2018 Season Predictions

EF Analysis
Sep 1, 2018 · 3 min read

NFL fans will spend the next week waiting for the start of Falcons vs. Eagles. This will mark the beginning of what will hopefully be an exciting and conflict-free 2018 season. With most starters no longer at risk of injury during preseason I found this a perfect time to release my final 2018/19 season predictions. These will include a few player stat/storyline forecasts followed by my full division standings with a complete playoff bracket. I must admit, my predictions last year went horribly wrong. It is extremely difficult to predict breakout teams and call out overhyped teams not to mention the impossibility of foreseeing injury. Nevertheless, I gave it another shot and I hope you enjoy.

Player Predictions

Aaron Rodgers will be a MVP frontrunner-

Aaron Rodgers is, in my opinion, the league’s most skilled player and has proven his value after season after season of throwing around 4,000 yards and under 10 interceptions. This year he’ll be coming off of a season ending injury, and during his 2017 absence, Green Bay led a 7–9 season. If he can take the same team to the playoffs this season it will really show that he is the most valuable player to his team. That being said, he has to do the work and lead the Packers to a successful 2018 campaign, but as I stated previously he clearly has that ability.

Kyle Rudolph will see an increase in targets under Kirk Cousins-

Last season Rudolph saw a steep production drop off last year but still logged 57 receptions. He’s shown that he can do more and he will this season with Kirk Cousins under center. Cousins targets tight ends fairly often, with a healthy Jordan Reed getting 87 catches in 2017. Even an aging Vernon Davis managed 45 catches in the same season that Reed had 66. In addition Rudolph is the most experienced top target on the Vikings which makes him a good candidate for Cousins to develop early trust in. I’d keep all this in mind while drafting fantasy teams too.

Le’veon Bell will have his best season-

Holdout rumors surrounding Bell promptly ended after he stated he would “have his best season to date.” I do not doubt Bell one bit for two main reasons. One is that he is asking for a lot of money that the Steelers wouldn’t pay him. If he really wants to prove he’s worth it he has to show that he can shine on a yearly basis. In addition, he knows that this will be his last season on the league’s best offense in Pittsburgh. I think he would regret walking away from them a lot less if they can at least win the AFC. He can easily help make that happen by going all out in 2018.

Ezekiel Elliott will be top two in rushing yards-

This is not that bold a claim and I’m pretty confident in it. Zeke consistently logged 130+ yard games in his rookie year, and despite a worse performance last year in the midst of suspension talks, we know that he can tear the field up. Additionally, the Cowboys lost their top two targets and will be relying on Elliott even more. I think he will be there to carry them.

Mark Ingram will not see last year’s production level even after his suspension-

Despite splitting his workload with rookie Alvin Kamara, Ingram still had a phenomenal season. However, throughout the season’s first four weeks he won’t see any touches due to suspension. I believe that after relying solely on Kamara for a quarter of the season, the Saints will see that Ingram is not as necessary to the equation as it maybe had seemed. All this aside, this is based around Alvin Kamara taking off in weeks 1–4 which is not a guarantee.

NFC

North:

Vikings 14–2

Packers 11–5

Lions 7–9

Bears 6–10

East:

Eagles 11–5

Cowboys 10–6

Redskins 8–8

Giants 6–10

South:

Saints 12–4

Falcons 12–4

Panthers 8–8

Buccaneers 3–13

West:

Rams 13–3

49ers 7–9

Cardinals 6–10

Seahawks 5–11

Playoffs:

1- Vikings

2- Rams

3- Saints

4- Eagles

5- Falcons

6- Packers

Wild Card Weekend:

Packers at Saints

Falcons at Eagles

Divisional Round:

Falcons at Vikings

Saints at Rams

NFC Championship:

Rams at Vikings

AFC

North:

Steeler 12–4

Ravens 10–6

Bengals 5–11

Browns 4–12

East:

Patriots 11–5

Dolphins 5–11

Jets 4–12

Bills 2–14

South:

Jaguars 11–5

Texans 11–5

Titans 10–6

Colts 2–14

West:

Chargers 10–6

Chiefs 8–8

Raiders 6–10

Broncos 5–11

Playoffs:

1- Steelers

2- Jaguars

3- Patriots

4- Chargers

5- Texans

6- Ravens

Wildcard Weekend:

Ravens at Patriots

Texans at Chargers

Divisional Round:

Ravens at Steelers

Chargers at Jaguars

AFC Championship:

Jaguars at Steelers

Super Bowl

Steelers vs Vikings

Champion-Vikings

EF Analysis

Written by

An aspiring NFL analyst who posts in depth articles of predictions and takeaways around the football world. Instagram: @ef_analysis