Predicting the record for all 32 NFL teams and the entire playoffs before camp.
With rookies already reporting, NFL veterans are set to report to training camp across the league on Tuesday, July 28. After the COVID-19 pandemic nixed offseason workouts, teams will finally be in the building together to work towards their goals in the 2020 NFL season. And with I’s dotted and T’s crossed regarding protocol with the coronavirus, football is on the horizon.
Things will still be different in training camp, most notably with no preseason games being played. Even still, everything is on track for a full 16-game regular season to be played. With that, there comes a ton of questions.
How will Tom Brady fare in his first season away from the New England Patriots with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Does Jamal Adams make the Seattle Seahawks viable contenders? Can Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs repeat? Will reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson make another leap and bring the Baltimore Ravens with him?
We’re about a month and a half away from the regular season kicking off on Thursday, Sept. 10 and getting answers to those questions and many more. But why wait?
As training camps throughout the league get underway, let’s predict the entire 2020 NFL season. That means records for all 32 teams, division standings, playoff predictions and picking a Super Bowl LV champion. Yes, things can change in terms of these opinions but, as we enter training camps, this is how the forthcoming season will play out.
Note: Records, playoff seeding were compiled using PlayoffPredictors.com. Playoff teams are denoted with an asterisk.
AFC East predictions for the 2020 NFL season
New England Patriots* – 9-7
Buffalo Bills – 8-8
Miami Dolphins – 7-9
New York Jets – 2-14
Back before the New England Patriots signed Cam Newton, I was ready to reluctantly crown the Buffalo Bills AFC East champions for the 2020 season. But with Bill Belichick now bringing in a competent and hopefully-healthy quarterback, that changes everything. New England isn’t going to be a dominant force but they’ll be good enough to win the division, especially with their defense.
Having Buffalo miss the playoffs might come off as a shocker to some fans. After all, this team won 10 games last year and added Stefon Diggs to the fold, which should improve them. The simple truth, though, is that I’m still extremely skeptical of Josh Allen and believe that we might see a big regression out of him this year, which is going to bring the Bills back to Earth, even if the rest of their roster is impressive.
In the cellar of this division is the New York Jets, a team that I have projected to finish tied for the worst record in the NFL. This defense was already going to be pretty bad and now they lost Jamal Adams. When you also take into account how disastrous Adam Gase has been in just one year, success will be extremely hard to come by for this club.
The same can’t be said of the Dolphins. The South Beach Fins will take a tremendous leap forward in their rebuild in 2020. Head coach Brian Flores led this team to 5-11 last year and the roster is markedly better than that on both sides of the ball. While it may be premature for the playoffs, a seven-win season feels wholly in the cards for Miami.
NFC East predictions for the 2020 NFL season
Dallas Cowboys* – 11-5
Philadelphia Eagles -10-6
New York Giants – 5-11
Washington Football Team – 3-13
Not that this comes as a surprise to anyone but the NFC East is likely going to be a two-horse race in the 2020 NFL season. And those two horses, of course, are the two teams that have been battling it out for the division crown over the past two years, the rival Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles.
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Both teams have noted strengths. For the Cowboys, it’s an offense led by a motivated Dak Prescott that is bursting with weapons. With the Eagles, it’s a defensive line that can attack absolutely anyone. Yet, both teams have glaring flaws. Both clubs have questions about the secondary group while Philadelphia has questions about pass-catchers and some injuries already on the offensive line.
For me, there are just more questions about the Eagles, which gives the Cowboys the edge to win the division. It’s honestly just bad luck that Philadelphia wins 10 games in this prediction and doesn’t make the playoffs.
At the bottom of the division, the Giants should be slightly better but, until they fix their defense, the ceiling is defined in my book. The Washington Football Team is still quite a bit away from competing with the better teams in the league and, while a defensive front and some sporadic offensive fireworks will lead to some wins, the victories will be few and far between.
AFC North predictions for the 2020 NFL season
Baltimore Ravens* – 13-3
Cleveland Browns* – 11-5
Pittsburgh Steelers* – 9-7
Cincinnati Bengals – 3-13
Heading into last season, there was buzz about three teams from the AFC North potentially making it to the postseason — and that was back in the olden days when there were only six playoff teams coming out of each conference. Now with seven teams from each side, though, I think that’s a possibility for this division once again.
