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.

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

	Rob Doster	Braden Gall	Steven Lassan	Mark Ross	Nathan Rush
AFC East
AFC North
AFC South
AFC West
AFC Wild Card
AFC Wild Card
AFC Championship Game	Broncos over Patriots	Broncos over Bengals	Broncos over Texans	Broncos over Texans	Broncos over Texans
NFC East
NFC North
NFC South
NFC West
NFC Wild Card
NFC Wild Card
NFC Championship Game	49ers over Packers	49ers over Falcons	49ers over Seahawks	Seahawks over 49ers	Giants over 49ers
Super Bowl XLVIII	49ers over Broncos	49ers over Broncos	49ers over Broncos	Broncos over Seahawks	Giants over Broncos
MVP	Aaron Rodgers QB, Packers	Peyton Manning QB, Broncos	Peyton Manning QB, Broncos	Peyton Manning QB, Broncos	Aaron Rodgers QB, Packers
Defensive Player of the Year	J.J. Watt DE, Texans	Geno Atkins DT, Bengals	J.J. Watt DE, Texans	DeMarcus Ware DE, Cowboys	Patrick Willis LB, 49ers
Comeback Player of the Year	Darren McFadden RB, Raiders	Larry Fitzgerald WR, Cardinals	Darrelle Revis CB, Buccaneers	Maurice Jones-Drew RB, Jaguars	Robert Griffin III QB, Redskins
Offensive Rookie of the Year	Giovani Bernard RB, Bengals	Giovani Bernard RB, Bengals	Eddie Lacy RB, Packers	EJ Manuel QB, Bills	Lane Johnson OT, Eagles
Defensive Rookie of the Year	Ziggy Ansah DE, Lions	Eric Reid S, 49ers	Alec Ogletree LB, Rams	Ziggy Ansah DE, Lions	Manti Te'o LB, Chargers
Coach of the Year	Sean Payton Saints	Sean Payton Saints	Andy Reid Chiefs	Andy Reid Chiefs	Bill Belichick Patriots

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