The 2020 NFL season will be unlike any other in history. For the most part, the games will be played without fans in the stadiums. Due to the almost 200,000 COVID-19 fatalities in the United States thus far, team owners have opted to protect their players and staff from the inherent risks that millions of fans attending games pose. It will be interesting to watch how football, chock full of blood, spit, sweat, snot, and constant bodily contact will survive the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here is a breakdown of the favorites to win each of the eight divisions this season.
NFC East
The NFC East once again will be a race between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.
The Eagles are riddled with injuries right now, and their ability to challenge the Cowboys will be determined by the performance of their replacements and how quickly the injured starters return to action.
After a disappointing season last year, Dak Prescott and his Cowboys are primed to take their division.
AFC North
Lamar Jackson, the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player, and his high-scoring Baltimore offense are joined by one of the league’s top defenses. The Ravens led the NFL in scoring at over 33 points per game, and also in scoring differential in 2019. They are one of the favorites to win the AFC Championship in 2020.
NFC North
Aaron Rodgers and his Green Bay Packers are coming off a 13-3 season and will most likely repeat as division champions. After losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game in 2019, the Packers are hungry to get back there and play in the Super Bowl. Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings will likely have something to say about that after upsetting the heavily favored New Orleans Saints in the NFC Wild Card game last year before running into the Super Bowl-bound 49ers in the divisional round.
AFC South
Both the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans made the 2019 Playoffs, with Tennessee making it to the AFC Championship game. Unfortunately, they ran into the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs there. In the 2020 season, they will be joined by an excellent Indianapolis Colts team that could win the division. Deshaun Watson will have something to prove after recently signing a 4-year $177 million extension with the Texans.
NFC South
Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints ran away with their division in 2019 with a 13-3 record.
The 2020 season should be no different as the Saints look to erase the sting of losing to the Vikings last year in the NFC Wild Card game. Look for New Orleans to make some noise in the 2020 Playoffs.
AFC West
The Kansas City Chiefs are reigning Super Bowl Champions and also ran away with their division in 2019. They are led by quarterback phenom Patrick Mahomes, the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player.
Mahomes recently signed a reported $500 million contract extension, the largest contract in NFL history. He and the rest of the Chiefs will be looking to make it back to the Super Bowl and be the first team to repeat since the 2003-04 New England Patriots.
NFC West
The NFC West will be the toughest division to play in again in 2020. The San Francisco 49ers are looking to make it back to the Super Bowl and take the title away from the Chiefs. The Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams will have something to say about it. Seattle’s Russell Wilson, who finished second in the 2019 season MVP race, will be leading another talented Seahawks team. LA is looking to make up for their disappointing 2019 season and make a serious push toward the Super Bowl.
No matter which team you root for, the 2020 NFL season is a welcome sight to millions of football fans. Football will provide a distraction and some relief from the chaos wrought by the current pandemic.
Hopefully, the NFL’s safety protocols will allow for the entire season to be completed, and we’ll be crowning another Super Bowl Champion in 2021.