NFL Quarter Season Predictions

CST Sports Editors give their picks for the Football Season

Joseph Frescott and Anthony Colavito
October 26, 2018

The quarter-season has arrived in the NFL, and there have already been many surprises this season, with rising stars, shocking teams that could make the playoffs, and many disappointments in the season.  We’re going to give projections for many things this NFL season.

Anthony’s MVP

Patrick Mahomes. Patrick Mahomes is honestly the most surprising rising star of the year who is lighting defenses up on fire. The Kansas City Chiefs drafted Mahomes in the 2017 NFL draft with the tenth pick, but he had to backup Alex Smith last year. KC traded Smith to the Redskins during this past offseason meaning they were ready to believe in the young second year quarterback (ESPN.com). 

Joe’s MVP

Patrick Mahomes. At the moment, it is nearly impossible to bet against Mahomes and the KC Chiefs offense. Mahomes has had one of the best starts that has ever seen out of a starting quarterback in his first year and no one is even close through week four. Analyst Bill Barnell for ESPN writes, “As good as Brees, Goff and others have been, Mahomes has been an absolute force of nature to start the season.” This indicates how dominant Mahomes has been. He has led his team to an undefeated start and looks to continue this historic run, with the help of coach Andy Reid (ESPN.com).

Anthony’s Offensive player of the Year

Drew Brees. As one of the older quarterbacks in the league, he is expected to fall off at some point, yet he is still lighting up defenses across the league. With a historic performance in week 5 against the Washington Redskins where he threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns, he also broke the record for the most passing yards by any quarterback in history. He has a chance in week 7 to enter the 500 touchdown club coming off of a bye week against the Baltimore Ravens (ESPN.com). 

Joe’s Offensive Player of the Year

Todd Gurley. The Rams offense has lived up to the hype through the first four games, as Todd Gurley and Jared Goff continue to improve, which is a scary thought for the rest of the league. Gurley has been one of the most consistent running backs over the past 2 years, and this year looks to be that breakout year that can put him in the conversation for best running back in the league. Although Kamara has had better overall start statistics wise, Gurley’s production has no signs of dropping off, as the Saints offense get Mark Ingram III back this week (ESPN.com).

Anthony’s Defensive Player of the Year

Khalil Mack. After hitting the jackpot in the offseason involving his trade to Chicago, it was a deal that Jon Gruden is definitely regretting. Having 5 sacks and an interception through the Bears first four games, he also accumulated 4 forced fumbles and many QB hits. He is on track for an MVP season, this would be the first defensive MVP since Lawrence Taylor in 1986.

Joe’s Defensive Player of the Year

Khalil Mack. After being in the news all offseason and being traded by to the Chicago Bears, Mack’s start has had people wondering why the Raiders refused to pay the man. Khalil has been a force on the defensive end, racking up 5 sacks, 1 INT, and 4 forced fumbles through 4 games. He has clearly been the best defensive player through the first 4 games of this season and he is on pace to have a historic year.

Anthony’s Rookie of the Year

Saquon Barkley. Barkley is hands down the brightest spot on the lackluster and disaster of a team. The Giants are flat out bad this year, and Saquon is the leading rookie in rushing yards. There’s no signs of him slowing down anytime soon. His breakout game came in week six against the Philadelphia Eagles. He had 13 attempts for 130 yards and an average of 10 yards per run, and one touchdown. With one of the worst offensive lines in the league, he is still making explosive runs for game changing plays. Saquon has taken the spotlight of Odell Beckham Jr in Big Blue (NFL.com). 

Joe’s Rookie of the Year

Saquon Barkley. Coming out of Penn State, Saquon Barkley has been one of the most hyped running backs coming out of the draft. His college film showed an all around beast in the run game that can be a game changer for any offense. For the most part, he has lived up to the expectations behind one of the worst O-lines in the NFL. Through four games, he has 260 rushing yards with 3 total touchdowns, also racking up 27 receptions, proving how he can be used in any position on the field. He looks to continue this solid start and hopefully get more production as the Giants offense gets better (NFL.com).

Anthony’s Super Bowl Prediction

Patriots vs Rams. These two teams are the talk of the league. On the NFC side you have the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams had a season last year that sparked hope for many Rams fans, whether they are in Los Angeles or St. Louis. Head coach Sean Mcvay, who is the youngest head coach in the league, made some big moves in the offseason acquiring stars like Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib, Brandin Cooks, and Ndamukong Suh. Third year quarterback Jared Goff exploded out of nowhere last year in his sophomore season. Other stars of the Rams like Todd Gurley and Aaron Donald have continued to make things happen this year. The Rams are considered to be a super team by many fans. And on the AFC side you have the New England Patriots, a team who has been to the Super Bowl many times and have won many times. Coming of a disappointing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 52, the Pats started the season off very slow, with losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars and an embarrassing loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday night football. After the week three loss to Detroit people started saying the usually things like “the dynasty is over” and “Brady is falling off”. Yet in Patriots fashion, they traded for star receiver Josh Gordon and Julian Edelman came back from suspension which meant  that Tom Brady had his favorite target back. In week four the Pats crushed the Miami Dolphins and then defeated the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday Night Football. But the biggest win of the season was against the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football. The Pats were on the same network they were embarrassed on three weeks prior and they went in angry. The high powered Chiefs offense was set to light things up against the Patriots high powered offense and this game was meant to be a shootout, and it lived up to the hype. The Patriots prevailed after letting up the game tying score on a Tyreek Hill touchdown. Brady marched down the field and set up the game winning field goal to walk off and win 43-40, handing the Chiefs their first loss of 2018. Super Bowl 53’s score will be Patriots 27, Rams 24.

 

Joe’s Super Bowl Prediction

Patriots vs Saints. This years super bowl is one of the toughest to predict in many years this early in the season. With the Patriots early struggles, the AFC looks wide open for any team to take the crown. In the NFC, the race is a little tougher, with teams such as the Rams and Vikings looking for redemption after last year’s playoff defeats. But based on what has been seen through four weeks, the Patriots and Saints are the favorites to make it all away. After a humiliating defeat to the Jaguars, the Patriots look to bounce back after a disappointing start to the year. Brady has no signs of slowing down at 41 and continues to show why he is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. The offense should only improve with the likes of Sony Michel and Josh Gordon emerging as huge pieces in the offense and Edelman coming off of suspension. When it comes to the Saints, Drew Brees and their electric offense has been clicking on all cylinders since their week 1 upset. They only look to continue this domination with the help of Mark Ingram III coming back and a defense that has improved week by week. The final score prediction for Super Bowl 53 is Saints 31, Patriots 27.