fbpx
Skip to main content

Bold predictions for all 32 NFL teams in 2016

Courtesy of USA Today Images

The long-awaited 2016 NFL season is nearly here, which makes it a perfect time time to declare some bold predictions for the year.

Among them? One of the best teams in the league will fall short and miss the playoffs. Another franchise will go 15-1. We’re also weighing in on the Brock Osweiler experiment in Houston.

Anything can happen, right? With that, here is a bold prediction for each of the league’s 32 teams.

Arizona Cardinals will play in Super Bowl 51

Who cares if the Cardinals won only one preseason game and looked less-than-stellar along the way?

The fact is the team has improved every year since Bruce Arians began coaching in 2013.

Playing in a division that houses the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, the Cardinals are practically guaranteed to rise to the top in the NFC West.

David Johnson, responsible for 12.5 sacks last year.

Granted, the Cardinals will have to battle some tough NFC competition in the end. Although with a great defense, offense and one of the best coaches in the league, it is Super Bowl time.

Atlanta Falcons will finish at the bottom of the NFC South

The Falcons started off last year with a bang, then crashed and burned after recording only two wins in their final nine games.

Surprisingly, they ranked second behind the Carolina Panthers in the NFC South with eight wins. The New Orleans Saints recorded seven wins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won six games.

This year the Falcons will fall to the bottom of the heap. Matt Ryan’s passing touchdowns disturbingly decreased last year while his interceptions increased. Plus, Atlanta did not do a lot to address issues that plagued its defense last year

The Falcons’ 2016 schedule will be no picnic either. They will be tested early on with three games against Carolina, Denver and Seattle in Weeks 4-6. A poor start could easily pave the path for last place.

Baltimore Ravens: Steve Smith Sr. has record season with Ravens, postpones retirement

Steve Smith

It could happen, right?

Smith is about as tough and gritty as they come. And, it was only two years ago that he recorded 79 catches for 1,065 yards and six touchdowns in his debut with Baltimore.

Furthermore, Smith had been tallying an average of 95.7 yards per game before his injury in 2015. Had he continued that pace, he would have posted 1,531 yards.

The Ravens’ roster is not exactly head turning when it comes to wide receivers. Therefore, Smith will finishes 2016 with his best numbers to date as a Raven.

After compiling at least 1,200 yards and eight touchdowns, Smith will give it another go in 2017.

Buffalo Bills: Rookie Jonathan Williams outscores LeSean Coy

So far in his one season playing for the Bills, McCoy failed to impress. He dealt with some pesky injuries and scored only five total touchdowns all season.

In order to keep their pricey running back healthy, Williams should see work early on despite the presence of the injury-prone Reggie Bush.

Prior to his 2015 injury season at Arkansas, Williams rushed for 1,190 yards and 11 touchdowns at a healthy average pace of 5.6 yards per carry. Skilled as a pass-catcher, Williams could also give McCoy a run for the money.

While the Bills use McCoy sparingly, there is no reason to lighten Williams’ workload if he explodes out of the gate. Williams will score 10 combined touchdowns compared to McCoy’s four.

Carolina Panthers: Jonathan Stewart plays all 16 games

Stewart has not played a 16-game campaign since 2011. Various injuries have prevented him achieving this goal.

Though, Stewart remained strong enough last year that he should be able to endure 16 games. Second-year running back Cameron Artis-Payne should see an increased amount of carries, which will enable to Stewart to stay healthy.

Furthermore, Stewart says he feels 100 percent healthy and in his prime. The perfect combination of Stewart and Artis-Payne will ensure the veteran receives action all 16 games this fall.

Chicago Bears: Kevin White explodes for 1,000 receiving yards

kevin white

White is about to prove naysayers wrong when it comes to his middling preseason struggles.

And, forget a recent report by Jeff Dickerson of ESPN, when Jay Cutler said that “White is raw.”

White will surprise with a big year. Jeffery is bound to draw double-coverage, leaving Cutler many opportunities to target White. Also, Cutler’s favorite pass-catching weapons in running back Matt Forte and tight end Martellus Bennett are long gone.

