷o̷r̷ (@Vator_H_Town) April 28, 2023
NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts just got paid and rightfully so. He led that franchise to the Super Bowl and very nearly took it all. His weapons in A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith are some of the best in the game. The concern will be in replacing defensive pieces and both coordinators. If they continue to draft former Georgia players, they should be okay!
The Giants could be dangerous. They seemingly overachieved last year and have all the pieces to contend. They did add Darren Waller, so keep an eye on this offense. The Cowboys have underachieved each of the last few years and they have a number of questions. Finally, Washington will certainly play football this year.
NFC North: Minnesota Vikings
Despite the fact the Vikings were exposed as frauds in 2022, they were still the best in the division. Justin Jefferson has a legit argument to be the best receiver in the entire league. There are questions at running back and whether or not Kirk Cousins will be the guy to lead this franchise to the promised land. It won’t be as easy as 2022, but the Vikings should take the North again.
The Aaron Rodgers era is over in Green Bay and we have officially ushered in the era of Love. They have a couple of solid receivers and added a tight end with a projected high ceiling, so it’ll be easier to get him going. The Bears went into the offseason with a dynamic young quarterback and a whole lot of cap space. How they build a winner will certainly dictate how they do but they are likely at least a year away. Finally, the Lions were very fun last year, narrowly missing the playoffs. Their draft decisions were…interesting, but it seems like they may be a few pieces away from legitimately contending.
NFC West: San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers legitimately looked like a Super Bowl team and was just missing a quarterback. Even then, they took Mr. Irrelevant to the NFC Championship. He was propped up by the best defense in the league and a pair of Swiss army knife weapons in Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel. No matter who ends up as quarterback, they’ll be among the best in the NFC.
The Seahawks were one of the biggest surprises of the league last year with Geno Smtih. Now, they’ve added Jaxon Smith-Njigba on offense and Devon Witherspoon on defense. They’ll challenge for the throne, that’s for sure. The Rams are still reeling from mortgaging their future to win the Super Bowl, so they shouldn’t be a threat. The Cardinals sent their coach on a one-way trip to the unemployment line last year and looked bad in the process. They should be a little better, but nowhere close to the 49ers.
NFC South: Carolina Panthers
Of all of the eight division champions, seven are favorites. The NFC South is not so clear, so why not go for the longshot? Shoot for the stars, hit the moon on the way back. The Panthers traded up to go get Bryce Young to lead the way. They drafted Jonathon Mingo to go with Adam Thielen and D.J. Chark in their active free agency period. Their defense was already solid, so look for this team to surprise.
The Saints have a few issues and it may not be Derek Carr who could lead this franchise back. Chris Olave is nice but he can’t do it alone. The Buccaneers are replacing the GOAT and that’s no easy task. Finally, the Falcons may be better than anticipated but can Desmond Ridder get the job done? Bijan Robinson is a lethal back but he’s still just a running back.
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