Category Archives: 2013 NFL Regular Season

2013 AFC North Predictions

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Admittedly we are a tad late on our NFL divisional predictions. On the eve of the biggest AFC North game for the Cincinnati Bengals for quite sometime, we have to go on record for how we think the AFC North will go. If you have followed our previews up to this time, Taylor Blitz was the first of the national pundits that had the Cincinnati Bengals going to the AFC Championship Game in a few months. https://taylorblitztimes.com/2013/04/16/2013-cincinnati-bengals-team-preview-slowly-building-a-winner/ That article was produced on April 16th, so we are talking before the unfortunate events with the Patriots and Aaron Hernandez. Before the suspension of Von Miller out in Denver. Right now the Cincinnati Bengals have a tremendous amount going for them, including returning the NFL’s 6th ranked defense.

The Cincinnati Bengals should be the best of the AFC North in 2013.

The Cincinnati Bengals should be the best of the AFC North in 2013.

2013 AFC North Predictions

1. Cincinnati Bengals 11-5 ##

2. Pittsburgh Steelers 9-7

3. Baltimore Ravens 7-9

4. Cleveland Browns 6-10

The only team to make it to the playoffs from this division this year are the Bengals. What we do know is Cleveland has improved on offense, if we’re talking about the preseason. They struggled against a rebuilding Ravens team that gave up an NFL record 7 touchdown passes to Peyton Manning in week 1. The Browns actually had scouts at the Texas A&M / Alabama game to scout Johnny Manziel who threw 5 touchdowns and scored 42 against the number one team in the nation.  Current QB Brandon Weeden has 14 more games to prove he is the future or his job is gone next off-season.

The Steelers are in the middle of a rebuilding year and need to indoctrinate several young players in the Pittsburgh mold.  Understand this record was before they lost signal callers Maurkice Pouncey, Center, and inside linebacker Larry Foote to season ending injuries. They may fall further than 9-7 but the rest of the division might be too weak to take advantage.

Which brings us to tonight. Former NFL commissioner Bert Bell coined the phrase “On any given Sunday” back in the 1950’s. Meaning that at any time a lessor team can take down one of the NFL heavies.  It’s amazing how that has been through the years. Yet one of the items we say around here is every champion has building blocks to their championship mettle. One mission for the Cincinnati Bengals tonight is to prove to the Steelers, NFL fans, teams and most importantly to themselves that they are the team that rules the AFC North. Nevermind their loss in week 1 it starts tonight.  That psychological building block to this team’s psyche begins in a few hours.  Their mission, should they choose to accept it….

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Week 2: Seattle Seahawks v. San Francisco 49ers or Ali v. Frazier I

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Going into the opening weekend of NFL football most pundits were making the San Francisco match-up with Green Bay a big game. It was from a recent historical perspective but won’t match the intensity of what is about to take place. For in The Chancellor of Football’s eyes, the 49ers let out a huge sigh of relief when Atlanta made a last second field goal in the NFC divisional to beat them 30-28. Had Seattle pulled that game off and faced San Francisco for the NFC Championship, who would have won??

The game NFL fans have anticipated since last year's NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs.

The game NFL fans have anticipated since last year’s NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs.

Lets face it, this entire off-season was an arms race between these two as they played tit for tat jockeying to out-position one another. In perfect poker speak the 49ers saw the Seahawks a Percy Harvin and raised them an Anquan Boldin. Then came the suspension of Seattle DE Bruce Irvin, which made 49er coach Harbaugh make disparaging comments in Carroll and the Seahawk’s direction.

Seattle Seahawks alternate logo.

Seattle Seahawks alternate logo.

Much of the animosity comes from the history both coaches brought from being Pac-10 adversaries at USC and Stanford respectively. Back then it was USC’s Pete Carroll the established champion that Jim Harbaugh’s Stanford Cardinal chased and constantly had to measure up to. Now the situation has reversed itself in the NFL and it’s been chippy. Under normal circumstances coaches warn their players about offering bulletin board material for their opponent, where here, the coaches haven’t adhered to that dogma. They do not like each other and it helps raise the intensity of the match-up further.

