NFC East

Philadelphia Eagles (12-4) – The Eagles are a team that usually gets stronger as the season goes on, and I think they’re set up to do that even moreso this year. It will probably take some game experience for Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg to figure out the best way to use all of their offensive weapons in the most efficient way. Aside from Vick and a breakout year from DeSean Jackson, the biggest addition to the offensive is actually LeSean McCoy. Because Brian Westbrook has tended to wear down as season’s have gone on in past years, being able to spell Westbrook early in the season with McCoy should allow Westbrook to be more healthy in December and January than he’s been in a long time. The same year-long improvement should be expected from new defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, although it would be tough for him to call a better defensive game than he did in week 1 against the Panthers. All that being said, the reason I have them as my number 1 seed in the NFC is that the schedule works perfectly in their favor. They play the easy games early (Chiefs, Raiders, Redskins at home …) and then get the difficult matchups when they’ll be more adjusted to their personnel.

New York Giants (10-6) – Definitely believe in the defense and Osi Umenyiora is a beast. I just think the offense will take a big step back, as we saw them become one-dimensional without Plaxico last year. Let alone how ridiculous it is that the highest player in the league isn’t even one of the best ten players at his position (I go Brady, Brees, Manning, Roethlisberger, McNabb, Rodgers, Rivers, Romo, Ryan, then either Warner, Cutler, or Palmer). They’ll win the games they should win and get into the playoffs.

Dallas Cowboys (8-8) – Don’t like the receiving corps or the defense outside of DeMarcus Ware, although I am intrigued by the notion that they might have a nice home field advantage the first time opponents play in the new stadium. If Jason Garrett let this team work like the Giants offense and they count on a one-two punch of Felix Jones and Marion Barber to move the offense I’d be higher on them.

Washington Redskins (6-10) – Not a terrible team, I just think they’re clearly outclassed in the division. I’ve also always liked Jason Campbell a little bit but he’s not the kind of guy who can win on his own. I don’t have anything else to add except that I find it hilarious that there’s a craze in Washington D.C. about Brian Orakpo already.

NFC North

Green Bay Packers (10-6) – Love Aaron Rodgers, love Greg Jennings, and it looks like the defensive change to the 3-4 is going smoothly. Pair that with a little overrating of the Bears and Vikings and I think the Packers pull the division out.

Minnesota Viikings (9-7) – I have the Vikings in a three-way tie for the last wildcard spot and getting in on the convoluted tie-breaker. We all know Adrian Peterson is a beast, and the run defense is beastly. I Favre will probably end up losing them one or two games, but that’s still better than what Tarvaris Jackson would have done.

Chicago Bears (9-7) – I’d compare the Bears to what Pat said about the Ravens. The defense is aging a little bit and should take a step down while the offense takes a step up. Devin Hester is turning into a legit No. 2 receiver, and Matt Forte is really, really good, so the offense is on the rise. So I think they’re caught in between right now. I’d probably also dock them a game or two now that they’ve lost Urlacher.

Detroit Lions (4-12) – They’ll probably ruin a ton of survivor picks at some point this season.

NFC South

New Orleans Saints (10-6) – I think the Saints get it done in the South and there’ll be a growing theme that Brees might be best quarterback in the league. The D is improved enough to get them through the regular season but I’m guessing they’ll falter come playoff time.

Atlanta Falcons (9-7) – I’m not sure Matt Ryan will be much better than he was last year, but the rest of the offense should so that will off-set. The D is average, good enough to get the job done for the most part. Blah.

Carolina Panthers (8-8) – What kind of odds can I get on A.J. Feeley for MVP? But seriously, has a quarterback ever had back-to-back games as bad as Delhomme had? Even with that, they still have a great running game and a good defense. They just need to be playing from ahead to be successful and I think they’ll make a lot of noise this season and fall just short of the playoffs.

Tampa Bay Bucs (5-11) – I think they’ll hang around as a frisky season for the first half of the season before giving the reigns to Josh Freeman and free fall. Most of all, I’m proud that they’re bringing back the old Jaguars philsophy of having all black quarterbacks on the roster if you have a starting black quarterback in the south because otherwise the racist fan base would call for the backup even more fervently than in other cities.

NFC West

Seattle Seahawks (9-7) – Just by a hair over the 49ers for me, although I’m still second-guessing it. Just a little more veteran talent that’s not quite over the hill yet. Hasselbeck should have a nice comeback year and I like their young defense with Curry and Tatupu.

San Francisco 49ers (8-8) – Shaun Hill is more serviceable than he gets credit for, and I think they’ll be able to take advantage of a weak division and schedule to pull out a .500 record. And yes, Patrick Willis is the best middle linebacker in the game.

Arizona Cardinals (6-10) – It’s sad how much of a foregone conclusion the Cardinals free fall is this year. But I guess when you have a quarterback older than Rasputin and a defense that’s looser than Lou Holtz’s grasp on reality, there’s not much to be debated.

St. Louis Rams (3-13) – Seriously? Three years after the draft and all five of your first three-round picks are gone? I mean that has to be one of the monumentally worse drafts of my lifetime, I’m just too lazy right now to look into it further. But yeah, Tye Hill, great pick.

Playoffs

Saints beat Vikings, Giants win in Seattle

Eagles beat Giants, Packers beat Saints

Eagles beat Packers

(mouth full of Kool-Aid)