NFL Midseason Predictions: Super Bowl Update

While the final seeding for the playoffs is hazy, it becomes easier to predict the teams who will earn a spot in the postseason by the halfway point of the season. At this point in time, the Seahawks, 49ers, and Saints are all on track to miss the postseason, whereas the Bills, Cardinals, and Cowboys are all projected to finish the regular season with a spot in the playoffs. While this is certain to change, the NFL is not surprising in that there will always be surprises. At the beginning of the season, we predicted the New England Patriots to beat Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers by a final score of 24-23. While we still believe that the Patriots will make an appearance in the Super Bowl (if, and only if, Rob Gronkowski is healthy throughout the playoffs), we are changing the NFC Champion after watching football for the past 8 weeks from San Fran to the Green Bay Packers. Now, let's go into further detail regarding this quarterback battle for the ages, as well as predicting the new champions of football.

Patriots Offense
Tom Brady experienced a statistically historic October. With Rob Gronkowski returning from injury at the start of the season, the Patriots offense has gradually improved over the course of the year. Julian Edelman remains Tom Brady’s favorite target, but Bill Belicheck is slowly increasing Gronk’s workload in the offense, which is directly proportional to the Patriots improving record overtime. Recently acquired targets Brandon LaFell and Tim Wright have both had their bright spots in 2014, and it will be interesting to see how the fare later in the season. While running back Steven Ridley may be out for the rest of the season, Jonas Gray and Shane Vereen have stepped up nicely to fill the void.

Packers Offense
While the Packers are not currently atop the NFC North standings right now, Green Bay is always a threat to win the division as long as Aaron Rodgers is leading this offense. Wide receivers Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb are both experiencing incredible seasons thus far, where Cobb is averaging one touchdown per game. Running back Eddie Lacy is experiencing a down year as of this point in time, but seeing how outstanding his season was in 2013, we at least understand that the potential to do well is present.

Patriots Defense

The New England Patriots secondary might just be the best we've seen from head coach Bill Belichick since he took over for the Patriots nearly 15 years ago. Darrelle Revis is beginning to look like his former self, and fellow cornerback Brandon Browner has already recorded 6 tackles and an interception. While Jerard Mayo's injury will be significant in the long run, the Patriots certainly managed to shut down the Denver Broncos offense last week. The win over Denver was even without their best pass rusher Chandler Jones, but luckily, he will be ready to go come playoff time.

Packers Defense
The Green Bay Packers run defense currently ranks dead last in the entire National Football League. There are currently several big names on this defensive roster, such as Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers, and AJ Hawk, who are all very talented defensive players, but clearly, they add little to the run defense.  Meanwhile, the secondary is incredibly youthful, where four out of the five members of the secondary are 25 years old or younger. Yet clearly, it has paid off, seeing how they rank eighth in passing yards allowed, as well as fourth in passing touchdowns allowed.

Quarterback Tom Brady is on a mission to win his fourth Super Bowl after losing in both 2007 and 2011. The New England Patriots showed they are capable of limiting great quarterbacks, as seen with the game against Denver, so count on Bill Belichick on creating a game plan meant to suppress Aaron Rodgers as much as possible. Meanwhile, Tom Brady will be able to pick away at this young Green Bay secondary, as New England manages to win their fourth Super Bowl in 14 years.
Patriots over Packers 30-27 

2015 Super Bowl Prediction

In our previous post, we stated that the New England Patriots and the San Francisco 49ers are the two teams that we think will play in the upcoming Super Bowl. Recently, the two teams have near identical track records in the postseason, where both New England and San Francisco have played in three consecutive AFC and NFC Championship Games, respectively. Both quarterbacks Tom Brady and Colin Kaepernick have played in a Super Bowl before, but while Kaep lost to the Ravens in his first and only appearance, Brady is 3-2 in the Super Bowl throughout his accomplished career. In an effort to provide a complete breakdown of this matchup, we will compare each aspect of the two teams' game, and giving the advantage to the superior team. By the end, we will give a prediction for the score of this game, thus crowning a champion of the 2014-2015 NFL season.

