Our 10 Boldest NFL Predictions for 2023
The NFL returns on September 7th when the Detroit Lions travel to Kansas City for a date with Super Bowl champion Chiefs.
Thereafter, all other teams take the field on Sunday, September 10th, and Monday, September 11th. The Minnesota Vikings host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to kick off the party.
Our 10 Boldest NFL Predictions for 2023
And to get your wheels turning about the 2023 season, here are the VikingsTerritory writers’ bold predictions regarding 2023 for all teams, not just the Vikings.
1. The Raiders Win the Caleb Williams Sweepstakes
Prediction Maker: Dustin Baker
Jimmy Garoppolo will get hurt, Brian Hoyer will take over as QB1 — and stink — leaving Aidan O’Connell as the other option.
And that’s if Josh Jacobs plays at all.
None of that will be worth a damn, and the Raiders will finish 4-13 or so, enough to seize the 1st-overall pick. They’ll then, of course, use that draft capital on Caleb Williams, and almost all of the league’s dominant QBs will live in the AFC.
2. The Titans Will Win a Playoff Game
Prediction Maker: Janik Eckardt
The Titans will not only make the playoffs, they will win a postseason game in the loaded AFC.
With the lack of high-end talent on the roster, the key to their success is exceptional coaching, a solid defense, and an offense once again carried by Derrick Henry’s rushing attack and some Ryan Tannehill play-action passes to new arrival DeAndre Hopkins and breakout receiver Treylon Burks.
3. The Jaguars Grab the No. 1 or 2 Seed
Prediction Maker: Josh Frey
The Kansas City Chiefs should still be the favorites to win the conference, but the Jaguars will have a terrific regular season. They get to beat up on what could be a floundering AFC South, and they get to play all three of Baltimore, Kansas City, and Cincinnati at home and get Buffalo in London rather than playing a true road game.
It will be interesting to see how back-to-back London games impact them, but with Trevor Lawrence emerging at QB and Calvin Ridley’s addition to the offense, it should be a fun season in Jacksonville.
4. Steelers Finally Have a Losing Season
Prediction Maker: Wes Johnson
The Pittsburgh Steelers finish under .500 for the first time in the Mike Tomlin era. That’s right, a team that has survived season-ending injuries to Big Ben and the ultimate retirement of Ben without dipping below 500 will finally meet that doom.
At some point in the season, the Steelers record will finally result in Matt Canada being relieved of his offensive coordinator duties and breathing a little light back into the team.
But it will be too little too late for this season. This is not to say that the Steelers are a terrible team. Quite the contrary. Their divisional foes have continued to get better and prove the road to the green side of the ledger too much to overtake this season.
5. The Jaguars Reach the Super Bowl
Prediction Maker: Adam New
Trevor Lawrence leads the Jacksonville Jaguars to a Super Bowl appearance with an MVP season.
6. Three QBs Rush for 1,000+ Yards
Prediction Maker: Nathan Porter
For the first time in NFL history, fans will witness three quarterbacks rush over 1000 yards — Jalen Hurts, Justin Fields, and Lamar Jackson.
7. The Browns Emerge as a True Threat
Prediction Maker: Nate Powalie
The Cleveland Browns will truly emerge as the threat of the AFC North.
I know — just because you have a good team on paper doesn’t necessarily make you a good team on the field. But this is Deshaun Watson’s first full season in a Cleveland uniform. And he has some incredible talent surrounding him.
Meanwhile, the defense got a couple of nice upgrades in the offseason. 2023 will finally be the Browns year to win a division title.
8. Odell Beckham Scores at Least 8 TDs
Prediction Maker: Ali Siddiqui
After missing all of last season, Odell Beckham Jr. will catch 8 touchdowns, which will be the most he’s had in a season since he had 10 in 2016. Having Lamar Jackson as his QB will really help.
9. The Bills Miss the Playoffs
Prediction Maker: Cole Smith
Vikings fans have seen this song and dance with Stefon Diggs before. While he and everyone around Buffalo try to tell us the sky isn’t falling, I have difficulty believing things are fine. As Diggs said in 2019, “There’s truth to all rumors.”
Add in the Jets getting Aaron Rodgers, the Dolphins hoping to be improved, and the Chiefs and Bengals jockeying for the 1 and 2 seeds in the AFC, I believe that the Bills missed their window to truly contend for the Super Bowl.
t10. The Bills Don’t Win the AFC East
Prediction Maker: Ted Schwerzler
Someone other than the Bills wins the AFC East. Aaron Rodgers is in the division, which makes the competition more difficult. Miami thinks they’re close, and New England’s youth had a year to develop with Bill Belichick. The Bills are still the best team, but they have people coming for them in a big way.
t10. The Bills Don’t Win the AFC East
Prediction Maker: Kyle Joudry
The Buffalo Bills fail to win their division and thus need to really fight to get into the playoffs. Losing Leslie Frazier ends up being significant, and the offense can’t find balance as Josh Allen struggles with only Stefon Diggs as a great option.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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