2021 NFL Record Predictions And Super Bowl Pick

It is official unofficial season prediction time here on SoBros Network.

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Alright, guys – time for my annual NFL predictions piece. Longtime readers of SoBros Network know the drill full and well by now, but for those of you who don’t, allow me to reintroduce it. Every year, I sit down, look at the NFL schedule, and pick every single game of the season based on where things stand prior to kickoff. There’s no scientific or statistical approach to it at all – just simply your boy lookin’ at it, and recording my gut reaction to it.

It’s dumb. But, then again, I think predicting records and such things are pretty inherently dumb to begin with. It’s all just silliness, but hey – that’s what we specialize in here, so why not go balls to the wall and predict every single NFL game of the season before it even starts? Why stop there? Let’s predict the playoffs, the draft order, and some NFL awards while we’re at it. This is exactly the kind of thing the term ‘YOLO’ was invented for all those years ago.

After nailing my Super Bowl pick in 2019, I pretty well sucked in 2020. I did get nine of the 14 playoff teams right, but my biggest “hot take” prediction was my unfettered optimism on the Bills. Somehow, I predicted that they would win the AFC East -and- beat the Colts in the wild card round of the playoffs. Something about a blind squirrel finding a nut and what have you. I just missed my draft order prediction, putting the Jags at #2 and Panthers at #1. I nailed the order of finish in the AFC South, and successfully tabbed Chase Young as Defensive Rookie of the Year, though I will say that any football fan with a pair of functioning eyes predicted Young winning that one. Maybe my best take from last year’s column, though: “I think the Browns could have the year we thought they’d have last year with a little more stability and discipline in leadership.” Alright, let’s see what I can mess up this year.

NFL 2021 RECORD PREDICTIONS

AFC East

Buffalo Bills (11-6)
New England Patriots (9-8)
Miami Dolphins (8-9)
New York Jets (5-12)

AFC North

Cleveland Browns (13-4)
Baltimore Ravens (9-8)
Pittsburgh Steelers (8-9)
Cincinnati Bengals (3-14)

AFC South

Tennessee Titans (13-4)
Indianapolis Colts (10-7)
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-15)
Houston Texans (1-16)

AFC West

Kansas City Chiefs (13-4)
Los Angeles Chargers (10-7)
Denver Broncos (9-8)
Las Vegas Raiders (7-10)

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys (10-7)
New York Giants (10-7)
Washington Football Team (9-8)
Philadelphia Eagles (6-11)

NFC North

Green Bay Packers (12-5)
Chicago Bears (9-8)
Minnesota Vikings (6-11)
Detroit Lions (2-15)

NFC South

New Orleans Saints (12-5)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (12-5)
Atlanta Falcons (7-10)
Carolina Panthers (5-12)

NFC West

Los Angeles Rams (13-4)
Seattle Seahawks (11-6)
San Francisco 49ers (10-7)
Arizona Cardinals (8-9)

2021 PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

Wild Card Weekend

(2) Kansas City Chiefs def. (7) Denver Broncos
(3) Tennessee Titans def. (6) Los Angeles Chargers
(4) Buffalo Bills def. (5) Indianapolis Colts (going to the well again…)
(7) San Francisco 49ers def. (2) New Orleans Saints
(3) Green Bay Packers def. (6) Seattle Seahawks
(5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers def. (4) Dallas Cowboys

Divisional Round

(1) Cleveland Browns over (4) Buffalo Bills
(2) Kansas City Chiefs over (3) Tennessee Titans
(1) Los Angeles Rams over (7) San Francisco 49ers
(5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers over (3) Green Bay Packers

Championship Weekend

(1) Cleveland Browns over (2) Kansas City Chiefs
(1) Los Angeles Rams over (5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Super Bowl

Los Angeles Rams over Cleveland Browns

Draft Order

1: Houston Texans
2: Detroit Lions
3: Jacksonville Jaguars
4: Cincinnati Bengals
5: New York Jets

MVP Prediction: Patrick Mahomes
Coach of the Year: Frank Reich
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Kyle Pitts
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Zaven Collins

Observations

*Look, I am guilty of being a long time Matthew Stafford apologist. Maybe…just maybe I’m getting a little too carried away here. But, I really do believe that this Rams franchise is just a quarterback away from being a legitimate Super Bowl contender. They got their guy – all the pieces are in place. This should be the season that Sean McVay makes another run at the title. That defense is capable of slowing down anyone in the playoffs, including Tom Brady.

*And, yeah – I do love what the Browns have built there in Cleveland. That offense is going to be tough, but it’s the improvements they made on defense that have me thinking this team could make a run at a Super Bowl. They deserve to be right there with the Chiefs, Bills, and Titans as one of the favorites in the AFC. They almost got it done last postseason – they get their revenge on the Chiefs in this year’s AFC Championship.

*If you asked me right now, I’d say I’m not that high on the Colts and think they could miss the playoffs. I wouldn’t confidently say they’re going to win 10 games. But, the way the schedule shakes down is favorable, and they do get the benefit of playing four games against the Texans and Jags. I figure both of those teams are going to be pretty bad this year.

*Miami is a sexy pick in the AFC this year, but I’m not going to be sold on them until I see Tua Tagovailoa progress in the regular season. You know…meaningful football.

*This Broncos roster is absolutely loaded with talent. The fact that they took the keys away from Drew Lock and named Teddy Bridgewater the starter tells me that they believe they are good enough elsewhere that they just need someone under center to not screw up. Bridgewater can be that guy.

*I would list the Bucs as the NFC South favorites right now, but in this “simulation,” they lose the division to the Saints on a tiebreaker. That one surprised me when I tallied up all the wins and losses after picking the games.

*LOL at the New York Giants winning 10 games and missing the playoffs. Fans would absolutely lose their minds, and I’m not quite sure how that even happened on my end.

If you have any comments or questions for me, feel free to dump ’em in the comments. Otherwise, happy NFL season kickoff everyone!

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley