The 2013 NFL Football season is almost here and to be honest I have not been this excited for the season in a long time. Maybe it’s because of how the last year ended with almost every playoff game coming down to the last play, and not to mention that I could see at least 3 teams in every division making this year’s playoffs. Here are my picks for the season.

AFC EAST:

Miami Dolphins 11-5.

 I think this is the year for the Dolphins as the Jets and the Bills are not real threats and there’s too much whole drama in New England. Not to mention loading up their defense with fresh faces like Philip Wheeler, Dannell Ellerbe, Dion Jordan and Brett Grimes. They have new weapons like Dustin Keller and Mike Wallace for quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

AFC NORTH:

Cincinnati Bengals 11-5.

 The Bengals have an absolutely loaded roster with a young above average quarterback and a super star receiver in A.J. Green and an athletic, hard hitting defense with one of the leagues best defensive tackles, Geno Atkins. The team is young; they have made the playoffs the past two years and they are in a division that is weaker with Baltimore and Pittsburgh still a few players shy or years of experience away from playoff contention. Cincinnati’s time is now and the window is closing.

AFC SOUTH:

Houston Texans 12-4.

  Okay, Houston is the team that needs too win, and its getting a little sad how a team with a loaded running game and a solid quarterback has not caused enough damage.  It’s worth mentioning future hall-of-fame wide receiver, André Johnson who is starting to get up there in age, but the addition of DeAndre Hopkins is perfect for the Texans as they got a second outside threat to add to a top running game led my Arian Foster.  The Texans extremely overpowered defense with stars like Brian Cushing, J.J. Watt, Jonathan Joseph, and Ed Reed, the Texans are loaded. It’s time for them to do something in January.

AFC WEST:

Denver Broncos 12-4.

  This is the most obvious pick; Peyton Manning is still playing great and now they have 3 running backs that could play anywhere. Not to mention the loaded receiving core he has with Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welcker, and Eric Decker; that’s just the offense. On the defense you have the best pass rusher in football, Von Miller. There secondary is spotty but the Broncos can punch pound for pound with any offense in the league. The only thing that would make them have a less impressive record than last year is the age of Peyton Manning, and all of the off-season problems that Denver had to deal with in particular, the Von Miller 6-game suspension.

AFC WILD CARD 1:

New England Patriots 10-6.

  With the problems the Patriots had this off-season, it looks very doubtful that Tom Brady can lead New England to a return to glory. The way I see it is that Tom Brady is once again, the offense. Which isn’t much of a shock, but he is one of the greatest ever at the position. They are going to easily make the playoffs, however Miami as a team is just a little better.

AFC WILD CARD 2:

Baltimore Ravens 10-6.

  The defending champs will make the playoffs; they have an exciting offense with Torrey Smith, Ray Rice, and Joe Flacco.  They also have an above average defense with Terrell Suggs and company.  The Ravens won’t be repeating but they will at least ride Flacco and Rice into the playoffs.

NFC EAST:

Philadelphia Eagles 10-6.

  As much as you think this may be a shock, in a way it is!  How in the world should a 4-12 train wreck be the division champs?  Well, there are 3 reasons why the Eagles can win this division.  Reason one: Chip Kelly is the coach the Eagles needed after Andy Reid. An organized well spoken coach who is innovator and runs the ball more then he passes which works because LeSean McCoy is one of the 5 best running backs in football. Two: Kelly’s offense is geared towards a player like Michael Vick and the eagles offensive line will be as will be better than last year. Reason three:  every other team in the NFC East has a flaw that could wreck the season if not fixed. The Giant’s defense is old and has a sub par defensive back core. The Redskins have to play the RG3 situation carefully or it could be then worse then it was before. As for the Cowboys, they seem to find a way to self-destruct no matter how much they seem to have it figured out.

NFC NORTH:

Detroit Lions 11-5.

 The Lions may look like a bold pick but look closer, they have the best wide-out in football, Calvin Johnson, a top 15 quarterback in Mathew Stafford and they filled two huge holes by picking up Reggie Bush which gives them a running game and they drafted Darius Slay and resigned Louis Delmas which tightens up the secondary. They are the most complete team in the north but this is a very tight division nonetheless.

NFC SOUTH:

Atlanta Falcons 13-3.

 The falcons are one of the best teams in the NFL they have arguably one of the best wide receiver tandems in the league: Julio Jones and Roddy White and the addition of Stephen Jackson compliments Matt Ryan’s arsenal. The defense is mostly young and has solid veteran leadership.   The falcons will win this division out right.

NFC WEST:

Seattle Seahawks 14-2.

THIS IS THE BEST TEAM IN THE NFL. That may be a bold statement but their roster top to bottom is way better then any team including their rival, the 49ers. Russell Wilson is an amazing quarterback; good arm; good mobility; he is solid. There is also Marshawn Lynch, Golden Tate, Sidney Rice, and also Percy Harven whenever he comes back from injuries. That’s just the offense; Richard Sherman one of the leagues best corners leads a defense full of all pro’s. The Seahawks are the best team in football top to bottom.

NFC WILD CARD 1:

San Francisco 49ers 13-3.

 The 49ers will have the best record for a wild card team; they are just a little bit less then the Seahawks but they do have the second best defense in football and Colin Kaepernick is a freak of nature. The rest of their team is really solid including their running back core led by Frank Gore and the leagues best linebacker core headed by Patrick Willis. The 49ers are solid and they could be the second best team in the NFC easily even though they are the 5 seed.

NFC WILD CARD 2:

Green Bay Packers 11-5.

  The packers have a shaky defense but there top flight offense led by Aaron Rodgers, James Jones, Jordy Nelson, and Randall Cobb should be able to out score there way to about eleven wins; but Detroit will just beat them out.  The Packers will not be making a long run in January due to their not-so stellar defense.

When it comes down to it, the Super Bowl will be Houston Texans vs. the Seattle Seahawks in Giants stadium. My winner is Seattle they are just too stacked at every position and they just seem to have a solution for every team.

Author: Jared Klim

I can be contacted via Twitter @KlimsKorner and on Facebook page KlimsKorner.

Photo Credits: Wikipedia

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