NFL 2013 Regular and Postseason Predictions
The 2013 NFL regular season kicks off Thursday with Baltimore opening defense of its title in Denver. With the countdown to Super Bowl XLVIII set to begin, what better time than now for Athlon editors to make their predictions on how this season will play out?
The Ravens may be the current holders of the Lombardi Trophy, but the consensus from our panel of five is that the Broncos will represent the AFC in the Big Apple in February. The panel also feels strongly that New England and Houston will win their respective divisions, while Cincinnati is the pick to dethrone Baltimore in the AFC North.
In the NFC, there's solidarity when it comes to the North (Green Bay) champion, with the Giants, Falcons and 49ers the preferred picks in the East, South and West, respectively. The group as a whole believes the Seahawks will make the playoffs, while the majority has the Saints in the postseason too. As far as the Super Bowl goes, all but one panelist has a team from the NFC West playing in New York in February, with three of those votes going to the 49ers. San Francisco also is the popular pick to beat Denver in Super Bowl XLVIII, although one editor cast a vote for a potential storybook ending for Peyton Manning's Hall of Fame career.
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The panel's picks for the major award winners offer a little more variety, with the exception of league MVP. Our panel believes that not only will this honor go to a quarterback for the sixth time in seven seasons, but also to one that has previously won the award. The majority feel that the league's only four-time recipient will add to his record total, while the others like the 2011 winner's chances of becoming the ninth player in history to claim multiple MVP awards.
NFL 2013 Regular and Postseason Predictions
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AFC ChampionshipGame | Broncos overPatriots | Broncos overBengals | Broncos overTexans | Broncos overTexans | Broncos overTexans |
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NFC ChampionshipGame | 49ers over | 49ers over | 49ers over | Seahawks over | Giants over |
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Super BowlXLVIII | 49ers overBroncos | 49ers overBroncos | 49ers overBroncos | Broncos overSeahawks | Giants overBroncos |
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MVP | Aaron Rodgers | Peyton Manning | Peyton Manning | Peyton Manning | Aaron Rodgers |
Defensive Playerof the Year | J.J. Watt | Geno Atkins | J.J. Watt | DeMarcus Ware | Patrick Willis |
Comeback Playerof the Year | Darren McFadden | Larry Fitzgerald | Darrelle Revis | Maurice Jones-Drew | Robert Griffin III |
Offensive Rookieof the Year | Giovani Bernard | Giovani Bernard | Eddie Lacy | EJ Manuel | Lane Johnson |
Defensive Rookieof the Year | Ziggy Ansah | Eric Reid | Alec Ogletree | Ziggy Ansah | Manti Te'o |
Coach of the Year | Sean Payton | Sean Payton | Andy Reid | Andy Reid | Bill Belichick |
Related NFL Content:
Ranking the NFL's Starting Quarterbacks for 2013
Ranking All 32 NFL Head Coaches in 2013
2013 AFC Coordinator Carousel
2013 NFC Coordinator Carousel