White managed first-round draft status in 2015 after tallying 109 catches for 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns at West Virginia. He’ll prove he is no bust in 2016.

Cincinnati Bengals will defy odds and win a playoff game

We are predicting that the Bengals will finally get over their hump of failing in the playoffs..

The Bengals have lost six wild card games in the last seven seasons. Since Andy Dalton was drafted in 2011, the team has yet to advance past this obstacle.

Dalton improved his passing skills last season and he finished 2015 as the second-highest rated quarterback in the NFL. He has a fabulous supporting cast of offensive playmakers at his disposal, and the Bengals defense is tight.

There simply is no logical reason this combination should fail once again in the postseason. Plus, head coach Marvin Jones should be feeling the heat to edge his team past one-and-done.

Cleveland Browns finally have a quarterback who starts in all 16 games

The Browns have not had one quarterback start in all 16 games since Trent Dilfer in 1998. How ridiculous is that?

Furthermore, Robert Griffin III has yet to play an entire 16-game season. This will be the year Griffin breaks Cleveland’s horrible and embarrassing cycle.

With his future as a starter on the line, Griffin must reinvent himself. He appears to be practicing safer sliding techniques and has actually looked pretty sharp this preseason.

Let’s just say that Griffin would have to really be stinking things up in Cleveland to get benched. The alternative would be an underwhelming Josh McCown who went 1-7 last year.

It is high time the Browns shed their quarterback funk.

Dallas Cowboys: Dez Bryant, Ezekiel Elliott will be best receiver/running back duo

The Cowboys were down in the dumps last season, and Bryant posted low numbers in an injury-filled campaign.

Even with backup Dak Prescott under center, Bryant will rebound. Their preseason chemistry has looked amazing, and Bryant will be back to posting his usual double-digit touchdowns by the season’s end.

https://vine.co/v/5MdvUmnb55v

As for Elliott, he was not paid a fully-guaranteed contract to sit on a bench. He posted a massive total of 2027 yards and 23 touchdowns at Ohio State in 2015. That won’t happen in Dallas, though, 1,400 in combined yardage is attainable, as well as double-digit touchdowns.

When 2016 comes to a close, Bryant and Elliott could upstage all other like duos and record somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,700 or more total yards.

Denver Broncos don’t make the playoffs

The Broncos have won the AFC West and made the playoffs for the last five consecutive seasons.

This is the year the team falls short. The Broncos just named a quarterback who has yet to throw a pass in a professional game their starter. Whether Trevor Siemian retains the starting job or the Broncos depend on rookie Paxton Lynch, the offense will struggle.

There is only so long the defense can hold up the franchise. Furthermore, this unit lost a couple of their star players during free agency.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders have also gotten better while Denver got worse.

Detroit Lions: Anquan Boldin tops Golden Tate in production

Anquan Boldin, NFL Free Agents San Francisco 49ers

Quarterback Matthew Stafford improved immensely when he started working with his new offensive coordinator in mid-2015.

New to the scene is Boldin, who is advancing up there in age but still has what it takes to put up some great numbers. This will especially be the case catching passes from a gunslinging quarterback such as Stafford.

While fellow wideouts Golden Tate and Marvin Jones draw the double coverage that Calvin Johnson used to attract, Boldin will reap the benefits.

Boldin tallied 69 catches for 789 yards and four touchdowns during 14 games in 2015. This was accomplished while he was not 100 percent healthy and enduring the 49ers’ nightmarish quarterback circumstances.

Boldin will have at least 75 receptions for a total of 900 yards and eight touchdowns.

Green Bay Packers: Eddie Lacy leads league in rushing yards

This is a make it or break it year for Lacy. His next contract extension with the Packers depends on his production in 2016.

Lacy has shed some weight, changed up his work out routine and has looked pretty darn sharp in the preseason.

With Jordy Nelson back, the team could easily achieve early leads and use Lacy to run down the clock late in games.

It would not be too difficult to see him average at least 20 carries per game. At his average 4.3 yards per tote, this would equate to a minimum of 1,376 rushing yards for the year.

