September is right around the corner, and this upcoming Sunday will be the last without meaningful NFL football for awhile. With that being said, Per Sources’ NFL staff decided it was time to come together to make our 2019 division and award predictions.
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Without further adieu, here are our 2019 NFL Predictions.
NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles (5 votes)
I’m not surprised that the Eagles won the vote, but the fact that nobody picked the reigning division champion Dallas Cowboys attests to the slew of concerns Dallas has right now. It appears the Eagles are ready to get back to business.
Without Nick Foles, the Eagles no longer have premium insurance on Carson Wentz. They must find ways to preserve his body, and I think that they’ve taken those measures this offseason. The addition of Andre Dillard, the draft’s best pass protector, may not have an impact immediately, but it will in time. And, second-round pick Miles Sanders is looking to take over as the three-down back early on in his career. Dallas may be a wildcard, but right now it’s looking very sunny for Philly in the NFC East.
Others receiving votes: N/A
NFC West
Los Angeles Rams (5 votes)
After representing the NFC in the Super Bowl, it’d certainly be a shock to see the Rams miss the playoffs. The entire core is still in place, and the development from Jared Goff from good to great will continue in 2019.
Teams will certainly be gunning for the Rams week in and week out, but this is a team that’ll be looking towards January early on. The health of Todd Gurley was the biggest obstacle this team had to face in the playoffs last season, and Sean McVay isn’t going to let that happen again. He’ll be preserved during the regular season, potentially opening the door for someone else in the division…but probably not.
Others receiving votes: N/A
NFC North
Chicago Bears (3 votes)
The NFC North has become a division of great parity, but the Bears seem to be in the best shape. They hope to claim back-to-back division titles for the first time since 2006.
Led by 2018’s #1 scoring defense, the Bears are going to have to hope their offense can catch up. Mitch Trubisky needs to be better if this team is going to make the playoffs and win there. Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins are leading teams that hope for bounce-backs and are right on the Bears’ tail.
Others receiving votes: Packers (2 votes)
NFC South
New Orleans Saints (4 votes)
All offseason the Saints have regularly ranked among the top three or four teams in the league, but this season they’ll truly have to put that to the test. The last time we saw them they were on the losing end of one of the most controversial losses in NFL history. Now, we get to see how they respond.
Drew Brees is widely regarded as one of the game’s greatest leaders, and it’ll be his job to sharpen this team before they make another run at a Super Bowl. Under his leadership, the Saints should succeed and go far, but some early slip-ups could creak the door open in what is always a competitive NFC South.
Others receiving votes: Falcons (1 vote)
AFC East
New England Patriots (5 votes)
Did you expect to see another team? Be honest. Maybe in a year or two, we’ll start to see the young QBs in this division lead contending teams, but Tom and Bill have this thing on lock for now.
The loss of Gronk is going to hurt, but this is one of the deepest receiving corps the team has had in years. Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman leads a group that varies in both age and skill-set and should allow Brady to have a great statistical year. The defense is loaded with unproven stars, but doubting Belichick isn’t even an option anymore.
Others receiving votes: N/A
AFC West
Kansas City Chiefs (5 votes)
In my opinion, the AFC West should be one of the league’s best two-team races between the Chiefs and Chargers, but we all leaned towards Patrick Mahomes and co. Rightfully so.
After throwing 50 TDs in his first season as a starter, I think we all want to see what “Showtime” will do in his encore. As a Peyton Manning fan, it hurts me to say that his regular season records might be in jeopardy. That’s how legit Mahomes is. The Chargers are a solid team and should be a wildcard, but the Chiefs are looking beyond this division. They have their sights set on beating the Patriots and ushering in a new era in the AFC.
Others receiving votes: N/A
AFC North
Tie – Cleveland Browns (2 votes) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2 votes)
The AFC North is probably the most competitive division in football, and our staff seemed to feel the same way. Cleveland hasn’t won a division title since 1989, but this feels like the closest they’ve been in a long time. No team has more young talent than Cleveland, but with youth often comes growing pains that other teams can capitalize on.
That’s exactly what the Steelers will try to do as Ben Roethlisberger continues his quest to a third Super Bowl ring. The Steelers are actually young themselves but carry a higher level of maturity than guys like Baker Mayfield and Odell Beckham Jr. With Le’Veon and AB out of town, the distractions are hopefully out of the way for Pittsburgh.
