- Baker Mayfield Wins MVP:
I’ve been high on the Browns for a long time now. Back in January, before all the additions made this offseason, I was already making the bold prediction that this was the year the Browns are AFC North champs. Now that it’s no longer bold, here we are. Carson Wentz would’ve won MVP two years ago had he not torn his ACL and Mahomes won it last year, so second-year quarterbacks are fully capable of taking home this award. There’s just something about Baker that stands out to me. He has a unique swagger and motivation unlike anyone I’ve ever seen in this league and I think it can propel him to an elite level. He also throws a beautiful football and has some of the best targets in the entire league, picking up Odell Beckham Jr. to join Jarvis Landry and David Njoku. Watch out for Baker this year. He’s going to come out feeling pretty dangerous.
2. Cowboys Miss The Playoffs:
I’m still not impressed by Dak Prescott. I think he’s been the beneficiary of a strong offensive line and running game throughout his career and he’s never had expectations like these before. Amari Cooper has performed pretty well in Dallas, but that was for only nine games. He put up 725 yards in those nine games, with 397 of those yards coming in two games. He’s been inconsistent for his entire career and that just isn’t what Dak needs. Their division always plays them tough, and they got matched up with two tough divisions in the NFC North and AFC East. I think Carson Wentz and the Eagles reclaim the division title this year and the Cowboys won’t be good enough to get a Wild Card spot over teams like the Falcons, Seahawks, Packers, and Vikings.
3. The Washington Redskins Lead The NFL In Rushing Yards:
The Redskins backfield is absolutely lethal, headlined by a somehow still effective Adrian Peterson, along with Derrius Guice and Bryce Love. Yes, both of these guys are coming off of a torn ACL, but who better to teach two young backs how to recover from a torn ACL than the man who had over 2,000 yards the season after his torn ACL? To go along with this strong backfield, the Skins have a very strong offensive line that just added Ereck Flowers, who will likely play guard as opposed to playing tackle. This is a team that just drafted Dwayne Haskins, so they’ll need to lean on a strong running game and a reliable defense in order to find success with a rookie quarterback this year, especially with their weak receiving core. I’ve got very high expectations for their backfield.
4. Marquise “Hollywood” Brown Wins Offensive Rookie Of The Year:
I’m doubling down on Hollywood. In my previous article about the best move for every team this offseason, I said that I think Hollywood could be the best offensive player in this draft and I’m going to stick to that. This guy is going to be an elite deep threat in the NFL, but he’s got more to him. He can run a great screen or simple dump off over the middle and turn that into a big play with his top-notch speed and can turn an intermediate route into a 50 yarder with his elusiveness when possessing the football. I think this kid is going to be an absolute nightmare for opposing teams and will make a major impact for the Baltimore Ravens as soon as he steps onto the field.
5. The Indianapolis Colts Will Be Super Bowl LIV Champions:
To quote the one and only Pat McAfee, “The Indianapolis Colts are the hottest team, not only in the AFC South but the entire NFL”. They added Devin Funchess and Justin Houston, along with resigning Pierre Desir and adding some key guys in the draft such as Rock Ya-Sin and Parris Campbell. They have the best offensive line in football and a nice three-headed monster in the backfield. I think Eric Ebron is a great second or third read over the middle of the field. They were top five in scoring offense and top ten in scoring defense last year. T.Y. Hilton is an absolute stud. Darius Leonard was an absolute steal of a second-round pick. Oh, and Andrew Luck is back and performing at the level we’ve been waiting to see from him since he entered the league in 2012. They’ve got the talent, they’ve got the coach, and they’ve got the general manager. I absolutely love this team and I think they’ll hoist the Lombardi Trophy down in Miami. It helps to draft ten All-Pros, too.
You must be high
I disagree. Despite Cooper’s inconsistency, he and Dak were held back by Scott Linehan in that brief stint, and with Kellen Moore as the new Cowboys OC, he will definitely tailor the offense to Prescott’s strengths, which involve zone-read actions and quick throws from the pocket. Their defense will only improve from last year, especially with a weaker division this year.