Before we start the predictions, I want to take a moment and talk about the longevity and success of this league. 18 years ago, I was a 21 year old kid with an idea to create an online madden league, but really had no idea how it worked. With the help of Dolan (Lhu27) we created the MOF. We had some bumps and bruises in our first few seasons, but 57 seasons later here we are. One of the most prestigious leagues out there. As we enter our 58th season, a number that not many leagues have seen, I want to thank every single one of you for making this league what it is. I say this all the time, but this is a wonderful hobby for all of us. Something to get our minds off the everyday grind and have a place to escape for a few hours a week. I take pride and pleasure in providing that for you guys, so again, thank you for making the MOF great!
Welcome to the Season 58 Predictions! Season 57 was filled with great action and great playoff games. We saw Pettigrew and MrWitness battle in a 3-overtime playoff game, missed field goals, turnovers, it was a game for the ages. However when all the smoke cleared, Coach Knightnoles won his 2nd straight SB title. Knight has made the Super Bowl in each of his first 3 seasons, that is something we've never seen before and it's extremely impressive. Can Knight make it 4 for 4? Or will someone finally be able to take him out? We also saw Bhicks complete an undefeated season, only to lose in the Super Bowl. Will the NFC North be historically bad once again? Will the AFC West be the toast of the town? Can Coach Betts regain his glory as he goes for his 8th Super Bowl title? Or will Estrada take the next step? All this and more is answered, as we go through our Season 58 predictions.
*Remember all these predictions are very in depth. We go game by game with the current schedule and predict games 1 by 1 and that's how we come up with our algorithms. Remember this is all in good fun and for some, some bulletin board material! Enjoy
by Commissioner Jeff & Coach Krayzie300 &
October 27, 2020
Biggest Off-Season Addition: WR T.Y. Hilton - NE (85 Ovr)
Biggest Off-Season Subtraction: CB Logan Ryan - MIA (87 Ovr)
Best Draft Selection: LE Cesar Reyes - NYJ (76 Ovr)
This AFC East was basically dominated last season by Pettigrew's Patriots. There was really no competition for the division. I expect the same thing this season. The Patriots lost Edelman to retirement but they replaced him with T.Y. Hilton, which is an upgrade in my eyes. Other than that, the Patriots didn't do too much changing in the off-season, and why would he have to? Sony Michel proved to be a wrecking ball in the post-season, especially in that triple overtime wild-card game. I expect the Patriots to really do some damage this season, don't ask me why, but I think Pettigrew will nail down his QB troubles and really make a run at the Super Bowl. The New York Jets finished 2nd last season and they actually had an outside shot at the playoffs in the last few weeks but couldn't get the job done. The Jets had the best draft in the MOF, with 3 first round picks including Cesar Reyes who should start at DE right away. WR Floyd Thomas and CB James Bryant were also drafted in the 1st round, and look to make an immediate impact. I think the Jets are still a season away from really being a force, i wouldn't be surprised if they snuck into the playoffs, but I really don't see them being better than .500. The Miami Dolphins are next on deck, they started out last season at 4-1 and really looked poised to have a great season. Then they dropped 8 of their last 11 games and wound up 7-9. The Dolphins showed some brilliance at points last season, but too much inconsistently in this league will leave you on the outside looking in. Miami lost CB Logan Ryan to the Jaguars, and they didn't replace him however some argue that they didn't need to with Byron Jones and Xavien Howard already there. Tua Tagovailoa makes his sophomore debut with hopefully more success in the tank. Tua threw 30 interceptions last season to only 21 touchdowns, and it doesn't look great, but that's pretty much an average season here for a QB. I expect Miami to be more that 3-8 team in the 2nd half, than that 4-1 team in the first. Expect some huge wins, but expect some disappointing losses. The Buffalo Bills round out the division and being predicted to finish in the basement. Last season they finished 3-13 and in last place, and we expect the same again this season. Coach Bill will need to improve his overall ability to make some headway in the MOF, especially in a division with Pettigrew. I do think he will eventually get it going, because the Bills have a very good team. The Bills were able to sign TE Jared Cook in the off-season and that will help out that pass game, they also signed Devonta Freeman to split carries with Devin Singletary. Look for Buffalo to be competitive, but just not consistent enough.