Houston Texans: Brock Osweiler passes for at least 4,500 yards and 30-plus touchdowns

As crazy as this sounds, this could come true. Osweiler has some amazing talent to throw to, as DeAndre Hopkins is nothing short of a stud and Jaelen Strong is evolving.

The Texans also have two intriguing rookie wide receivers in Will Fuller and Braxton Miller.

Furthermore, Lamar Miller is an awesome pass-catching running back. There will be tons of passing yards to be wracked up here.

Just watch while Osweiler becomes that hot waiver wire fantasy football sleeper quarterback everybody snubbed in drafts.

Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck throws the most interceptions in the league

Luck may be on course to throw for 30-plus touchdowns in 2016. But along with the rewards will come the interceptions.

It was just last year that Luck threw 12 picks in seven games. Had he kept up the progress, he would have finished with 27 interceptions if he played the whole season. Granted, he was not at 100 percent.

Still, Luck also managed the third-most interceptions (16) in 2014, and that was while he was healthy.

Since 2013, Luck’s interception-to-touchdown ratio has only climbed.

Jacksonville Jaguars win AFC South

Blake Bortles

The Jaguars are an exciting work in progress. Adding to a passing offense that ranked 10th last year, the Jags signed Chris Ivory to help shake up things on the ground.

Jacksonville also made some bold moves during free agency draft to tighten up its defense.

If the defense can prove more effective, the Jaguars will be faced with less situations of playing from behind. This will enable quarterback Blake Bortles to cut down on those costly turnovers.

The Tennessee Titans have improved, but are they really a first-place team? As far as the Houston Texans, things could go either way.

And, the Colts are no sure bet these days considering Luck’s struggles last year as well as their questionable defense.

The Jaguars have what it takes to pull off a divisional win. If so, it will be the franchise’s first since 1999.

Kansas City Chiefs: Alex Smith finally passes for 4,000-plus yards

Believe it or not, Smith has yet to cross the 4,000-yard passing mark since being drafted into the league in 2005.

When with the 49ers, the most passing yards Smith managed was 3,144 in 2011. Since he signed on with the Chiefs, his passing yards have increased. He posted a career-high, 3,486 yards in 2015.

Smith developed nice chemistry with Jeremy Maclin and tight end Travis Kelce and should continue to thrive in the passing game. The return of pass-catching back Jamaal Charles should also help Smith achieve his first 4,000-yard season.

Los Angeles Rams: Jeff Fisher gets fired

Fisher forever remains on the hot seat as far as NFL coaches are concerned. Since assuming the coaching duties for the Rams in 2012, the franchise has not managed more than seven wins in any season.

Jeff Fisher on the roster.

Furthermore, the Rams have a tough schedule ahead and will struggle as usual to best rivals Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks.

Despite the fact that the organization is trying to extend Fisher’s contract he could still face the chopping block as the result of another poor season.

Miami Dolphins: Arian Foster scores most combined touchdowns (15) of any running back

Reports indicate that Foster may receive more touches than fellow back Jay Ajayi this year.

When healthy, he is a beast both rushing the ball and catching passes. He should be in line for a heavy workload with second-year running back Jay Ajayi not exactly claiming ownership of the starting role.

It is wild, but Foster stands to score at least once of twice per game. He could lead the league in combined touchdowns with a dozen on the ground and a few through the air.

Minnesota Vikings: Sam Bradford leads the Vikings to the playoffs

No Teddy Bridgewater? No problem. Sam Bradford has arrived to rescue the team.

In an ever-so bold move by the Vikings, they acquired Bradford from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a couple of draft picks.

Bradford doesn’t exactly sport a clean track record with dual ACL injuries and such, but he will see his first playoff game over the course of his speckled career.

It would not take a lot on Bradford’s part to surpass the 14 touchdowns that Bridgewater had passed for in each of his two seasons. He will inherit a promising receiving cast in Stefon Diggs, Kyle Rudolph and rookie Laquon Treadwell. Plus Adrian Peterson is the best in the league.

Furthermore, the Vikings have an amazing defense that allowed the fifth-fewest points to be scored in 2015.

Look for an encore as a Bradford-led Vikings work themselves back into the Wild Card round.