At the top, the Baltimore Ravens aren’t much of a question. Some worry about reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson regressing from a historic season. While he might not rush for over 1,200 yards, he can take a big leap as a passer. The biggest factor, though, is that an already good defense got better this offseason, trading for Calais Campbell and drafting Patrick Queen. The Ravens should compete for the No. 1 seed in the AFC once again.
That’s not a typo either; the Cleveland Browns are about to go 11-5. Last year was an unmitigated disaster under Freddie Kitchens. But the truth is that I don’t believe that’s who Baker Mayfield is as a player and the additions of new head coach Kevin Stefanski and a functional (or better) offensive line will bring that to light.
Some people are ready to crown the Pittsburgh Steelers as Super Bowl champs but, frankly, I’m a bit more skeptical. Is Ben Roethlisberger the same player at this age? More pressingly, can Big Ben stay healthy? This defense is good enough to carry the team to 9-7 even if the answer to those questions is tepid but they may not be as good as some people are projecting.
Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals have the potential to sneak up on some teams in the 2020 season. However, the offensive line and defense are still works in progress, which will limit their overall win total.
NFC North predictions for the 2020 NFL season
Minnesota Vikings* – 11-5
Green Bay Packers* – 10-6
Chicago Bears – 6-10
Detroit Lions – 5-11
Any numbers nerd will tell you that the Green Bay Packers are going to regress in the 2020 season. Aaron Rodgers’ club went 13-3 last year but got lucky in so many games. Now, after an offseason in which they frustratingly didn’t address their major weaknesses, they’re going to fall back. The good news for them is that dropping from 13 wins is still good enough to make the postseason.
With the reigning NFC North champs taking a step back, Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings capitalize and take the crown. Overhauling the defense should be a good move for Mike Zimmer’s club. Though there are valid questions about the offense with a still-suspect line and Stefon Diggs now gone, they should be good enough on most days to compete with anyone.
The big shocker here might not be at the top of the division but rather the bottom. Recently, there has been a little buzz about the Detroit Lions being better than expectations. I’m not buying it. The defense is a real issue in my opinion and, while the offense can be explosive and quite fun, the other side of the ball is too worrisome.
As for the Bears, even with their quarterback issues, this team has still been in the playoff mix. That changes with Nick Foles arriving. This team has been getting by barely to this point and that changes in 2020. The defense won’t be able to save them with a terrible quarterback situation, meaning they don’t even sniff the postseason.
AFC South predictions for the 2020 NFL season
Indianapolis Colts* – 9-7
Houston Texans* – 8-8
Tennessee Titans – 8-8
Jacksonville Jaguars – 2-14
If someone could label the AFC South as mediocrity personified, that would be great because it’s largely the truth looking at these four clubs in the 2020 season, save for the Jacksonville Jaguars. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where this isn’t a tough year for Duval.
Perhaps the biggest stunner of the group is the Tennessee Titans, a team that went 9-7 last year but also made it to the AFC Championship Game is out of the playoffs at 8-8 here. Put simply, Ryan Tannehill almost has to regress back to the mean this season and the offensive line is worse. When you factor that into the division getting more balanced, I don’t think they’ll be able to separate themselves.
Though Bill O’Brien the head coach has proven much more capable than Bill O’Brien the general manager, I remain skeptical of how this team is built. Deshaun Watson is great but trading DeAndre Hopkins puts the skill position group on a shaky foundation, which is also true for the defense. That’s going to lose them some close games and have them around .500 as well.
That leaves the Indianapolis Colts to get ahead of the pack, even just barely. Philip Rivers still has something left in the tank and, behind one of the league’s best offensive lines and with some new weapons, they should be able to score. The defense, however — DeForest Buckner or not — has some question marks, though, that leave me putting a cap on just how good the Colts will be.
NFC South predictions for the 2020 NFL season
New Orleans Saints* – 13-3
Tampa Bay Buccaneers* – 13-3
Atlanta Falcons – 6-10
Carolina Panthers – 3-13
Tom Brady’s decision to move south and join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the NFC and, specifically, the NFC South the toughest place to play in the NFL. There are two legitimate Super Bowl contenders in this division now and it shouldn’t be a shock to anyone if the Bucs and New Orleans Saints are battling it out for the top seed in the NFC.
Tampa’s defense was better than you might think last season and now their litany of high-end offensive weapons led by Mike Evans and Chris Godwin have a quarterback who doesn’t throw 30 interceptions in a season. Meanwhile, New Orleans has continued to go about their business and a 13-3 team from last year should have a little more offensive juice with the addition of Emmanuel Sanders.
