{"id":77260,"date":"2015-08-31T20:05:18","date_gmt":"2015-08-31T20:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sandbox.web.rcn.net\/rcntv\/?p=77260"},"modified":"2023-04-11T19:09:52","modified_gmt":"2023-04-11T19:09:52","slug":"behind-mic-nfc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/behind-mic-nfc\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the Mic: The NFC"},"content":{"rendered":"

Green Bay kicks off to Chicago at 1:00 on Sunday, September 13, and the NFC is underway for the 2015 season.\u00a0 The Eagles do not play until Monday night at Atlanta, so Philadelphia fans need to be a bit more patient (if that\u2019s possible).\u00a0 To test your patience even further, here are my projections for the NFC.<\/p>\n

NFC WEST<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Seahawks <\/a>\u2013 <\/strong>This is the strongest defensive division and Seattle is the best of the best. There is no reason to pick against the Seahawks getting to the division championship again and then on to the conference championship.<\/li>\n
  2. Rams <\/a>\u2013<\/strong> Nick Foles<\/a> opens against the Seahawks in St. Louis. A win here could catapult both him and his team to a very successful season.<\/li>\n
  3. Cardinals <\/strong><\/a>\u2013 They are always a difficult team to figure out. Defensive coach Todd Bowles went to the Jets.\u00a0 So if defense is better or worse because of that could spell the difference between success and failure for this team.<\/li>\n
  4. 49ers <\/a>\u2013<\/strong> Old players gone; tough schedule; rebuilding. None of these aspects are a formula for success.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong>NFC SOUTH<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Panthers <\/strong><\/a>\u2013 They will play against only four playoff teams from last year and QB Cam Newton<\/a> looked angry and focused in camp. Defense is certainly strong enough to win the division.<\/li>\n
    2. Falcons <\/a>\u2013 <\/strong>This is just a wild guess, picking them over the Saints, but my prediction is all about new coach Dan Quinn who came over from Seattle. The Falcons will certainly improve defensively.<\/li>\n
    3. Saints <\/strong><\/a>\u2013 TE Jimmy Graham<\/a> is gone; they lost five straight at the end of last year. Their schedule should help them achieve at least a .500 record.<\/li>\n
    4. Bucs <\/a>\u2013<\/strong> Bucs\u2019 QB Jameis Winston<\/a> vs. Titans<\/a>\u2019 QB Marcus Mariota<\/a> in game one. Great scheduling; great matchup, EXCEPT neither team is very good.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      NFC NORTH<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Packers <\/a>\u2013 <\/strong>With a healthy quarterback, they may have been the best team last year. The loss of Jordy Nelson<\/a> could really hurt their success, but I think they will adjust.\u00a0 Home field advantage means more to them than any other team in the league.\u00a0 They play Chicago <\/a>away and Seattle at home to start the season.\u00a0 That is an early barometer.<\/li>\n
      2. Vikings<\/strong><\/a>\u2013 Yes, the Vikings. Adrian Peterson<\/a> is back and Teddy Bridgewater is good, potentially very good.\u00a0 Defense is young and solid.\u00a0 This is a different Vikings team.<\/li>\n
      3. Lions <\/strong><\/a>\u2013 DL Ndamukong Suh<\/a> (I do not want to type his first name again) was traded to the Dolphins <\/a>and so, too, is the strength of their defense and a motivational leader.\u00a0 They should have found a way to keep him.<\/li>\n
      4. Bears <\/strong><\/a>\u2013 Their defense will have a new look, but the offense not so much. If QB Jay Cutler<\/a> plays well, they could move up past the Lions.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        \u00a0<\/strong>NFC EAST<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Eagles <\/strong><\/a>\u2013 Offensive line aside, this is a much better Eagles team. They are loaded with offensive talent and they have surrounded Sam Bradford<\/a> with outstanding rushers and receivers.\u00a0 Is the defense good enough?<\/li>\n
        2. Cowboys <\/strong><\/a>\u2013 No offensive line problems here. They may be the best in the NFL.\u00a0 OR was last season more about DeMarco Murray<\/a>\u2019s ability?\u00a0 Time will tell.\u00a0 Early starts against the Giants, Eagles, Falcons and Saints will offer answers about their defense.<\/li>\n
        3. Giants <\/strong><\/a>\u2013 Defense weaker if DE Jason Pierre-Paul<\/a> is not effective. Can they run?\u00a0 Can they protect Eli Manning<\/a>?\u00a0 Can they stop the run?\u00a0 Too many unanswered questions.<\/li>\n
        4. Redskins <\/a>\u2013<\/strong> I loved RG III<\/a> when he came into the league. If his offensive line can protect him, he might return to his earlier form.\u00a0 The defense needs to help him stay in games.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          \u00a0<\/strong>NFC Championship Game<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Seahawks defeat the Packers<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Green Bay kicks off to Chicago at 1:00 on Sunday, September 13, and the NFC is underway for the 2015 season.\u00a0 The Eagles do not play until Monday night at Atlanta, so Philadelphia fans need to be a bit more patient (if that\u2019s possible).\u00a0 To test your patience even further, here are my projections for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"Yoast SEO Relevanssi index exclude","inline_featured_image":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3,4],"tags":[596,374],"class_list":["post-77260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-behind-the-mic","category-featured","category-sports","tag-nfc","tag-nfl-football"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBehind the Mic: The NFC - 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