The NFL season will resume on September 7 with the Detroit Lions visiting the current holders of the Vince Lombardi trophy, the Kansas City Chiefs. With such a long time to go before the big kick off it’s no surprise that this Operator’s NFL futures markets keep fluctuating.
At this stage of the year it would be foolish to start making outlandish and bold predictions ahead of a season that is three months out from starting… Fortunately looking foolish is of no concern to us, which is why we’ve put together this piece.
Read on to find out about our five bold and possibly outlandish predictions ahead of the 2023 NFL season.
Panthers Show Prowess
The Carolina Panthers finished 2nd in the NFC South last season posting a less than formidable 7-10 record after starting with 4 defeats in their first 5 games. The Panthers season ended without playoff involvement for the fifth year running, so why on earth have we put them down as an outside tip to do well next season?
Two words. Bryce Young. Despite not being particularly tall and not being particularly physically imposing the former Alabama and now Panthers QB has all the talent to go on and become the biggest talent in the NFL.
He bobs and weaves in the pocket like Mahomes, but he has more of an instinctive ability to find himself in space and create space for his teammates than the Chiefs QB. Whilst Young alone won’t transform the Panthers from also-rans into playoff contenders, his addition to the squad will undoubtedly improve the team.
The Eagles Doesn’t Soar
Sometimes everything comes together just perfectly to give a team the ideal conditions to win the playoffs and that happened last year for the Philadelphia Eagles and… they lost the Super Bowl to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Last season the Eagles schedule allowed them to mature and peak at just the right time and their run to the Super Bowl was testament to the hard work of Nick Sirianni and the growth of some of his players. Their opponents in the showpiece event seemed to be dead on their feet after a season of repeatedly going to the well to overcome the odds.
To not win in those circumstances is pretty unforgiveable really and it’s something that the Eagles will rue even further as we’re predicting them to struggle next season, finishing runners up to the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East.
Mahomes Throws Over 5,000 Yards
Patrick Mahomes truly hit superstar level during last season’s playoffs as he almost single-handedly won the Vince Lombardi trophy for his team. During the course of the season he threw for over 5,000 yards and we’re betting on him to do the same again this season.
If he does he’ll become only the second QB in NFL history to achieve the feat, behind Drew Brees who managed it three times in a row from 2011 – 2013.
The Detroit Lions Roar
The date is January 5th, 1992 and the author of this piece has still to master the art of sleeping through the night or crawling at the tender age of 5 months old. At the Pontiac Silverdome, the Detroit Lions absolutely destroy the Dallas Cowboys in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
In the 31 years since, whilst I can happily declare my ability to sleep through the night and crawl, the Lions do not have a single, solitary playoff win to their name since that January day in 1992. All of that will change this season, mark our words.
The Lions will build on a strong finish to last season and go on to end their uncomfortably long wiat for a playoff win.
Bijan Robinson Takes Off
21-year-old 5 foot 11 running back Bijan Robinson won the Doak Walker Award for his performances in college football with Texas. The award, which honours the best running back in college football couldn’t have been better suited to anyone but Bijan Robinson.
This powerfully explosive talent, now of the Atlanta Falcons has been tipped by many to go on and dominate the NFL in the coming years. We don’t think Robinson will need much time to get used to the pace of the NFL though so we’re backing him to hit the ground running – pardon he pun.
By the time the curtain comes down on the 2023 NFL season, expect to see Robinson in the top five in the league for rushing yards.