New England Patriots will lose first game, then win 15 straight

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo opens for the Patriots in a road game against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1.

This will be the only game the Patriots lose in 2016. He will then be the featured quarterback in three home games (easily winnable) against the Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills.

When Tom Brady returns in Week 5, a win against Cleveland is practically a given. The most challenging matchups the Patriots will face afterwards is a home game against Seattle in Week 10 and an away game against Denver in Week 15.

Besides playing their divisional competition, the Patriots go up against Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Baltimore.

Brady will have a major chip on his shoulder when he returns. If any team can manage to go 15-1, the Patriots will.

New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees makes Coby Fleener the No. 1 fantasy tight end

Drew Brees

Fleener and Brees are not exactly on the same page as far as practicing goes. This is why this prediction is all the more fun.

Brees has the knack of turning his tight ends into fantasy football studs.

Graham was a dud last year. But only two seasons ago he and Brees made magic. Between 2011-14, Graham averaged 137.7 targets, 88.7 catches, 1,099 yards and 11.5 touchdowns per season.

After the Graham trade, Brees and veteran tight end Benjamin Watson found success in 2015. Watson was targeted 110 times resulting in 74 receptions, 825 yards and six touchdowns. These weren’t exactly Graham-like numbers, but Watson was 35 years-old.

Fleener thrived during Andrew Luck’s last complete season in 2014. He is sure to top his production with Brees. And, boldly, we are going to predict he will score the most tight end fantasy points this season.

New York Giants: Odell Beckham Jr. will get suspended again

During his two years in the NFL, the Giants’ first-round pick from 2014 has not played a full season.

In his rookie year, Beckham missed the first four games while he dealt with a pesky hamstring injury. Last year, OBJ served a one-game suspension after he and former Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman got into it on the field.

Beckham’s patience will be put to the test twice again in 2016 when he faces Norman and the Washington Redskins.

If someone could manage get suspended for being a hot head on the field, it will be Beckham.

New York Jets: Ryan Fitzpatrick eventually loses starting job to Geno Smith

Geno Smith

Fitzpatrick finally re-signed with the Jets after a several-month-long impasse. And, to be frank, he has looked a bit out of practice. Enough so that he could lose the starting job to backup Geno Smith.

During the preseason, Fitz notably struggled to connect with his receivers. As a result he completed just 55.2 percent of his passes and had a really nasty turnover on a fumble.

Last year, Fitzpatrick recorded career-highs on touchdowns and passing yards. Though, he could easily slip into his ways of old after missing out on that precious practice time with his team earlier this year.

When Fitz proves he truly is not the real deal, the Jets will have no choice than turn to Smith.

Oakland Raiders: Derek Carr passes for the most touchdowns in the league

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady led the league in passing touchdowns (36) last season. He will be hard-pressed for an encore after sitting out for four games.

Derek CarrThis will allow Carr the perfect opportunity to top one of the best passers in the league in 2016. Last year, Carr dramatically increased his touchdowns to 32 from the 21 he threw in his rookie year.

Carr’s 32 touchdowns tied him for the fourth-most in the league in 2015. He fell two short of Russell Wilson and three short of Eli Manning, Carson Palmer, Cam Newton and Blake Bortles.

This year, Carr throws 36 touchdowns and becomes the league’s leader in passing touchdowns.

Philadelphia Eagles: Ryan Mathews rushes for 1,200 yards

The Eagles turned their team inside out after trading away Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings.

They have now declared that rookie Carson Wentz will start. Let’s just say a rookie with only one preseason game under his belt will probably be handing the ball off a ton this year.

Running back Ryan Mathews, when healthy, is a talented rusher. To date, he has yet to start in all 16 games in any given season. Though, he did manage 1,255 rushing yards in 2013 with the San Diego Chargers.

It is wild, but we are going to predict that Mathews crests the 1,200-yard rushing mark once again. This means he will rush for at least 661 more yards than he managed last season. Bets anyone?

Pittsburgh Steelers: Antonio Brown tops 2,000 receiving yards

Antonio Brown

Brown is an athletic freak of nature. His passing yards since 2013 have increased quite dramatically.

