So, that happened.

Wow, what a Week 1 it was in the NFL this year. There were a few surprise upsets such as Carolina over San Diego, Chicago over Indianapolis and to a lesser degree, Atlanta over Detroit. There were some surprise performances such as Donovan McNabb throwing for 361 yards and 3 TD's, Michael Turner rushing for 220 yards and Willie Parker rushing for 3 TD's (which already bests last year's total of 2). Nothing was more shocking, though, than the season-ending injury to Patriots QB Tom Brady in the first quarter of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Brady has been Mr. Consistency for the past 7 years and was coming off the best statistical year of his career, throwing for 4806 yards and an NFL record 50 TD's and a career-best 117.2 passer rating. None of that mattered, though, after a heartbreaking loss in Super Bowl XLII, a game that should have been the icing on the Patriots perfect season. Brady and the Pats were coming into this season with one thing on their minds - get back to the Super Bowl, and win it. Now, that goal may be in jeopardy with "Tom Terrific" (I hate that nickname by the way) out for the season.

So...what does all of this mean for my season predictions? Well, not as much as you would think. I still think the Pats are the best team in the AFC East, but maybe they'll win 10 or 11 games instead of 13 or 14. They'll still be in the playoffs, although they may not have a bye week in the first round. Anyway, all my predictions were made based on everyone staying healthy for the whole year. Of course, that never happens, so I'm not going to go through and change them every week or every time someone gets hurt. They will stay as is. It's all just for fun, anyway.

2 days???

The 2008 NFL season starts in 2 days? Really? What happened to summer? Hey, I enjoy football season as much as the next guy (and some girls), but I'm just not ready for summer to be over. It seemed to rain every weekend and most weekdays, so I only got to enjoy the pool at our condo once. We only went to the beach once, as well. Ugh! Here's hoping for one more good heat wave before autumn kicks into high gear. In the meantime, here are my predictions for the upcoming NFL season. Just for fun, I'm going to try and sum up every team in 5 words or less. Here we go:

AFC EAST
New England: Easiest schedule, but not perfect.
Last Season: 16-0
2008 Prediction: 14-2

New York Jets: Favre helps. Is it enough?
Last Season: 4-12
2008 Prediction: 9-7

Buffalo Bills: Not much has changed.
Last season: 7-9
2008 Prediction: 6-10

Miami Dolphins: Improved, but still not good.
Last season: 1-15
2008 Prediction: 4-12


AFC NORTH
Pittsburgh Steelers: Big Ben breaks out.
Last season: 10-6
2008 Prediction: 11-5

Cincinnati Bengals: Bad defense ruins good offense.
Last season: 7-9
2008 Prediction: 8-8

Cleveland Browns: Too many questions, injuries.
Last season: 10-6
2008 Prediction: 8-8

Baltimore Ravens: Tough division. Tough luck.
Last season: 5-11
2008 Prediction: 7-9


AFC SOUTH
Indianapolis Colts: Peyton Manning is still good.
Last season: 13-3
2008 Prediction: 12-4

Jacksonville Jaguars: Well-balanced team.
Last season: 11-5
2008 Prediction: 11-5

Houston Texans: Sleeper playoff team this year?
Last season: 8-8
2008 Prediction: 9-7

Tennessee Titans: Someone needs to step up.
Last season: 10-6
2008 Prediction: 7-9

AFC WEST
San Diego Chargers: Best chance for a title?
Last season: 11-5
2008 Prediction: 12-4

Denver Broncos: Still a pretty average team.
Last season: 7-9
2008 Prediction: 8-8

Oakland Raiders: Ugh!
Last season: 4-12
2008 Prediction: 6-10

Kansas City Chiefs: "Whew! What died in here?"
Last season: 4-12
2008 Prediction: 1-15


NFC EAST
Dallas Cowboys: NFC's team to beat.
Last season: 13-3
2008 Prediction: 14-2

Philadelphia Eagles: Big comeback for McNabb.
Last season: 8-8
2008 Prediction: 10-6

Washington Redskins: Good offseason. Tough team.
Last season: 9-7
2008 Prediction: 9-7

New York Giants: Were they really that good?
Last season: 10-6
2008 Prediction: 8-8


NFC NORTH
Minnesota Vikings: If healthy, they are scary.
Last season: 8-8
2008 Prediction: 11-5

Green Bay Packers: Not as good without Favre.
Last season: 13-3
2008 Prediction: 10-6

Detroit Lions: Too one-dimensional.
Last season: 7-9
2008 Prediction: 7-9

Chicago Bears: What happened to this team?
Last season: 7-9
2008 Prediction: 5-11


NFC SOUTH
New Orleans Saints: Explosive team. Weak division.
Last season: 7-9
2008 Prediction: 11-5

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Defense keeps them in games.
Last season: 9-7
2008 Prediction: 9-7

Carolina Panthers: Still rebuilding. Maybe next year.
Last season: 7-9
2008 Prediction: 7-9

Atlanta Falcons: "OK, who let a fluffy?"
Last season: 4-12
2008 Prediction: 2-14


NFC WEST
Seattle Seahawks: After injuries, they'll be good.
Last season: 10-6
2008 Prediction: 10-6

Arizona Cardinals: Finally over the hump?
Last season: 8-8
2008 Prediction: 9-7

St. Louis Rams: Big improvement. Not enough.
Last season: 3-13
2008 Prediction: 8-8

San Francisco: Still taking QB applications.
Last season: 5-11
2008 Prediction: 4-12


PLAYOFFS ROUND 1
First round byes: New England, San Diego, Dallas, Minnesota
Indianapolis over Houston
Pittsburgh over Jacksonville
New Orleans over Green Bay
Philadelphia over Seattle

PLAYOFFS ROUND 2
New England over Pittsburgh
San Diego over Indianapolis
Dallas over Philadelphia
New Orleans over Minnesota

PLAYOFFS ROUND 3
San Diego over New England
Dallas over New Orleans

SUPER BOWL
San Diego over Dallas