My 5 NFL Predictions

Admittedly, I need a bit of a mulligan when it comes to pro football.

Last year, I had severe Vitamin D deficiency, which caused me to be in and out of the doctor’s office all season.

When not at the doctor, I was here at work catching up for missed time and staying ahead of all of my many assignments and responsibilities that I’m blessed with within our office.

So I’ll just say it outright: I didn’t watch much football. And what I did watch is all a bit of a fuzz because the No. 1 thing Vitamin D deficiency does is saps the strength of your mind and memory.

But guess what? I’m 100 percent now and my load for the fall is a little lighter than it’s been in a while.

So I am able to watch more closely — for the first time in a while. And by watching, I’ll also be able to give (what I believe to be) accurate opinions and predictions for what I’m seeing on the field.

So let’s ride!

Everyone loves hot takes, so I have five for you today.

Here are my 5 predictions for the NFL season.

I won’t lie. It’s pretty awesome to be talking about some football again.

NO. 1 – The Browns’ process will start to bear fruit – I believe strongly in the eye test. Before the 2017 NFL Draft, I was a strong advocate for DeShaun Watson to be the No. 1 pick. The Browns whiffed. They got Myles Garrett instead and proceeded to go 0-16. This year, I was a strong advocate for Baker Mayfield to be the No. 1 pick. The Browns didn’t whiff and now, they have a franchise quarterback. The college and pro games blur now more than ever. Evaluating and grading these guys accurately has become a little easier than it’s been in years past. Mayfield was the best college quarterback we’ve seen in a long, long time. He was accurate and still got chunk yardage on big plays. In the first preseason game, Mayfield showed great footwork, poise and the ability to stretch the field. It’s a grand slam home run and now, it’s time to win a couple football games.

NO. 2 – Don’t bet on Gruden or the Rams – I am selling stock on the Oakland Raiders and also the Los Angeles Rams, for that matter. I don’t know about John Gruden. Sure, he was a great coach back when. But he’s made the same amount of money for the past decade, while doing 1/20th of the work. Will he still have that razor’s edge necessary to thrive in the NFL? I don’t know. Did he have it at the end of his career with Tampa? I don’t know. After the Super Bowl, he was 45-51 in six seasons with no playoff wins. That’s hardly the stuff legends are made of. As far as the Rams go, I just think they’re poised for a letdown. They were a warm and fuzzy story last year, but they struggled in the transition from hunters to hunted late in the season, going 2-2 in their final 4 games, then losing in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs — at home. The Rams were active in the offseason, but I’m not a huge fan of the things they did. Ndamukong Suh, Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters are all nice on paper. But they’re also somewhat low-character, as well. The same can be said for Brandin Cooks. That’s a lot of gas next to an open fire.

NO. 3 – Bet on Jacksonville and Denver- I trust Las Vegas probably about 95 percent of the time. They’re either accurate or pretty darned close when it comes to predicting the future for teams around the world of sports. But I think they’ve missed a few this year in Vegas. I think over/under 9 wins for the Jaguars is low. I think they’ll go way over that total. They have a monstrous defense, a quality running game and the championship success they earned last year in the postseason. I think they’re a lock to get to 10-11 wins — especially in a shaky division. As for Denver, they’re picked to win 7.5 wins, but I think they have a great chance to be the Minnesota Vikings of last year. They have the same quarterback after signing Case Keenum in the offseason. They also have the same monstrous defense with Von Miller rushing off one side and Bradley Chubb and others coming off the other. The Broncos are my sleeper pick to win the Super Bowl. They have 33-1 odds. I take my chances with that.

NO. 4 – So now, my take on the Saints – I am usually a Saints pessimist, but I don’t know that there’s much of anything to be pessimistic about in 2018. New Orleans has a high-powered offense, a re-tooled defense and most importantly, their swagger back. This year, they should have all of those same things, so I see no reason to think that they won’t be firmly in the mix. But that last statement is the problem. The NFC is loaded. In addition to New Orleans, the conference also houses the Eagles, Cowboys, Packers, Vikings, Rams, Falcons and Panthers. The Seahawks may be on the way down, but the 49ers are on the way up. There just are so many contenders and so few spots at the top. I think the Saints finish 11-5 and lose in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

NO. 5 – My Super Bowl picks – OK, so now for the moment of truth. I pick the Minnesota Vikings to win the NFC. I think they slid by last year with bubble gum holding together the quarterback position. That has been replaced by a bonafide middle-tier passer in Kurt Cousins, who will give them a little bit of the explosion that they lacked (except on the last play of games against the Saints). In the AFC, I have to go with the Pittsburgh Steelers. They have a quality quarterback, arguably the best halfback and the best receiving corps in the league. That, and they’re hungry. They feel like they owe both Jacksonville and New England a butt whopping after losing to the Jags twice last year and getting hosed by the Patriots in the regular season. Give me the Vikings 31, Steelers 20 in the big game. If we want to get fancy, I’ll say the Vikings beat the Falcons in the NFC Championship Game and the Steelers beat the Jaguars.

Drew BreesJOSE DELGADO | THE TIMES

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