1045 The Team's NFL Preview

The wait is finnally over! Tonight the 2017 NFL season gets underway as the New England Patriots host the Kansas City Chiefs. Who do you think will be the suprise team in the NFL? Who will win each division? Who's the league MVP? Who wins it at Super Bowl 52 in Minnesota. Below are this year's picks from the 1045 The Team staff. Do you have predictions? Let us know below.

Tom "Goz" Goslowski, Co-Host Levack and Goz

MVP: Ben Roethlisberger

AFC East: Patriots

AFC North: Steelers

AFC South: Texans

AFC West: Chiefs

Wild Cards: Raiders and Titans

AFC Title Game: Patriots vs Steelers

NFC East: Giants

NFC North: Packers

NFC South: Panthers

NFC West: Seahawks

Wild Cards: Buccaneers and Falcons

NFC Title Game: Seahawks vs Giants

Super Bowl 52: Patriots vs Seahawks

Patriots Super Bowl Champions

Matt Woods, Fill in Host, Producer, UAlbany Football Studio Host

MVP: Aaron Rodgers

AFC East: Patriots

AFC North: Steelers

AFC South: Titans

AFC West: Raiders

Wild Cards: Chiefs & Bengals

AFC Title Game: Patriots vs Raiders

NFC East: Giants

NFC North: Packers

NFC South: Falcons

NFC West: Seahawks

Wild Cards: Cowboys & Panthers

NFC Title Game: Seahawks vs Packers

Super Bowl 52: Patriots vs Seahawks

Seahawks win

Brian "The Closer" Mariano, Voice of UAlbany Athletics, Fill In Host, Producer

AFC MVP: Tom Brady
AFC East Champion: New England Patriots
AFC North Champion: Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South Champion: Houston Texans
AFC West Champion: Oakland Raiders
2 Wild Cards: Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans
AFC Title Game: New England vs. Pittsburgh

NFC MVP: Russell Wilson
NFC East Champion: New York Giants
NFC North Champion: Green Bay Packers
NFC South Champion: Tampa Bay Bucs
NFC West Champion: Seattle Seahawks
2 Wild Cards: Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons
NFC Title Game: Seattle Seahawks vs. New York Giants

Super Bowl 52: Seattle vs. New England

Seattle Wins Super Bowl 52

Drew "Big Z" Zlogar, Producer

AFCE: New England Patriots
AFCN: Pittsburgh Steelers
AFCS: Houston Texans
AFCW: Oakland Raiders
Wildcard: Denver Broncos
Wildcard: Tennessee Titans
AFC MVP: Tom Brady
AFC Title Game: Oakland Raiders v New England Patriots

NFCE: Dallas Cowboys
NFCN: Green Bay Packers
NFCS: Carolina Panthers
NFCW: Seattle Seahawks
Wildcard: Philadelphia Eagles
Wildcard: Atlanta Falcons
NFC MVP: Cam Newton
NFC Title Game: Carolina Panthers v Philadelphia Eagles

Superbowl 52: Oakland Raiders v Carolina Panthers

Eric Hannamann, Producer

AFC East Champion: New England Patriots – Need I say anything? Love them or hate them, the Patriots are the safest bet to not only to win their division but also to earn a BYE week in the playoffs.

AFC North Champion: Pittsburgh Steelers – They have a defense that continues to improve and with as many threats as they have offensively, I think they will repeat as division champions and be a big threat to win the AFC.

AFC South Champion: Tennessee Titans – The addition of Eric Decker adds to an already improving passing attack for the Marcus Mariota. Expect the running game to be potent again with maybe more Derrick Henry this season. It is easy to overlook Dick LeBeau’s defense with the Texans in division but I believe in this unit too lead by Jurell Casey and Brian Orakpo.

AFC West Champion – Oakland Raiders – The addition of Marshawn Lynch really pushes Derek Carr’s offense to the next level. We know they can move the football through the air so if Beast Mode can be anything close to his old self, they should be real fun to watch. Kahlil Mack remains one of the more entertaining defensive players in the league as well.

2 Wild Cards: Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals – Andy Reid will continue to have his team ready to play and with the Dynamic Tyreek Hill, they will yet again make it to the postseason. I expect a bounce back year for the Bengals who, like Kansas City, were a staple in the playoffs before last season’s lackluster campaign.

AFC Title Game: Oakland Raiders over New England Patriots

NFC East Champion: New York Giants – There is a lot to like about the Giants from their stellar defense lead by Landon Collins, JPP and Olivier Vernon. The addition of Brandon Marshall should add to what should be, on paper, a really dynamic passing attack as Sterling Sheppard and Evan Engram look poised to contribute nicely as well. I also wouldn’t be shocked to see rookie Wayne Gallman have a nice role by season’s end as well.

NFC North Champion: Green Bay Packers – I’m still waiting for R-E-L-A-X to become P-A-N-I-C and not even last year could do it. Aaron Rodgers will continue to move the football and adds Martellus Bennett to that arsenal. Clay Matthews will continue to lead the defense and create key turnovers for the Pack.

