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 58 seasons later here we are. One of the most prestigious leagues out there. As we enter our 59th 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 59 Predictions! Season 58 was filled with great action and great playoff games. We saw yet another multi-overtime game in the playoffs as the eventual champion Broncos slipped by the Browns 20-17. We saw Coach Betts miss the playoffs for the 2nd time in 8 seasons, and we also saw another team go undefeated only to lose in the playoffs. When all the dust settled and smoke cleared, we saw the same two coaches in the final game with the same result. Coach KnightNoles won his 2nd straight Super Bowl with the Broncos, and 3rd straight overall dating back to last edition. We are in the middle of his dynasty now the question is, can anyone knock him off? And if someone can, who can it be? All this and more will be answered, as we go through our Season 59 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
December 21, 2020
Biggest Off-Season Addition: LB Devin White - NYJ (90 ovr)
Biggest Off-Season Subtraction: LB Chandler Jones - MIA (89 ovr)
Best Draft Selection: DT Dell Amos - MIA (76 ovr)
This AFC East was taken over last season by the New York Jets and SonGoku. He went 13-3, only to fall in the wild-card round by his division rival Patriots. The real question is going to be, can the Jets and Goku create some consistency? We begin with the New England Patriots. This team had high hopes entering the season and they still finished 11-5 and even won a playoff game, but were then bounced by the Broncos as the real weaknesses started to show. The Patriots did not have a passing attack. So what did they do? They went out and traded for Baker Mayfield. Instant upgrade, and solves the problem of the pass game. Now the Patriots are multi-dimensional and should be able to compete with the top teams in the MOF. I do see them competing for this division with the Jets, it should be a fun race to watch all season long. Speaking of the Jets, they had themselves a fantastic Season 58 going 13-3 and winning the division. Of course, like we mentioned before, they were dropped in the wild-card round by the Patriots, so revenge is definitely on the menu for this season. The Jets improved what was already a dynamic defense by trading for Devin White (90 overall), combined with Blake Cashman and the user skills of Coach SonGoku, these guys are going to be intercepting a lot of balls. Of course there was a price to pay, as the Jets traded away Sam Darnold and signed the ageless Tom Brady to take over at the helm. That really shouldn't be a problem as Goku passed for 48 TDs last season with Darnold, I expect similar numbers out of Brady. The Miami Dolphins were an up and down squad last season, looking very good at times, and then looking very bad. Consistency is key, and they for sure did not have any of that. Tua threw for 26 TDs and 30 INTs last season, and normally you would say that's not very good, but if you look at the rest of the league, this is better than average. The Dolphins have some nice young players in Josh Pryor and Terron Truman, if they can keep developing, Miami could be a sleeper team to watch. The problem is this conference is absolutely LOADED at the top and it will take a herculean effort to sneak in as a wild-card. They need to hope the Jets or Pats slip up so they can jump them. The Buffalo Bills had a tough Season 58, winning only 2 games all season. We saw one of the worst QB seasons ever in the MOF as Josh Allen threw 58 interceptions to only 8 TDs. We know this division is extremely tough, so i do not expect much more out of Coach Bill this season. Just hang in there, take your lumps and get better. The only way to get better is to play the best, and that's what you are doing my friend. Along with Josh Allen, the Bills still have one of the better young cores in the MOF. We really like 2nd year star David Beverly at RB with his 96 speed. That is something to build around, and we hope he can turn things around in Buffalo.
