M A G A Z I N E - Florida Wise

SportsWise
Are You Ready For Some Football???
By
Rob Chiavetta
Ahhhh, its early September. You wake
up with a goofy smile on your face. There is
an extra bounce in your step. The day
looks bright no matter what. Food tastes
better, the water fresher. You are in a great
mood even though your Mother-in-Law is coming over for
dinner…well, let’s not push it. All of this could only mean one
thing. September is finally here and the new football season is
about to begin!
No matter which team you root for, everyone is tied for first
place and there is fresh optimism in the air. Your team
strengthened itself in the off season by adding new players
through the draft and free-agency. Players from last year have
worked hard to perform better in the coming season. September
is the time of year when even the sourest of pessimists can find a
way to believe that their team is going to the Super Bowl.
While the greatest fans can convince themselves that their
team is going to finish #1, the football gurus in Las Vegas use a
far more sophisticated system to determine which teams actually
have a better chance of making it to the Super Bowl than others.
In an effort to provide some unbiased predictions, following this
article is a team by team breakdown of the Las Vegas odds each
team is ranked with to win the Super Bowl as well as the Las
Vegas projected number of wins for the regular season. The
prediction segments are my opinions for the coming season. I
have listed my opinion on whether the team will finish at, above,
or below the projected Vegas win total. I hope you find the
information informative as well as entertaining.
As a reminder to all football fans, no matter what Las Vegas
or this writer is predicting, it is early September, every team is
tied for first, and your favorite team can win the Super Bowl!
Capsules are broken down by division. Next to team name is Las Vegas Odds for that
team to win the Super Bowl listed then the Las Vegas projected season win total. My
predictions follow.
AFC EAST
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 6-1 & 11
Prediction: Right at the 11 win total and division winner.
NEW YORK JETS 25-1 & 9.5
Prediction: Will just eclipse the 9.5 and win 10 games and be a Wild Card winner.
BUFFALO BILLS 40-1 & 8.5
Prediction: Too young on offense to compete and fall below with 5-6 wins.
MIAMI DOLPHINS 100-1 & 5.5
Prediction: Will surpass the projected total and win 8.
AFC NORTH
PITTSBURGH STEELERS 16-1 & 9.5
Prediction: Will come up just short on the 9.5 and win 9.
BALTIMORE RAVENS 17-1 & 9.5
Prediction: Narrowly go over the win total with 10 and take the division title.
CINCINNATI BENGALS 40-1 & 8
Prediction: Not yet ready for prime-time and right at the 8 win total.
CLEVELAND BROWNS 100-1 & 5
Prediction: Fall below the 5 and win 3-4 games.
AFC SOUTH
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 8-1 & 11.5
Prediction: Will cover the 11.5 win total and win 13 games and the division title.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 40-1 & 8.5
Prediction: Tough call, but will go over the total and 9 wins.
HOUSTON TEXANS 65-1 & 7.5
Prediction: At least a .500 team and will go over the total and win 8-9.
TENNESSEE TITANS 100-1 & 6.5
Prediction: Tough division and will fall below the 6.5 win total with 5.
AFC WEST
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 25-1 & 9.5
Prediction: Improved defense allows them to win the division and win 10-11 games.
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 28-1 & 8.5
Prediction: Will lose a few very close games to drop to 8 wins.
DENVER BRONCOS 30-1 & 8.5
Prediction: Broncos make a move and excel with 9-10 wins.
OAKLAND RAIDERS 35-1 & 7.5
Prediction: Porous defense holds them down below the 7.5 with 6-7 wins.
NFC EAST
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 6-1 & 11.5
Prediction: Will easily capture the division with 12-13 wins.
DALLAS COWBOYS 38-1 & 8.5
Prediction: The Cowboys will make the playoffs as a Wild Card winning10 games.
WASHINGTON REDSKINS 40-1 & 7.5
Prediction: Right at the bubble, but fall below with 7 wins.
NEW YORK GIANTS 55-1 & 7
Prediction: Manning improves just enough for the Giants to win 8 games.
NFC NORTH
MINNESOTA VIKINGS 18-1 & 9
Prediction: Division title and 10 wins.
GREEN BAY PACKERS 38-1 & 8.5
Prediction: Too many holes on defense make them no better than a .500 club and
will win 7-8 games.
DETROIT LIONS 40-1 & 8
Prediction: Will make strides to win 9-10 games and make playoffs as a Wild Card.
CHICAGO BEARS 50-1 & 7
Prediction: Below the 7 projection to win 5-6 games.
NFC SOUTH
ATLANTA FALCONS 16-1 & 9.5
Prediction: A contender, but will fall below the 9.5 with 9 wins and miss the playoffs.
CAROLINA PANTHERS 17-1 & 9
Prediction: Will regain their 2003 form and win the division with 10 wins and
make a run in the playoffs.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 55-1 & 7.5
Prediction: The Saints still don’t get it right and fall to 6-7 wins.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 60-1 & 7
Prediction: Right at the 7 wins projection.
NFC WEST
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 38-1 & 9
Prediction: Can’t seem to get over the hump and will fall to 8 wins.
ST. LOUIS RAMS 40-1 & 8.5
Prediction: Division winner and 9-10 wins look like a sure thing.
ARIZONA CARDINALS 50-1 & 7.5
Prediction: The Cardinals will be improved and right on the bubble with 7-8 wins.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS 200-1 & 4.5
Prediction: Look for the team to play hard under Nolan, but fall short on the
scoreboard. Building season with 4 wins.
❂
24 September 2005