HINK OF the standings you see here not as predictions
but as projections: This is how the 32 NFL teams
look entering a season that’s sure to produce a slew
of unforeseen developments. In fact, they’ve already
started. Entering the summer, I loved the Colts. They
were bringing back almost everyone from a 2018
squad that won 10 of its final 12 games.
But then Andrew Luck’s mysterious
ankle injury became a concern. Major
red flag. Too bad, because there’s
a path for the Colts in the AFC if they’re at full
strength. The Browns are sexy but inexperienced.
The Chiefs have a terrifying offense but serious
questions about their defensive back seven. Those
same questions kept them out of Super Bowl LIII.
That leaves the team that took Kansas City’s spot in
that Super Bowl. Yes, picking the Patriots feels boring
and lazy. But their defense is much stronger than it
was at this time last year, and they’re one of the few
offenses built around a smashmouth ground game. Oh,
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