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?

[cmh6476]

Falcons

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by Chargem

I think the NFC North could also be interesting. I am not sure I want to crown the Lions yet?

GB should give them a real run for their $$$. Helps that Dan Campbell will make a handful of head-scratching decisions to lose a game here and there.

MIN could be the dark horse in the division, depending on how fast their QB gets up to speed. But the offense is already in place, the OC has a proven track record, and their defense was improving last season.

I doubt CHI will be a serious threat in 2024. Too many moving pieces.

[Womble]

The Bills won't take the AFC East this seasom

[ThyKingdomCome15]

Falcons

Kirk Cousins is the the best QB in that division.

[PHOG]

Alright, I'll take the J-E-T-S, JETS JETS JETS!!!

[scho63]

Originally Posted by wazu

Looked at them, but I just can't see it. Unless Hurts or Prescott get knocked out with injury, Commanders look like they finish third if things go decently well.

That's why it would be a surprise. The Eagles look strong but the Cowboys I think regress this year. They are an unhappy bunch.

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by ThyKingdomCome15

Falcons

Kirk Cousins is the the best QB in that division.

just don't see it.

He's coming back from an ACL tear and won't be a full year from the injury until November. So even less mobile. Factor in his poor PT performances, and I think they still probably make the playoffs (assuming Kirk finishes the season), but not as the division winner.

[Rain Man]

Bryce Young had a learning year last year, and now he's going to launch in a weak division. Panthers for the win and a first-round playoff loss.

Colts in the AFC with the same story, though they finished one game off the division lead, so I don't know how much of a surprise that is.

And wow, I didn't notice that the entire AFC North ended the year above .500.

[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

[ForeverIowan]

If everything goes right...Jets, Titans, Commanders, Vikings. Im just not so sure I see a major surprise in any other division. NFC North and AFC North are going to be really fun races.

[Rain Man]

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 agree that there's a lot of parity within divisions these days. It's hard to find a surprise team that's not either a complete disaster or an AFC West rival or both.

[RealSNR]

Vikings.

They're not a bad team. In fact... sheesh... they look really ****ing good, actually. That offense? If the interior OL can stay healthy unlike previous years, you could get good to great production out of a lot of mediocre QBs provided they don't shit the bed. Darnold can absolutely fit that bill, and I actually think O'Connell is going to roll with him the entire season. And on defense they've finally shed themselves of the old overpaid guys who never stay healthy. Flores can definitely put them in position to succeed.

The North is competitive, yes, but the Vikings will be very good and will challenge for first place. Also, Chicago has the pieces and the talent, but I still think Eberflus and his coaching staff is one of the worst in the league. Watch out if/when they fire him and if they bring in somebody competent, but until then, I don't see Chicago being consistent enough. They'll be improved, but eventually miss the playoffs before the final week of the season.

[Megatron96]

Kind of rooting for Levis to have a good season. Guy throws a really nice deep ball. And now with both DHop and Ridley maybe he can open up that offense.

[Coochie liquor]

Originally Posted by ThyKingdomCome15

Falcons

Kirk Cousins is the the best QB in that division.

Still think it’s the Bucs division to lose.

[RunKC]

Steelers

They have won 9, 9 and 10 games the last 3 years with the worst QB room in the league. They need to upgrade their OL badly and I think they have with Broderick Jones, Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier. Also really like the Roman Wilson addition.

Russ is a middling QB but even he is an enormous upgrade for them. He can really just be an Alex Smith like presence and win 11 or 12 games the way we did with Alex before Mahomes was drafted.