Biggest Off-Season Addition: LT Terron Armstead - CIN (96 Ovr)
Biggest Off-Season Subtraction: LE Calais Campbell - BAL (95 Ovr)
Best Draft Selection: WR Darrell Pinkney - PIT (77 Ovr)
The AFC North had some surprises last season. We saw MrWitness collapse at the end of the season to fall out of first place and barely make the playoffs. We saw Jfon's first season in Cincinnati fall short, and we saw Gouch surprise the MOF and take the division all together. This season I see things a little differently. The Cleveland Browns, as we mentioned before, collapsed down the stretch losing I believe 5 or 6 games in a row including the wild-card round. I think the Browns will clean that up this season and come out on top of the division. MrWitness is 3-time Super Bowl champion and I think he knows how to bounce back. I believe we will see more of Nick Chubb this season, who is rated a 92 overall, and only received 160 carries last season for 663 yards. Very disappointing. I expect bigger things out of the Browns and Witness this season. The rest of this division is going to be extremely competitive. Any of the remaining 3 teams could end up being in 2nd place, I do think whoever does end up in 2nd place, will sneak into the playoffs. The team I believe will jump ahead is Jfon's Bengals. The Bengals finished 5-10-1 last season, and after tying the Browns and Witness Week 1, a lot of experts thought the Bengals would be a tough out all season, that wasn't the case. The Bengals went out and added the best left tackle in the MOF, Terron Armstead, to protect Burrow and help with the run game. Speaking of Burrow, he finished last season with 25 TDs and 48 INTs, that will absolutely need to improve, and I think it will. The Bengals also lost A.J. Green but have some young talent at receiver. The Ravens, as I mentioned above, snuck around the Browns and won the division at 10-6 last season. There were times when Gouch looked like one of the top teams in the MOF last season, but he dropped 2 straight to end the season and his wild-card game as well. A lot of the success of this team revolves around Lamar Jackson. Jackson did not rush much at all last season, and I think that's more of Gouch being afraid to injure Lamar or fumble. This will have to change if the Ravens want to take the next step. Use his speed, use his skill set and run all over the field! The Ravens did have the biggest loss in the division when Calais Campbell retired, but they did sign Justin Houston to replace him. I also expect Patrick McQueen to build on his strong rookie season. The Steelers, or should we say Nostradamus GM, finished 8-8 last season. Disappointing for Coach DoubleD who has had a lot of success here in the MOF. Of course, DoubleD had the strongest player picked in the draft in the division with Darrell Pinkney. Expect Pinkney to become the next big receiver in the MOF when DoubleD is done with him. Right now i have the Steelers as the team on the outside looking in, in this division. Mainly because they do not have a Quarterback or a Running back that is rated higher than a 73. That just spells trouble when you're trying to compete in a strong division. He could surprise us all but Easton Stick and David McCall aren't the answer.
Biggest Off-Season Addition: WR DeAndre Hopkins - HOU (98 Ovr)
Biggest Off-Season Subtraction: HB Marlon Mack - IND (87 Ovr)
Best Draft Selection: LT Erick Kelly - JAX (74 Ovr)
The AFC South is another one of those divisions that is going to be super competitive. Any one of these teams could win this division, maybe with the exception of the Texans. Last season was a down season for BigDre, although he was caught moving in the first 4 games of the season. So technically he finished 6-5 after that. I believe we will see a rejuvenated Jaguars team this season and Dre will have his eyes on the division title. The Jaguars wound up grabbing the best player in the draft in their division, with LT Erick Kelly out of Miami. He will start immediately with the loss of Cam Robinson. Dre's focal point in the off-season was to improve that secondary, and he did, oh boy he did! CB Logan Ryan and CB Jason Verrett were both signed to go along with C.J. Henderson, Tre Herndon, and D.J. Hayden. Now, a very good secondary. The Jaguars have a lot of young talent and a lot of money to work with. They also signed HB Marlon Mack from the Colts, to split time with Leonard Fournette (who is still on the roster). Expect the Jaguars to win this division. Roclo's Titans fell short last season, in what could have been a playoff berth with just a simple win over the Texans in Week 17, they fell short and wound up staying home once again. Roclo has finished the last two seasons with the Titans, with a winning record but missed the post-season. I could see that happening once again. The Titans will battle for this division, there's no doubt about that, but it will all come