NFC EAST: Philadelphia, New York, Dallas, Washington

After another NFC title game defeat last season the Philadelphia Eagles made serious moves this off-season to improve immediately and Philadelphia should be considered one of the favorites in the NFC. Since the Eagles did not win this division last season they will face a slightly easier schedule and Philadelphia should start out strong with six of the first nine games of the season at home. No schedule is easy in the NFC East but as usual the Eagles return the most key players and have had the most organization stability.

For a while last season it looked like the New York Giants would have a great chance to be a repeat Super Bowl champion but the Giants faded late in the year and quickly crashed out of the playoffs. New York has been a great road team in recent years and still should feature a very solid running game and defense but a tough schedule including three straight road games early in the season might make for a tougher path for New York this season. New York still has not been able to replace WR Burress and QB Manning returned to earth last season. The Giants are definitely still a serious threat in the NFC but another 12-win season might be too much to ask.

The Dallas Cowboys have the talent to be a Super Bowl contender and this year attempted to clean house of some of the problematic character players. Dallas will have a hard time avoiding another late season slump however as the closing schedule is extremely tough and wins will be tough to come by in this division. Finishing third or fourth in this division might still mean a winning record and the pressure will be significant on a team that has not proven to be able to handle the attention.

Improving defensively was a clear priority for the Washington Redskins this season and Washington has, as usual, made several key additions. Washington gets to play a fourth-place schedule this season and this is a team that lost several close games last season. Washington may still struggle offensively at times but this could be the top defense in the division with a chance to move up.

NFC NORTH: Green Bay, Minnesota, Chicago, Detroit

This has not been a very strong division in recent years and the Green Bay Packers could be the team that rises to the top in 2009. Minnesota and Chicago will get more attention but the Packers lost seven games by four-points or less last season and had to deal with the crippling Brett Favre distractions that certainly had an impact in training camp. The Packers will catch a third place schedule and a big bounce back season could be in order. The Packers have a very favorable early season schedule and a little momentum and confidence could turn this into a very solid team even though they will not be as flashy or interesting as some of the other NFC contenders.

All that is missing for the Minnesota Vikings is a quarterback has been a repeated adage but in reality Minnesota has greater issues. The Vikings were clear favorites last season but went just 10-6 and had several ugly performances before an uninspired playoff effort. The Vikings face a tougher schedule this season and lost several key players including Center Matt Birk. Even if Favre comes into the picture the distractions might outweigh the gains.

Adding Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears offense immediately makes the Bears a more appealing team but they may not necessarily be better. The Bears went 9-7 last season and managed to win a lot of close games by not serving up critical mistakes, particularly at the QB spot. Cutler is prone to interceptions and he clearly is not as mature as an ideal signal caller needs to be. The Bears were a worse statistical team than the record indicated last season and it will be tough for the Bears to move up in this division.

Things can only improve for the Detroit Lions this season and a modest rise should actually be expected. The Lions had all sorts of problems snowball on them last season and a fresh start should provide renewed energy for a team that still has plenty of talent in key spots. This offense should be able to compete in this division but defensively the Lions are likely still one of the worst in the NFC. A tough early season schedule could be problematic but one early season win would have a big impact.

NFC SOUTH: New Orleans, Carolina, Atlanta, Tampa Bay

The NFC South was a very competitive division last season and the New Orleans Saints finished in last place despite a 8-8 record. New Orleans has failed to live up to expectations the last two years but this year they will face a very favorable schedule and are coming off a season where they were a dominant statistical team that did not have those results translate into wins. The Saints lost six games by five or fewer points last season and the defense should get a needed boost with DC Gregg Williams being added to the staff. The Saints have a great QB and several talented play-makers on offense and now that other teams in this division are getting more attention the Saints could rise to the top.

The Carolina Panthers cruised to 12-wins last season but were blown out of the playoffs at home by the upstart Cardinals. Carolina should still maintain a very solid running game and erratic QB Jake Delhomme is good enough to keep this team in contention. Only one game all season will be against a team that had a losing record in 2008 so Carolina is a team that is likely to fall back in the standings even if they perform at a similar level as last season?s team that won the division.

The Atlanta Falcons were a great story last season and expectations are high for another step forward in 2009. QB Ryan appears to be a star in the making and the Falcons made some moves to try to continue his progress. Atlanta?s defense was not as strong as many were led to believe with the successful season and stopping the other impressive offenses will be the key issue for the Falcons. This is not a franchise that has been able to sustain success and disappointment may be on the horizon.

