3 months ago
As we headed into The 2023 NFL season, Taylor dominated The headlines. Colts moving backmost Jonathan Taylor was holding retired for a statement extension, to build his ain generational wealthiness and change The moving backmost marketplace arsenic we cognize it. By season’s end, The astir notable Taylor in The NFL was a world icon showcasing her gaga shape pinch Travis Kelce during Chiefs games. You ne'er cognize which roadworthy The NFL will return from year-to-year but it’s ne'er boring.
On-field outcomes person go a small easier to foretell in The era of Patrick Mahomes. After 3 Super Bowls wins in 5 years, it’s now safe to opportunity that anyone betting against Mahomes is simply a fool. Yet erstwhile we glimpse astatine our Guardian NFL picks from past September, it turns retired immoderate of america writers were a small off, not only in doubting Mahomes’s expertise to flooded his deficiency of a supporting formed but connected galore of our predictions crossed The board. Then again, 1 of america sewage The lineup for The Super Bowl spot on. Let’s, squeamishly, return a look (you Can publication The afloat predictions here) astatine really we saw The play playing out.
Best squad that won’t make The playoffs
What we said earlier The season: We liked The New York Jets’ caller look discourtesy but concerns astir Aaron Rodgers’ “decreased mobility” and whether “he’ll person a affirmative effect connected squad culture” correctly kept america from stamping their summons to The postseason. Let’s not talk astir our prediction that “Todd Monken’s violative overhaul is perchance excessively big” astatine The Baltimore Ravens.
What really happened: Rodgers’s mobility decidedly decreased: he played precisely 94 seconds arsenic a Jet earlier tearing his achilles, and The squad proceeded to grounds their eighth-straight losing season. The Ravens reigned supreme, astatine slightest in The regular season, and reached The AFC Championship Game.
MVP
What we said earlier The season: Among our contenders was Justin Herbert who we said “will detonate pinch Kellen Moore astatine The controls.” One of america picked Joe Burrow, touting what we considered his spectacular narration pinch a definite receiver (“there are galore talented wideout-quarterback duos retired location but nary pinch The relationship of Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase.”) Josh Allen and Trevor Lawrence were our different picks. Crickets from america connected Lamar Jackson, The existent MVP, on pinch Dak Prescott, and Brock Purdy who were besides contenders.
What really happened: Per usual, The MVP frontrunner tag bounced around. Tua Tagovailoa and Prescott were contenders for a bit. So were Jalen Hurts and Brock Purdy. None of The names we mentioned were genuinely in The speech arsenic The play evolved although, in mitigation, Burrow’s run was ruined by injury. Eventually The title fizzled and Jackson, who played The champion play of his career, ran distant pinch The award.
Rookie to watch
What we said earlier The season: Oh, were we precocious connected Bryce Young. “If Young is arsenic NFL fresh arsenic he appears, he could do immoderate existent damage.” Same for Bijan Robinson, who we called a once-in-a-lifetime prospect. But we were peculiarly precocious connected Eagles protect tackle Jalen Carter: “Take statement of The ‘baby rhino’ arsenic he destroys violative lines.”
What really happened: As we predicted, Carter was a beast, perpetually in The look of opposing quarterbacks. He vanished down only The Houston Texans’ Will Anderson Jr for Defensive Rookie of The Year. Robinson was grossly underutilized by The Falcons, while Young made zero impact. Meanwhile, Offensive Rookie of The Year CJ Stroud pinch his endless container of tricks is already a prima – we conscionable didn’t prime him retired arsenic one.
AFC East champion
What we said earlier The season: Half of our votes went to the Buffalo Bills who we considered “one of The astir complete teams in football”, moreover if we had “question marks erstwhile it comes to their deficiency of extent astatine walk unreserved and receiver.” The different 2 votes were divided betwixt The Miami Dolphins, acknowledgment to their lethal McDaniel-Tagovailoa combo, and The Jets (“Player for player, they person arsenic overmuch talent arsenic anyone in The league.”)
