Post by Purple Pain on Sept 2, 2021 1:11:18 GMT -6
Let this thread help you with Danchat's PPA game.
The Athletic: 32 bold and not-so-bold NFL predictions for 2021 by Sheil Kapadia
All 32 predictions here:
theathletic.com/2798591/2021/09/01/32-bold-and-not-so-bold-nfl-predictions-for-2021-patriots-and-the-playoffs-eagles-and-that-pass-rush-and-more/
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Some others that caught my eye and might help you make some wild predictions:
What do you think about his thoughts on the Vikings? What about the rest of these?
The Athletic: 32 bold and not-so-bold NFL predictions for 2021 by Sheil Kapadia
Green Bay Packers: They make it to the Super Bowl.
They are my pick out of the NFC. Not having left tackle David Bakhtiari for the first six weeks of the season hurts, but the Packers have options — specifically Elgton Jenkins. Their line is unlikely to be as good as it was last season, but it can be still be above average, or at least competent. The Packers return the quarterback (Aaron Rodgers) and play-caller (Matt LaFleur) from an offense that was the best in the league last season. And their defense has upside if new coordinator Joe Barry proves to be an upgrade over Mike Pettine.
There was plenty of offseason drama, but the bottom line is that this is a team that’s gone 26-6 in the regular season over the last two years and is as likely as any in the NFC to produce a top-five offense. That translates to Super Bowl contender.
Minnesota Vikings: They field the NFL’s top defense.
I went on the record with this one a few weeks ago and am not about to back down. They were crushed by injuries last year and still produced a mediocre defense. Now they get Danielle Hunter and Michael Pierce back. Plus they added Dalvin Tomlinson and Sheldon Richardson. This should be a really strong front seven. Mike Zimmer has been ornery (even by his standards!) all summer — and for good reason. Who knows what his frustrations have led him to? He could be drawing up blitz schemes that the world has never seen. This man is going to unleash hell on opposing quarterbacks. I’m doubling down on the Vikings here.
Chicago Bears: They have a bottom-five offense.
In his three seasons as the Bears’ head coach, Matt Nagy’s offenses have finished 20th or worse in efficiency. The Bears’ plan is to go with Andy Dalton to begin the season. Dalton performed like the 25th-best quarterback statistically last year, and that was with a better supporting cast in Dallas than he’ll have now in Chicago. The most likely outcome is that Dalton will perform poorly and Nagy will pretty much be forced into playing Justin Fields at some point. But there’s little reason to believe that Nagy, dealing with a potentially terrible offensive line, will be able to scheme things up to put Fields in position to succeed.
If you’re a Bears fan, you just want to see flashes from Fields, even if the offense stinks. He’s the guy who can give you hope for the future. But 2021 could end up being a long season for the Bears’ offense.
Detroit Lions: D’Andre Swift has 1,500 yards from scrimmage.
Last year, only four running backs had a total that high. Swift had 878 yards from scrimmage as a rookie, so this would be a big jump, but some of the metrics from 2020 are encouraging. Swift rushed for 521 yards and ranked 17th in TruMedia’s success rate metric. As a point of comparison, playing in the same offense, Adrian Peterson ranked 63rd. Swift had 357 receiving yards. Among 45 qualifying backs, he ranked fifth in yards per route run. The Lions don’t have a lot of talent on offense, meaning that Swift should see a heavy workload. He is a high-ceiling player.
They are my pick out of the NFC. Not having left tackle David Bakhtiari for the first six weeks of the season hurts, but the Packers have options — specifically Elgton Jenkins. Their line is unlikely to be as good as it was last season, but it can be still be above average, or at least competent. The Packers return the quarterback (Aaron Rodgers) and play-caller (Matt LaFleur) from an offense that was the best in the league last season. And their defense has upside if new coordinator Joe Barry proves to be an upgrade over Mike Pettine.
There was plenty of offseason drama, but the bottom line is that this is a team that’s gone 26-6 in the regular season over the last two years and is as likely as any in the NFC to produce a top-five offense. That translates to Super Bowl contender.
Minnesota Vikings: They field the NFL’s top defense.
I went on the record with this one a few weeks ago and am not about to back down. They were crushed by injuries last year and still produced a mediocre defense. Now they get Danielle Hunter and Michael Pierce back. Plus they added Dalvin Tomlinson and Sheldon Richardson. This should be a really strong front seven. Mike Zimmer has been ornery (even by his standards!) all summer — and for good reason. Who knows what his frustrations have led him to? He could be drawing up blitz schemes that the world has never seen. This man is going to unleash hell on opposing quarterbacks. I’m doubling down on the Vikings here.
Chicago Bears: They have a bottom-five offense.
In his three seasons as the Bears’ head coach, Matt Nagy’s offenses have finished 20th or worse in efficiency. The Bears’ plan is to go with Andy Dalton to begin the season. Dalton performed like the 25th-best quarterback statistically last year, and that was with a better supporting cast in Dallas than he’ll have now in Chicago. The most likely outcome is that Dalton will perform poorly and Nagy will pretty much be forced into playing Justin Fields at some point. But there’s little reason to believe that Nagy, dealing with a potentially terrible offensive line, will be able to scheme things up to put Fields in position to succeed.
