2017 NFL Predictions Revisited: Division Standings

by Joe Kuzma (joe_kuzma) on January 4, 2018

Prior to the start of the 2017 regular season, SCU contributors gave their two cents on who they felt would reign supreme in an 8-part series covering each of the league’s divisions.

Months later, with the dust settled, we can now see which of our predictions stuck… and which stunk!

Here’s a division by division rundown of our panel’s picks.

AFC East

Predictions

	Joe	Brian	Tina	Jimmy	Tommy	Mike	Terry
1	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE
2	MIA	BUF	BUF	MIA	MIA	MIA	MIA
3	BUF	MIA	NYJ	BUF	BUF	BUF	BUF
4	NYJ	NYJ	MIA	NYJ	NYJ	NYJ	NYJ

Results

	W	L	PCT
** -New England Patriots	13	3	0.813
x -Buffalo Bills	9	7	0.563
Miami Dolphins	6	10	0.375
New York Jets	5	11	0.313

Our panel was initially split on where the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins would finish, with Brian correctly predicting all four finishes.

The rest of the group nailed New England winning the AFC East once again, and all but Tina felt the Jets would be basement dwellers.

AFC North

Predictions

	Joe	Brian	Tina	Tommy	Mike	Terry
1	PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT
2	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN
3	CLE	CLE	CLE	BAL	BAL	BAL
4	BAL	BAL	BAL	CLE	CLE	CLE

Results

	W	L	PCT
* -Pittsburgh Steelers	13	3	0.813
Baltimore Ravens	9	7	0.563
Cincinnati Bengals	7	9	0.438
Cleveland Browns	0	16	0

Talk about a surprise finish in the AFC North this season!

Our panel went full-homer by choosing the Steelers to once again win the division, but almost all missed out on getting the other places correct.

The Ravens, who had a slew of injuries to start the season, surprised everyone by finishing second, while the Browns couldn’t win one game. (Really?)

AFC South

Predictions

	Joe	Brian	Tina	Tommy	Mike	Terry
1	TEN	TEN	TEN	TEN	HOU	TEN
2	HOU	HOU	HOU	HOU	TEN	HOU
3	JAX	JAX	IND	JAX	IND	JAX
4	IND	IND	JAX	IND	JAX	IND

Results

	W	L	PCT
z -Jacksonville Jaguars	10	6	0.625
x -Tennessee Titans	9	7	0.563
Indianapolis Colts	4	12	0.25
Houston Texans	4	12	0.25

Okay, I lied about the surprises! The AFC South took us all by surprise, with the Jacksonville Jaguars turning the season completely around from their last. The Titans still qualified for the playoffs, but Houston fell apart late and the Colts somehow jumped in front for a third place finish.

AFC West

Predictions

	Joe	Brian	Tina	Tommy	Mike	Terry
1	OAK	OAK	OAK	OAK	OAK	OAK
2	DEN	DEN	DEN	KC	KC	DEN
3	LAC	LAC	KC	DEN	LAC	KC
4	KC	KC	LAC	LAC	DEN	LAC

Results

	W	L	PCT
z -Kansas City Chiefs	10	6	0.625
Los Angeles Chargers	9	7	0.563
Oakland Raiders	6	10	0.375
Denver Broncos	5	11	0.313

Here’s another division that didn’t go as planned.

The Oakland Raiders were meant to compete for a Super Bowl title with their newly minted, high-priced quarterback David Carr, a top-flight offensive line, and a returning “Beast Mode”.

They nearly finished last in the division, just a game above the equally disappointing Broncos, which is the only place any of our panelists got right!

NFC East

Predictions

	Joe	Brian	Tina	Jimmy	Tommy	Mike	Terry
1	NYG	PHI	PHI	DAL	DAL	NYG	DAL
2	PHI	NYG	DAL	PHI	WAS	DAL	PHI
3	DAL	DAL	NYG	NYG	NYG	WAS	NYG
4	WAS	WAS	WAS	WAS	PHI	PHI	WAS

Results

	W	L	PCT
** -Philadelphia Eagles	13	3	0.813
Dallas Cowboys	9	7	0.563
Washington Redskins	7	9	0.438
New York Giants	3	13	0.188

Brian and Tina had the foresight to see the Eagles as an up and coming team, but I totally fell over a cliff willing the Giants to the postseason. With New York in the basement, most of the predictions fell flat, although most of the panelists (correctly) predicted that they felt the Cowboys weren’t playoff material this season.

NFC North

Predictions

	Joe	Brian	Tina	Tommy	Mike	Terry
1	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB
2	MIN	DET	MIN	MIN	DET	DET
3	DET	MIN	DET	DET	MIN	MIN
4	CHI	CHI	CHI	CHI	CHI	CHI

Results

	W	L	PCT
* -Minnesota Vikings	13	3	0.813
Detroit Lions	9	7	0.563
Green Bay Packers	7	9	0.438
Chicago Bears	5	11	0.313

It was a clean sweep for the Bears, but not in a good way. With Green Bay falling from the top spot, most of SCU’s picks were correct in placing the Vikings and Lions as the heir apparent.

Green Bay would fall to 7-9 and finish third in the division.

NFC South

Predictions

	Joe	Brian	Tina	Jimmy	Tommy	Mike	Terry
1	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	TB	ATL
2	CAR	TB	TB	TB	TB	ATL	NO
3	TB	CAR	CAR	NO	CAR	CAR	CAR
4	NO	NO	NO	CAR	NO	NO	TB

Results

	W	L	PCT
z -New Orleans Saints	11	5	0.688
x -Carolina Panthers	11	5	0.688
x -Atlanta Falcons	10	6	0.625
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	5	11	0.313

Another unpredictable but competitive division was the NFC South, which saw three teams make the playoffs: none of those were Tampa Bay, who only Terry had pegged as the basement dweller of the four… and Mike had thought enough of to have has his division champion. (Doh!)

Atlanta hung on in third place (not first as many thought) to make the playoffs.

I can also hang my own hat on at least thinking the Panthers could make a run for the playoffs too.

NFC West

Predictions

	Joe	Brian	Tina	Tommy	Mike	Terry
1	SEA	SEA	SEA	SEA	SEA	ARI
2	ARI	ARI	ARI	ARI	ARI	SEA
3	LAR	LAR	LAR	LAR	LAR	SF
4	SF	SF	SF	SF	SF	LAR

Results

	W	L	PCT
z -Los Angeles Rams	11	5	0.688
Seattle Seahawks	9	7	0.563
Arizona Cardinals	8	8	0.5
San Francisco 49ers	6	10	0.375

The Los Angeles Rams have a new coach? Wow, that’s not going to be too good for them…

Actually, that was the San Francisco 49ers, as our picks mostly found the bad teams to be as bad as we had thought back in September. However, the Seattle Seahawks didn’t place and the Rams took the West’s title.

The Cardinals also fell off of the track once Carson Palmer was injured. They managed to finish .500, good enough for third place in the NFC West, but nowhere near many felt they’d be at the start of the season.