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Yesterday I made my predictions for the NFL awards.  Today, here are my predictions on the NFL standings (Wild Card winners are marked with **).

NFC East

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Philadelphia Eagles **
3. New York Giants **
4. Washington Redskins

• The Cowboys have added to an already ultra-talented team that went 13-3 last season.  I fully expect they’ll take the division again.  The Eagles finished 2007 on a tear and will carry some of that momentum into this season for a Wild Card berth.  The defending champion Giants lost a lot from last season (most notably Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan) but still have enough to get one of the Wild Cards in the weak NFC.  I’m not that big on the Redskins, and expect them to struggle in this beast of a division.

NFC North

1. Minnesota Vikings
2. Detroit Lions
3. Green Bay Packers
4. Chicago Bears

• I have very little confidence in Vikings quarterback Tavaris Jackson, but remember, Rex Grossman quarterbacked the Bears to win this division only 2 years ago.  Jackson doesn’t have to be good for the Vikings to win this division, he only has to avoid being atrocious.  Detroit still isn’t a very good team, but they could still finish second in this division.  I think the Packers and new QB Aaron Rodgers will struggle while dealing with the hangover from the Brett Favre saga.  This will be a tough year for the Cheeseheads in Wisconsin.  The Bears no longer have a fearsom defense, and their offense could be historically bad.  At least the folks Windy City will have some baseball to watch this fall, because the football will be ugly.

NFC South

1. New Orleans Saints
2. Carolina Panthers
3. Tampa Bay Buccanneers
4. Atlanta Falcons

• The Saints should be better this season after a disappointing 2007.  I’m not as high on the Saints as many analysts (Don Banks has them winning the NFC) but I think they’re good enough to win this weak division.  Carolina could contend for this division, but I still have concerns about Jake Delhomme’s elbow.  Tampa Bay is a very mediocre team who may actually contend for this division because the rest of the teams are mediocre.  The worst is over for the Falcons now that they have rid themselves of Michael Vick and Bobby Petrino, but they’ll still struggle in the immediate future.

NFC West

1. Seattle Seahawks
2. Arizona Cardinals
3. St. Louis Rams
4. San Francisco 49ers

• Seattle is about three years past its window of opportunity, but this division is so bad the window has stayed open much longer than it should have.  They could claim this division with 8 wins.  Every year Arizona is “the team to watch” yet they still fail to live up to expectations.  I’ve finally jumped off their bandwagon.  St. Louis is still rebuilding, but will likely improve on their 3-13 2007 season just by the fact that they play the Cards and 49ers 4 times.  That should be good for at least 2 wins.  The Niners rebuilding efforts seem to have failed, and they’ll continue to struggle.

AFC East

1. New England Patriots
2. New York Jets
3. Buffalo Bills
4. Miami Dolphins

• This division will be a cakewalk for the Patriots.  They’ll have no problem winning the division for an 8th straight season.  The Jets will be much improved after an extremely busy off-season, which included additions of Brett Favre, Alan Faneca, Damien Woody, Kris Jenkins, Calvin Pace and first round draft picks Vernon Gholston and Dustin Keller.  They should have a winning record and will be in the hunt for a playoff spot, but will fall short in the loaded AFC.  The Bills will win their usual 6 to 8 games, which will keep them out of the postseason for the ninth straight year.  The Dolphins will improve upon a 1-15 record (it’s tough to get any worse than that) but still won’t be very good.

AFC North

1. Cleveland Browns
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Cincinnati Bengals
4. Baltimore Ravens

• I know Cleveland has played worse than Cleveland State this preseason, but it’s only the preseason.  They won 10 games last year, but still fell short of the playoffs.  They won’t fall short this year.  Pittsburgh is still a very popular pick, but I have some concerns.  Be very wary of their offensive line, which allowed a very high 47 sacks last season (well above the league average of 34.44).  They lost line anchor Alan Faneca, which will only weaken Big Ben’s protection even more.  Cincy is a certifiable zoo, I guess fitting for the Bengals.  Unless they demand accountability from everyone in the organization, particularly the players, they’ll struggle to make the playoffs.  Baltimore is beginning a rebuilding phase and will have a difficult season.

AFC South

1. Jacksonville Jaguars
2. Indianapolis Colts **
3. Houston Texans **
4. Tennessee Titans

• I’m really high on Jacksonville, so much that I think they may finally overtake the Colts for the division this year.  The additions of dual pass rushing threats Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves in this year’s draft will fill this team’s biggest need.  The Colts will still be a very good team, capable of winning both the division and the conference.  I may be going out on a bit of a limb picking the Texans to make the playoffs, but I like that team.  Mario Williams is one of those special players who can lift a team to the playoffs.  As long as Matt Schaub plays well, they could be playing into January.  The Titans won’t be a bad team, but with only two Wild Card spots available, one of these four teams has to miss the playoffs.

AFC West

1. San Diego Chargers
2. Denver Broncos
3. Oakland Raiders
4. Kansas City Chiefs

• San Diego is by far and away the best team in this division and could have the whole thing clinched by Thanksgiving.  Denver is a team on the downfall and I don’t expect them to come close to a playoff spot.  Oakland is steadily improving but a very long way away from contention.  But Darren McFadden will be a lot of fun to watch for them.  Kansas City is in full rebuilding mode, coming off a 4-12 season in which they lost their last 8 games.  They had a great draft, but it’s not enough to get them a winning record.

AFC Champion: San Diego Chargers.  They’ve totally dedicated themselves to finally beating the Patriots.  According to much of what I’ve read and seen, it’s an obsession.  That obsession has led to a complete roster, loaded with superstars and very few weaknesses, as well as dedication and focus.  This is finally the year that they will take the Pats.

NFC Champion: Dallas Cowboys.  Go ahead, call me a homer.  But this is another team that’s focused solely on a title.  There’s so much talent on the Boys, there’s no reason they should not win the conference.  They seem to be hungrier this year after last year’s lack of focus that led to the devastating playoff loss to the Giants.

Super Bowl Champion: San Diego Chargers.  If the Cowboys do end up playing the Chargers, it will make for a very entertaining Super Bowl, with two stacked teams going head to head.  The Chargers are just a little more stacked, enough to get them the Lombardi Trophy.

Happy Birthday to Dick York, Raymond Floyd, Tom Watson, Doyle Alexander, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Damon Wayans, Aaron Fultz, Sun-Woo Kim, Pat Neshek, Beyonce and Mike Piazza