The 2016 NFL regular season has concluded. My biggest surprise team is the Detroit Lions. I did not have them making the playoffs this season. Kudos to their coaches for their accomplishments this season. I expect them to possibly win the NFC North in 2017 as Aaron Rodgers ages and the Viking Quarterback situation is still a bit iffy.
The biggest disappointments are the two teams I picked at the start of the season to come out of the AFC, Jacksonville Jaguars and the Oakland Raiders, for different reasons. I’ll start with the Jaguars. Their coaching rivaled the Cleveland Browns as the worst coaching in the league in ’16. QB Blake Bottles was awful; however, poor coaching likely had a lot to do with his struggles. I expect the new coach to rectify the situation. As for the Raiders, not beating the Kansas City Chiefs this year and thus settling for the #5 seed, which, hey, it’s better than what they’ve done since 2003. So why did I include them as a disappointment? QB Derek Carr broke his fibula in Week 16’s win over the Indianapolis Colts sent the Silver and Black from potentially hoisting the Lombardi Trophy to an early exit in the playoffs. We have to be thinking “What could have been” when we think of the Raiders.
I picked the San Francisco 49ers to get the number one overall pick in ’17’s NFL Draft. If it weren’t for the Los Angeles Rams stinking up the joint against them, they would’ve had it. The no. 1 pick goes to the Browns this season.
There are some coaches who have been let go from their teams. I expect the Jags and the San Diego Chargers to fill their vacancies rather quickly while the 49ers, whose roster is so devoid of talent that patience would be required, will have their work cut out for them.
This has been a great season and 2017 will be better, I hope, than 2016.