down to the divisional games. The Titans didn't do too much in the off-season to improve the team. They lost some talent in Johnathan Joseph and Marcell Dareus, they did sign Gerald McCoy but that was about all they did. They didn't have a 1st round pick in the draft, so when their time came they decided to draft CB Tyrone Ramsay who they immediately regretted after Henry Burroughs went 2 picks later, and wound up looking like a stud. The Titans still have a good team, very good team and if they pound the rock with Derrick Henry they will win games. The decision last season to roll with Cole McDonald paid off, as he threw for 30 TDs and ran for over 500 yards as well. Roc's style is all about that run game, and if he can stick to that and limit the turnovers he will be a force. I still believe he will fall short in the division, but again, it's certainly a toss up. The Indianapolis Colts wound up winning the division last season at 10-6 and Trig looked great at times, but like the Browns in the north, the Colts fell apart at the end of the season losing their last two games. They did defeat the Chiefs in the wild-card round in overtime, but then got beat up by the Pats in the divisional round. I think the Colts were exposed a little bit in that game. If you can key on Jonathan Taylor (The MOF's leading rusher in Season 57) then you can really shut the door on the Colts. That is a very tall task though. With that offensive line, arguably the best in the league, and Jonathan Taylor, who is turning into the best RB in the league, it's hard to stop. The Colts let Brissett walk in the off-season, so now they are stuck without a QB. It looks like James Morgan will be the starter, but we're not exactly sure. The Colts will also be there at the end when the division is up for grabs, but I think with the lack of talent at QB they will be the team on the outside. The Houston Texans made quite possibly the biggest move of the off-season, re-acquiring WR DeAndre Hopkins from the Cardinals. They did give up J.J. Watt however, but the impact might be low since he's nearing the end of his career. Talente wise, the Texans can compete with anyone in the division. Watson at QB, Aaron Jones at HB, Hopkins and Fuller at WR. Their offense is great, but the defense is where the issue is. They had a hard time stopping anyone, let alone the teams inside the South. The Texans were able to keep the Titans out of the post-season in Week 17 last season, but that was the only bright spot of the season, as they finished 5-11. I do not expect much more than them this season as you see I predicted them at 3-13. This division is going to be hard, Bengalsonly has proved that he can make the playoffs in this league, but he is really going to have to fight hard to do it this season.
Biggest Off-Season Addition: ROLB Demario Davis - LAC (83 Ovr)
Biggest Off-Season Subtraction: ROLB Melvin Ingram III - LAC (88 Ovr)
Best Draft Selection: WR Larry Burley - LV (77 Ovr)
The AFC West was exactly what we thought it'd be last season. The best division in the league. 14-2, 13-13, and 11-5 for the top three teams and all made it into the playoffs. Of course only of those teams won it all, the Denver Broncos and Coach Knightnoles. We have been talking up Knight's time here and it has been history making to say the least. 3 seasons, 3 SB appearances and 2 championships. Can't get much better than that. We expect Knight to be right there once again when this season ends, as I am predicting another division title and 1st round bye. It doesn't really matter who is on Knight's roster, when you have mastered the game as well as he has, he can play with any player, any team, and win 10+ games. Denver did not do much in the off-season, not that he had to. Lock will still be the starting QB, Lindsay at HB, and their young receivers Sutton, Jeudy, and Halmer. Don't forget Noah Fant! The Broncos and Knight are the top tier, and he will be tough to knock off. If anyone can though, it could be the Kansas City Chiefs. Coach Enzo finished the season 13-3 and almost finished 14-2 if he didn't lay down for Coach MackDaddy in Week 17. Last season Enzo was beat up by the Broncos, 41-28 and 51-21. This season he is looking to settle that score. The Chiefs might not win the division, but they will definitely be in the post-season. Mahomes, Hill, Hardman, Kelce and Damien Williams make up one of, if not, the most talented offense in the MOF. The linebackers and secondary could definitely use some work, but with defending defensive MVP Tyrann Mathieu out there, he can turn a lot of guys into stars. Chiefs will be a top team. The Los Angeles Chargers and MackDaddy was quieted down last season by, you guessed it, Knightnoles. The Chargers lost 2 regular season games to him, and another in the playoffs. Mack's record against everyone else 12-3, his record against Knight 0-3. That will have to change, and