After a disastrous four-game losing streak wiped out a promising start to the season the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cleaned house and should be a dramatically different team. In a very tough division it will be tough for a team in transition to compete and a new coach and an unsettled QB situation as well as a defense that has continued to deteriorate could add up for a rocky season. Tampa Bay will start with an absolutely brutal first half of the season and the schedule will make it very tough for first year coach Raheem Morris to build a winner in his first season at the helm.

NFC WEST: San Francisco, Seattle, Arizona, St. Louis

Though the NFC West was likely the weakest of any division in football last year on most measures, the champion did represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. The recent history for Super Bowl losers is poor meaning that the San Francisco 49ers could actually be the team to beat in this division. With a mid-season coaching change the 49ers had a turbulent year last season yet finished 7-9, winning five of the final seven games including beating several solid teams. The QB situation will still limit this team but former #1 pick Alex Smith appears ready to finally break out if he can win the job over Shaun Hill, who played well last season. This division is wide open and San Francisco appears to be in the best position to move up.

The Seattle Seahawks had a disastrous 2008 season marred by injuries but Jim Mora will step into a favorable situation as this team has added a few big-time players and could get back to a competitive level quickly. Seattle lost several close games last season and still has had the most success in this division and maintains a very tough home field edge. Seattle could be one of the more improved teams in the league in terms of wins and is a legitimate threat to win the West.

Success has a major price in the NFL and the Arizona Cardinals will feel the pinch after a surprising run to the Super Bowl. Arizona lost its OC and also is dealing with some off-season distractions. Arizona still has a very limited running game and WR Larry Fitzgerald will not be able to carry the team every week.

A much tougher schedule awaits and Arizona could take a step back. After going 2-14 and going through another coaching change the St. Louis Rams have a long ways to go. An improved record is a great possibility in this division and the running game could still be very good if RB Steven Jackson is healthy. The lines on both sides of the ball were banged up last season which makes it tough to compete but finishing fourth in this division is still the most likely scenario for the Rams.

 

AFC EAST: New England, Buffalo, Miami, New York

Most teams that lose a franchise QB minutes into the season would spiral into a disastrous season but the New England Patriots went 11-5 last season and in most years would have still made the playoffs. This year the Patriots will benefit by playing a second place schedule that should provide a lot of opportunities for wins. The health of Tom Brady will be critical but the track record of this organization is remarkable even with the loss of some key people in the management and coaching staff. The Patriots will not only be the team to beat in this division but likely the Super Bowl favorites.

After three straight mediocre 7-9 seasons the Buffalo Bills needed to do something drastic to either take the next step or implode and start over. With the signing of Terrell Owens the Bills took that exact type of gamble and odds are that it will payoff in a playoff run or be a disaster that runs coach Jauron out of town. One thing is for certain, the Bills have instantly become a more interesting team that will get a lot more attention. Buffalo gets to play a fourth place schedule but with this division facing the AFC and NFC South divisions there will be depressed records and limited chance for a wild card spot out of the East.

The Miami Dolphins may have improved a little too quickly. After going 1-15 in 2007, the Dolphins stormed to a 11-5 season and a division title. This season the schedule will be much tougher and Miami will not surprise anyone. Miami won seven games by seven points or less last year and a drop in the standings is very likely this season. There are some nice pieces in place for the Dolphins but things should turn for the worse in 2009.

Rex Ryan takes over for the New York Jets and although a couple of teams that went with new coaches and new QBs had success last season the Jets will have a hard time making that same transition. The Jets will face playoff teams each of the first four games of the season and if rookie QB Mark Sanchez is starting right away it could be a long opening month that could cripple the team for the remainder of the season. The Jets might not know what they had until it is gone.

AFC NORTH: Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Cleveland

Despite facing a tough schedule last season the Pittsburgh Steelers went 12-4 and carried that momentum all the way to a Super Bowl title. The Steelers have owned this division under Coach Tomlin and there is little reason to suggest that Pittsburgh will be seriously challenged on top of the North this year. The offense did not post great numbers last season and the defense will need to fill some gaps but Pittsburgh will still catch a favorable schedule facing the AFC West and the NFC North so a return playoff trip is very likely. Pittsburgh?s defensive formula has worked well and the Steelers should be very tough to score on again.

Predicting success for the Cincinnati Bengals is problematic as they have dealt with a lot of injuries and they seem to attract controversial players that can cause locker room issues. Still if QB Carson Palmer can stay healthy the Bengals should have the most explosive offense in this division. The defense should actually be respectable for the Bengals as this team played well late last season, closing with three straight wins. The schedule should also provide many more opportunities for wins. Look for Cincinnati to be a wild card contender with a greatly improved record in 2009.

