Pick a surprise division winner

[Chargem]

As per the thread title, who do you suspect might surprise by winning a division?

I have my eye on the Steelers as having a good chance to win the AFC North.

They feel like they have a much better roster than the last few years so should put up a winning record, Ravens have a lot of change from last year and have to play a 1st place schedule, who knows on the Bengals following Burrows injury, Browns got worse by having Watson at QB again.

Who is your pick?

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by RunKC

Steelers

Yup. I think they're destined for a very 90's Chiefs kind of season.
Dominating defensively and enough talent on offense to flash a few 30+ point games while not being able to do it reliably enough to win beyond round 1 of the playoffs.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by Coochie liquor

Still think it’s the Bucs division to lose.

The Bucs have the talent to be the 4th best team in the conference. I think they will be. I could see TB decisively cock punching Dallas in round 1 of the playoffs this year to be the surprise team like the Lions were last year...

[ROYC75]

K C Chiefs.

I mean think about it, every time during this time of the year, the Chargers are going to be the winner of the AFC West. Then they break from camp and always seem to make a left turn off Hwy 101 and find themselves driving off a cliff into the ocean.

[gordonelloyd]

Originally Posted by Why Not?

Let's be real here. The only true surprise would be for any AFC West team not the Chiefs winning the division. Every other division has a few variables or multiple teams that can win it. Again, the teams I list below are not surprises, they are evidence that there can only actually be one truly shocking division winner result.

NFC East: Dallas or Phi- I don't see the Commanders as someone said, but at least they made a ballsy prediction.

NFC South: The only team to win this division and it be even remotely a surprise is Carolina. The rest of the division is basically three of the same teams.

NFC West- SF or LA and it wouldn't be a huge shock to see Sea win it.

NFC North- Det and GB are neck and neck and it wouldn't be a total jaw hitting the floor moment if Chi or even Min took it.

AFC South- The NFC South but better. Any one of Hou, Indy or Jax could win it and it wouldn't be a total shock. I guess Ten would qualify but the delta between the Tits winning the division and the Chiefs losing theirs still makes it much less surprising if Ten pulled it off.

AFC East- Buff, Mia, NYJ all with legit division title aspirations.

AFC North- Bal should be the slight favorite but all 4 teams are pretty damned close.

AFC West- Only division in football with a lock it in the day the new league year starts division winner. Again, the only real and true shocker would be if Den/LA/LV win this division....

SPOILER ALERT:






They won't

I pretty much agree with this. A few qualifiers though.

In the NFC West I think LA will give San Francisco a run for their money, but if Seattle is in the mix, that would be a real surprise.

In the NFC North I think it would be a real surprise if Chicago is in the mix. Both Chicago and Minnesota will have rookie QBs, but Minnesota has a much better supporting cast.

For the AFC south, I believe Houston was for real last year and has done a great job improving this year. So despite the tougher schedule, I think it will be a surprise if anybody other than Houston wins.

If anybody other than the Chiefs wins the AFC west it would be more than a surprise. I think we would win even if the unimaginable happened and Mahomes was injured as we actually have a potentially really good back up QB in Wentz.

[Why Not?]

Originally Posted by gordonelloyd

I pretty much agree with this. A few qualifiers though.

In the NFC West I think LA will give San Francisco a run for their money, but if Seattle is in the mix, that would be a real surprise.

In the NFC North I think it would be a real surprise if Chicago is in the mix. Both Chicago and Minnesota will have rookie QBs, but Minnesota has a much better supporting cast.

For the AFC south, I believe Houston was for real last year and has done a great job improving this year. So despite the tougher schedule, I think it will be a surprise if anybody other than Houston wins.

If anybody other than the Chiefs wins the AFC west it would be more than a surprise. I think we would win even if the unimaginable happened and Mahomes was injured as we actually have a potentially really good back up QB in Wentz.

Fair enough. But I’ll “argue” (not really because I don’t care about either team lol) that the Bears have a better defense and although the Vikings have the best individual skill position player, the Bears wr depth is no joke. Running back is probably a push although I think a healthy Jones is the best of the bunch. Hockenson is better than Kmet but that delta may not be as wide with an actual QB throwing for the Bears.

[The Franchise]

Bears

[FlaChief58]

Originally Posted by RedinTexas

First team to 3 wins takes the division.

[staylor26]

Rams

[Bump]

The only surprising one I'd go with is probably the Falcons, weak division. The Bears I guess if the Lions take a step back and the Packers as well.

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by Bump

The only surprising one I'd go with is probably the Falcons, weak division. The Bears I guess if the Lions take a step back and the Packers as well.

National media has ATL winning the division.




Surprising would be CAR winning the NFC-S.

[Stryker]

Chiefs
Eagles
49ers
Falcons
Steelers
Texans
Dolphins
Bears

[Bump]

Originally Posted by Megatron96

National media has ATL winning the division.




Surprising would be CAR winning the NFC-S.

That's not surprising, so I guess I got nothing. If a team like the Cardinals wins their division then that would truly be a surprise but I'm not going to predict it.

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by Bump

That's not surprising, so I guess I got nothing. If a team like the Cardinals wins their division then that would truly be a surprise but I'm not going to predict it.

I got TB winning the NFC-S, but as they've won it 3 years in a row now, that's not much of a surprising prediction.

Yeah, ARI winning the west would be a shocker. But seen enough of them since Kyler was drafted to know better, especially as both LAR and SF are still playing really good to great football, and have much better coaching.

[kccrow]

Not many teams would surprise me...

I'm going to go with the New York Giants... **** it.

Danny Jones has weapons now with Waller and Hyatt going into year two and the additions of Nabers, Johnson, and Tracy in the draft and Singletary in FA. Nabers looks like a potential superstar. Hyatt is the guy to take the top off. Tracy is a former WR turned RB that can be a dynamic weapon like a Gibbs-lite. Johnson can help give them some true dual TE looks with Waller. Singletary is a solid back that can work early downs and allow Tracy to come in as a compliment.

Adding Jordan Phillips gives them a solid run stuffer next to Dexter Lawrence while the addition of Brian Burns gives them a superstar opposite Thibodeaux. They added quality secondary pieces in Tyler Nubin at SS and Andru Phillips at CB in the draft.

The Giants were a playoff team two years ago. Dallas is not any stronger of a team and took a significant step back in their running game. Philadelphia is the team to beat but if Hurts were to miss time that would certainly open the door.

[tk13]

If Caleb Williams does anything the Bears might be a strong contender. Their defense stepped up in the 2nd half and they loaded up on offense. DJ Moore, Odunze and Keenan Allen at WR with Kmet and Gerald Everett at TE. Swift at RB. Only catch is the Packers and Lions are going to be good and the Vikings can't be slept on.