Others receiving votes: Ravens (1 vote)
AFC South
Jacksonville Jaguars (3 votes)
When Andrew Luck announced his retirement, I can safely say there weren’t many Jags fans complaining. Most (including myself) expected Luck to lead Indy to a division title.
Well, that’s not happening anymore, and the Jags are ready to take back what is theirs. Coming into last season, we all rode the Jaguars-wagon after an impressive run to the AFC Championship the season prior. With Blake Bortles out and Nick Foles in, I expect Jacksonville’s defense to come back with that same hunger and motivation that we saw two years ago.
Others receiving votes: Texans (2 votes)
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Josh Jacobs (4 votes)
The Rookie of the Year awards are based on immediate opportunity. Which guys are going to step in for their team right away and become impact guys? The answer to that question three of the past four years has been a RB. It appears that trend might continue in 2019.
Jacobs was the lone RB taken in the first round of this past draft and is one of a few offensive rookies to be a known Day 1 starter. John Gruden has never been shy about giving young RBs a lot of touches, and I think Jacobs has the talent to make a lot of those touches. He’s not Gurley, Kamara, or Barkley, but I don’t think he needs to be to win the award.
Others receiving votes: N’Keal Harry (1 vote)
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Tie: Quinnen Williams (2 votes) and Devin White (2 votes)
Our defensive rookie race is a lot tighter than the offense. Here we have two top-five picks battling for the award.
White is a sideline-to-sideline, modern cover linebacker who has all the athleticism to stuff the stat sheet as a rookie. He’ll look to put up numbers in the ballpark of Darius Leonard who was the do-it-all linebacker for the Colts last season.
Williams, on the other hand, plays the less glamorous defensive tackle spot. However, if he emerges as a dominant pass rusher, he could already be looked at as one of the best at the position. I wouldn’t put it past him to flirt with double-digit sacks.
Others receiving votes: Josh Allen (1 vote)
Coach of the Year
5-way Tie!
Well none of us could agree, so here are five snippets about five potential coaches of the year.
Matt Nagy: Last year’s Coach of the Year looks to be the first back-to-back winner since Joe Gibbs in the ’80s.
Sean McVay: The 2017 Coach of the Year will hope to push last year’s total of 13 wins and reclaim the award.
Sean Payton: Engineering one of the games most creative offenses could be Payton’s ticket to his second award.
Dan Quinn: If the Falcons bounce back and return to the postseason, Quinn would most certainly deserve some of that credit.
Freddie Kitchens: Leading the Browns young-slinging offense to the postseason would almost certainly give Kitchens the award.
Offensive Player of Year
Tie: Saquon Barkley (2 votes) and Patrick Mahomes (2 votes)
Two of the games best young talents have opportunities to change the positions that they play. In 16 games, Barkley and Mahomes have emerged as arguably the best RB and QB in football. We expect one of the two to establish themselves as the games best offensive player in year two (technically three for Mahomes).
Barkley will look for back-to-back 2,000 scrimmage yard seasons, while Mahomes will attempt to build on his ridiculous 5,000-yard and 50 TD season.
Regardless, one of the two is a safe bet.
Others receiving votes: Tom Brady (1 vote)
Defensive Player of the Year
Aaron Donald (3 votes)
Donald is looking to do something that no player in NFL history has done – win three Defensive Player of the Year awards…in a row. Hell, only Lawrence Taylor and J.J. Watt have won three awards at all. However, we’ve never seen a player like Donald.
He’s gone from the best interior pass rusher to the best pass rusher period. If he can continue to outpace the games best edge rushers and simply put up larger sack numbers, there’s really no reason why voter fatigue should come into effect. This is especially true because winning is rarely attributed to defensive players.
Others receiving votes: Khalil Mack (2 votes)
MVP
Patrick Mahomes (2 votes)
The MVP is another award that’s definitely up in the air, but enough people seem to believe that Mahomes is just getting started. The only thing that could hold him back is the aforementioned voter fatigue.
No player has won back-to-back MVPs since Peyton Manning in 2008 and 2009. Mahomes will have to do something even more spectacular in 2019 if he wants to continue calling himself the MVP.
There are a lot of good candidates, but for the MVP, it’s beyond numbers. Your team has to win as well. So, look for the best QBs on the best teams, which is why Mahomes is as good of a candidate as any.
Others receiving votes: Tom Brady (1 vote), Drew Brees (1 vote), Carson Wentz (1 vote)
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