The Ravens will win the AFC North
Technically the Ravens (9-5) are currently third in the AFC North, but just look at that schedule, at Houston (7-7) this week and finishing up playing the Johnny Playtex-led Browns (7-7) on the final week of the season. The Texans could have presented somewhat of a problem for Baltimore under normal circumstances, but every quarterback they started the season with is hurt. It looks like Case Keenum, who they cut in the preseason and was on the Rams practice squad in between shifts at Applebees will start for them Sunday. Those Ravens defenders have to see dollar signs with all the contract incentives they’ll be hitting over the next two weeks.
The Seahawks will win the NFC West
Just like the Ravens, the Seahawks (10-4) aren’t atop their division, but give them another four days and they will be. Seattle faces off against division-leading Arizona (11-3) this week with Ryan Lindley at quarterback. Just like the Texans’ situation, Lindley was probably the best Subway Sandwich artist in Tempe just two weeks ago, so he is in no way ready to face off against the Seahawks defense. And the Seahawks final game? It’s against the Rams. Speaking of St. Louis…
The Rams will finish with a losing record… again.
With the all-but guaranteed loss to the Seahawks on the final week of the season, the Rams (6-8) will, for the eighth consecutive season, finish below .500. Cards coach Bruce Arians called the Rams a team that is always 8-8 and that shows what he knows. St. Louis would kill for an 8-8 season, something that hasn’t happened since 2006. The Rams last winning season was in 2004. It’s been rough. St. Louis, are you sure you really want to keep this team?
The Bills are a quarterback away from winning the AFC East.
And that guy isn’t Kyle Orton, though he’s as good a stop-gap as any. Buffalo (8-6) isn’t out of the playoff hunt just yet, but there’s just too many teams ahead of them to make it this season. The Bills will most likely pick in the high teens or early 20s in the draft and they need to be looking quarterback the whole way. Yes, they blew the QB pick the last time they made it, reaching so far for Florida State quarterback E.J. Manuel that they hyperextended their elbow, but this year’s crop of QBs is different. Michigan State’s Conner Cook might be your guy and, if for some reason he’s gone, UCLA’s Brett Hundley could do nicely too.
The Bears are in some long-term trouble.
Jay Cutler isn’t a complete disaster, but his seven-year, $126 million contract is. You’re married to him now and unless the NFL adds an expansion team or two, he’s not going anywhere. So that means Marc Trestman and his entire staff have got to go. And don’t hire this one from Canada. Don’t even look north at all. Bears (5-9), your guy is Mike Shanahan, the last person that got anything good out of Cutler. This is such a no-brainer of a move, I’m almost positive you won’t do it.
Brian Hoyer wasn’t the problem in Cleveland.
There was a reason the Browns (7-7) weren’t starting Johnny before last Sunday and every one of them was on display against the Bengals. By pulling the plug on Hoyer, Cleveland announced that its season was over even though they weren’t out of the playoff hunt. They most certainly are now and the best bet in professional sports right now is that Manziel will throw more picks than touchdowns over the next two weekends. He might end up throwing more picks than first downs.