Comparisons

Quarterback: Colin Kaepernick is one of the most talented quarterbacks in all of football, and his incredible running ability adds a whole other dimension to his game; however, Tom Brady is a veteran in the NFL with plenty of experience in the postseason.
Advantage: New England Patriots

Running Back(s): The New England Patriots tend to rotate their young, inexperienced running backs throughout the season, so it is difficult to tell at this point in time who their starting running back will be in the Super Bowl. The 49ers have 31-year old running back Frank Gore behind quarterback Colin Kaepernick, but they also have rookie Carlos Hyde and speedy Oregon-alum LaMichael James who can be used in different situations.
Advantage: San Francisco 49ers  

Receiving Corp: Tom Brady struggled to grow accustomed to his relatively young, inexperienced group of receivers last season, a group that was also impacted by injuries. Tight end Rob Gronkowski is an absolute game changer for this Patriots' offense, and receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola are able to catch plenty of short passes throughout any given game. Yet the San Francisco 49ers have a plethora of receivers, with names like Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis, Brandon Lloyd, and Anquan Boldin on their depth chart.
Advantage: San Francisco 49ers

Offensive Line: New England's recent trade that sent All-Pro guard Logan Mankins left many fans scratching their heads, seeing how Mankins was a veteran blocker who had excellent chemistry with Tom Brady. While there is still other talent on this offensive line, it does not really compare to San Francisco group of O-linemen, quite possibly the best group in all of football.
Advantage: San Francisco 49ers

Front Seven: There is no doubt in my mind about which team has a superior front seven on defense. By the time the Super Bowl rolls around, five out of the seven defenders in San Francisco's front seven will have been named to an All-Pro team at some point in their careers. The Patriots can not match that accomplishment.
Advantage: San Francisco 49ers

Secondary: The New England Patriots now have one of the best cornerback duos in all of football after signing both Brandon Browner and Darrelle Revis during this past offseason. San Francisco's two starting cornerbacks both played in all 16 games last season, but can not match the backfield seen in New England.
Advantage: New England Patriots

Coaching: Jim Harbaugh is 5-3 in the postseason since joining the San Francisco coaching staff three years ago, but his track record is nowhere near the likes of Bill Belichick. Belichick ranks third all time among coaches in both playoff games and playoff wins. There's a reason why the Patriots are always in the Super Bowl. Bill Belichick is that reason.
Advantage: New England Patriots

Prediction

In the end, this game is certainly going to come down to the wire. The recent additions of Revis and Browner for New England leads me to believe that San Francisco's passing game will struggle early on; however, the Patriots have struggled historically to contain mobile quarterbacks, as we saw most recently when the Patriots lost to Cam Newton and the Panthers last year, but also relatively recent losses to Russell Wilson and the Seahawks, as well as Kaepernick and the 49ers two years ago. The running game may chip away at New England's defense over the course of the game. As we have seen before, though, Tom Brady and the Patriots' offense always seem to respond, especially if Rob Gronkowski is healthy. Coach Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady have been working together for more than 14 years, and the strong connection that these two men have formed over time is unlike anything else in football. They are now beyond driven to win this franchise its fourth Super Bowl in franchise history, which leads me to believe that New England will beat San Francisco this February in Super Bowl XLIX.
Patriots over 49ers 24-23

Complete 2015 NFL Playoff Predictions

Wild Card Round

(3) Colts over (6) Jets: Andrew Luck, unlike New York's quarterback duo of Geno Smith and Michael Vick, has proven himself as a winner in the postseason with his comeback victory over the Chiefs. The Jets team as a whole is too young to beat Indy and this incredible passing game.

(4) Ravens over (5) Bengals: Just two years ago, Joe Flacco caught fire in the postseason to lead his team over the 49ers in the Super Bowl. Baltimore's passing game may have trouble early against a relatively stingy Bengals defense, but Cincy's horrendous record in the postseason under Marvin Lewis will continue into 2015.

