Redemption.
Saints vs. Chiefs.
The Chiefs haven’t appeared in the Super Bowl for half a century. In January of 1970 Kansas City, “matriculating down the field’’ under coach Hank Stram, defeated the Vikings in New Orleans. The Chiefs had lost the first NFL-AFL championship to the Packers before the game was even called the Super Bowl. (The Chiefs’ late owner, Lamar Hunt, came up with label based on his son’s “Super Ball’’ toy. His son, Clark, now is the family’s chosen representative as the franchise’s owner.)
This is the 10th anniversary of New Orleans – the team and the city – winning its only Super Bowl in the same stadium where this Super Bowl will be played out.
Major returns for the Chiefs and the Saints. One team has one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time in Drew Brees; the other has the NFL’s greatest young quarterback in Patrick Mahomes.
Who will win? We’ll get there.
But, first, how will they get there?
This is my annual prediction of every NFL team’s record, the division standings, the playoff teams and the conference championship game.
Let’s get started.
NFC East:
Philadelphia Eagles: 11-5. Carson Wentz finally is healthy again, and Nick Foles is gone. The Eagles won the Super Bowl without Wentz, and they will beat out the Cowboys for this lop-sided division.
Dallas Cowboys: 10-6. The Ezekiel Elliott Episode has created issues for the Cowboys in training camp. The team has been in California; the player has been in Cabo. The Cowboys come out hot to win three, but they have trips to New Orleans, New England, old Philadelphia and old Chicago.
New York Giants: 5-11. Another rough season. Changing of the guard and changing of the quarterback at some point.
Washington Redskins: 4-12. Another team that will be switching to a rookie quarterback in mid-season.
NFC North:
Minnesota Vikings: 10-6. Kirk Cousins wins a division. The Vikings edge out Packers in tie-breaker.
Green Bay Packers: 10-6. Aaron Rodgers wins four or five games himself, and the Pack ties for division and ends up with a wild-card spot.
Chicago Bears: 9-7. Among the most difficult schedules in the league, based on now, not the past. Not quite the same.
Detroit Lions: 4-12. Too many good division teams, NFC East teams and AFC teams to win often.
NFC South:
New Orleans Saints: 11-5. Best of this bunch. Still can score at will and at home, and something to prove.
Atlanta Falcons: 8-8. Saw them in preseason and there’s not enough there.
Panthers: 7-9. Go fig, Newton.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 2-14. Arggggh.
NFC West:
Los Angeles Rams: 12-4. Can Todd Gurley return? The defense returns.
Seattle Seahawks: 9-7. A lot of other people like them more than I do. Something’s missing.
San Francisco 49ers: 8-8. Third year of transition. Better, but not good enough.
Arizona Cardinals: 3-13. Yes, they have Kyler Murray, but the defense is spotty, and the new offensive system with a rookie quarterback and a rookie coach is doomed to lose every game on the road and most at home.
AFC East:
New England Patriots: 12-4. They’re not going away, and nobody else in the division will challenge B&B (Belichick and Brady).
New York Jets: 7-9. Oh, well. A fresh quarterback and a spectacular running back just won’t get it done.
Buffalo Bills: 6-10. Slipping back despite the improvement of Josh Allen.
Miami Dolphins: 3-13. People in south Florida can look forward to the Super Bowl, featuring teams that aren’t from south Florida.
AFC North:
Pittsburgh Steelers: 10-6. No Antonio Brown, but still plenty on both sides. They barely hold off the Browns.
Cleveland Browns: 9-7. America’s Darling Team. But still a year away.
Baltimore Ravens: 8-8. A tough team to evaluate, but Lamar Jackson won’t rush for 1,000 yards and won’t throw for 2,500.
Cincinnati Bengals: 5-11. New coach, same old same old.
AFC South:
Jacksonville Jaguars: 10-6. I like the defense, and Nick Foles will make a difference.
Indianapolis Colts: 9-7. Everyone was picking the Colts to run away with the division until the earth-shaking announcement by Andrew Luck. Too much mystery now.
Houston Texans: 8-8. So-So.
Tennessee Titans: 6-10. Not so so-so.
AFC West:
Kansas City Chiefs: 13-3. They were for real last year, and more for real this year with a semblance of a defense and the comeback of the wayward receiver.
Los Angeles Chargers: 10-6. I don’t trust them given the Melvin Gordon situation and a lack of a home-field advantage.
Denver Broncos: 8-8. Top-10 defense, but average offense. But a vast improvement over the past two seasons.
Oakland Raiders: 5-11. It’s a Hard-Knocks Life, as Annie discovered, and the Raiders will. A 1-6 record to start.
Cowboys, Packers, Chargers and Browns are the wild-card teams.
Cleveland loses to Pittsburgh, and Jacksonville falls to Los Angeles (Chargers). In a weird NFC first round, Packers defeat Vikings, and the Cowboys edge the Eagles. Cowboys lose to the Saints, and the Packers fall to the Rams.
In a rematch, Saints prevail over the Rams for NFC title.
The Chiefs whip the Chargers, and the Patriots rip the Steelers.
K.C. and the Sunshine Band gets the AFC Championship at home over the Patriots.
Saints and Chiefs.
Chiefs Champs in the aLIVe LIV.