Biggest Off-Season Addition: QB Deshaun Watson - PIT (90 ovr)
Biggest Off-Season Subtraction: LB Devin Bush - PIT (86 ovr)
Best Draft Selection: CB Gordon Morris - PIT (79 ovr)
The AFC North was a fun division last season, we saw the Bengals really make a push towards the post-season only to lose 4 in a row and fall out of the wild-card race all together. We saw the Browns bounce back from a tough ending to Season 57 with a strong 12-4 record. We saw the Ravens and Coach Gouch take a massive step backwards and even pulling x-factor QB Lamar Jackson in Week 17's loss to the Lions. Then we saw the Steelers, who started 2-7 finish the season 6-10, and that's where we begin. The Steelers are showing up on a lot of experts radar this season as they drastically improved their team. We already know that Coach DoubleD is a fantastic GM and always hits in the draft but now he's starting to make Betts' like moves to improve his team. The Steelers traded for QB Deshaun Watson and became an instant contender in the AFC. They also went ahead and drafted CB Gordon Morris with the 2nd overall pick. In addition to that, they are still developing HB David McCall and WR Darrell Pinkney who are both becoming the corner stones of that offense. They did have to part ways with Devin Bush, but the return was worth it. I expect the Steelers to have a tremendous season and compete for this division. The Browns come into this season as a slight underdog in the division. That is combing the fact that they lost QB Baker Mayfield and Coach DoubleD is loaded. Some say they did not lose much, if anything at all because they replaced Mayfield with Derek Carr. The highly sought after QB signed a 4 year 95 million dollar contract, and that was after the Browns said they didn't want to pay Baker, ouch. Anyway, the Browns are going to be one of those teams who wins 11, 12 games and quite possibly misses the playoffs. As crazy at it sounds, the AFC is loaded, like we mentioned, at the top and a team is going to end up winning that many games and missing. Coach Jfon's Bengals looked like the real deal three quarters through Season 58. They were 8-2 heading into their Week 12 match-up against Denver. They were beaten 38-24 and then all hell broke loose. The Bengals dropped 5 of their last 6 games and lost their division lead and wild-card spot. I think Coach Jfon has learned from that collapse, and you better believe he wont let that happen again. The problem is, he won't be able to get into that position again. The division is getting better, the Steelers are becoming a juggernaut, the Browns are already a juggernaut and the Ravens are a sneak team that can beat anyone at any moment. The Bengals will have their work cut out for them, which is why an 8-8 season is more than likely. Which takes us to the Ravens, one of the most disappointing stories of Season 58. The end of Season 57, the Ravens were division winners at 10-6 and competing with Coach Mack's Chargers, eventually losing by a touchdown in the playoffs. Fast forward to Season 58 and they are 5-11 and in last place in the division. What happened? Tougher schedule, yes, opponents getting used to the game, yes. But the biggest part of what happened was Lamar Jackson's 42 interceptions and only 213 yards rushing. Those numbers absolutely need to improve if these guys want to compete. Lamar is a running QB, you must use him in that way. That's how this team is built! I expect Gouch to have a better season, but this division is too competitive for the Ravens to be any better than .500.
Biggest Off-Season Addition: LT Ryan Ramczyk - HOU (94 ovr)
Biggest Off-Season Subtraction: QB Deshaun Watson - HOU (90 ovr)
Best Draft Selection: LB Gerald Mann - IND (74 ovr)
The AFC South was dominated, purely dominated, by Coach BigDre's Jaguars last season. He went 14-2 and won the division by 7 games. We saw a drop in production from the Colts who were in the playoffs in Season 57, and the Titans who had a tough season 57. The Texans wound up playing very well at the end of the season, but still was not even close to enough to compete with the Jags. BigDre's Jaguars will be the favorite once again entering Season 59. There was no big moves of significance by the Jaguars, but we do know their schedule is going to be much much tougher. So i do not see a 14-2 repeat season. Dre has been playing very well with Minshew, with what he is, Dre has been more than serviceable with him. DJ Chark is mostly the reason. The 25 year old enters this season with 94 speed and 93 accel, that's going to be tough to cover. Dre's defense is also one of the best in the MOF and he will be a force once again. Dre's future will be in his own hands, this is his division to win or lose, we will wait and see how he does. The Tennessee Titans and Coach MrRoclo enter this season off a brutal Season 58. Roc started the season 0-8 and we were talking about a possible 0-16 season out of him, but he wound up bouncing back and finishing the season 5-3. I expect more of the latter this upcoming season. I think the schedule isn't as bad, and some things will bounce his way this