In Predicted Order of Finish
Los Angeles Rams (15-1 First place in division but lost to Bears in Playoffs): Kenny Main is the all-time winningest coach in PAFL history having compiled an amazing 99-30 (.765) slate in his 8 seasons at the helm of the Rams. His team is the only repeat winner in the league and the Rams also old the honor of having completed the only perfect season in the annals of PAFL football! So, it is easy to see why his team is picked, yet again, to win the West. QB Tom Brady will be back for his 8th season in a Ram uniform where he has compiled 5 consecutive 100+ QBR seasons. Backs Alvin Kamara and Duke Johnson can get it done. TE Travis Kelce and WR Davante Adams are spectacular, and the team looks like it might be leaning towards utilizing a 2 TE set with Rob Gronkowski is the main #2 guy. Recent addition, WR James Washington came over from Tennessee adding deep firepower to support #2 WR Julio Jones. C Frank Ragnow and T Ryan Ramczyk should provide steady play but there are some health concerns that could prove thorny at times. The defensive front 7 is good and will need pass rush production out of DE Stephon Tuitt and LB Haason Reddick. The once great secondary has declined but DB Tyrann Mathieu is elite.
2) Arizona Cardinals (10-6 Second Place): Coach Joe Richardson takes the reins of the desert gang that posted a solid 10-6 campaign a year ago, but still missed the playoffs. The Cards made big news in a block buster deal with the Colts that brought stud QB DeShaun Watson and QB Jimmy Garoppolo to the Desert in exchange for Drew Brees, Tua Tagovailoa, and Jacoby Brissett along with the Cardinals' 1st and 3rd round picks in 2022. Arizona also boasts one of the best stables of running backs in the league with Aaron Jones, James Connor, and Benny Snell. The Cards lack true TE assets and seem poised to play a more wide-open game perhaps featuring a 4-receiver set! That would have Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill, Corey Davis, and Michael Gallup terrorizing opposing DCs every week. The offensive line should be consistent at every spot except maybe at one of the guard slots. The defensive line is not over-whelming and will need some serious firepower out of DE Maxx Crosby as the LB unit is a bit mundane. Stud CB Xavien Howard heads up a secondary that is probably the best in the division and one of the better groups in the NFC. It seems evident that Arizona is going to hope it has a high-powered attack that can force teams to the air where its secondary can take charge. Time will tell...
3) San Diego Chargers (10-6 Third Place): Brian Protrafka takes over the Bolts out West after the departure of Hank Sienzant. Protrafka inherits a roster that will need to see young QB Daniel Jones keep developing and get solid production out of backs Josh Jacobs and Antonio Gibson. The Chargers do not have a true alpha dog receiver with rook Jerry Jeudy the best of the lot. All-World G Quenton Nelson is still here and the lkine could be good enough to get the job done. The biggest problem for Protrafka is on the defensive side of the ball where the Dline is woefully lacking. The LB corps is not great although Myles Jack is solid, and the secondary is a bit below average outside CB Marshon Lattimore.
4) Atlanta Falcons (3-13 last Place): Coach Bill Howell will enter year 3 in Georgia and will try to improve on the club's 8-24 record during his tenure. Veteran QB Matt Ryan has been stellar as a Falcon, but he is coming off his worst season of his career where he compiled a 71.9 QBR after four straight 100+ seasons. He will need to bounce back in a big way. The backfield will be a group project with Myles Gaskin, Salvon Ahmed, and Mark Ingram II sharing the load. The Falcons do not have any TE targets and the WR unit is not strong so the pressure will fall on the arm of Ryan and the running backs. T Taylor Moton is about the only reliable lineman they have, and this is yet another problem for Howell. Mammoth Dexter Lawrence (6'4" 342lbs) and speedy Deatrich Wise are good players on the defensive line and they will get help from ancient Mario Addison, Bilal Nichols, Raekwon Davis, Zach Allen, and Ifeadi Odenigbo. K.J. Wright is a topflight linebacker, but he will need some help here. S Jamal Adams is very talented as is fellow hitter Devin McCourty but the CB unit is not quite strong enough.
Posted on 15 Dec 2021 by dolphins
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