Fall is arriving and NFL football is right around the corner. The start of September is a wonderful time in sports. Baseball playoff pushes are happening, college football is alive and well, and fantasy drafts are in full swing. Despite it all, there’s just nothing quite like the NFL. Every Sunday from now until February, our day will be filled with football. That’s the power of this league.
In September, every fanbase is filled with hope. Whether it’s getting back to The Playoffs and contending again, or thinking that this is finally the year your team breaks through, the beginning of the season has something for everyone. Today, I’ll be running through 7 scorching hot takes that I think have a shot of happening. The most likely outcome here is that I look back on this in February and shake my head, but deep down, I believe that each of these is rooted in some type of logical belief, and I’ll explain why.
1. The Carolina Panthers win the NFC South.
That’s right. After finishing 5-11 last season, and competing in the same division as the reigning Super Bowl champs, gimme the Panthers to take the South this season. For starters, I think the Panthers could boast one of the NFL’s most dynamic offenses this season. Christian McCaffrey should hopefully be back and healthy. DJ Moore, Robby Anderson and rookie Terrace Marshall Jr. make a formidable receiving core. Most importantly, I think Sam Darnold can break out this season. We have constantly seen skill position players hindered by Adam Gase, and Darnold is finally free. He has more playmakers than ever before, and he’s reunited with Anderson.
On top of the Panthers being talented this season, their record last year wasn’t indicative of the team they had. 8 of their 11 losses were by one possession or less. The Panthers were just good enough to lose last season. Getting past Tampa will be tough, but the cards are in their favor to surprise a lot of people.
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2. Justin Herbert wins league MVP.
Herbert dazzled in his first season as a pro. There were quite a few skeptics when he came out of Oregon, but he silenced all of those doubters pretty quickly. Herbert’s arm talent, paired with the skill players around him, make him jump out to me as a sleeper MVP candidate. I don’t anticipate much of a sophomore slump because the team around him this year should be better than the group he performed with last year. His chemistry with Keenan Allen is undeniable, and with more guys returning from injuries, the Chargers look like a team that will take a step forward.
The stats will be there. If Herbert can learn how to lead his group to victories, an MVP season is certainly in play.
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3. Zach Wilson wins ROTY… and takes the Jets to the Playoffs.
Let’s get really crazy now. I am all aboard the Zach Wilson hype train heading into this season. I love the culture that Robert Saleh is building in New York, and Wilson looked like the right man at the helm during the pre-season. There are things he can do on a football field that you aren’t going to see many QBs do. The Jets have given him some formidable weapons on the outside, something they’ve lacked in recent years. Their O-Line shouldn’t be awful this year, and that will be essential. I don’t think they’re ready to surpass the Bills yet, but if Wilson makes enough plays, is it wild to say they could slide into that final Wild Card spot?
4. Travis Kelce breaks the all-time single season receiving yards record.
Travis Kelce continues to evolve. It seems like every year this dude just puts up even more ridiculous numbers than the year before. If that trend holds steady, expect this year to be something for the record books. Teams can try and cover him all they want, but Kelce always finds a way. With Pat Mahomes slinging him the pigskin, Tyreek Hill demanding attention on the outside, and a revamped O-Line to give him more time to get free, look for Kelce to go crazy this season.
Want to double down on this take? Let’s add Kelce being the 3rd player in history to catch 20 TDs as well, just for good measure.
5. Jameis Winston throws 40 TD passes.
As of today, Winston’s single season career high is 33, so this isn’t as big of a reach as some of the other claims on this list. Nonetheless, 40 TDs is a big deal, and expecting Winston to get there in New Orleans is a little dicey. Despite Winston being named the starter, we all know that Taysom Hill will factor in somewhere as well throughout the season. Michael Thomas is going to be out for half the year as well.
Despite it all, I’m all-in on Famous Jameis this year. The LASIK surgery is completed, and he’ll see the field better than ever in route to his best season yet.
6. The Washington Football Team wins at least 13 games.
The current line on the WFT over/under sits at 8.5. I’m ready to jump the gun on that and say that double-digits seems incredibly likely, if not expected for Ron Rivera’s squad. Ryan Fitzpatrick can offer some stability at QB for a team that’s lacked it at that position over the past few years. On top of that, Fitz has a talented group of running backs, headlined by Antonio Gibson, and an underrated receiving core anchored by Terry McLaurin.
Now let’s talk about that defense. I believe Washington is home to the NFL’s best unit on this side of the ball. Their front 4 is menacing, and their secondary is strong as well. I see Washington feasting on their NFC East rivals en route to another playoff birth, and a double digit win season.
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7. Matthew Stafford leads the Rams all the way to the Super Bowl in his first season with the team.
The best change of scenery in the NFL this offseason has to be Matthew Stafford’s. Finally out of Detroit, Stafford’s full talent should be unlocked in Sean McVay’s offense. It’s been a while since Stafford has had receivers as talented as Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. With LA’s defense, he also might not have to play catch-up as much as he was with the Lions. The NFC West will be the NFL’s toughest division this season, but the Rams have the group to come out of it.
We’ve seen this team go through quite a few ups and downs in the past couple of years. Stafford is the guy that can get them right back to where they were in 2019; competing for a Super Bowl.