Making Our NFL Division Winner Predictions

By STEVEN VAUGHAN AND JUDAH NEWBY, 750 THE GAME

The NFL season is upon us and that means Judah Newby and Steven Vaughan are going to give out their predictions for the NFL! The guys will each pick all of the division winners for the 2024 NFL season.

AFC EAST:

Judah Newby: Miami Dolphins. Maybe this is the Mike McDaniel stan in me, and Miami’s schedule from Thanksgiving on is very difficult. But betting on Aaron Rodgers’ health and a Bills team that loses so much on defense is a more difficult pill for me to swallow than betting on the firepower of Miami’s offense, despite the tough finishing stretch.

Miami Dolphins + 205

Steven Vaughan: I’m taking the Buffalo Bills. The Jets are the favorite with a healthy Aaron Rodgers. I still think the Bills are the best team in the division. They lost Stephon Diggs and Gabe Davis at receiver. Some think losing Diggs is going to be a huge loss for the Bills. I am not one of those people. Diggs is a good player, but he seemed like a problem in the locker room and now Josh Allen is the clear cut leader of this team. They added rookie Keon Coleman who should be great. A second year of Dalton Kincaid will be huge. The defense under Sean McDermott is always going to be good. Josh Allen is still on of the top five quarterbacks in the league and can carry a team. This is a year I’m betting on the Bills when a lot of people are jumping off the bandwagon.

Buffalo Bills +195

AFC NORTH:

Judah Newby: Cincinnati. Now, I understand why many are skeptical of the Bengals. Ja’Marr Chase’s prolonged absence from practicing in training camp. Tee Higgins probable last ride. Concern at the tackle position. Joe Burrow’s health. But I am willing to bet on this offense over the course of the season to return to their eyebrow raising form. Defensively, coordinator Lou Anarumo garnered league-wide praise for his units in 2021 and 2022 but suffered a step back last season. Sweet Lou wants to make a statement this year. The return of safety Vonn Bell is a welcome sight, and the addition of Sheldon Rankins on the interior of the defensive line will help off-set, though not completely replace, the run-stuffing presence of DJ Reader who signed with Detroit in free-agency. At the end of the day, the defense will be solid enough to allow Burrow and Co. to drive the Bengals bus back to the top of the toughest division in football.

Cincinnati Bengals +145

Steven Vaughan: The Cleveland Browns may have the best roster in football. Go look at that roster. It’s tremendous. This is a team that went 11-6 with bad play from Deshaun Watson, and then starting 38-year-old Joe Flacco. If Watson can revert to some of his Houston Texans form. This Browns team has a legitimate chance to win the Super Bowl. Nick Chubb is still recovering from knee surgeries, but they went out and signed D’Onta Foreman to team up with Jerome Ford at running back. They had the No. 1 ranked defense a season ago led by DPOY Myles Garrett. I think Watson will play much better this season knowing if he doesn’t that it could be the end of the line for him. This team was good last season and I think they could be even better this season in a tough AFC North.

Cleveland Browns +550

AFC SOUTH:

Judah Newby: Houston. This division is an intriguing watch every week, something you can rarely say about the AFC South. I think the Texans will push Kansas City for top seed in the AFC this year thanks to CJ Stroud and a defense that will make the jump to top-5 in the league under DeMeco Ryans.

Houston Texans +105

Steven Vaughan: I’m going with my Jacksonville Jaguars this season. Trevor Lawrence is locked in after signing a monster deal in the offseason. Christian Kirk is back healthy. Once he got hurt last season the offense fell off of a ledge. They added Gabe Davis to be a deep threat. Lawrence was one of the most frequent deep ball throwers in the NFL last season. Expect Davis to have a nice season. Travon Walker and Josh Allen lead the defense and can get after any quarterback. I trust Doug Pederson and his staff to get it done this year after losing five out of their last six games to end last season. Bounce-back spot for the Jags and Trevor Lawrence will be in the MVP conversation.

Jacksonville Jaguars +250

AFC WEST:

Judah Newby: The Chiefs are going to come out with an edge this season in their quest to three-peat. On paper, Kansas City is better than last year and the year prior. Two areas to watch for me are left tackle — where former Oregon Duck and BYU product Kingsley Suamataia is projected to start as a rookie — and the cornerback spot vacated by L’Jarius Sneed who signed with Tennessee. Ultimately, this team will win at least 13 games and cruise to the division title.

Kansas City Chiefs -260

Steven Vaughan: How can I pick anybody but the Chiefs? The back-to-back Super Bowl champs added offensive weapons to one of the best defenses last season. Patrick Mahomes has made it clear that they won’t be taking anything lightly and they want to win a third straight Super Bowl. Mahomes is the best in the world, and head coach Andy Reid may be the best in the world at what he does. The AFC West is much better this season, but I want to see how the Chargers perform under Jim Harbaugh before I pick them to win the division. The only answer for me is the Chiefs.

Kansas City Chiefs -260

NFC EAST:

Judah Newby: Ten wins could be enough to win the NFC East this year. Maybe eleven. But the NFC’s top seed will in no way come from the NFC East. New York hasn’t won this division since 2011 and will not contend this year. Washington has potential to cause drama but are still a year away. Vic Fangio and Mike Zimmer are coordinating defenses in this division. Dak’s future in Dallas in uncertain. Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni don’t get along. Saquon goes from the Giants to the Birds. Kellen Moore is calling plays in Philly after making a name for himself in Big D. It’s as spicy a mediocre division as you could ask for. In the end, give me the team with the most talent. And that team is Philly.

