Foolishly Predicting Pigskin Winners III

I should have known better.  I should have known better than to predict that our flightless birds, a.k.a., the Pittsburgh Penguins, would win the Stanley Cup in the spring.

A Chicago Blackhawks-Pittsburgh Penguins final would have been sweet.  But how could our hometown heroes only manages two goals -- ONLY TWO GOALS -- in four-plus games with the Boston Bruins.   Wait till next year.  (Oops, I mean wait until September 11, when NHL training camp begins!)

So, no more hometown favorites.  I have not been happy with the way our other heroes, the Pittsburgh Steelers, conducted themselves in the off-season.  Unloading veterans is one thing, getting new or drafted players to step up and take their place is another.  Poor Ben Roethlisburger.  I think he's at the peak of his physical and mental powers, and he has few targets, no running game, and a leaky O-line.  The LeBeau defense will again be stout.  But without an offense to chew up yards and time, the aging stars on defense can only do so much.  Wow.  I predict another 8-8 season, another miss at the playoffs, another wasted year without pursuing that 7th Super Bowl ring.

That said, the NFL should be as exciting as ever.  It's wide open -- again.  The story lines make the sports writers giddy.  Will Peyton Manning put it all together for a second ring?  How will running backs/disguised-as-quarterbacks Russell Wilson, Robert Griffin III, and Colin Kaepernick deal with sophomore slump?  Can Chip Kelly's silly-fast Oregon offense work in the NFL?  Will the Bengals, Browns and the Texans break their usual playoff swoons?  Can Tom Brady and Bill Belechik take the mess in New England and make another run for a fourth losing Super Bowl since the spy-gate fiasco?  Will Andy Reid make magic in Kansas City?  And will Rex Ryan end up mayor or sanitation engineer of New York (er, New Jersey swampland)?

So here are my predictions:

NFC East division winner:  New York Giants (4)

NFC North:  Green Bay Packers (3)

NFC South:  Atlanta Falcons (1)

NFC West:  Seattle Seahawks (2)

Wild cards:  San Francisco 49ers (5), Philadelphia Eagles (6)

Packers over Eagles
49ers over Giants

Falcons over 49ers
Packers over Seahawks

Packers over Falcons

AFC East: New England Patriots (1)

AFC North: Cincinnati Bengals (4)

AFC South: Houston Texans (3)

AFC West: Denver Broncos (2)

Wild cards:  Baltimore Ravens (5), Indianapolis Colts (6)

Texans over Colts
Ravens over Bengals

Patriots over Ravens
Broncos over Ravens

Broncos over Patriots

SUPER BOWL 2013:  Packers over Broncos

I know, those of you with long memories will tell me that I picked the Packers to beat the Patriots last year.  The Ravens had everything right happen to them down the playoff stretch, and the Pack fell short.  But Aaron Rogers is a proven commodity, and the Packers are a class act.  They know how to win.  This will be their year.

Let the games begin!