season. Derrick Henry is back once again as well as Cole McDonald. If he can get that option game going once again, Roc will be right there battling Dre for the division. As far as what we predict? I don't think the Titans are on the same level as the Jaguars coming into this season, that doesn't mean he can't beat him, it just means that consistency wise, the Jaguars are the better team. The Houston Texans surprised everyone when they dealt Deshaun Watson to the Steelers for Devin Bush. Some think this was a terrible trade since great QBs are so far and few between. They replaced Watson with Mitchell Trubisky, which is a very big drop in quality. The Texans also made a deal for LT Ryan Ramczyk which is a big upgrade on their line, however it won't make much of a difference when you have teams stacking the box forcing you to pass with Trubisky. I wish the Texans the best, but i think we will see these guys drop off because of the simple move of Watson to the Steelers. The Colts enter the season with one of the best players in the MOF, Jonathan Taylor. Back to back MVP awards and a total of 4,187 rushing yards in the last 2 seasons, wow. As great as Taylor is, is as bad as his pass game is. The Colts are still having some problems finding a quarterback, last season they dealt for Jalen Hurts and he hasn't really been what they expected as you see Jacob Eason coming in to spell Hurts here and there. If they can just figure out that pass game, they will easily win 10+ games again and be a force in this division. However, I still think they are a season away from getting their QB of the future. They might have to start dangling some talent to try and lure someone in with a trade. Either way, right now the Colts are going to be fighting to get out of the basement of the division.
Biggest Off-Season Addition: SS Tyrann Mathieu - DEN (94 ovr)
Biggest Off-Season Subtraction: SS Tyrann Mathieu - KC (94 ovr)
Best Draft Selection: DT Mario Stanton - LAC (72 ovr)
The AFC West again was a dominant division, like we figured it would be. We had the same three teams make the playoffs once again, the Broncos, Chiefs, and Chargers as they proved that they are the creme of the crop when it comes to the AFC's top teams. However, it was the Broncos once again proving that they are the team to beat as they won their 2nd Super bowl in a row (3rd in a row for Knight) as the rest of the division and league try to keep up with him. The Broncos come into the season with one of the biggest additions, if not THE biggest addition in Strong Safety Tyrann Mathieu, and boy was he paid! 4 years and $140.8m. Most will say, like he really needed it. Now, along with Simmons, these guys have the best safety tandem in all of the MOF. The Broncos will make the playoffs, there's no doubt in my mind, the question will just be, will they win the division? You could literally simulate 100 seasons and the Broncos, Chiefs, and Chargers will prob have the same amount of division title wins amongst them. Speaking of the Chargers, Coach Mack is coming into this season with his eyes all over Knight. Knight has beaten him 6 straight times including 2 times in the playoffs, and justice must be restored. Mack is one of those coaches who will get better and better the deeper we go into this edition. The Chargers were actually close to missing the post-season all together last season, but with the help of Jfon's collapse, and the Chargers getting hot they were able to get back in. Again, the Chargers will be there, it's just a matter of seeding. The Chiefs and Enzo won the AFC West last season at 13-3, and were given an exit stage left in the 1st round by Mack's Chargers. Some say he made a huge mistake by sitting his players Week 17 when he could've went for the #1 seed in all of the AFC. I assure you he will not make that mistake again if he has the opportunity this season. The Chiefs lost x-factor super star Tyrann Mathieu, in what couldn't be a more worse situation, to the Broncos. However, they must ignore that and focus on their game. Their offense is still arguably the best in the MOF and if you have Patrick Mahomes, anything is possible. I see the Chiefs as the 3rd place team in this division, but not by much. So if anyone was in jeopardy of missing the playoffs with 11 or 12 wins, it would be them. I really don't see that happening, but pay attention to the games vs the Browns and Patriots, those will be huge. The Las Vegas Raiders enter the season with a new coach, Coach Dougalicious. Coach Doug replaced BigMaine last season, and finished 0-7. He has a lot of work to do, especially in this division, which could be the greatest ever assembled. The Raiders lost all of their quarterbacks in the off-season, and then Jameis Winston refused to sign with them, going to San Francisco, provoking the Raiders to draft every single QB in the draft. The best QB on their roster right now is James Morgan, who? Yea it will not be a pretty season for the Raiders. They really are going to have to make a huge deal to get in a QB. Josh Jacobs i hear is on the block, but they might have to shop Henry Ruggs too.
