My 2021-2022 NFC Projections

A few weeks ago, I covered which teams I think will win each division in the AFC. Here are my predictions as to which teams I think will win each division in the NFC.

NFC North: Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers did not have a great draft, and their offseason so far has been one of the worst in the NFL. However, Green Bay still is a much better team than any other team in the NFC North. Last year’s MVP, Aaron Rodgers, could be traded before or during the season, but I don’t think it will happen. If he remains with the Packers, they have the division locked with no competition. Rodgers threw for over 4,000 yards, 48 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. Additionally, the Green Bay offense contains a stellar offensive line featuring the best offensive tackle in the league, David Bakhtiari, a definite top ten running back in Aaron Jones, and the best wide receiver in the league, Davante Adams. On defense, Green Bay was stellar. Their defense allowed 329.9 yards per game last year, ranking 7th in that category. Additionally, just like their offense, Green Bay has some top-of-the-league talents on their defense, such as nose tackle Kenny Clark and defensive back Jaire Alexander.

NFC South: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have one of the most, if not the most, talented rosters in the NFL. Quarterback Tom Brady is not only the greatest quarterback to ever play in the NFL, but he is also coming off a superb year in which he threw for over 4,500 yards, 40 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Tampa’s running back core is one of the best in the league, containing Leonard Fournette, Ronald Jones, and Giovani Bernard. Tampa’s receiving core is even more impressive, being arguably the best receiving core in the NFL. Wide receiver Mike Evans added another 1,000-yard year to his resume, along with 13 touchdown receptions. Wide receiver Chris Godwin had an above-average year, catching 65 passes for 840 yards and seven touchdown receptions. While tight end Rob Gronkowski didn’t heat up until the end of the season, he still had over 40 receptions, with 623 receiving yards and seven touchdown receptions. Besides its weapons, the Tampa Bay offensive line was also above average, only allowing Brady to be sacked 21 times. Additionally, center Ryan Jensen is for sure a top ten center in the league, and guard Ali Marpet is for sure a top five guard in the league. On the other side of the football, the Tampa Bay defense was not only a top ten defense in yards allowed per game (ranked eighth), but they were ranked first in rushing yards allowed per game. Furthermore, the number of amazing players on the Bucs’ defense is unbelievably high. Defensive linemen Ndamukong Suh and Vita Vea and linebackers Jason Pierre-Paul, Devin White, Lavonte David, and Shaquil Barrett are all very talented and skilled at their positions. Even with some of the other talent in the NFC South, the Buccaneers look like true Super Bowl contenders, something I could only say about a few teams in the league.

NFC East: Dallas Cowboys

In 2018, the Kansas City Chiefs had an overpowering offense. Their quarterback won MVP, throwing for over 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns, their running back ran for almost 1,000 yards, and they had two receivers finish with over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdown receptions. However, their defense struggled mightily, allowing an average of 404.3 yards per game and ranking 2nd to last in that category. I believe that the chances of the Dallas Cowboys having a year similar to the 2018 Chiefs are very high. Dallas is getting back a top ten quarterback in Dak Prescott. If Prescott had remained healthy throughout last year, he would have no doubt been in MVP conversations. In only five games in 2020, Prescott threw for 1,856 yards, which averages out to a whopping 371.2 yards per game. If that stat had been consistent throughout the 2020-2021 season, Prescott would be on many top five quarterback lists as opposed to top ten. Besides the quarterback position, running back Ezekiel Elliott can deliver but is unreliable. Additionally, although the Dallas offensive line contains a top three guard in Zack Martin and a top five tackle in Tyron Smith, the line continues to be unreliable in freeing up space for Elliott to run into. However, Dallas has a very elite receiving core. Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and CeeDee Lamb are all amazing wide receivers. To put it into perspective, although Michael Gallup is second and CeeDee Lamb is third on the Cowboys’ wide receiver depth chart, on around ten other NFL teams, either one of them would rank first. On defense, Dallas isn’t a complete train wreck, but it certainly isn’t great. Although Dallas has a lot of talent on defense, such as defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and linebackers Jaylon Smith, Leighton Vander Esch, and Micah Parsons, the Dallas defense never seems to produce at the level that its fans think they will. While I don’t think the Cowboys will have a mind-blowing year, the NFC East isn’t filled with a great amount of talent, and Dallas seems to be the only team that could possibly be a top contender this year.

NFC West: Los Angeles Rams

The NFC West is no doubt the toughest division in the NFL right now. However, while many people think that there is no clear-cut choice for a projected winner of the division, I beg to differ. The Los Angeles Rams have the upper hand over all of the NFC West teams in most categories. At quarterback, the Rams decided to move on from former first overall pick Jared Goff and traded him to the Lions for quarterback Matthew Stafford. This is a definite upgrade, not just for Los Angeles but also for Stafford. If Stafford had been part of a successful team his whole career, he would no doubt be part of everybody’s top five quarterback list. The rest of the Los Angeles offense isn’t amazing, but it is above average. On the defensive side of things, the Rams dominate. They dominated last year, and there is no doubt that they will dominate this year. The Rams finished first in yards allowed per game, allowing on average 292.9 yards per game. The next best team, the New Orleans Saints, wasn’t close at all, as they finished second in yards allowed per game, allowing on average 307.2 yards per game (When looking at the other rankings for yards allowed, most teams were separated by only a few yards at most, while Los Angeles was separated from New Orleans by 15). Moving from the team overall to the specific player overall rankings, the Rams have too much talent on defense to make a case against them winning the division. Practically all of the Rams defense is above average, the best player in that category being linebacker Leonard Floyd. However, the Rams have the best nose tackle in the NFL, Aaron Donald, who has been to seven Pro Bowls, led the league in sacks once, and won Defensive Player of the Year three times. The Rams also have the best cornerback in the NFL, Jalen Ramsey, a two-time first-team All-Pro (2017 and 2020) and a four-time Pro Bowler. With this much overall talent, there is no way that the Rams don’t have some sort of an upper hand over the rest of the NFC West.