NFL Preview and Predictions for the 2021 Season

After an exciting offseason, week 1 of the NFL season is finally upon us.

There are so many storylines heading into this 2021 season. With plenty to get into, here are some predictions on how the 2021 NFL season could unfold.

The Panthers will be the biggest surprise

Matt Rhule went 5-11 in his first season as head coach of the Carolina Panthers. It was certainly a pedestrian 2020 campaign for Rhule and the Panthers. But, 2021, will be a much different story in Carolina. The Panthers acquired Sam Darnold this offseason, which might not seem like a massive upgrade over Teddy Bridgewater. But, it will certainly prove to be an upgrade. 2021 will be a career year for Darnold, and will ultimately be the season in which he gets his career on track.

Darnold may have only been 13-25 as a starter in his first three seasons with the Jets. But, Darnold was sacked 98 times in 38 starts. He had no consistency on his offensive line, and had arguably the worst group of skill position players in the NFL over the last three seasons. Let’s not forget that Adam Gase was Darnold’s head coach over the last two seasons. And the season before that, Darnold had Todd Bowles as his head coach.

Now, Darnold is under Matt Rhule, and offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Both of which are considered to be ascending in the NFL. I have the Panthers going 9-8 in 2021, and sneaking into that third wildcard spot in the NFC. The reason being the growth and development of Sam Darnold.

The Raiders will be the biggest disappointment

The Raiders will be a monumental disappointment in 2021, and it will get ugly. Since returning to the NFL, Jon Gruden has a 19-29 record, finishing with a losing record in two of three seasons. Gruden was supposed to get the Raiders to relevancy, and he has failed.

The Raiders have whiffed on recent draft picks, and have failed to build a competent offensive line. But, the most egregious part of the 2021 Raiders will be their defense. The Raiders defense could be the worst in the NFL in 2021, and it will surely take a miracle from defensive coordinator Gus Bradley to get the defense heading in the right direction. Sure, they dealt with injuries on defense in 2020. But, they did not direct as much attention to it as they should have. Do they really believe that Yannick Ngakoue will propel the pass-rush? Ngakoue is now on his fourth team since 2019.

It’s also clear that the Raiders just don’t believe in Derek Carr anymore. They were linked to Aaron Rodgers and Deshaun Watson this offseason, and were linked to Tom Brady last offseason. They also elected to keep Marcus Mariota in the picture, after they probably could have moved him for a draft pick.

This Raiders team is in serious trouble in 2021, look out below.

The “Last Dance” falls short in Green Bay

*Image: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SPORTS*

A large portion of this offseason was centered around the future of Aaron Rodgers. His future with the Packers was in doubt, for quite some time. It was clear that there was a disconnect between Rodgers and the team, but, it was unclear why. Was it power in the organization? Was it money or long-term commitment? Was it simply the offensive pieces around him?

However, shortly before training camp the two sides were able to come to an agreement on a restructured contract. This now gives Aaron Rodgers the opportunity to move on from the Packers after this season, if he wants to move on. So, many are calling this season the “Last Dance” in Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams both posted pictures on their social media accounts of an image from the “Last Dance” documentary.

I firmly believe that this is Rodgers’ last season in Green Bay, but ultimately, I believe they fall short of the Super Bowl. I still have the Packers winning the NFC North, being a legitimate contender in the NFC. But, I think they fall short in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, and Aaron Rodgers concludes his Packers career with one, lone Super Bowl win.

Matthew Stafford wins the MVP award

*Image: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY SPORTS*

Matthew Stafford has been one of the most underrated player in the NFL over the last decade. Stafford’s talent and ability often goes forgotten solely because of his stint as a member of the Detroit Lions. During Stafford’s tenure in Detroit, he was 74-90-1, with only four winning seasons.

But, the lack of success was not entirely his fault. He has went through three head coaching regimes, and a countless amount of incompetence around him. But, the dark days are now over for Stafford, as he finds himself in the capable hands of Sean McVay. Stafford now also has the luxury of having some high-flying skill-position players, and has some stability on the offensive line.

Expect Stafford to put up a ton of points in McVay’s offensive system. The loss of Cam Akers will prevent them from running the ball as well as they would like to. So, Matthew Stafford will throw the ball at an absurd rate, and I think he’ll endure some success.

Stafford will win the 2021 MVP award, while having a career high in touchdown passes and passing yards.

The Bucs won’t go 17-0

Tom Brady and the Bucs caught fire at the end of last season, winning their remaining eight games to win the Super Bowl over the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bucs were able to retain all 22 starters from their 2020 campaign, and are poised to make another run at the Lombardi Trophy.