Look around the general NFL public and you’ll likely see some people gassing up the Falcons as a potential sleeper this season but I’m not buying it. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones are going to put up points but Todd Gurley is an overrated addition and there is very little about this defense that fans should feel confident in.
While the Panthers elected to not go fully into a rebuild with their offensive moves, they may not have a choice. The conference and division in which they play is just that much better than them on paper that, even if they’re slightly better than 3-13, Carolina winning more than five games would be a tremendous surprise.
AFC West predictions for the 2020 NFL season
Kansas City Chiefs* – 14-2
Denver Broncos – 7-9
Las Vegas Raiders – 6-10
Los Angeles Chargers – 6-10
So even though we still have the NFC West to get into, let me go ahead and spoil for you that the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, are going to finish the 2020 regular season with the best record in the league. That likely would’ve been the case last year if not for bad injury luck, frankly, and now their offense is healthy and ready to cruise by the competition.
Getting the No. 1 seed in the AFC should be hugely important for the Chiefs too. In the new playoff format, only one team in each conference gets the bye. Subsequently, Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City should have a little extra motivation in addition to the fact that the team benefits from their continuity in the truncated offseason.
Below the Chiefs, though, things are kind of ugly. When you look at the Broncos, Raiders and Chargers, there are undoubtedly going to be things that you find to like about each of the clubs. For Denver, it’s the upside of the offense and a veteran defense; the Raiders have some young talent that could pop up and play big roles; LA has a stout defense and solid offense outside of the quarterback.
My issue is that the path to mediocrity and these records here is just as clear. Drew Lock could have some growing pains in year two, Vegas might still be a year away from completing the Jon Gruden-led rebuild and the Chargers’ limitations at quarterback with Tyrod Taylor and Justin Herbert cap their ceiling.
NFC West predictions for the 2020 NFL season
San Francisco 49ers* – 12-4
Seattle Seahawks* – 11-5
Arizona Cardinals – 8-8
Los Angeles Rams – 7-9
Watching the NFC West come down to the wire in the 2019 regular season was one of the most fun aspects of the year. Though the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks might not be taking things down to the wire to determine playoff seeding, the division might actually be even more fun in the 2020 campaign.
After making it to the Super Bowl last year, San Francisco should have a big year ahead. The defense remains their strong suit while Jimmy Garoppolo and Kyle Shanahan’s offense can put up points on anyone. They may struggle some early with the Deebo Samuel injury taking its toll but, overall, the Niners are the favorites here.
Adding Jamal Adams is huge for the Seahawks, helping to shore up a shaky secondary. Of course, as long as this team has Russell Wilson and some weapons, which they do, they’ll be in the mix. You have to wonder if the defensive line will be a glaring issue or just a minor weakness, however.
Kliff Kingsbury’s Cardinals might be the most fun team in the league to watch in the 2020 season. Kyler Murray is the goods and he now has real weapons, headlined by newcomer DeAndre Hopkins, and a year of NFL experience. The only issue with Arizona is that their defense isn’t quite where it needs to be yet.
Shockingly, the Los Angeles Rams bring up the rear in the division but, then again, that makes sense. This defense has too many holes, the problematic offensive line hasn’t been adequately addressed and Jared Goff remains somewhat limited. In a terrific division, that could cause the Rams plenty of problems.
