Bill Williamson

Ready for one more round of hopeless, er, fearless NFL picks as we prepare for the season?

Probably not. Understood, but here goes, anyway. Just look at it as another chance to make fun of another joker’s picks come playoff time.

Here goes:

AFC East
1. New England
2. New York
3. Buffalo
4. Miami

The Jets are not going to sneak up on the Patriots this year, like they did last season. The Patriots went away from their philosophy and spent money on big-ticket players, most notably Adalius Thomas and Randy Moss. The new Patriots will make this team unstoppable in the division, even without having Rodney Harrison for the first four games and the ongoing health questions of Richard Seymour. The Jets will be improved, but their may not win as many games as last season. Expect less than .500 records from Buffalo and Miami.

AFC North
1. Cincinnati
2. Pittsburgh
3. Baltimore
4. Cleveland

The Bengals are finally going to cash in on all their promise. This will be a closely contested division with the Steelers and Ravens in contention for the division title. There aren’t any great teams here, but except for the Browns, there are three playoff contenders.

AFC South
1. Indianapolis
2. Jacksonville
3. Tennessee
4. Houston

Many NFL scouts think the Jaguars have more overall talent than the Colts. But the Colts have Peyton Manning and the Jaguars don’t. That’s why the Colts will win the division again. The Jaguars have a playoff-caliber defense, but issues at quarterback may prevent them from going far. The Titans will be around .500 and the Texans are still building.

AFC West
1. San Diego
2. Denver
3. Kansas City
4. Oakland

In spite of new coach Norv Turner, the Chargers are one of the AFC's best teams and the class of a once strong division. The new-look Broncos have all kinds of skills on offense and are well coached. If the defense can come along, Denver could push the Chargers. The Chiefs and Raiders will be lucky if they combine for double digit victories.

AFC Playoffs

Seeds
1. New England
2. San Diego
3. Indianapolis
4. Cincinnati
5. Denver (wild card)
6. Jacksonville (wild card)

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Wild-card round: Indianapolis over Jacksonville; Denver over Cincinnati.

Divisional round: New England over Denver; San Diego over Indianapolis.

AFC championship game: New England over San Diego.

NFC East
1. Dallas
2. Philadelphia
3. Washington
4. New York

Dallas is going to cruise. The Cowboys could even go all the way and won’t be challenged until the playoffs. The Eagles will be Dallas’ toughest competition, but the Eagles don’t have the balance and overall skills. Washington will be wishy washy and the Giants are already imploding.

NFC North
1. Chicago
2. Green Bay
3. Detroit
4. Minnesota

Like the Cowboys, the Bears don’t have much competition. Watch for the Bears to stumble some from last season. But there isn’t much to worry about in the NFC North. The Lions could potentially make progress, but watch for Green Bay and Detroit to finish around .500. The Vikings have no shot.

NFC South
1. New Orleans
2. Carolina
3. Tampa Bay
4. Atlanta

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The Saints will be interesting. They could be a fluke. Or they could really be a juggernaut and ready to make a long run. We lean to the latter. The Saints are loaded and will separate themselves from the rest of the division. The Panthers have solid talent and good coaching but are too inconsistent. The Buccaneers and Falcons could be in for long seasons.

NFC West
1. San Francisco
2. Seattle
3. Arizona
4. St. Louis

Remarkably, this is the NFC's best division and one of the better ones overall. Unlike the other three divisions, there is no clear-cut favorite. All four teams could make the playoffs. We like the upstart 49ers. It should be a lot of fun with all four teams candidates for winning seasons.

NFC Playoffs

Seeds

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1. Dallas
2. San Francisco
3. New Orleans
4. Chicago
5. Seattle (wild card)
6. Arizona (wild card)

Wild-card round: New Orleans over Arizona; Seattle over Chicago.

Divisional round: Seattle over Dallas; San Francisco over New Orleans.

NFC championship game: San Francisco over Seattle.

Super Bowl
New England over San Francisco

Why? The Patriots are a big favorite and the 49ers are a big underdog. But underdogs strike it big all the time. Still, watch for the best roster in the business to end a San Francisco revival.