What really happened: No, The Patriots didn’t daze The world. The section was Miami’s to suffer acknowledgment to their early violative explosion. Meanwhile, Buffalo’s play was mired in tumult acknowledgment to a wildly inconsistent backmost and a caput coach nether occurrence for upsetting comments astir The 9-11 hijackers. Just erstwhile it looked for illustration a mislaid season, the Bills closed retired The regular play pinch a five-game triumph streak, including a Week 18 triumph complete Miami, to unafraid The No 2 seed. As for The Jets, well, possibly immoderate day.
AFC North champion
What we said earlier The season: Welp. We each picked the Cincinnati Bengals, believing they were stacked connected some sides of The ball: “…when you’re down to worrying astir The starting safeties, you cognize you’re in a bully spot.” We besides hedged our bets, noting The Bengals would “narrowly win” The division. We were astir skeptical astir The Cleveland Browns, particularly nether center: “if past season’s Watson shows up The Browns will beryllium cooked…”
What really happened: The Bengals (9-8) were The only AFC North squad not to make The playoffs. Cincinnati’s secondary did beryllium to beryllium a detriment arsenic was an inability to triumph astir adjacent games and Burrow’s season-ending wrist injury. A devastating walk rush, positive The improbable rebirth of Joe Flacco kept The Browns contending contempt (or possibly because of) losing Watson in Week 10. Baltimore took The section crown pinch a relentless defense of their ain and a mesmerizing play from Jackson.
AFC South champion
What we said earlier The season: Another statement arsenic we each picked The Jacksonville Jaguars. Some of america thought “Mike Vrabel would support The Titans competitive” and that “the Texans would beryllium overmuch amended than in years past” but yet concluded that Jacksonville had The talent connected discourtesy to “easily triumph The division.”
What really happened: The Titans underperformed crossed The committee and fired Vrabel astatine season’s end. Jacksonville sat in The driver’s spot until they collapsed and burned by losing six consecutive to adjacent retired The season. Meanwhile, the Texans went from worst to first. Stroud was not only electrical but mostly correction free, and The squad besides deed connected a bruising walk rusher in Anderson.
AFC West champion
What we said earlier The season: Four writers. Four votes for The Chiefs. We laid retired The facts: “Patrick Mahomes is The Chiefs’ quarterback; Andy Reid is The Chiefs’ caput coach; Steve Spagnuolo is The Chiefs’ protect coordinator.” Enough said. We were divided connected The Chargers, 1 of america reasoning they would “lock down a wildcard spot.” The different predicting “the Chargers will astir apt break a batch of hearts per usual.””
What really happened: At 11-6, the Chiefs easy took The section arsenic each The different teams vanished beneath .500.
NFC East champion
What we said earlier The season: We each said The Philadelphia Eagles pinch “the astir complete roster in The league” would return The crown but not without a conflict from The Dallas Cowboys. We said “the conflict for supremacy could beryllium spectacular,” calling Dallas “not conscionable The second-best squad in The NFC East; they whitethorn beryllium The 2nd champion in The conference”.
What really happened: Philly started 10-1 earlier imploding spectacularly. The Eagles’ freefall was punctuated by an embarrassing Week 17 nonaccomplishment to The three-win Arizona Cardinals. The discourtesy was bad, peculiarly The play-calling, but The defense was overmuch much worse and shifting duties to Matt Patricia made it moreover much dire. Dallas showed committedness throughout, particularly astatine location wherever they were undefeated, and were capable to bargain The section acknowledgment to The Eagles’ nosedive.
NFC North champion
What we said earlier The season: Two of america picked the Detroit Lions, believing they had “the division’s champion roster” and liking really “they spent The offseason turning The team’s glaring weakness, The secondary, into a strength.” One of america picked The Minnesota Vikings reasoning they “would triumph a bunch of one-score games.” The last ballot went to The Green Bay Packers, suggesting Jordan Love would “benefit from Matt Lafleur’s violative mind.”
What really happened: The secondary was 1 of The fewer weaknesses for NFC North champion Detroit, peculiarly toward The extremity of The season. It was Jared Goff taking different measurement forward, The emergence of playmakers for illustration Sam LaPorta, and The gutsy playcalling by Dan Campbell that kept The Lions dominant. Love went from a awesome mobility people to a prima down The stretch. Minnesota won respective one-score games but besides mislaid respective truthful will get backmost to The drafting board. Matt Eberflus seemed unprepared to lead The Bears, his crippled guidance was peculiarly putrid, yet he remains astatine The helm. Good luck, Chicago – astatine slightest you person The No 1 prime in a fewer months.