change quick. The games were as close as you can get with Knight last season, losing 28-24, 30-27 and 30-24. Those games could have easily gone either way. The Chargers and Mack lost Rivers in the off-season but they signed Ben Roethlisberger. I don't see Ben starting, so i think it will be Herbert time even though his accuracy really isn't on par with what Mack is expecting. The trade that brought in Stefon Diggs for Keenan Allen has paid off, and will continue to pay off again this season. I think the Chargers, of course, have a great shot at winning the division because i mean how many more times can he lose to Knight without winning at least 1? It will be fun to see, but I expect the Chargers to be right there as well as a playoff team. The Las Vegas Raiders are sitting on the tracks with three trains coming in every single direction at them. They are in one of the best divisions we have seen in recent memory, and there's no getting out. I give TheBigMaine all the credit in the world, to hang in there and compete with these behemoths but the truth is the Raiders will be lucky to win more than 1 game this season. Brutal schedule to say the least. They did however, draft one of the best players in the draft in Larry Burley. Burley and Ruggs will be a real fun combination to watch, and we are all rooting for the Raiders to steal one from the big 3, that would be a hell of an accomplishment.
Biggest Off-Season Addition: TE Zach Ertz - WAS (91 Ovr)
Biggest Off-Season Subtraction: HB Saquon Barkley - NYG (96 Ovr)
Best Draft Selection: HB Matt Jones - DAL (78 Ovr)
The NFC East was sort of a surprise last season, I did not see the Giants and Eagles both playing as well as they did. So much so that Betts did not win the division! He still finished 12-4 though and made it to the NFC title game, naturally. The Washington Football Team is currently my favorite to walk away with this division this season, walk away? Yes! I expect Washington to have a really big season out of Bryce Love and Antonio Gibson. Look out for Steven Sims to also have a breakout season. The WFT acquired C.J. Mosley in the off-season to make up for Reuben Foster's departure, and I think it was an upgrade. He also traded for TE Zach Ertz, in a huge move. Betts knows his team inside and out, and when you have that kind of chemistry, you are very hard to beat. Washington got hot at the end of the season, and I think it will carry over to this season. The New York Football Giants surprised the MOF and won the division last season at 13-3 even after being predicted to go 7-9. It looks like Estrada is all in and playing well with these Giants. We all know Estrada likes to trade, as he had about 15 different Quarterbacks last edition in 3 seasons, but he went ahead and traded Saquon Barkley to the 49ers for Fred Warner and Kwon Alexander, in a questionable move at best. He was able to replace Barkley with Breida, and hopefully he doesn't miss a beat. I do expect a little bit of a come down from the G-men this season. Despite what he thinks, Breida is not Barkley and it will show here and there. I still expect the Giants to be a playoff team and fight for the division, but I smell a fall back season coming. The Philadelphia Eagles and Coach AssuredFame burst onto the scene last season and took over the Eagles mid-season when they were 5-2. AssuredFame finished the season 5-4 and earned a trip to the post-season. In the wild-card round he defeated the Rams and went on to lose to the Packers, in a good game. Coach AssuredFame is battle tested already in his young MOF career, and there's no teaching experience. I do, however, think the Eagles are also due for a step back. I think we will see more of that 5-4 record and the Eagles will flirt with .500 all season long. The Eagles biggest signing was the ageless wonder A.J. Green, who will give them a solid season or two. They did lose Brandon Graham, Nickell Robey-Coleman, and Marquise Goodwin though, very tough losses to say the least. Last but not least are your Dallas Cowboys and Coach Texmexgalvan. Coach Tex had a tough Season 57, finishing 5-11 and in last place in the East. He did have some nice wins, including a sim win over the Giants in Week 17, but more or less he had a tough season. The Cowboys also were not active at all in the off-season. Losing Everson Griffin, Sean Lee, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Tyrone Crawford, and Michael Gallup (Trade). Their biggest move was drafting HB Matt Jones out of Wisconsin, which struck some questions inside the organization. Why would you draft a HB in the 1st round when you have Elliot? Maybe a move is on the way. Anyway, the activity level needs to be there especially in this division. If Tex isn't all here, he will have another tough season. Either way, i think the season will be tough. Maybe it's time to start thinking about trading off some assets and rebuilding?