AFC Wild Card predictions
7 Houston Texans at 2 Baltimore Ravens
After sneaking into the playoffs as an 8-8 team out of the AFC, the Texans get the unfriendly gift of a trip to Baltimore to face the Ravens. Put simply, what Houston has built is not a match for the dynamic offense led by Lamar Jackson, both in terms of stopping him on defense and keeping up with him on offense. Winner: Baltimore Ravens
6 Pittsburgh Steelers at 3 New England Patriots
Of the Wild Card Round matchups, this was the most difficult to predict, which speaks to what the Steelers and Patriots are this season. They have questions about the viability of their quarterbacks given injury history and this point in their respective careers while banking on defense. Subsequently, I’m copping out and going with the home team to win. Winner: New England Patriots
5 Cleveland Browns at 4 Indianapolis Colts
For the first time since 2002, the Browns are in the playoffs. And due to their success under Kevin Stefanski, they get a great matchup against a division-winner but also a shaky Colts club. I don’t fully buy into the Indianapolis defense and think Cleveland can control the action and pick up a postseason win, sending The Land into a frenzy. Winner: Cleveland Browns
NFC Wild Card predictions
7 Green Bay Packers at 2 San Francisco 49ers
In the simplest terms, the 49ers shellacked the Packers twice last year, once in the regular season and again in the playoffs. Green Bay hasn’t made enough notable improvements in the 2020 offseason to make you think that this matchup will turn out any differently. Winner: San Francisco 49ers
6 Seattle Seahawks at 3 Minnesota Vikings
Kirk Cousins has somewhat shed the label that he can’t step up in big games, doing so on a few occasions last season. In the playoffs, though, I still have some doubts. And with the offense being lesser with Stefon Diggs gone, Pete Carroll and the Seahawks are going to come into this one and pull off a road postseason upset. Winner: Seattle Seahawks
5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 4 Dallas Cowboys
For as high as I am on the Cowboys and what this offense can do for them — and an underrated defense — the secondary is the weakest part of the defense. Putting that up against Tom Brady and an elite group of pass-catchers is a recipe for a bad time in Dallas and an early playoff exit for America’s Team. Winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
AFC Divisional Round predictions
5 Cleveland Browns at 1 Kansas City Chiefs
Not only did the Browns make the playoffs but they were able to pick up a postseason win on the road in the Wild Card Round. That’s a victory for Cleveland on the whole but that’s also where it ends. Even if the needle is pointing up for the Browns this season, they aren’t yet on the same level as Patrick Mahomes and the reigning champs. In Arrowhead, the Chiefs should roll pretty comfortably. Winner: Kansas City Chiefs
3 New England Patriots at 2 Baltimore Ravens
Cam Newton has the Patriots in the Divisional Round and has a great defense behind him. At the same time, the defense isn’t as good as it was in 2019 and the offense still is a little short on weapons. That’s all bad news when the task is keeping up with Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, especially with their rebuild defense. Winner: Baltimore Ravens
NFC Divisional Round predictions
6 Seattle Seahawks at 1 New Orleans Saints
Talk about some fortune for the Seahawks as they get Kirk Cousins in the Wild Card Round and now face the bad-luck Saints, at least when it comes to the postseason recently for New Orleans. The poor fortunes, however, won’t be seen here. Even with Jamal Adams, I don’t think Seattle has the defensive front to fully stop Drew Brees and the offense. Winner: New Orleans Saints
5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 2 San Francisco 49ers
For as talented as the San Francisco 49ers offense can be and for as good as their defense is, this is a horrible matchup for them. Tampa can attack their secondary in the right spots and, more importantly, the Bucs have one of the better run defenses in the NFL. That will stifle the Niners’ mojo when they have possession, allowing Brady to take control and keep moving through the playoffs. Winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Conference Championship predictions
AFC Championship Game: 2 Baltimore Ravens at 1 Kansas City Chiefs
A rematch from the regular season and a game that everyone wants to see, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson clash in a battle of the league’s next generation of great quarterbacks. And while each will have their role to play in determining who wins the AFC, this matchup comes down to the defense.
Though Kansas City retained Chris Jones, their secondary is worrisome. More importantly, the Baltimore secondary is elite, as is the improved front seven. That gives them the edge in this matchup and the defending Super Bowl champions are sent packing at Arrowhead. AFC Champions: Baltimore Ravens
NFC Championship Game: 5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 1 New Orleans Saints
The one major thing that would worry me about the Buccaneers and Brady in the postseason is playing in cold-weather climates. After playing in Dallas and San Francisco, they play the NFC Championship Game in a dome.
While Drew Brees and the Saints offense can have success against the Bucs secondary, the same is true for Tampa against New Orleans’ pass defense. And when you get down to it, I’m taking Brady’s postseason track record over what Brees and Co. have endured in recent years. NFC Champions: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Super Bowl LV prediction
Baltimore Ravens vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tom Brady and the Buccaneers get the chance to make history here as the first team to ever play a Super Bowl at their home stadium. Funny enough, it’s the first game at Raymond James Stadium that they’ll get to play in the entire postseason. Unfortunately, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are waiting for them.
Again, even if the Baltimore offense isn’t in its same form as last year, I believe Jackson will progress as a passer and, more importantly, that the defense will be better. They have the bodies to match up with the Bucs’ passing-game weapons and, ultimately, bring another Super Bowl to Baltimore. Super Bowl LV Champions: Baltimore Ravens