If you’re a Bears fan, you just want to see flashes from Fields, even if the offense stinks. He’s the guy who can give you hope for the future. But 2021 could end up being a long season for the Bears’ offense.
Detroit Lions: D’Andre Swift has 1,500 yards from scrimmage.
Last year, only four running backs had a total that high. Swift had 878 yards from scrimmage as a rookie, so this would be a big jump, but some of the metrics from 2020 are encouraging. Swift rushed for 521 yards and ranked 17th in TruMedia’s success rate metric. As a point of comparison, playing in the same offense, Adrian Peterson ranked 63rd. Swift had 357 receiving yards. Among 45 qualifying backs, he ranked fifth in yards per route run. The Lions don’t have a lot of talent on offense, meaning that Swift should see a heavy workload. He is a high-ceiling player.
All 32 predictions here:
theathletic.com/2798591/2021/09/01/32-bold-and-not-so-bold-nfl-predictions-for-2021-patriots-and-the-playoffs-eagles-and-that-pass-rush-and-more/
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Some others that caught my eye and might help you make some wild predictions:
New York Jets: Zach Wilson leads all rookies in passing yards … and interceptions.
Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow posts the NFL’s highest completion percentage.
Pittsburgh Steelers: They finish below .500 for the first time under Mike Tomlin.
Indianapolis Colts: Jonathan Taylor leads the NFL in rushing yards.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence will be the league’s most-sacked QB.
Denver Broncos: They make the playoffs.
The case is pretty simple. One, they could benefit from better injury luck after finishing 26th in Football Outsiders’ adjusted games lost metric last year. Two, they had the NFL’s fifth-toughest schedule last year and now have the sixth-easiest schedule, per BetMGM’s projected win totals. And three, if Teddy Bridgewater can be just mediocre, it’ll be a huge upgrade over what Drew Lock gave the Broncos last year.
The formula is: great defense plus mediocre offense. Denver gets Von Miller back, it signed cornerback Kyle Fuller, and it drafted cornerback Patrick Surtain II. Vic Fangio is one of the NFL’s brightest defensive minds and knows how to maximize his talent. Having said that, is there a scenario where Pat Shurmur runs on every 2nd-and-10, Fangio punts on every fourth-and-1, and the Broncos are a massive disappointment? Sure. But I’m choosing to ignore those things for now.
The case is pretty simple. One, they could benefit from better injury luck after finishing 26th in Football Outsiders’ adjusted games lost metric last year. Two, they had the NFL’s fifth-toughest schedule last year and now have the sixth-easiest schedule, per BetMGM’s projected win totals. And three, if Teddy Bridgewater can be just mediocre, it’ll be a huge upgrade over what Drew Lock gave the Broncos last year.
The formula is: great defense plus mediocre offense. Denver gets Von Miller back, it signed cornerback Kyle Fuller, and it drafted cornerback Patrick Surtain II. Vic Fangio is one of the NFL’s brightest defensive minds and knows how to maximize his talent. Having said that, is there a scenario where Pat Shurmur runs on every 2nd-and-10, Fangio punts on every fourth-and-1, and the Broncos are a massive disappointment? Sure. But I’m choosing to ignore those things for now.
Las Vegas Raiders: Darren Waller sets the record for receiving yards by a tight end.
Travis Kelce just set the current mark last year with 1,416 yards. Waller had the same number of targets (145) as Kelce, and he actually had a higher catch percentage (73.8 percent). But Kelce averaged 13.5 YPR, compared to 11.2 for Waller. Waller is in the prime of his career and has excellent chemistry with Derek Carr. He should again be the Raiders’ top option in the passing game, and there will be Nelson Agholor’s 82 targets from last year to account for. Plus Waller gets 17 games to make his mark. If he can capitalize on some more downfield opportunities, Waller is talented enough to establish a new record.
Travis Kelce just set the current mark last year with 1,416 yards. Waller had the same number of targets (145) as Kelce, and he actually had a higher catch percentage (73.8 percent). But Kelce averaged 13.5 YPR, compared to 11.2 for Waller. Waller is in the prime of his career and has excellent chemistry with Derek Carr. He should again be the Raiders’ top option in the passing game, and there will be Nelson Agholor’s 82 targets from last year to account for. Plus Waller gets 17 games to make his mark. If he can capitalize on some more downfield opportunities, Waller is talented enough to establish a new record.
Dallas Cowboys: Dak Prescott leads the NFL in passing yards.
Philadelphia Eagles: Their defense leads the league in sacks.
Washington Football Team: Terry McLaurin leads the NFL in receiving yards.
Atlanta Falcons: Kyle Pitts wins Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Seattle Seahawks: Russell Wilson wins MVP.
What do you think about his thoughts on the Vikings? What about the rest of these?
.................not a snowballs chance in hell.
.................not a snowballs chance in hell.
.................not a snowballs chance in hell.
... and neither is this Chris guy.