Philadelphia Eagles -125

Steven Vaughan: The Eagles are primed for a bounce-back season in my mind. Something went wrong at the end of last season. There may have been some disagreement between players and coaches. The league may have caught up to Jalen Hurts. It could have been something else, but the Eagles are the favorites in the NFC East. The Cowboys took a step back, and while I don’t think the Commanders (at +900) and the Giants (at +2000) are terrible long-shot bets. The Eagles are the easy pick for me. Hurts has to prove that he is elite again. AJ Brown and Devonta Smith are one of the best receiver combos in the league. They added Saquan Barkley who is playing with a chip on his shoulder after he felt like the Giants threw him to the side. The division is down. The Eagles added some pieces. I think they win the East.

Philadelphia Eagles -125

NFC NORTH:

Judah Newby: It is still surreal to me that the narrative around NFL football in Detroit is an expectation of greatness. These are the Lions, right? The hapless franchise that, until last year, went my entire lifetime without an NFC Championship game appearance. But here they are. Biting kneecaps. Exerting their will up front. And benefiting from playing indoors — Detroit has only 3 true outdoor games on their schedule, including back to back matchups at Chicago and at San Francisco straddling Christmas. My one concern outside of injuries is if the play calling of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson can continue to be as effective as the last two seasons. Johnson turned down head coaching opportunities this past hiring cycle to return as an OC in Detroit. In a way, that’s admirable. But head coaching jobs are hard to come by in the NFL. With two cycles passing without Johnson taking a gig, will his stock be as high the next time around?

Detroit Lions +130

Steven Vaughan: Detroit should have made the Super Bowl last season. They lost to the 49ers in the NFC Championship game and I thought the Lions were the better team. There is a lot of hype in Detroit. Something that isn’t normal, but under Dan Campbell this team has an identity to not give in. Jahmyr Gibbs is excellent. He’s going to have a huge year two. Amon-Ra St. Brown signed a huge contract extension which was well deserved. Jared Goff is back and has proven me and his doubters wrong. Ben Johnson will be the hottest name on the head coach market again next season. The defense needs to be better, but they have almost perfected the bend but don’t break mentality. Making plays when they have to. I wanted to get weird and pick the Packers or Bears. But I can’t.

Detroit Lions +130

NFC SOUTH:

Judah Newby: Atlanta. I am pretty excited to see the Falcons this year. It’s not a great value bet, but no one else in this division is worth a swing. Former Washington Huskies head coach Jimmy Lake has always been a good talent developer especially in the secondary, and he is coordinating a Falcons defense that boasts one of the better safeties in the league in Jessie Bates III plus the late offseason addition of Justin Simmons, as well as an established standout corner in A.J. Terrell. Don’t be surprised if Michael Penix Jr. gets a few games under center if Kirk Cousins can’t make it the full season. If he does, Penix will not disappoint. That man is ready for NFL football. Drake London is one of the league’s most underrated pass catchers. Atlanta has potential to be more than just a 9-win division winner in a mediocre division. They could be frisky even past the Wild Card round.

Atlanta Falcons -130

Steven Vaughan: This division is whacky. The Falcons are the favorites, but I don’t think they are any good. I also don’t think the Buccaneers, Saints, or Panthers are any good. I’m going way off the board and picking the Panthers. Dave Canales is the new head coach for Carolina. He has done wonders with quarterbacks. Canales was the quarterbacks coach in Seattle for the 2018 season. In that season, Russell Wilson improved his completion percentage, yards per attempt, touchdown rate, and interception rate over his previous two seasons. Then he made Geno Smith awesome. Smith had thrown more interceptions than touchdowns in his career. As a full-time starter with Canales as his quarterbacks coach, he threw for 30 touchdowns against just 11 interceptions, made the Pro Bowl, and was top 10 in MVP voting. Last season, he took over the Tampa Bay offensive coordinator role and helped lead Baker Mayfield to throw for over 4,000 yards with 28 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions. Now he has Bryce Young who I still believe in. This division can be won with 9 games. Maybe Young can get to 9 wins and a division title. I may look terrible with this prediction, but it’s the Panthers for me.

Carolina Panthers +1100

NFC WEST:

Judah Newby: I mean. C’mon. Let’s do it. Give me the Seahawks. Yes, the 49ers are more talented. The Rams have the established greatness on offense. But whether it’s the training camp turbulence in San Francisco or the loss of the greatest defensive tackle this century in Los Angeles, there is a narrow path available for a revitalized Seahawks franchise to seize the NFC West for the first time since 2020. That storyline is one I am personally vested in, and really, what’s the fun in picking the Niners? Geno Smith will yet again prove those wrong who still doubt his ability, Byron Murphy wins defensive rookie of the year, and the Seahawks will host a playoff game.

Seattle Seahawks +650

Steven Vaughan: The Seahawks are intriguing to me. I love that offense, but the defense scares me. I’m going with the 49ers. This is a season where they are going all in. A last dance if you will. Re-signing Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk. They are going to have to pay Brock Purdy at some point, but for now, he is owed about $900k. So the 49ers can load up everywhere else. The 49ers are the best team in the NFC. We will have to see if they can represent the NFC again this season.

San Francisco 49ers -195