Biggest Off-Season Addition: LB Darius Leonard - NYG (87 ovr)
Biggest Off-Season Subtraction: DT Damon Harrison Sr. - NYG (82 ovr)
Best Draft Selection: LB Jarez Dillon - DAL (76 ovr)
The NFC East was taken over by Coach Estrada for the 2nd straight season, and it's safe to say that he is the new king of the east. Not only did Estrada win the division, he went undefeated in the process. To go 16-0 is one of the most impressive things you can do, so hats off to Estrada for that feat. Speaking of which, the Giants come into the season as the favorites to win the division once again. They will have a healthy Matt Breida from day 1, and they also signed LB Darius Leonard to team up with the rest of the superstars they have on D. Talent wise, the Giants are very very good. Combine that with the skill of Estrada and there's no question they will be a favorite to get out of the NFC. The issue with them is that they are falling short in the playoffs. Let's see if they can take the next step. The Washington Football Team and Coach Betts missed the post-season for only the 2nd time in the last 8 seasons. Betts had a tough season on defense, as they were unable to stop the pass. Their offense though, was very good. Haskins threw more TDs than interceptions, and Bryce Love rushed for 1,835 yards and 20 TDs. If Washington can sure up his defense, and we think he can, he will be right back in the thick of the NFC top tier giving the Giants all they can handle. The Philadelphia Eagles come into the season in turmoil. They've had 3 coaches in 2 seasons and they are turning into that 1 team that always seems to have a revolving door. Next coach up is Boobie_MTZ7. The last time Coach Boobie was here was Season 56 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He went 3-13 and had a tough season. Now he takes over a pretty decent squad in the Eagles, along with Carson Wentz and Miles Sanders the Eagles have one more the more balanced teams on offense and defense. TJ Watt and Darius Slay are both incredible players on the defensive side of the ball. The only problem i see here is the division they are in. The Giants and the Football Team of Washington are going to be the two teams to beat here and we know anything can happen, but with Boobie's 1 season here and the division hes in, we don't expect too much out of the Eagles in Season 59. The Dallas Cowboys were a disappointing 3-13 last season and that's with having an incredible roster. Their offensive line is still fantastic, Dak Prescott has great ratings, and Zeke is one of the best RBs in the MOF. So what is the problem? We can't really pinpoint it, but with the draft of Jarez Dillon at OLB the Cowboys have one of the better line-backing units in all of the league as well. To not win double digits with these guys is a travesty. Unfortunately I do not see the Cowboys making any noise this season, they will be in some games, but I don't see a much different result than last season.
