Expert 2014 NFL Predictions (as if they mean anything)

Well, I always look at these as entertainment value more than anything, I figured we should aggregate all the "expert" predictions for everyone to view:

ESPN has 9 of the 15 experts having the Pats going to the Super Bowl and 2 have them winning it:

2014 NFL predictions - national contributors - ESPN

The oddest things about this is that not a single one has Denver winning and four have the 49ers winning it (tied for the most with Seattle) where they seem to be in free fall.


CBS Sports has the Broncos beating the Saints:

2014 NFL playoff predictions: Cowboys, Titans will surprise - CBSSports.com


Three of the five NFL.com writers have the Pats losing in the Super Bowl (none have the Broncos going while two have the Steelers going and losing).

Around The NFL's Final Four, Super Bowl Predictions - NFL.com


Peter Schrager of Fox Sports have the Pats losing to the Packers in the Super Bowl:

10 bold predictions to kick off your NFL season | FOX Sports


Pete Prisco has the Broncos winning the Super Bowl:

Predicting every NFL game: Here's how the season plays out - CBSSports.com


Four of six MMQB writers have the Pats going to the Super Bowl with one having them win it:

2014 NFL Season: Preview and Predictions by the MMQB writers | MMQB

Why are the Steelers getting so much hype? That roster still has a lot of work to do and the defensive side of the ball is still long in the tooth at some key positions. The relative hype machine around them within certain sectors of the media reminds me of the hype the Bengals were getting last year.

Interesting there is not more love for Denver...

Also interesting that so many ppl expect us to lose another Super Bowl...I would put our chances of losing 3 Superbowls in a row as slim to none

If we make it to Super Bowl, there isn't a team that will be able to beat us this time

KontradictioN said:

Why are the Steelers getting so much hype? That roster still has a lot of work to do and the defensive side of the ball is still long in the tooth at some key positions. The relative hype machine around them within certain sectors of the media reminds me of the hype the Bengals were getting last year.

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I don't get it either. I see them as the third best team in their division. It must be their history playing a part because they usually follow a down year with a very good year and even a Super Bowl run.

If you click the link at the bottom of the CBS story, you get other writers picks as well

Super Bowl XLIX predictions - CBSSports.com

ALP said:

Interesting there is not more love for Denver...

Also interesting that so many ppl expect us to lose another Super Bowl...I would put our chances of losing 3 Superbowls in a row as slim to none

If we make it to Super Bowl, there isn't a team that will be able to beat us this time

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That is because of the perception that the NFC is far better than the AFC. It seems that most experts have the NFC winning no matter who are the representatives from both conferences.

One thing I did see though is if an expert predicts the Broncos go to the Super Bowl, most of them have them winning it. Granted not many have them going.

KontradictioN said:

Why are the Steelers getting so much hype? That roster still has a lot of work to do and the defensive side of the ball is still long in the tooth at some key positions. The relative hype machine around them within certain sectors of the media reminds me of the hype the Bengals were getting last year.

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I feel the same way about green bay. They have no defense and fewer weapons on offense than they have had in the past. And Mike Mccarthy doesn't impress me.

Which one of these writers are to be taken seriously? Are any of them good at predicting?

None

TommyBrady12 said:

I feel the same way about green bay. They have no defense and fewer weapons on offense than they have had in the past. And Mike Mccarthy doesn't impress me.

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I can see why Green Bay is getting hyped, though. They have an elite player at QB (we all know how far this alone can take you), a borderline elite player at WR, and a guy coming off of a 1,000+ yard rushing season as a rookie. Further, they added Peppers to play across from Matthews on defense. I'm not ridiculously high on the Packers. As a matter of fact, I think that conference is going to come down to Seattle, SF, and New Orleans, but I can at least see why they are getting some of the hype they're getting. The Steelers, on the other hand, completely baffle me.

I wouldn't exactly mind seeing the Donkeys get trounced in another Super Bowl.

Rather see the Pats win, but I'll settle for a Donkey spanking.

KontradictioN said:

Why are the Steelers getting so much hype?

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Clicks? I don't see it either. If it wasn't for the Cleveland ****show, I'd predict Pittsburgh would have a tough time avoiding the basement. As is, maybe 7-9. The more interesting question is regarding Mike Tomlin's tenure there.

ctpatsfan77 said:

I wouldn't exactly mind seeing the Donkeys get trounced in another Super Bowl.

Rather see the Pats win, but I'll settle for a Donkey spanking.

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I would rather see them get spanked in the AFCCG. Another two weeks of Manning hype going into the Super Bowl may have me committing suicide long before I could see Manning Face in the Super Bowl.

ALP said:

Interesting there is not more love for Denver...

Also interesting that so many ppl expect us to lose another Super Bowl...I would put our chances of losing 3 Superbowls in a row as slim to none

If we make it to Super Bowl, there isn't a team that will be able to beat us this time

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What makes you say that exactly? New Orleans, Green Bay, San Francisco and Seattle and Philadelphia are all formidable. Last year was a "down" year for a lot of teams that are normally good (Atlanta, Green Bay, Pittsburgh, Baltimore).

Nikolai said:

Clicks? I don't see it either. If it wasn't for the Cleveland ****show, I'd predict Pittsburgh would have a tough time avoiding the basement. As is, maybe 7-9. The more interesting question is regarding Mike Tomlin's tenure there.

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Tomlin won a Super Bowl with Bill Cowher's team. Plain and simple. He has quite possibly the easiest head coaching job in the NFL given that **** LeBeau is his defensive coordinator, and he hasn't been able to take care of his sole responsibility: the offense.

TommyBrady12 said:

I feel the same way about green bay. They have no defense and fewer weapons on offense than they have had in the past. And Mike Mccarthy doesn't impress me.

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Agreed. A good amount of people feel @ GB is our toughest game of the season and are marking it down as a loss. IMO, Brady is going to tear apart that defense. Revis is going to take away Nelson, leaving Cobb and JAGs on the rest of the offense to stop.

Personally, I picked the Pats vs. Saints in the superbowl. Giving Rob Ryan Byrd and Vaccaro is going to keep the Saints defense in the top 5. The Panthers regressed enough to the point I see Saints winning the #1 seed.

VrabelJr said:

What makes you say that exactly? New Orleans, Green Bay, San Francisco and Seattle and Philadelphia are all formidable. Last year was a "down" year for a lot of teams that are normally good (Atlanta, Green Bay, Pittsburgh, Baltimore).

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I think SF ends up being a lot less formidable than most expect.

Atlanta and San Diego are two teams flying under the radar in my opinion. Atlanta is healthy again minus Sean Weatherspoon. San Diego was coming on strong at the end of last year. Gates is finally healthy, Floyd will be back, Keenan Allen looked great, more options at RB. SD's defense is young but got experience for some key players (Butler, Teo, Reyes, Liuget, Ingram). Offensive line is as good as it has been in about 8 years.

Basically, I can't wait for the season to start.

JackBauer said:

I think SF ends up being a lot less formidable than most expect.

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I largely agree with you. Their DL is a mess and their Secondary has never been that great anyway. But they are still probably a 10 win team.

SEA is the team to beat. Their DL and DB will be a serious problem for the Pats in the SB.