While 49er fans bask in the achievement of making it to Super Bowl XLVII, Seahawk fans are quick to remind them it was their team that won the last outing 42-13 in week 15. One our CEO called before it happened. https://taylorblitztimes.com/2012/12/15/nfl-week-14-nfc-west-not-the-sole-province-of-the-49ers/ yet we digress. Understand it was a blowout of epic proportions and was one of the defining reasons we picked the Ravens in our Super Bowl preview. Yet that is old news ….or is it??

Seattle comes in with the league’s 5th ranked defense into this match-up where the 49ers rank 22nd, yet that’s misleading. San Francisco stared down the Packers and Aaron Rodgers in week 1. Colin Kaepernick tortured Green Bay with a 400 yard passing performance and Boldin had a 200 yard reception in his debut. So what gives??

Last year the Seahawks obliterated the 49ers 42-13 on Sunday night football. They were not only undefeated at home last year but their games became routs before halftime. In that week 15 game it was 28-6 at halftime and the Seahawks were on cruise control. We expect a closer game than that but the winner will be the early favorite to make it to Super Bowl XLVIII. Yet that will be misleading… The winner will just have the early edge in a long season.

Think back to 1992 when the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys were undefeated going into a huge Monday Night matchup. The Eagles had one of history’s finest defenses in 1991 when they had lost Randall Cunningham for the year. So this was going to be their year. All they had to do was beat a growing Dallas Cowboy football team that was undefeated. Philly killed them 31-7 and had the early edge, but it was Dallas that won game 2 and a playoff match-up on their way to their first Super Bowl of the 1990s.

International fashion model Teisha Lyons looking lovely in a lady Seahawk jersey.

International fashion model Teisha Lyons looking lovely in a lady Seahawk jersey.

 

So keep it in perspective. The Chancellor of Football’s pick for this one?? We’ll let the lovely Teisha Lyons take it from here.

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2013 AFC North Predictions

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Now the season is off to a rollicking start, it’s time to finish up on our predictions for the course of the 2013 NFL season. One division that is going to see turnover at the top is the AFC North. It was long thought the Baltimore Ravens wouldn’t be the defense we had come to know with Ray Lewis, but to allow 7 touchdowns to Peyton Mannning?? Uh oh… might take some time for that defense to jell this season if they do at all. So who will win the AFC North and interrupt the hold at the top dominated by Pittsburgh and Baltimore the last 13 years??

The Cincinnati Bengals should be the best of the AFC North in 2013.

The Cincinnati Bengals should be the best of the AFC North in 2013.

2013 AFC North Predictions

1. Cincinnati Bengals 12-4 ##

2. Pittsburgh Steelers 9-7

3. Cleveland Browns 7-9

4. Baltimore Ravens 6-10

The last two years have been a dress rehearsal for the Bengals in the NFL playoffs. This year they will do some serious damage as a division winner. They return the 6th best defense in the NFL before you factor in the addition of James Harrison. They were second in the NFL with 52 sacks, 4th in touchdown passes allowed with 16 and added players to bolster both those numbers. Andy Dalton, in year 3, knows his team and this division and will know his way around the NFL playoffs as well.

The Steelers are in a short rebuilding phase and will have a few growing pains. However when you return with the #1 defense in pro football, you will be in a lot of games. The only issue is they don’t force turnovers like they used to. We also have to see how Mike Wallace’s absence holds back the passing game. With that defense and LeVeon Bell they will sneak close to the playoffs but will have to wait until 2014 to showcase what they can do.

The Browns are a much improved team but still can’t compete at the top of this division. Trent Richardson will dominate this year where last year he showed some flashes. They really looked good in the preseason but we have to see how they respond when real bullets start flying.