Biggest Off-Season Addition: WR Allen Robinson II - MIN (89 Ovr)
Biggest Off-Season Subtraction: WR Allen Robinson II - CHI (89 Ovr)
Best Draft Selection: DT Sean Vaughn - DET (77 Ovr)
The NFC North was one of, if not the worst division in the history of the MOF. Hicks went 16-0, yes undefeated! The rest of the division? 8-40. In fact, I don't think we've ever seen a 13 game lead in any division,, in MOF history. The Packers had everything going right last season, every single thing! Clearly. You do not go 16-0 here without everything falling your way. Hicks almost did it, he almost became the 3rd coach to have a complete undefeated season. Instead he was beat in the Super Bowl by the Broncos and Knightnoles. 18-1 is a pretty damn good season though, and it's something to be proud of. I expect a lot of the same from Hicks this season. As long as he has Aaron Rodgers, he will win a lot of games. Although Rodgers is getting up there in age, his attributes didn't really diminish too much. Last season Rodgers threw for 5,347 yards and 55 Touchdowns. Both numbers landed him in the top 10 all-time in those categories. There's no doubt in my mind that Hicks will win this division, by a landslide, once again, I'll bet every dollar I got! The Minnesota Vikings were nothing short of a complete disaster in Season 57. I predicted them to go 8-8 with a playoff berth, instead they went 3-13 with two losses to the Lions. Krayzie is better than this! What is going on? Dalvin Cook!? C'mon? Unfortunately what I saw last season, does not make me too hopeful for this season for the Vikings. They did sign away Allen Robinson from the Bears but they still have Kirk Cousins throwing the ball (54 interceptions). The bright spot is, that i really like their offense, he will just need to stop turning the ball over so much and maybe they can win more than 6 games, but that's what I am predicting. Remo's Chicago Bears had another tough season going 2-14 with wins over the Lions and the Vikings. I see the same type of fate this season. They lost Allen Robinson, inside the division no less, and they did not replace him with anything valuable. Their receivers are depleted but they do have Latavius Murray and David Montgomery.. who? Nick Foles or Andy Dalton at QB.. who? The offense is not very good, the defense will have to carry these Bears if they want to win more than 2 or 3 games. I know Remo can do it, but will he? The Detroit Lions had themselves an awful Season 57, going 3-13 as well. They defeated the Vikings twice, and the Bears once and lost every other game. Coach Hova has talent, he just needs to focus up. Detroit signed Sammy Watkins in the off-season to go along with Golladay, Alshon Jeffery, and Josh Gordon. Very good receivers. They have 6 runningbacks and Kerryon Johnson looks to be the front runner to get most of the carries. Sean Vaughn looks to be a beast, with the 4th pick overall, so let's see how he can develop. I don't see much from Detroit here, another tough season.
