In order of predicted Finish
1-Philadelphia Eagles (13-3 PAFL Champions): Only the Rams have been able to become a repeat champion in the PAFL but the Eagles have a legit shot. In a near impossible trade, the defending champs were able to acquire QB Aaron Rodgers from the Tennessee Titans bolstering an already elite roster. The one dilemma facing Philly is the history of ARod in the league. In five of his last six seasons, he has had a QBR of 85 or less and he has posted just two years where he was able to play above a 100 QBR. Still, Rodgers will fit right into coach Rick Main's, well known, philosophy of bombs away offense. The Eagles do have a bit of a receiving concern, though, with Chase Claypool and DJ Moore the only true regulars but it is a good bet that RB Nyheim Hines will be utilized often by Main in the passing game while RBs Miles Sanders and Zack Moss do most of the running. The offensive line is not dominant but should be fairly steady. The defensive secondary is, again, deep and talented and can match up with most offensive formations and the line backing unit is, arguably, the best in football with elite talents in TJ Watt and Fred Warner along with Blake Martinez and Chase Winovich. Those four seem likely to be part of a base 3-4 scheme that will have Linval Joseph, Justin Houston, and the dynamic Joey Bosa getting after teams up front.
2-New York Giants (1-15 Last Place)- To be honest, New York could easily become the latest team in the league to make huge strides from the prior season. QB Baker Mayfield is steady enough and he does have some weapons around him. Coach Ken McFeggen will probably have to juggle his backfield, but J.K. Dobbins is extremely explosive and Phillip Lindsay, DeVontae Booker, and Sony Michel are all dangerous ball carriers. The one main element lacking is the backs are not pass catching threats. The G-Men probably have the best overall WR group in the division! Cooper Kupp, Brandon Aiyuk, Jakobi Meyers, and Josh Reynolds are all threats and TE Eric Ebron is, easily, the best at this position in the NFC East. The offensive line, with a few injury hiccups to manage, is tops in the division as well. The Giants also have as good a defensive line as anyone in football led by Deforest Buckner and David Onyemata. However, Khalil Mack heads up a line backing unit that is, outside of him, mundane. S Jesse Bates and CB Kendall Fuller will be the mainstays of a secondary that is average looking.
3-Dallas Cowboys (12-4 Lost to Carolina in Playoffs): Dallas always seems to have some talent but never enough to be true contenders and this year seems likely to be more of the same. QB Kirk Cousins continues to play great for coach Len Barnhart and the club will have the services of super young back Jonathan Taylor plus Gus Edwards and pass catching demon J.D. Mckissick in the backfield but will they have enough at WR? Keelan Cole and ancient WR Larry Fitzgerald really scare nobody, and talented Mike Thomas looks like an injury problem. The Cowboys also lack any viable TE options. The once vaunted offensive line could be in the infirmary much of the season compounding the problems Dallas will face. The front seven has zero pass rush ability and the Dline is pedestrian. The secondary has some ability but there is a problem at safety and there are health concerns even here.
4-Carolina Panthers (12-4 Lost to Philadelphia in Playoffs)-The Panthers made a huge splash by acquiring top QB Patrick Mahomes in the off-season but the team lacks much talent otherwise. Head coach Doug Crandal has taken Carolina to a 27-5 regular season record the past two campaigns, but those totals seem highly unlikely this year. RB Chris Carson is about all there is in the backfield and TE George Kittle is the top receiving target and that just is not good enough. Add in an offensive line that is simply not very strong and the offense could really struggle this year. Of course, Carolina has been known, mostly, for its defensive exploits over the years but that group may be in even worse shape than the offense! The Dline is probably going to a disaster with only Olivier Vernon there and there is virtually no talent at the OLB spots. The secondary is good with Darius Williams and others back there, but they could become somewhat of a moot point.
5-Washington Football Team (6-10 4th place in Division)-Coach Andy Kirkwood is probably staring at another rough year although the door seems open for some upward mobility this season. Kirkwood's team has had a losing record in every year except one and there are growing expectations for this team to get better. That might be a tall order with QB Teddy Bridgewater at the helm but there are rumors that Taylor Heinicke could be the future in DC. The backfield lacks a serious threat with 37 years old Frank Gore carrying the mail. WR Terry McLaurin is a young, dynamic, and exciting talent and TE Logan Thomas is a solid weapon. WR Marquise Brown completes the trio of weapons they have but the cupboard is virtually empty behind those three. The offensive line is decent led by T Trent Williams. The defensive front 7 is not very explosive with little in the way of a pass rush from the Dline or the line backing corps. Without a pass rush, the secondary will be under siege and that group seems likely to fall short in both talent and health.
Final Analysis for the division: Philly seems a lock for the playoffs and New York and Dallas might have enough to get in but only the Eagles seem to have a real shot at making big noise come the end of the year. This is a bit of a down season for the normally rugged 5. Time will tell...
Posted on 02 Dec 2021 by dolphins
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