Biggest Off-Season Addition: RE Dante Fowler Jr. - MIN (84 ovr)
Biggest Off-Season Subtraction: QB Aaron Rodgers - GB (85 ovr)
Best Draft Selection: LT Shane Barker - CHI (78 ovr)
The NFC North was a little more competitive in Season 58 than it was in Season 57. The Packers , who went undefeated in Season 57, were 11-5 last season as the Vikings were on their tail at 9-7. Even though the Packers were 11-5, 5 games worse than a season ago, they still made it back to the Super Bowl only to lose to the Broncos again, but the fact is that they made it once again. Now this season they enter without Aaron Rodgers, what? Yep, they traded Aaron Rodgers to the Saints and will be going with Jordan Love. They also released Duke Johnson, but replaced him with Melvin Gordon and drafted James Carruthers who a lot of experts are high on. We all know Love is not Rodgers, and Coach Hicks is going to struggle with that a little bit, I do not think it will be enough of a struggle to relinquish the division title but they definitely will have their bumps on their road to their 3rd straight division title. The Vikings were a nice surprise last season, finishing 9-7 and making the playoffs. They were also able to have the best signing of free-agency in the NFC North when they grabbed defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. The problem with the Vikings will be at quarterback. They let go of veteran Kirk Cousins for the services of Cam Newton, and I do not think they are too happy about it. Cam was on 4 different teams last season, so he's hearing a lot of "hang it up" in his ear. The Vikings also have Dalvin Cook, who will be the main focal point of their offense, and he should be. I expect the Vikings to fight for a wild-card spot, and if the Packers struggle with Love at QB, we could even see the Vikes take over the division. The Chicago Bears and Coach Remo357 went 6-10 last season and that was much better than a lot of experts thought he'd do. The Bears won some very nice games, including a win over Jfon's Bengals and DoubleD's Steelers. As we know the NFC is not as strong as the AFC and an 8-8 record might get you into the dance. Could the Bears go 8-8 and get into the playoffs? It's possible, I mean they have to go 2 games better than they did last season. It doesn't sound like a lot. The Bears are improving. They drafted LT Shane Barker to protect Teddy Bridgewater, who they acquired last season. They need to get Brian Gaither more involved in the offense, and they will be a lot more dynamic. The Detroit Lions were one of the worst teams in the MOF last season, earning the 2nd overall pick in the draft. Unfortunately they did not do much to improve their situation in the off-season. They drafted RG Avery Williams and LE Quincy Patterson, and both players should start. However they just do not have enough talent team or user, to compete. I expect a tough season from Detroit, however if Hova can really focus, he can win some games. As we saw him defeat Seattle last season.
Biggest Off-Season Addition: WR Mike Evans - NO (94 ovr)
Biggest Off-Season Subtraction: WR Mike Evans - TB (94 ovr)
Best Draft Selection: WR Evan Platt - TB (72 ovr)
All was right once again with the MOF world as BigReg and the Falcons were able to re-capture the NFC South with their 11-5 season. The Saints and Coach Q had himself a poor season, but a strong finish. We did see Coach Powers make the playoffs with the Buccaneers, in what was a very nice offensive season out of him. Last but not least, we saw Coach Dpanther95, in his final MOF season finish 4-12. I am going to start with the Saints here because I believe they are one of the most improved teams entering Season 59. Some will say, yeah but they lost one of the best LT's in the game, and failed to replace. Yes, but they made a trade for Aaron Rodgers AFTER they made a trade for Mike Evans. Wow. Just take a look at this offense. Aaron Rodgers, Alvin Kamara, Mike Evans, Michael Thomas. Whoa. These guys should light up scoreboards around the MOF. I expect them to win this division in what will be a battle with the Falcons and Coach BigReg. Speaking of Coach Reg, every time we predict him to miss the playoffs or not win this division he proves us wrong, let's see if he can do it again. With a tough schedule, and a better Saints squad I have the Falcons finishing 2nd this season, but still earning a playoff berth. Matt Ryan is a year older, Julio is a year older, Todd Gurley is a year older, but they do have Deon Hicks waiting in the wings. The Falcons and Reg still know how to win, so you can't really bet against him, well you can, but you usually will lose that bet. Like I said, I expect the Falcons to finish 2nd but it will be a great fight. The Carolina Panthers said goodbye to long time coach Dpanther95, as he announced his retirement at the end of Season 58. So enter MOF Hall of Fame coach Youngcat21 to the helm! It's been a long time since we've seen Youngcat here in the MOF, and even he admits that he has some rust to shake off. However that did not stop him from being one of the most active GM's of the off-season, improving almost everywhere on his team, especially at Quarterback where he landed Jimmy Garoppolo away from the 49ers. I expect the rust to be thick here for Youngcat, taking him maybe 7 or 8 weeks to really get back into the fold. Once that happens, he might already have a tough hill to climb but i expect a very bright future out of the Panthers and Youngcat. The Buccaneers and Coach Powers made a playoff appearance last season finishing 9-7 and having one of the better offenses in the game. Now, enter Season 59. No Tom Brady, no Mike Evans. He replaced them with Sam Darnold and ... Evan Platt? I'm not too high on those two replacements, but Powers always does find a way to score points. This division is interesting, because I do have the Bucs finishing last , but they could very well finish 2nd and get back into the playoffs too. It just depends how that cookie will crumble.
