In April of last year, I wrote an article on this topic of predicting every team’s NFL record. Today, I am going to be making the same notion, but this time it being for the NFL’s 2020 season.
Before we get to that I’d thought I would show you how close or off I was when it came to the 2019 Predictions. Check it out.
| NFL Team | 2019 Actual Record | 2019 Prediction |
| Arizona Cardinals | (5-10-1) | (4-12) |
| Atlanta Falcons | (7-9) | (9-7) |
| Baltimore Ravens | (14-2) | (7-9) |
| Buffalo Bills | (10-6) | (6-10) |
| Carolina Panthers | (5-11) | (7-9) |
| Chicago Bears | (8-8) | (11-5) |
| Cincinnati Bengals | (2-14) | (5-11) |
| Cleveland Browns | (6-10) | (10-6) |
| Dallas Cowboys | (8-8) | (9-7) |
| Denver Broncos | (7-9) | (6-10) |
| Detroit Lions | (3-12-1) | (6-10) |
| Green Bay Packers | (13-3) | (9-7) |
| Houston Texans | (10-6) | (8-8) |
| Indianapolis Colts | (7-9) | (9-7) |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | (6-10) | (7-9) |
| Kansas City Chiefs | (12-4) | (10-6) |
| Las Vegas Raiders | (7-9) | (6-10) |
| Los Angeles Chargers | (5-11) | (9-7) |
| Los Angeles Rams | (9-7) | (12-4) |
| Miami Dolphins | (5-11) | (3-13) |
| Minnesota Vikings | (10-6) | (8-8) |
| New England Patriots | (12-4) | (11-5) |
| New Orleans Saints | (13-3) | (12-4) |
| New York Giants | (4-12) | (4-12) |
| New York Jets | (7-9) | (7-9) |
| Philadelphia Eagles | (9-7) | (8-8) |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | (8-8) | (9-7) |
| Seattle Seahawks | (11-5) | (8-8) |
| San Francisco 49ers | (13-3) | (9-7) |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | (7-9) | (6-10) |
| Tennessee Titans | (9-7) | (8-8) |
| Washington Redskins | (3-13) | (6-10) |
So while I only got two teams completely correct, I had ten other teams being only a game difference. In my mind, that is pretty good.
Enough of the past though because it is finally time to talk about the present. The official schedule for the season will be set to come out in the middle of April so while we don’t know when teams will face certain teams, we know who the actual opponents will be so let’s floor it and drive through this thing.
Arizona Cardinals (8-8)
Wins Against: 49ers, Dolphins, Giants, Jets, Lions, Panthers, Rams, and Seahawks
Losses Against: 49ers, Bills, Cowboys, Eagles, Patriots, Rams, Redskins, and Seahawks
When it comes down to it, Arizona surprised a lot of people with the success of Kyler Murray and the acquisition of Kenyan Drake. Now with a year under his belt, Coach Kingsbury should get some help in both offensive tackle and wide out positions for Murray. This should help them be better than they were last season and hopefully not finish last in the division.
Atlanta Falcons (11-5)
Wins Against: Bears, Broncos, Buccaneers, Chargers, Cowboys, Lions, Packers, Panthers (Twice), Raiders, and Saints
Losses Against: Buccaneers, Chiefs, Saints, Seahawks, and Vikings
I firmly believe this offense will get back on track in 2020. They suffered a ton of injuries once again and that hampered their season. Their defense also showed up near the end of the season, and while Matt Ryan wasn’t completely great, he was able to be creative with the young talent around him.
Baltimore Ravens (10-6)
Wins Against: Bengals (Twice), Browns, Colts, Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, Jaguars, Redskins, and Steelers
Losses Against: Browns, Chiefs, Patriots, Steelers, Texans, Titans
I feel like people that I have pure hatred for the Ravens and while that may be true, the bias was all put aside for this. While I do think Lamar is amazing athlete, there just seems to me like there may be a little downfall to the team this year. It won’t be incredibly bad, but something tells me they’ll take a dip.
Buffalo Bills (8-8)
Wins Against: Broncos, Cardinals, Chargers, Dolphins, Jets, Raiders, Rams, and Titans
Losses Against: 49ers, Chiefs, Dolphins, Jets, Patriots (Twice), Seahawks, and Steelers
Buffalo impressed the hell out of me last year. So while their schedule gets a little more intense, I am confident in the coaching and culture of that organization to get the job done and try to make another run for the big one. However, they will take a big dip in my honest opinion, but they still make the playoffs maybe in the wild card again.
Carolina Panthers (3-13)
Wins Against: Bears, Buccaneers, and Lions
Losses Against: Broncos, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Chargers, Chiefs, Falcons (Twice), Packers, Raiders, Redskins, Saints (Twice), and Vikings
Is there any other team in a more crap filled situation than Carolina? Ron Rivera is gone, Greg Olsen signed with Seattle, Luke Kuechly retired, and Cam Newton might be going elsewhere. Overall, this season will be very hard for the Panthers as they look to rebuild.
Chicago Bears (7-9)
Wins Against: Buccaneers, Colts, Jaguars, Lions (Twice), Rams, and Vikings
Losses Against: Falcons, Giants, Packers (Twice), Panthers, Saints, Texans, Titans and Vikings
Chicago is in a weird stance right now. The quarterback position is one that Coach Nagy is looking to keep under wraps with Trubisky. Will he actually do that? I doubt it. With names like Cam Newton and Derek Carr flying around concerning Chicago, things might be changing for Da Bears.
Cincinnati Bengals (6-10)
Wins Against: Browns, Dolphins, Eagles, Giants, Jaguars, and Redskins
Losses Against: Browns, Chargers, Colts, Cowboys, Ravens (Twice), Steelers (Twice), Texans, Titans
I firmly believe the Bengals are going to surprise a lot of people this season. it won’t be playoff bound, but it will certainly be better than a season a year ago with a 2-14 standing. It all really depends on which quarterback they get; Burrow or Tagovailoa, how they repair that defense, and resigning A.J. Green. If all that is done, then should have a decent 6-10 season.
Cleveland Browns (7-9)
Wins Against: Bengals, Jaguars, Jets, Raiders, Ravens, Redskins, and Titans
Losses Against: Bengals, Colts, Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, Ravens, Steelers (Twice), Texans
Cleveland will do Cleveland things again and somehow end up the third worst in the division ahead of the Bengals. This is a poor organization that just can’t seem to get it together and I doubt it starts now. Look for a nice 7-9 season ahead.
Dallas Cowboys (9-7)
Wins Against: Bengals, Browns, Cardinals, Eagles, Giants (Twice), Redskins, and Vikings
Losses Against: 49ers, Eagles, Falcons, Ravens, Redskins, Seahawks, and Steelers
The money will start falling somewhere in Dallas with so many big contracts to pay. This will be the year Dak proves to Dallas he is the guy and take his team to the playoffs with a won division. It will be ugly, but they will get there this year.
Denver Broncos (7-9)
Wins Against: Buccaneers, Chargers, Jets, Panthers, Raiders, Steelers, and Titans
Losses Against: Bills, Chargers, Chiefs (Twice), Dolphins, Falcons, Patriots, Raiders, and Saints
The World of Suck transformed immensely since the start of the season. They have their quarterback of the future, they have two nice weapons on offense and will probably draft another one, and they get Bradley Chubb back on the defense. This team is destined for big things in 2020.
Detroit Lions (3-13)
Wins Against: Jaguars, Panthers, and Vikings
Losses Against: Bears (Twice), Buccaneers, Cardinals, Colts, Falcons, Packers (Twice), Redskins, Saints, Texans, Titans, and Vikings
As you can see, I don’t have very much confidence that Detroit will get better under Matt Patricia. They still feel like they are in this rebuild phase and with talks that Detroit might move and take Tua, the true rebuilding still could start for their 2020 season.
Green Bay Packers (12-4)
Wins Against: Bears (Twice), Buccaneers, Colts, Eagles, Jaguars, Lions (Twice), Panthers, Saints, Texans, and Vikings
Losses Against: 49ers, Falcons, Titans, and Vikings
The Packers are team that I believe can move right back into playoff contention. In order to do that though, they have to get Aaron Rodgers another weapon to work with. This draft class holds a huge opportunity for them to do the right thing and make Aaron’s last few years great.
Houston Texans (10-6)
Wins Against: Bears, Bengals, Browns, Colts, Jaguars, Lions, Patriots, Ravens, and Titans (Twice)
Losses Against: Chiefs, Colts, Jaguars, Packers, Steelers, and Vikings
Indianapolis Colts (7-9)
Wins Against: Bengals, Browns, Jaguars, Lions, Texans, Titans, and Vikings
Losses Against: Bears, Jaguars, Jets, Packers, Raiders, Ravens, Steelers, Texans, and Titans
The Colts scare me a little bit because of their quarterback situation. I’m just a little concerned about the usage of Jacoby Brissett and who might be his replacement. Over than, that this team just has a couple tough games too often this season which is the reason they will fall behind early.
Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11)
Wins Against: Chargers, Colts, Steelers, Texans, and Titans
Losses Against: Bears, Bengals, Browns, Colts, Dolphins, Lions, Packers, Ravens, Texans, Titans, and Vikings
I said it last year towards the end of the 2019 season; This team gave up and it doesn’t care anymore. Now to start off 2020, you have a quarterback competition (which in my mind is one-sided), a stubborn culture that doesn’t want changed, and a depleted defensive unit. No thank you.
Kansas City Chiefs (13-3)
Wins Against: Bills, Broncos (Twice), Buccaneers, Chargers, Dolphins, Falcons, Jets, Panthers, Raiders (Twice), Ravens, and Texans
Losses Against: Chargers, Patriots, and Saints
The Chiefs will be the most complete team by the time the season starts. They are barely losing anyone, and they can keep adapting and making better plays to win their second Super Bowl in a row.
Las Vegas Raiders (5-11)
Wins Against: Broncos, Buccaneers, Colts, Jets, and Panthers
Losses Against: Bills, Broncos, Browns, Chargers (Twice), Chiefs, Colts, Dolphins, Falcons, Patriots, and Saints
The story of the last year in Oakland didn’t go as some would have expected. However, I feel them moving to Vegas will actually hurt their chances to succeed. While they are very concerned with fixing the offense, they seem to be forgetting about the defensive side of the ball. Whether it is Carr or not will also determine the factor, but this team won’t be as hyped when they start losing in a new location.
Los Angeles Chargers (6-10)
Wins Against: Bengals, Broncos, Chiefs, Panthers, and Raiders (Twice)
Losses Against: Bills, Broncos, Buccaneers, Chiefs, Dolphins, Falcons, Jaguars, Jets, Patriots, and Saints
The Chargers are gonna need a lot of help this season which is saying a lot considering the weapons they have. The quarterback situation is up in the air however, as Philip Rivers is officially a free agent. That leaves a number of people to try to lead this team. Will it be this year? I’m not feeling it, but if Tom Brady goes there this might definitely change.
Los Angeles Rams (9-7)
Wins Against: 49ers, Cardinals, Cowboys, Dolphins, Eagles, Giants, Jets, Redskins, and Seahawks
Losses Against: 49ers, Bears, Bills, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Patriots, and Seahawks
The Rams are about to go into their new year with some major names that need to be paid. Expect those names to get paid and some offensive help to be added to give Goff and Gurley a decent shot at winning some games.
Miami Dolphins (6-10)
Wins Against: Bills, Broncos, Chargers, Jets, Patriots, and Raiders
Losses Against: 49ers, Bengals, Bills, Cardinals, Chiefs, Jaguars, Jets, Patriots, Rams, and Seahawks
The Dolphins had a pretty good season with all things considered. I have them doing a bit of the same this year until the drafted quarterback of their choice is ready to go in 2021. Fitzpatrick should be leading the charge and should be ready to do the job again this year.
Minnesota Vikings (9-7)
Wins Against: Bears, Buccaneers, Falcons, Jaguars, Lions, Packers, Panthers, Texans, and Titans
Losses Against: Bears, Colts, Cowboys, Lions, Packers, Saints, and Seahawks
Something just tells me that the Vikings are just riding out the last year of Kirk Cousin’s crazy expensive contract. Also, the defense is getting older and older so Mike Zimmer needs to make some changes. I’m not expecting a lot, but I’ll give around the same record they had last season.
New England Patriots (11-5)
Wins Against: Bills (Twice), Broncos, Cardinals, Chargers, Chiefs, Dolphins, Jets, Raiders, Rams, and Ravens
Losses Against: 49ers, Dolphins, Jets, Seahawks, and Texans
The Patriots are in a pickle. Tomb Brady is on his way out the door and if they don’t get him for the 2020 season they need to find a veteran quarterback or draft a stud. However, this team has shown they can win without Tom so under Belichick they’ll still probably do decent enough to make the playoffs.
New Orleans Saints (13-3)
Wins Against: 49ers, Bears, Broncos, Buccaneers, Chargers, Chiefs, Eagles, Falcons, Lions, Panthers (Twice), Raiders, and Vikings
Losses Against: Buccaneers, Falcons, and Packers
This is it man. Drew Brees’s last season with the team depends on how productive this season will be. Will they finally win the big one, or will the refs find some way to screw them out of it yet again? Stay tuned for the 2020 season to find out.
New York Giants (4-12)
Wins Against: Bears, Browns, and Redskins (Twice)
Losses Against: 49ers, Bengals, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Cowboys (Twice), Eagles (Twice), Rams, Ravens, Seahawks, and Steelers
Yeah you see how much confidence I have in Gettleman to fix this team. Man it is so upsetting that they wasted Barkley’s potential and just are such an incompetent organization. I have them with this record, but they could also go 3-13, I just decided to give them a little break.
New York Jets (6-10)
Wins Against: Bills, Chargers, Colts, Dolphins, Patriots, and Raiders
Losses Against: 49ers, Bills, Broncos, Browns, Cardinals, Chiefs, Dolphins, Patriots, Rams, and Seahawks
Same thing kinda applies for the Jets, but they have a little more talent in their roster. However, Adam Gase is making me really hate him really quickly because I just don’t think he knows what he is doing. Personally, I’ll be surprised if they get this far, but yeah that’s what I’m going with.
Philadelphia Eagles (7-9)
Wins Against: Browns, Cardinals, Cowboys, Giants (Twice), Redskins, and Steelers
Losses Against: 49ers, Bengals, Cowboys, Packers, Rams, Ravens, Redskins Saints, and Seahawks
The Eagles fans aren’t gonna like it, but I don’t see good things in the future of the Eagles. Now granted it is the NFC East so they’ll still be second place in the division, but I am not sure about it from there. I just have a gut feeling about this one.
Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5)
Wins Against: Bengals (Twice), Bills, Browns (Twice), Colts, Cowboys, Giants, Ravens, Redskins, and Texans
Losses Against: Broncos, Eagles, Jaguars, Ravens, and Titans
HERE WE GO PITTSBURGH!!!! HERE WE GO!! Oh yeah we are coming back baby. This is our year to finally win the trophy and reach across and slap the taste out of the mouths of the haters. Pittsburgh gets Big Ben back and honestly, aside from Bud Dupree, our defense is solidified, and we get Stephon Tuitt back. It’s our time Steel City! Let’s get it.
San Francisco 49ers (12-4)
Wins Against: Bills, Cardinals, Cowboys, Dolphins, Eagles, Giants Jets, Packers, Patriots, Rams, Redskins, and Seahawks
Losses Against: Cardinals, Rams, Saints, and Seattle
The 49ers are gonna go back to work when the season starts, but they gotta pay a lot of important players in order to do that. Depending on how free agency goes, this could possibly change meaning getting lower. I just hope the offense and clock management issues get fixed.
Seattle Seahawks (11-5)
Wins Against: 49ers, Bills, Cardinals, Dolphins, Eagles, Giants, Jets, Patriots, Rams, Redskins, and Vikings
Losses Against: 49ers, Cardinals, Cowboys, Falcons, and Rams
Seattle is due for something good, but they can’t get anywhere unless they improve the defense and get some more playmakers. Last year it felt like it was the whole Russell Wilson show. Do that and they might even do better than this record I gave them.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9)
Wins Against: Chargers, Falcons, Giants, Lions, Panthers, Rams, and Saints
Losses Against: Bears, Broncos, Chiefs, Falcons, Packers, Panthers, Raiders, Saints, and Vikings
If my prediction comes true, then Philip Rivers will be the new quarterback of the Bucs and Winston will be out. However, if Winston stays there is a good chance this prediction drops about as much as his eyes dropped when he had to have laser surgery on them. Too much? It’s never enough with Jameis Winston.
Tennessee Titans (9-7)
Wins Against: Bears, Bengals, Colts, Jaguars, Lions, Packers, Ravens, Steelers and Texans
Losses Against: Bills, Broncos, Browns, Colts, Jaguars, Texans, and Vikings
The Titans are probably the most hyped up team I am excited to see now besides the Steelers. They have to re-sign Ryan Tannehill. That is the only way Derrick Henry stays. If they don’t then you can kiss both of them goodbye and the record will surely go down a bunch.
Washington Redskins (5-11)
Wins Against: Cardinals, Cowboys, Eagles, Lions, and Panthers,
Losses Against: 49ers, Bengals, Browns, Cowboys, Eagles, Giants (Twice), Rams, Ravens, Seahawks, and Steelers
I want to say with Ron Rivera there that maybe something nice might happen, but this organization is just so bad that it actually makes me upset Dwayne Haskins got drafted there. Here is hoping Rivera and his defensive mindset can help out the Redskins.
thoughtsfromthebench.com 