(6) Packers over (3) Bears: Aaron Rodgers, a Super Bowl winning quarterback, has repeatedly proven himself when it comes to clutch situations, as seen when he defeated Chicago in Week 17 of the 2013 regular season. Ironically, we have them playing Chicago once again with the same result.

(5) 49ers over (4) Eagles: The 49ers have made it to three straight NFC Championship Games, and are quite possibly the most talented wild card team of the past 5 years. Philadelphia doesn't stand a chance, even with home field advantage.

Divisional Round

(3) Colts over (2) Broncos: The third year for quarterbacks is almost always a breakout year in the NFL. With Reggie Wayne coming back from injury, and Hakeem Knicks arriving from New York, Luck has the offensive weapons  needed to knock off the Denver Broncos in January.

(1) Patriots over (4) Ravens: The Patriots and Ravens by now are used to playing each other in the postseason, but the Patriots are clearly far more talented than the Ravens, especially with their two new cornerbacks in Brandon Browner and Darrelle Revis. Tom Brady is bound for yet another AFC Championship Game.

(1) Seahawks over (6) Packers: In a neutral location, I believe the Green Bay Packers would be capable of beating Seattle during the postseason; however, seeing how the game is in Seattle, it will be extremely difficult for Aaron Rodgers to overpower the Legion of Boom on the road. Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense will be able to put up plenty of points against a mediocre Packers defense.

(5) 49ers over (2) Saints: Colin Kaepernick is surrounded by plenty of weapons on offense, including Anquan Boldin, Frank Gore, and Vernon Davis. Jim Harbaugh will find a way to quell the damage done by Drew Brees and New Orleans' passing game, and the 49ers will be playing in their fourth straight NFC Championship Game.

Championship Round

(1) Patriots over (3) Colts: The New England Patriots remain undefeated against Andrew Luck during his time in Indy, yet with Luck bound to improve during the regular season, these games are going to get a whole lot more competitive. With Revis and Browner both on the Patriots' roster, Luck will have more difficulty finding his three most talented targets--Knicks, Hilton, Wayne--but as we've seen, this quarterback can find a way. Tom Brady is becoming more experienced with his young wide receivers, and hopefully, Rob Gronkowski will be healthy for playoffs. The Logan Menkins trade left some people scratching their heads, but the aging offensive lineman was traded for a draft pick and a little-known tight end Tim Wright. Wright had 54 catches as an undrafted rookie, so this could be one of Brady's favorite targets later in the year. In the end, we have Tom Brady advancing to the sixth Super Bowl of his career.

(5) 49ers over (1) Seahawks: These two teams are coming out of the same division, yet clearly, they are the NFC's most talented teams. A rivalry has been born recently between San Francisco and Seattle, seeing how they have two of the league's most stifling defenses and battle within the same division. Luckily, the San Francisco 49ers are expecting to get linebacker NaVorro Bowman by Week 7, so he will be in midseason form just before the postseason. Seattle's offseason losses will have a bigger impact on this team than people seem to think, where receiver Golden Tate has left for Detroit, while Red Bryant and Chris Clemons have left for Jacksonville. Jim Harbaugh will be on the hot seat if San Francisco is unable to make the Super Bowl yet again, but luckily for 49ers fans, we see San Francisco topping their division rivals for a spot in the "Big Game."

Prediction for the Super Bowl will arrive within the next few days

2014 NFL Predictions

With training camp officially underway, and pre-season football just around the corner, we will now begin predicting the results of the 2014-15 NFL season. Many interesting storylines have taken place over the course of the offseason, such as Ray Rice's two-game suspension, huge free agent signings by the two best teams in the AFC, and a quest for the repeat by the defending champions. The 2014 NFL Draft has also brought in many of college football's biggest stars, such as Jadeveon Clowney to the Texans, Sammy Watkins to the Bills, and Johnny Manziel to the Browns. We can not wait for the return of football. Let the games begin.