Biggest Off-Season Addition: HB Le'Veon Bell - LAR (85 ovr)
Biggest Off-Season Subtraction: WR Robert Woods - LAR (85 ovr)
Best Draft Selection: DT Leon Darby - SF (79 ovr)
The NFC West for the 2nd straight season was the closest divisional race from top to bottom. You had the Rams winning the division at 9-6-1, the Cards at 9-7, the 49ers at 8-8 and then the Seahawks at 7-9. Every single one of these teams had the division lead for at least 2 weeks during the season. That's competition if I've ever heard it before. We start with the two-time defending NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams. Not much has changed for the Rams as they continue to do just enough more than the rest of these teams to win the division. They did lose Robert Woods to free-agency signed Valdes-Scantling away from the Packers. Cam Akers continues to be one of the best backs in the MOF, and with the addition of James White and Le'Veon Bell they have more than enough insurance. The Rams are my favorite to win this division once again, but it won't be by more than a game. We might even see a 2 or 3-way tie for first with tie breakers being the determining factor. The Arizona Cardinals and Coach Canesbucs are coming off a very solid Season 58, including a playoff victory and they probably should have beaten the Giants in the divisional round too but some mismanagement with the time cost them the game. Kyler Murray was 1 vote away from winning the MOF MVP award for the NFC but this season, I believe it will be a runaway for him. The Cardinals have one of the better defensive lines, with JJ Watt and Fletcher Cox even though they are getting older, they can still ball. The Cardinals traded away Andy Isabella in the offseason (thank God says the 49ers) but they still have speed demon Brandin Cooks. I expect the Cardinals to battle the Rams for this division, both getting into the playoffs as a result. The San Francisco 49ers and Commissioner Jeff come into this season off a disappointing 2-game losing streak in Season 58 which cost them the division. The 49ers made some big changes in the off-season as they decided to part ways with 2-time 50 interception thrower Jimmy Garoppolo and signed Jameis Winston instead. They also were able to select the top player in the entire draft with that pick they got from Carolina, in DT Leon Darby. They also went ahead and traded for MLB Jerome Baker who will make an immediate impact for Commish, as his user LB. The 49ers are in the same boat as the Rams and Cardinals, although I put them slightly below because of the poor QB play by the Commish. If he can limit the interceptions, and play sound defense, he could easily win this division. The Seattle Seahawks are coming off a surprising 7-9 season after he going 10-6 in Season 57. The Seahawks might have the most talent out of all of these teams led by 97 rated Russell Wilson, but he's not taking full advantage of that. The Seahawks can easily beat any team in this division, and they can do it more than once. Right now i have them in 4th place at 7-9 but again, this division could easily flip flop and Seattle could go 10-6. It's really going to be a fun division to watch this season.
Copyright © MOFleagues.com, 2003. This site is not recognized, sponsored, endorsed or affiliated with the National Football League (NFL), National Football League Players' Association (NFLPA), Sony Corporation, Playstation or EA Sports. All NFL team logos are registered trademarks of the NFL and their respective clubs.