Biggest Off-Season Addition: MLB Alexander Johnson - TB (80 Ovr)
Biggest Off-Season Subtraction: QB Drew Brees - NO (93 Ovr)
Best Draft Selection: LOLB Keon Douglas - TB (73 Ovr)
The NFC South had itself a new division champ, CoachQKP35's Saints overtook the Falcons and BigReg. The South was supposed to be all about that Jfon, Dpanther, BigReg rivalry, but Jfon was pushed out of Tampa. The rivalries still continue though, but it's more of a Q vs Reg type of deal. Speaking of which, the Saints come into the season with a new QB, Jameis Winston, who flirted with free-agency and had some contract disputes with CoachQ finally agreed to come back and start for the Saints, following the departure of Drew Brees. The Saints also went out and traded for Raheem Mostert who you will see in a lot of split back formations. Alvin Kamara had a historic season with 96 catches and was a dual threat all season. I expect more of the same from these Saints this season. Coach Q has the mojo working for these guys and I really like the addition of Mostert to the run game. I expect the Saints to be division champs once again, until I am proven otherwise. The Atlanta Falcons. Coach BigReg finished 2nd and missed the playoffs for the first time since Season 53. The last time we told Reg he was washed up was in the Season 54 predictions, what did he do to answer that? Just win 3 straight division titles. So here we are again, at a crossroads. Will Reg turn it around and take back what was once his? Or will he flutter out and watch Q hoist up that division title once again? The offense will be there for Reg, there's no question. Ryan is getting older and this could be his last season, but Jones, Ridley, Gurley and Ito Smith gives you a lot of weapons. They really didn't do too much in the off-season, but I do expect the Falcons to fight for the division and for a playoff spot. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Powers were a disappointment last season, finishing 6-10 and out of the playoffs. However, they did not go out without a bang. Tom Brady had himself one of the best seasons (if you don't count the interceptions) in recent memory with 5,927 yards and 48 touchdowns. The Buccaneers however, couldn't stop a wet tissue on defense. Ranking dead last in yards given up per game. Obviously they will need to limit the turnovers, with the 44 year old Brady, and start stopping offenses. I think we will see some improvements, but not enough as the Buccaneers are still rated the 3rd best team in the division, in my eyes. The Carolina Panthers and Coach Dpanther had themselves another tough season at 4-12 last season. The bright spot was Christian McCaffrey who caught 109 balls for 828 yards, in addition to his 1,482 yards rushing. Extremely productive season. However, it was the play of Teddy Bridgewater that held them back with only 14 TDs to 37 INTs. We say this every season, but we are waiting for the day that Dpanther turns it around and wins 10 games , we are really hoping it is this season! He has McCaffrey, just limit those turnovers and you will win!
Biggest Off-Season Addition: LE J.J. Watt - ARI (97 Ovr)
Biggest Off-Season Subtraction: WR DeAndre Hopkins - ARI (98 Ovr)
Best Draft Selection: RE Doug Murray - ARI (77 Ovr)
The NFC West was an interesting ride last season. We saw the two hall of fame veterans, Coach Healy and the Commish wind up in the cellar and the new comer Showkiller take control! It was a very competitive division to say the least, even though it did not look that way in the standings. The Seattle Seahawks won the division, Coach Mindenplaya was consistent all season. Russell Wilson was a dominant QB, with great deep ball skills to D.K. Metcalf who also had a great season. I expect more of the same from the Seahawks who didn't really change much in the off-season at all. Bobby Wagner and Jamal Adams are both back and thumping you all over the field. I think the Seahawks will be a playoff team once again, and I don't really see them losing this division. The 49ers and the Commish had himself a tough season. Jimmy G's interceptions were the biggest problem, as he threw 54 of them. There were internal talks about Garoppolo being released, but they decided to stick with him for another season hoping things improved. The 49ers had a very busy off-season. They traded for Saquon Barkley which was a mega move, and they dealt Fred Warner and Kwon Alexander away in the deal. They replaced them with Avery Williamson, Nigel Bradham, and Matthew Judon. They also drafted a superstar in George Green at SS. Richard Sherman was moved to FS too. The 49ers gave away about 5 or 6 leads last season so I think if they can turn half of those into wins, they are a playoff team. I expect them to turn it around, now that Barkley is here! The Los Angeles Rams had a wonderful Season 57, winning the NFC West and developing Cam Akers into a great runningback. The Rams lost Andrew Whitworth and Terrell Suggs to retirement, and it always hurts losing offensive lineman. I think the Rams still have what it takes to get to the playoffs and win this division again, but I believe lady luck turns her cold shoulder sometimes, and it might be on the other hand for this season. The Arizona Cardinals were one of the biggest disappointments of season 57. We expected huge things from the Cardinals, including a playoff berth. However they busted and finished 5-11. Kyler Murray had a tough season throwing 38 interceptions. They also never really got a consistent running game going, which really hurt their offense. They went ahead and signed Kenyan Drake to take over the reigns, and hopefully give them a solid rushing attack. They also traded away DeAndre Hopkins but they got Brandin Cooks and JJ Watt in return. A move that i think made them better. They also drafted DE Doug Murray, who was clearly the best in the division. This defensive line is one of the best in the league and will be a problem for oppositions. I just think the Cardinals are in a tough division, they could easily win it, or they could go 6-10... I am predicting somewhere in the middle for these guys this season.