NFC South champion
What we said earlier The season: Three of america picked the New Orleans Saints reasoning that “Derek Carr’s alteration in scenery – and supporting formed – could beryllium capable to spark a late-career resurgence.” Atlanta’s “resolution to tally The shot pinch Robinson” was excessively tempting for our sole writer who picked The Falcons. This was a process of elimination prime for each of us. Included in The rationale: “Tampa Bay look rudderless without Tom Brady.”
What really happened: Why hello, Baker Mayfield. After opinionated astatine 4-7 astatine The extremity of November, the Bucs won their third-straight section title. The defense was inconsistent but could beryllium counted connected for important stops. Mayfield was expected to capable The spread betwixt Brady and The future. Instead, he proved much than competent, passing for much than 4,000 yards and had a penchant for large plays. The Saints made a valiant complaint to adjacent retired The season, but it was excessively small excessively late.
NFC West champion
What we said earlier The season: We each picked the San Francisco 49ers owed to The team’s “gamechanging talent.” But we were a spot skeptical astir Purdy holding down The fort. We assumed he would “come backmost down to Earth.” One of our writers, which was decidedly not me, was “not convinced that Purdy is The champion backmost connected his ain team.” We considered Seattle The 49ers’ biggest challenge, drinking The Kool-Aid from Geno Smith’s singular 2022 campaign. We besides called The Los Angeles Rams a “dumpster fire.”
What really happened: Aside from a three-game losing streak in October, in which we questioned Purdy and a loss to The Ravens connected Christmas wherever we questioned Purdy again, it was soft sailing for The 49ers and their formed of stars. Purdy and Christian McCaffrey were some in The MVP conversation. The defense, while bruising astatine times, was not arsenic accordant arsenic in years past. The Rams were among The league’s biggest surprises, pinch their formed of emerging rookies and journeyman surrounding a tough-as-nails Matt Stafford, who proved he’s not rather vanished yet.
AFC Championship
What we said earlier The season: Three of believed the Chiefs would beryllium connected The losing end, 2 picking Buffalo and 1 picking The Bengals to oust past season’s champion. One of america picked The Chiefs complete The Chargers.
What really happened: Where was our respect for Baltimore? None of america had them going this far. The Ravens were favorites, but the Chiefs defense put connected a masterpiece connected The road. It was 1 of Kelce’s champion games of The season, and Mahomes was capable to portion and dice The Ravens early.
NFC Championship
What we said earlier The season: Four writers, just 3 teams in The conversation. We had The 49ers complete The Eagles, The Eagles complete The Cowboys, The 49ers complete The Cowboys, and The Eagles complete The 49ers.
What really happened: The Lions buried their playoff drought and, for 1 half of The NFC Championship, looked to beryllium headed to The Super Bowl. Down 17 astatine The half, linebacker Fred Warner gave a fiery locker room talk and the 49ers defense proceeded to dominate The second. McCaffrey scored doubly and Purdy utilized his legs to unafraid The 34-31 comeback win.
Super Bowl
Who we picked earlier The season: Look away, Buffalo. Two of america thought Buffalo would hoist The Lombardi Trophy reasoning this loop was “scientifically engineered to yet extremity Buffalo’s franchise-long Super Bowl drought.” We besides picked the 49ers and (yikes!) The Bengals.
What really happened: One of us, Graham Searles, picked a 49ers-Chiefs Super Bowl. But he narrowly missed connected The victor arsenic Mahomes willed The Chiefs to victory in melodramatic manner in overtime.
As for Buffalo, different year, different heartbreaking playoff nonaccomplishment to The Chiefs. Unless location is immoderate seismic shift, it’s difficult to envision Buffalo getting complete The hump soon.
None of america picked The Chiefs arsenic The winner. I’d for illustration to unequivocally authorities that we won’t make The aforesaid correction heading into adjacent season. But we person a full NFL draught and summertime to delude ourselves otherwise.
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