Last season the Baltimore Ravens were a great success story but there are many reasons to expect a big fall this year. A second place schedule brings the Ravens New England and Indianapolis on the schedule, which no one else in the division plays and the Ravens also got tougher draws compared to the other squads in this division, playing on the road at Minnesota, Green Bay, and San Diego. Baltimore?s defense continues to age and QB Joe Flacco had a lot of mistakes that were covered up by the defense creating turnovers and big plays.

Another new beginning starts for the Cleveland Browns as Eric Mangini takes over. The Browns defense was terrible last season and the offense failed to top eleven points in ten games. Looking at the statistics it is hard to believe this team won four games last year and getting to four this season would be a great accomplishment as the first half schedule is absolutely brutal.

AFC SOUTH: Jacksonville, Indianapolis, Tennessee, Houston

The AFC South should be far and away the best division in the AFC and getting three playoff teams out of this group would not be a surprise. Expect a very tight race and perhaps a surprise winner as the Jacksonville Jaguars could really make a move this season. The Jaguars were a trendy Super Bowl pick last season but lost seven games by ten points or less and completely fell apart in the second half. The offensive line was riddled with injuries and that weakness was addressed significantly this off-season. This is a team that has won twelve games twice in the last four years and a significant bounce back should be in order as they catch by far the most favorable schedule of the four teams in this division.

There will be a lot of big changes for the Indianapolis Colts this season but as long as QB Peyton Manning is involved the Colts should be a playoff contender. Indianapolis has won at least twelve games for six consecutive years and this should be a smoother coaching change transition than many others as it was expected and planned for. The Colts should remain a very competitive team this will be a team that oddsmakers and gamblers may have a tough time figuring out for a while. Recall last season Indianapolis started 3-4 and yet still rallied for a playoff spot so this is a tough team to count out.

The Tennessee Titans went 13-3 last season to earn the AFC?s top seed but the Titans faded at the wrong time and saw a quick exit from the playoffs. Losing DT Haynesworth is significant and the QB situation will remain a bit murky although Kerry Collins delivered a great season last year. Coach Jeff Fisher has continually proven to be one of the best and the Titans often have over achieved but there should be a drop in the win column in Nashville this season.

The Houston Texans are going to be a very trendy playoff pick but this team has been .500 each of the last two years and making the jump in this division will be very difficult. Five of Houston?s wins came by seven points or less last season and the defense has never been as good statistically as the personnel suggest it should be. QB Matt Schaub has not stayed healthy and will still be the weakest and least experienced QB in this division. Houston will be good, but that may not mean playoffs.

AFC WEST: San Diego, Oakland, Denver, Kansas City

Predicting the San Diego Chargers to win this division seemed like a no-brainer last season but it was not until the final game that the Chargers got back into first place. The Chargers had several losses that were tough to swallow last season but in the playoffs they showed they can still play with anyone. There are some nagging injury concerns and a tough schedule draw with the NFC East teams but San Diego appears to be clearly the top team in this division and if they take care of business in division play, they could feature one of the better records in the AFC. If San Diego does not win this division, expect changes to be made as they have by far the best talent.

The Oakland Raiders continue to be a popular punch line but in reality this is an intriguing team that should be respectable this season. For the most part the Raiders played very good defense last season and that should be the case again this year which can keep them in games. Between an improving JaMarcus Russell and Jeff Garcia, QB play should the best it has been in years and Oakland has a lot of young talent at the skill positions. Given all the distractions last season Oakland still won five games last year and this is a team that can probably get close to .500 and at least shake off some of the negative attention.

The Denver Broncos made a big and controversial move in letting go of Mike Shanahan after last season and his replacement Josh McDaniels has not had an encouraging start as his QB and most recognizable player forced his way out. McDaniels could be given little patience and he inherits a Denver team that was fortunate to finish 8-8 last year. Expectations will be high and there is simply not a great deal of play-makers and the defense was a complete disaster last season. Things could get worse before they get better in Denver.

There is a lot of interest in the big changes for the Kansas City Chiefs. Unfortunately a slow start should be expected with a killer schedule in first half of the season. Given the transition, a very tough start should be expected but this is a team heading in the right direction although it may not look that way until late in the season. The Chiefs were more competitive than the 2-14 record indicates but this is still a team starting over.