Bold predictions: Pats go 16-0, Cards fall short
JARRETT BELL The New England Patriots will run the table for a perfect season. Sure, that’s “pressure” added to the usual pursuit of a Super Bowl crown. But who is better equipped to handle that than Bill Belichick and Tom Brady? Ever since Judge Richard Berman struck down the NFL’s four-game Deflategate suspension for Brady (uh, pending appeal), this Patriots season has had the feel of a Scorched Earth Tour. I’m suspecting that vibe will only continue to pick up steam. Where are the pitfalls? There are two road games at New York, where the pesky Giants and Jets await. There’s another Star Wars matchup against Peyton Manning, whose Denver Broncos defense is the biggest threat to a perfect Patriots season ... and could surface again in a January playoff rematch. And the Week 17 trip to the Miami Dolphins will provide more than the typical resistance. If the Patriots are still perfect entering the regular-season finale, you can expect members of the 1972 Dolphins — the only perfect champion in NFL history — will be on the sideline to urge on the home team. But the Patriots are built for such challenges. The pursuit of perfection provides the drama that is only fitting for a franchise that stayed in the news all offseason and would love nothing more than to win another crown while thumbing its nose at the NFL. Remember the defiant pregame ceremony when the Patriots unfurled their latest championship banner before the season opener? Imagine the Super Bowl scene. Shoot, Bob Kraft might present Judge Berman with a game ball. NATE DAVIS The Arizona Cardinals won’t reach the playoffs. Admittedly, their first half was impressive, complete with a 6-2 record and a 110-point scoring differential. But the Cardinals have not defeated a team with a winning record, and those six victories have come against clubs with a collective 1334 (.277) record. The ledger of their second-half foes? How about 37-24 (.607), and it begins with a trip to the Seattle Seahawks, followed by a visit from the Cincinnati Bengals. The Seahawks, who will play Arizona twice, have apparently begun their annual second-half surge, one that vaulted them past the Cardinals in last year’s NFC West race. The St. Louis Rams, who have already beaten the Cardinals in Arizona, are starting to catch fire, too. The Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons, who have a favorable schedule the rest of the way, are also in the NFC’s wildcard mix. And how will the Cardinals, who rely on several thirtysomething players (Carson Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald, Chris Johnson) hold up physically after suffering several breakdowns a year ago? Too many ifs for my liking. LINDSAY H. JONES The Oakland Raiders, a team without a winning season since 2002, will win one of the two AFC wild-card spots, and the NFL will be a better place because, honestly, the NFL is just more interesting when the Raiders are relevant. And it has been too long since that has been the case. But thanks to two good drafts and smart spending in free agency this year, the Raiders have one of the best young corps of players in the NFL, with quarterback Derek Carr, wide receiver Amari Cooper, running back Latavius Murray and pass rusher Khalil Mack. Add in pieces such as veteran receiver Michael Crabtree and outside linebacker Aldon Smith, who are resurrecting their careers on a different Bay Area team, and the Raiders are suddenly one of the most fun teams to watch. They will still have some growing pains to get through before they can truly close the gap on the Broncos in the AFC West, but the Raiders are one of the most promising teams in the AFC and have put themselves in position to make the playoffs for the first time in years. MICHAEL MIDDLEHURST-SCHWARTZ Julio Jones seemed like he had a shot at breaking Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving yards record (1,964) before he was slowed by a hamstring injury. With Jones back in top form, it might seem like he’s a stretch to pull off the feat — he’s on pace to fall short by a good 180 yards — but he has a good chance. Even with a strong run game, the Falcons feed Jones at a rate befitting the league’s best receiver. With matchups against three of the league’s worst pass defenses (Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints), Jones should have the shootout opportunities to put up some incredible numbers. TOM PELISSERO This might cross over from bold to stupid, but I’ll make the pre- diction anyway: The Philadelphia Eagles will emerge as a dark horse to win the NFC title. This would require quarterback Sam Bradford to play a whole lot better than he has to this point, among other things. But the Eagles didn’t go 10-6 in each of the past two seasons because Chip Kelly is a lousy coach. Kelly knows offense. And the Eagles’ defense has been more productive than the gross yardage numbers indicate. They’re seventh in yards allowed per play and lead the league with 19 takeaways. As bad as it has looked at times and as much scrutiny as Kelly faces for his makeover of the roster, don’t count out the Eagles just yet. Sunday’s trip to Dallas is a big one. The Eagles lost to the Cowboys (with Tony Romo) 20-10 on Sept. 20 in Philly and are 1-2 within the NFC East. ERIC PRISBELL The Cardinals will not make the playoffs. Make no mistake, the Cardinals are a good team. Palmer has had a noteworthy year, and coach Bruce Arians has done a fine job. Take a closer look at their schedule. Wins have come against New Orleans when it wasn’t playing well, the Chicago Bears, San Francisco, the Detroit Lions, the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns. The Cardinals were mistake-prone in their last loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers, making Landry Jones look like a standout. The remaining schedule includes two games against Seattle, a home date with the Green Bay Packers, a road game at Philadelphia and critical games against St. Louis and Minnesota. Don’t be surprised if Seattle rallies to win the NFC West and Minnesota and Atlanta grab the two wild-card slots, leaving the Cardinals on the outside looking in. LORENZO REYES Patriots 16-0. They’re playing better than any team in the league and have a hyper-focused approach after dealing with the fallout of the offseason’s Deflategate saga. Brady, thanks to his quickrelease, dink-and-dunk passing, is playing out of his mind and has an almost unheard of 20-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. But a revamped defense that is tied for second in the NFL with 26 sacks is what makes the Patriots really scary. And looking ahead at the schedule, the only game New England shouldn’t be favored in the rest of the way is Week 12’s road showdown against Manning and the Broncos (7-0). Aside from that game in Denver, the other Patriots road games are against the Giants (4-3), Houston Texans (3-5), Jets (4-3) and Dolphins (3-4). Otherwise, New England has home games against the Buffalo Bills (3-4), Eagles (3-4) and Tennessee Titans (1-6). That means that — on paper, at least — New England should win every game the rest of the way, except for that tricky Broncos matchup. But because Brady holds an 11-5 career record vs. Manning, New England should be in good shape there, too.