Our countdown of my 10 Bold Predictions for the 2017 NFL Continues below. To read Part 1, click here.
6. Jay Cutler leads the Miami Dolphins to the postseason
The Dolphins appeared to see their 2017 season go up in smoke with a knee injury to starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill. None to fear. Jay Cutler has ridden into town and snuffed his cigarette into the nearest beer bottle to save the day. Cutler came out of retirement specifically to play for head coach Adam Gase again and if he puts up the same numbers in Miami, with more talent around him, that he did back in 2015 with the Chicago Bears, the Dolphins should have no trouble winning 10 games and landing in the Wild Card game.
5. The New York Giants will not finish with a winning record
Of all the teams with too much talent to finish 7-9 or 8-8, the New York Giants are at the top of that list. They’ve even added more this season, especially on offense with Brandon Marshall. Their problem is the guy running the team and calling the plays, Ben McAdoo. For an offensive guru, the Giants offense was terrible at times last season and I haven’t seen anything to change my mind in the preseason. He was the wrong hire and New York needs to bring in a new head coach (DO NOT PROMOTE STEVE SPAGNUOLO) next season.
4. The Jacksonville Jaguars will match or beat the Denver Broncos’ win total
Trevor Siemian led the Broncos to a 7-7 record as a starter last season, with Paxton Lynch stepping in out of the bullpen finishing 1-1. That was with Wade Phillips calling the defense and Gary Kubiak calling the plays. Neither of those guys are in Denver now. This prediction isn’t saying the Jaguars will be good or even finish .500. It’s foretelling a disastrous season for the Broncos where they go 6-10 at best.
3. The Atlanta Falcons will not make the playoffs
As impressive as the Falcons’ offense was last season, they were far from a complete team. The finished 11-5 and only hosted the NFC Championship game because the Dallas Cowboys lost in the divisional round. They added some talent, but what they can do nothing about is the very real and devistating Super Bowl hangover that will ravage their team. Couple that with a return to the forefront by the Carolina Panthers and an emerging Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that beat the Falcons last season and sprinkle on a new offensive coordinator with an AA chip burning a hole in his pocket and you have a recipe for disaster.
2. The New England Patriots will lose in the divisional round of the playoffs
Yes, let me be up front about this. I’m as big a Patriots hater as they come, but that has nothing to do with this prediction. Do you know the last time New England won a road playoff game? It was 2006 against the San Diego Chargers and Phillip Rivers was playing with a torn ACL. They won that game by a field goal. The Patriots must win home field advantage to make it back to the Super Bowl and they won’t. This is a double-digit win team, but it will take 13 or 14 wins to secure home field at Foxboro and they’re not going to do it this season. This is not some kind of 19-0 super team. If the Atlanta Falcons hadn’t made insane coaching calls in the fourth quarter and Pete Carroll had just run the ball inside the three in Super Bowl 49, New England would be 0-4 in Super Bowls since Spygate.
1. Tom Brady has the worst year of his career and retires after the season
You read that right. Tom Brady actually benefited from missing the first four games of last season and by the time the Super Bowl rolled around, he was just playing his 15th game. Quarterbacks don’t slowly degrade, they fall off a cliff. There’s just too much the position requires. It happened to Peyton Manning in 2015 and it happened to Brett Favre in 2010. All it takes is playing one extra year than your body allows and you’re garbage. Brady just turned 40 and is already the oldest QB to ever win a championship and we’ve already discussed why that happened. With the cliff looming and his wife, Gisele Bundchen, publicly worrying about his health and concussions, 2017 will be it for Brady. And don’t believe for a second Bill Belichick isn’t feeling it too. That’s why he’s gone all in with these trades and free agent acquisitions this off-season.
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