As for the Baltimore Ravens….sigh. We attended their funeral last Thursday when Peyton Manning baptized them with 7 touchdown passes. They were just caught in a vice when the offense went flat early in the third quarter. Yet the lack of leadership showed up when they couldn’t stem the tide. A season of growing pains awaits the Super Bowl champs.

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2013 NFC East Predictions

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We’re at that time where we need to get the NFL regular season underway. The draft picks are in and we’ve seen how coaches want to implement them. We’ve watched Chip Kelly introduce his offense in Philadelphia and the new 4-3 in Dallas. So how will those teams fare when the ball is kicked off in a few hours?

Home of the New York Giants and site of Super Bowl XLVIII

Home of the New York Giants and site of Super Bowl XLVIII

2013 NFC East Predictions

1. New York Giants  10-6 #

2. Washington Redskins 9-7

3. Dallas Cowboys 7-9

4. Philadelphia Eagles 5-11

 

The lingering issue for Taylor Blitz Times is how will RGIII hold up once the hitting starts?? You can only protect him for so long and Coach Shanahan did the right thing keeping him out of meaningless action. The Redskins will benefit having Orakpo back but will have deficient play from their secondary.

Again as we look at the landscape of the NFC East there are many flawed teams but the Giants will be the best in this division. Once they signed Victor Cruz and insured Manning will have his top targets, that gave them the edge. Truth be told, they have been middle of the road defensively and get by on a strong pass rush and effective schemes with their secondary. Last year too many injuries derailed them and one of the pushes for this team is the Super Bowl will be in their home stadium. Watch Eli and New York…

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2013 NFC West Predictions

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This was the best division in the NFL last year and this season shouldn’t disappoint. Lets face it,either the Seattle Seahawks or the San Francisco 49ers should make it to the NFC Championship Game and in many circles, have these two fighting it out for a trip to Super Bowl XLVIII in New York. How do we see it here at Taylor Blitz??

2013 NFC West Predictions

Seattle Seahawks alternate logo.

Seattle Seahawks alternate logo.

1. Seattle Seahawks 13-3 #

2. San Francisco 49ers 11-5 *

3. Arizona Cardinals 7-9

4. St Louis Rams 5-11

Sure the Rams did great within the division last year but that was with Steven Jackson and Danny Amendola powering the offense. Bradford will have growing pains again this year as the offense will struggle to find their identity. Expect to see many wasted defensive efforts this season.

For the last month, The Chancellor has been able to watch the Cardinals defense up close. They could use a little more pass rush but this might be the best defense in the NFL going into 2013. They return with runner up Taylor Blitz Times Defensive Player of the Year in LB Daryl Washington. Patrick Peterson is entering his prime and should be in the running for defensive player of the year himself. We’re just not sold on Carson Palmer as a leader but they will win some games in 2013.

The Seahawks will be the class of the division. No one plays with the speed, spirit, and tenacity of this team. They were undefeated at home last year and the wins were more lopsided as the season commenced. Forty niner fans point to DE Bruce Irvin missing the first four games due to suspension and Percy Harvin the first half of the season due to injury. These guys are luxuries and will be there when the Seahawks make the stretch run. The only question is will they get home field advantage?? If they do…don’t forget San Fran lost 42-13 in week 15 up in Qwest Field.

San Francisco will be a high scoring team this year and they need to be. The defense is still one of the best in the NFL but their secondary started to slide last year. In fact the secondary is the reason they lost Super Bowl XLVII to the Baltimore Ravens and now they have to replace Dashon Goldson. No easy task. Colin Kaepernick will stay ahead of defenses the first half of the season, but they will catch up to the 49er offense in the second half. Without Michael Crabtree, this team needs to implement some young talent on the outside. The saving grace for this offense is the front line and fleet of running backs to go with Kaepernick. They’ll also miss 2nd TE Delanie Walker, who lined up as an H-Back and was the lead blocker on many of Frank Gore’s power rushing plays.

Both Seattle and San Francisco will be there until the end but it will be Seattle and that swarming defense that captures the division.

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