The Bucs also enter the season with a healthy Tom Brady, and a soft schedule. This has gotten many to question if this team is able to finish the season 17-0?

Despite the fact that this roster is loaded, I don’t see them finishing the season undefeated at 17-0. The NFL season is a legitimate marathon, and shouldn’t be taken lightly. The Bucs will still be a 13-14 win team, but I just can’t see them going undefeated.

Mac Jones will have the most success amongst the rookie Quarterbacks in year 1

Five quarterbacks were selected in the first-round of this past NFL draft. The quarterback best set up to have the most success is Mac Jones with the New England Patriots.

Mac Jones had the luxury of having Bill Belichick as his head coach, a long with one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. Jones’ accuracy and quick release fit in perfectly with Josh McDaniels’ offensive system. The fit between the Patriots and Mac Jones is a perfect situation for both parties.

When it comes to Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, and Justin Fields, things are much more complicated. Trevor Lawrence’s Jaguars look like an absolute mess, and have dealt with a plethora of injuries throughout training camp. Zach Wilson’s Jets are clearly in rebuilding mode, a long with a first-year head coach. Trey Lance will likely be the backup quarterback, until Jimmy Garoppolo’s play starts to dip. So, his status in 2021 is uncertain, as it hinders of Garoppolo. Justin Fields will start the season behind Andy Dalton. Even if Fields gets an opportunity, he’ll have to deal with the Bears offensive line, which is one of the worst in football.

Mac Jones will finish the season with more wins then any of the other rookie quarterbacks by a comfortable margin.

Josh Allen will come back down to Earth

Josh Allen put together a fantastic 2020 campaign. He had a career high in touchdown passes (37), completion percentage (69.2%), passing yards (4,544), quarterback rating (107.2), and QBR (81.7). But, I believe that Allen’s 2020 season will go down as more of an outlier, rather than a reality. I’m not saying that Josh Allen doesn’t belong in the NFL, or anything like that. I just don’t believe that he is an elite quarterback in this league. He’s not a top-5 quarterback in this league, and his 2021 performance will reflect that.

Allen has now played three career seasons, and to this point, last season was the outlier. If you take away last season, Josh Allen has a 15-12 record, 30 touchdowns, 21 interceptions, a completion percentage of 56.3%, and a 49.6 QBR. Allen’s improvement from 2019 to 2020 was just out of the world. I just can’t see that being who he truly is as a quarterback.

Michael Pittman Jr. will burst onto the scene in Indy

The Colts selected Michael Pittman Jr. in the second-round of the 2020 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, Pittman Jr. had 40 receptions for 503 yards, and one touchdown. But, this season, expect Pittman Jr. to double those numbers, as he will be the Colts leading receiver in 2021.

With T.Y. Hilton set to miss a long period of time, Pittman Jr. is the number one wide receiver on the team, and I fully expect him to take advantage of that. Carson Wentz is going to need to rely on someone on this team, and that will ultimately be Pittman Jr.

Ben Roethlisberger’s career ends on a bad note

Ben Roethlisberger did not play well down the stretch last season. He struggled mightily, throwing eight interceptions in his last five games. Many (myself, included) thought that 2020 would be the end of Ben Roethlisberger’s career. In the grand scheme of things, it would have been a fine ending to his career. For the better part of the season the Steelers were a good team, and Roethlisberger could have finished his career without looking like a total shell of himself.

But, the decision to return to the Steelers for another season will go down as a mistake for the Steelers and for Roethlisberger. I think we’re going to see a Ben Roethlisberger who clearly is over the hill. I think the Steelers finish the season with a losing record, and Roethlisberger’s decision to return will hurt the Steelers in the future.

The Rams and Chiefs meet up in Super Bowl LVI

I think this NFL season will be one of the most exciting seasons in recent memory. But, I have the Chiefs coming out of the AFC for the third-straight season. And I have the Rams coming out of the NFC, making their first Super Bowl appearance since 2018.

I think the Chiefs finish the regular season with a record of 14-3, and their revamped offensive line will be a major difference-maker for this team. In terms of the Rams, they will be propelled by their quarterback, Matthew Stafford. Expect Stafford to get into a real rhythm at the end of the season, and put together the one true deep postseason run of his career.

The last time these two teams met was on November 19, 2018. The game was an absolute classic, with the Rams hanging on to win, 54-51.

I have the same result in this Super Bowl, as I believe that Super Bowl LVI will belong to Sean McVay and the Rams. The Rams will become the second team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl in their home stadium. The first team to do it was last year’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.