NFC South Champion: Atlanta Falcons – A lot of people are pulling for a strong showing after a rough conclusion to last season. The Falcons sure are trending upwards with Vic Beasley and the defense continuing to get better with defensive minded Head Coach Dan Quinn. And of course we all know what the offense can do when they are clicking on all cylinders. They may have the best RB combo with Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman.

NFC West Champion: Seattle Seahawks – Seattle’s defense is going to be good again and the Sheldon Richardson addition could be a game changer. Say what you want about his character, he is an elite DT. Offensively they must protect Russell Wilson and while the RB situation might not be great for your fantasy players, I like all 4 backs they have to heavily contribute this season.

2 Wild Cards: Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings – Everyone know Dallas has one of the top offensive lines and in a league where holding is rarely called in comparison to how much it happens, this unit will continue to give Dak Prescott enough time to be effective and the running game the holes to make things happen. I still have doubts about the defense but America’s team should score enough to win games and get back to the playoffs. The Vikings defense on the other hand is really good and with a full training camp for Sam Bradford this season, I think Minnesota will give themselves a chance at playing Super Bowl 52 at home.

NFC Title Game: New York Giants over Atlanta Falcons

MVP: Derek Carr – He was on his way to being in the conversation last season before he was injured and as long as he stays healthy, I think his numbers will be great with options like Amari Cooper and red zone darling Michael Crabtree.

Super Bowl 52: New York Giants over Oakland Raiders

Cody Marshall, Producer

MVP: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

With a healthy wide receiving corps and an up-and-coming back in Ty Montgomery, it’d be hard to find an offense with greater fire power. The NFL has become a passing league and no team threw the ball more than Green Bay last year. Now, that doesn’t mean they’ll lead the league in that category again, but it gives Rodgers an opportunity to continue to show just how good of a quarterback he is. Jordy Nelson, Randal Cobb, Davante Adams, and Richard Rodgers are too good to allow defenses to focus on one guy.

AFC East Champion: New England Patriots

I’d explain why I’m picking the Patriots, but let me keep it simple. They share a division with the Bills, Jets, and Dolphins. Each of those three teams have more questions than answers.

AFC North Champion: Pittsburgh Steelers

This division will be fun to watch because of the strong defenses it has. However, the Killer Bs (Ben Roethlisberger, LeVeon Bell, and Antonio Brown) are what gives the black and gold the upper hand. Baltimore had one of the top defenses last year and flew under the radar. Then you have the Cincinnati Bengals who are always tough defensively, but Vontaze Burfict is too much of a key player for them to be able to handle his suspensions.

AFC South Champion: Houston Texans

It’s tough to pick this division. Tennessee has all the makings of a winnner, but Houston has more to play for. How is that you ask? Consider this: After Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005, the Saints went 3-13, but won a division title in 2006. Unlike the Saints, the Texans don’t need a new head coach and have what it takes to compete now. The City of Houston needs something to rally around and with guys like J.J. Watt, I don’t think they’ll disappoint.

AFC West Champion: Oakland Raiders

Derek Carr earned his money last year and I don’t believe it was a fluke. Micheal Crabtee is finally playing up to par and Amari Cooper didn’t have as good a season last year as we expected. Now if Cooper improves, this team is as dangerous as it gets. Sure, Kansas City will give them a run, but they need receivers to catch touchdown passes, not just TE Travis Kelce.

2 Wild Cards: Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens

AFC Title Game: New England Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

NFC East Champion: New York Giants

Ezekiel Elliott’s suspension is a huge blow to the Cowboys (even if he can play in Week 1). Let’s face it, they had to do something. Elliott’s punishment is the result of the NFL failing to act properly when it came to Ray Rice and Greg Hardy. I still think they’ll compete though and be there at season’s end. Meanwhile, the Giants added Brandon Marshall to take pressure off Odell Beckham Jr. and Eli Manning is still a good quarterback. The running game is what makes me nervous, but let’s face it, when was the last time the Giants had a notable running back? Washington and Philadelphia could also make it interesting, but I’m not quite buying into either one right now.

NFC North Champion: Green Bay Packers

They have Aaron Rodgers and no one else does. They also have a plethora of offensive weapons to turn to. Time and time again we get nervous about them making the playoffs and question Mike McCarthy’s job security, but the Packers still pull through. There’s no signs that we should start thinking that’s about to change, even with the strength of the Minnesota defense.

NFC South Champion: Atlanta Falcons

Despite losing the Super Bowl after holding a 25 point lead, Dan Quinn’s bunch is sure to come out firing. He’s still a smart coach and one of the best defensive minds in the game. Don’t get me wrong, the NFC South will be much tougher than a year ago, but no team has been able to adapt quite like the Falcons.

NFC West Champion: Seattle Seahawks

The only team that could challenge Seattle in this division is Arizona. But the Seahawks continue to add to their already notable defense. Sheldon Richardson gives this defensive line a boost and Richard Sherman will still be the ballhawk that he has been. Add in Russell Wilson’s ability to extend plays and it’s even harder to not see Seattle winning this division with relative ease.

2 Wild Cards: Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings

NFC Title Game: Green Bay Packers vs. Atlanta Falcons

Super Bowl 52: Pittsburgh Steelers OVER Green Bay Packers