NFL Predictions and Expectations

By Matt Lipp and Tyler Curtiss
     The 2017 NFL season has been long awaited by fans all over the world. The players and coaches have been preparing all offseason to meet the expectations of their fan bases. There are teams around the league that have high expectations while previous struggling teams try to break out and surprise the football world. The reigning Super Bowl Champions New England Patriots, led by Tom Brady, 0 have many people saying they could go undefeated. On the other hand, many analysts believe the New York Jets may not win a game this year. Fantasy football is the most exciting part of the football for a lot of fans and people like running backs David Johnson and Le'veon Bell are supposed to be the top selections. Football season has finally arrived and fans are ecstatic.
     This offseason’s rookie draft was stocked with young talent, even more than normal. The Cleveland Browns made the most of their draft ending up with three first round picks, including the first overall pick which they used to get Myles Garrett. Garrett dominated all other offensive linemen in his three years at Texas A&M. There were also some surprises in the draft such as the top three wide receivers all getting picked within the first ten picks. Every year hidden talent is discovered in the draft, this year the Kansas City Chiefs believe they have found it with third round pick Kareem Hunt. The rookie exploded in week one with 200+ all purpose yards and two touchdowns, Senior Johnny Chaisson is thrilled to have Hunt on his fantasy team and exclaimed “Kareem will win the NFL MVP this year!”
     There are many young up and coming teams to be excited about this year. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans both look primed to make the playoffs for the first time in over ten years. Both rosters are loaded with young talent and third year quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota are hoping to break out and become elite. Junior Eric Gruber said, “Jamies Winston will win MVP this year because the Bucs surrounded him with all sorts of talent by adding Desean Jackson and O.J. Howard to an already potent offense.” Can these teams be competitive in their strong conferences? Only time will tell.
​     Sports fans and analysts are pumped to find out how the rest of the season will play out and if their predictions are correct. Teams like the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens will make their annual playoff runs and teams like the Los Angeles Chargers and New York Jets will hope to have winning seasons.