Just when we thought the 1,698 receiving yards he tallied in 2014 were mind-blowing, Brown recorded 1,834 in 2015. He only missed the 2,000-yard mark by 166 yards.

If we do the math, Brown would only need to increase his receiving yards by 10.37 per game to get to 2,000, provided he maintains his average production per game.

Considering Brown accomplished the 1,834 yards with Ben Roethlisberger sidelined part of the season, the receiver stands a great chance with Big Ben back in action.

If Brown hits 2,000, he will pass the current single-season receiving yard record (1,964) set by Calvin Johnson in 2012.

San Diego Chargers: Philip Rivers throws six touchdowns in Week 4

Unfortunately for Rivers and the Chargers, they played from behind a ton in 2015. As a result, Rivers passed for four touchdowns in a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars last year.

This year, we are predicting Rivers goes off the charts when he is up against the New Orleans Saints defense in Week 4. The Saints did make some changes, but it is worth pointing out that their defense ranked 31st against the pass last year.

Remember when Eli Manning threw six touchdowns against New Orleans in Week 8 last fall? The same could be accomplished by Rivers. He has enough talent in Keenan Allen and Travis Benjamin to make it happen.

Consider this a daily fantasy football alert once Week 4 inches closer.

San Francisco 49ers: Blaine Gabbert turns Jeremy Kerley into a star

We are going to assume that Gabbert keeps his hold on the starting job while Colin Kaepernick plays second fiddle.

And with the help of Chip Kelly’s coaching scheme, Gabbert is going to turn the embattled Kerley into a star.

Kerley was acquired in a trade slightly before the 49ers placed their former slot receiver Bruce Ellington on injured reserve.

Providing Kerley can stay upright, he should thrive under a system that has turned Kelly’s former slot receivers into studs.

Seattle Seahawks: Jimmy Graham scores 10 touchdowns

Jimmy Graham

Graham stunk up the joint as far as catching touchdowns last year before he sustained a season-ending knee injury.

Over the course of 11 games, the 6-foot-7 tight end crossed the end zone only twice. We are boldly predicting that Graham not only scores 10 touchdowns this year, but he scores the most touchdowns of any of his teammates.

Graham is going to evolve into Russell Wilson’s favorite red zone target and return to fantasy football relevance along the way.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston and Mike Evans connect for 15 touchdowns

Winston has been lighting it up as far as scoring touchdowns with four already in three partial preseason games. As for Evans, he has scored two of the four touchdowns, which is only one less than than the total three scored in 2015.

This is the year that Evans and Winston are going to go wild on touchdowns.

We must remember that Evans scored 12 times in his rookie season. Now that he and Winston have had the whole offseason and preseason to work together, there is no reason to doubt that Evans won’t score in nearly every game in 2016.

Tennessee Titans: Derrick Henry outscores DeMarco Murray

NFL teams, Derrick Henry

The Titans have made it clear that they will go with the “hot hand” at the running back position this year.

So far in the preseason, Henry has looked as sharp as Murray. And in order to keep Murray healthy, Henry might even receive more carries than the veteran. We must note that Henry scored 28 rushing touchdowns for Alabama in his final season.

Murray had a down season in Philadelphia and scored only seven combined touchdowns last year. In fact, other than his 13-touchdown campaign in 2014 with Dallas, the most scores Murray has accomplished was 10 in 2013.

In 2016, we’re going to say that Murray scores eight combined touchdowns. Henry will score 12.

Washington Redskins: Colt McCoy will be called on to start

You don’t like that?

Many folks are still on the fence as to whether or not Kirk Cousins is a legitimate starter. Just consult with fantasy football mock drafts that currently see the quarterback tumbling to the late rounds.

And with Washington not shy about benching its quarterbacks due to poor performance, McCoy will see at least one start when Cousins stinks up the place. Cousins finished the 2015 season with some pretty awesome performances. Although, we must keep in mind his propensity to choke.

Last year, Cousins started out the year with six touchdowns compared to eight interceptions during Weeks 1-6. A case of early season jitters could certainly happen, causing the team to turn to McCoy as a result.

Mentioned in this article:

More About: