1045 The Team Staff's 2018 NFL Preview

The NFL season officially kicks off Thursday as the Atlanta Falcons take on the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Remember your home for New York Jets football in 2018 is 1045 The Team. Below are the picks from the 1045 The Team's staff for the 2018 NFL season.

Jeff Levack, co-host of Levack and Goz 2-7pm

AFC:

EAST: NE
NORTH: BAL
SOUTH: JAX
WEST: LAC

Wild Card 1: PITT
Wild Card 2: MIA

LAC over NE in AFC Champ

NFC:

EAST: NYG
NORTH: GB
SOUTH: NO
WEST: LAR

WC1: MINN
WC2: SF

LAR over MINN in NFC Champ

LA Chargers over LA Rams in SB 53

Tom "Goz" Goslowski co-host Levack and Goz 2-7pm

AFC East: New England Patriots

AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC South: Jacksonville Jaguars

AFC West: Los Angeles Chargers

Wild Card 1: Kansas City Chiefs

Wild Card 2: New York Jets

NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles

NFC North: Minnesota Vikings

NFC South: Atlanta Falcons

NFC West: Los Angeles Rams

Wild Card 1: Carolina Panthers

Wild Card 2: San Francisco 49ers

MVP: Phillip Rivers

NFC Championship: Minnesota vs. Atlanta

AFC Championship: New England vs. Pittsburgh

Super Bowl: Minnesota vs New England

Champion: New England

I love the Jets as my dark horse pick to make the playoffs! A soft schedule can work for Coach Todd Bowles and company. As for the NFC wild card spots, those are a mess for me. I could see both the Cardinals, Packers, Bears, Saints all in contention for that final spot in the end of the year. Sadly I went chalk having Minnesota vs New England. I can't pick against the Patriots. And why should I? They get there it seems every season.

Chris Onorato, Big Board Sports

AFC East: Patriots

AFC North: Steelers

AFC South: Texans

AFC West: Chargers

Wild Card: Chiefs, Titans

NFC East: Cowboys

NFC North: Vikings

NFC South: Falcons

NFC West: Rams

Wild Card: Saints, Packers

AFC Title: Texans vs Chargers

NFC Title: Packers vs Rams

Super Bowl: Texans vs Rams – Texans Win

I’m going back to the well with the Texans. I picked them to reach the Super Bowl last year and if DeShaun Watson doesn’t get injured, I think Houston has what it takes to make a deep run. The NFC is so deep, I’m not in love with the Rams pick, but with what feels like 6-8 teams that could win the conference, I’ll take a swing with LA which is star-studded on both sides of the ball.

Brian "The Closer" Mariano, UAlbany Sports broadcaster

AFC East: New England Patriots

AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC South: Jacksonville Jaguars

AFC West: Kansas City Chiefs

Wild Card 1: Houston Texans

Wild Card 2: Los Angeles Chargers

NFC East: New York Giants

NFC North: Minnesota Vikings

NFC South: New Orleans Saints

NFC West: Los Angeles Rams

Wild Card 1: Atlanta Falcons

Wild Card 2: Green Bay Packers

MVP: Todd Gurley

NFC Championship: New Orleans vs. Los Angeles

AFC Championship: New England vs. Pittsburgh

Super Bowl: New Orleans vs. Pittsburgh

Champion: New Orleans

The New Orleans Saints are set up for a huge season. Second season for running back Alvin Kamara and Drew Brees hasn't shown any signs of slowing down. I believe they can get home field in the NFC and use their dominance inside the dome to get all the way to Atlanta.

Eric Hannamann fill-in host/producer

AFC East Winner: New England Patriots

AFC North Winner: Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC South Winner: Indianapolis Colts

AFC West Winner: Los Angeles Chargers

2 Wild Cards: Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs

NFC East Winner: New York Giants

NFC North Winner: Minnesota Vikings

NFC South Winner: New Orleans Saints

NFC West Winner: Los Angeles Rams

2 Wild Cards: Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers

MVP: Aaron Rodgers

NFC Title Game: Los Angeles Rams vs. New Orleans Saints

AFC Title Game: Los Angeles Chargers vs. New England Patriots

Super Bowl 53: Los Angeles Rams vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl Champions

- To quote a Talking Heads song...How did I get here? I am quite bullish on the chances both LA teams have in their divisions and when it gets to the playoffs, I love what the Rams can do defensively. I also believe last years loss to the Falcons in the playoffs will serve as good experience for the returning cast. The Chargers have an underrated defense and I'll be looking for Phillip Rivers to finally show some playoff pedigree when January comes around.

Bryce Zielinski studio host/producer

AFC East Champion: New England Patriots

AFC North Champion: Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC South Champion: Houston Texans

AFC West Champion: Los Angeles Chargers

Wild Cards: Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs

NFC East Champion: Philadelphia Eagles

NFC North Champion: Minnesota Vikings

NFC South Champion: New Orleans Saints

NFC West Champion: Los Angeles Rams

Wild Cards: Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers

MVP: Carson Wentz

AFC Title Game: Pittsburgh Steelers defeat New England Patriots

NFC Title Game: Philadelphia Eagles defeat New Orleans Saints

Super Bowl: Philadelphia Eagles defeat Pittsburgh Steelers

The Philadelphia Eagles return a roster that can compete for a second straight Super Bowl title. The Eagles upgraded on both sides of the ball. On defense they replace Vinny Curry and Beau Allen with Martellus Bennett and Haloti Ngata. On offense they get Jason Peters and Darren Sproles back, add Dallas Goedert behind Zach Ertz, replace Torrey Smith with Mike Wallace, and Carson Wentz will be back by October. They’ll be fine with Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles until then. Speaking of Wentz, he will be my MVP. Wentz was on a torrid pace before the ACL injury. Once he’s back, he is going to prove it wasn’t a fluke. With the way he will play, that will be enough to land him MVP. The NFC is a stacked conference. The Saints are a problem and they are my dark horse champion. In the AFC, it’s really anyone’s guess. Yeah, you have the Patriots. They’re always there and it wouldn’t shock me if they pull it off. I don’t believe in the Jaguars. The defense is elite, but the offense will struggle. The Steelers have been knocking on the door for a while now and the clock is ticking on the Big Ben era. I think we see the Pennsylvania Bowl this year. (side note: Saquon Barkley will win ROY)