2007 NFL Season Predictions and Awards By
Brandon Anderson
9/06/07
A Sports Outlaw Exclusive Regular Season Awards MVP: Tom Brady
It looks like a race between a trio of QBs to me,
and Brady edges out Drew Brees and Peyton Manning to win the award for the
year. With so many key players missing from the Patriots roster early in the
year, it will be up to Tom Brady to carry New England early and often. He
has had an MVP season many times before, but he should have the numbers to
get the award this year too. Rookie of the Year: Adrian Peterson
Peterson may not be the starter just yet, but in a
relatively weak rookie class, he should go the head of the class before too
long. He has looked like the next great thing at times in the preseason and
runs behind a very good offensive line. Minnesota has a very talented
defense and should stay in games for most of the season, and they’ll need to
rely on a star RB like Peterson to keep the clock moving. Look for a big
rookie year if he can stay healthy. Coach of the Year: Ken Whisenhunt
This is a pretty easy choice if you paid attention
to the division records. If the Cardinals truly turn things around and go
11-5 and make a run all the way to a first round bye, it’s a no brainer in
the coach of the year race.
Wild Card Round Oakland at Pittsburgh
Oakland gets the final wildcard spot in a
tiebreaker over Houston due to a head to head victory in October (bet you
would never guess that game is important, huh?) but the run ends in a
hurry here. No way Culpepper can solve a real defense like Pittsburgh, and
Big Ben is ready this year. Cincinnati at New England
Let’s see. One team has a great offense. The other
one has a good offense and a good defense. Seems like an easy pick. Seymour,
Samuel, and Harrison should all be back and fresh and ready for a playoff
run. Washington at Minnesota
Minnesota may make the playoffs due to a weak
division, but Tarvaris Jackson is not ready to do anything if they get
there. This Washington squad is a legitimate sleeper this year and has the
pieces in place to really make a run. Give them at least this playoff win. San Francisco at Carolina
Jake Delhomme, Steve Smith, and this defense have
been there before, and it will show in this playoff matchup. The 49ers have
an improved defense and may make a run at the playoffs, but it will be a one
game experience this time.
Divisonal Round Pittsburgh at Denver
Here’s a classic playoff matchup for you with two
young stars at quarterback and a pair of great defenses and good run games.
The difference here may come down to home field advantage and coaching. Mike
Tomlin may do a lot of good things this year, but winning a playoff game in
Denver won’t be one of them. New England at Indianapolis
Hey, an AFC playoff just isn’t complete without
these two teams meeting at some point. This year’s Pats team is built for a
big playoff run, and the Colts are weak in the trenches and just waiting for
a chance to disappoint us all in the playoffs yet again. Look for a return
to normalcy as the Colts go down. Washington at Dallas
Nothing like a nice rivalry game in the playoffs,
and this one would be a knock ‘em down drag ‘em out finish for sure. Both
teams have good run games and great playmakers on offense. The difference
comes on defense, where the Cowboys should be ready to stifle Jason Campbell
and advance to the next round. Carolina at Arizona
This one could end up being a shootout. Who is
going to cover Steve Smith? Who is going to cover Larry Fitzgerald and
Anquan Boldin? Things could get interesting. But playoffs are about running
the ball when it matters, and Arizona made the moves to upgrade their
offensive line and get Edge some running room, and they win their first home
playoff game in a very, very long time.
Conference Finals New England at Denver
There’s something strange that seems to happen
between New England, Denver, and Indy over the last few years, a sort of
Paper-Rock-Scissors playoff phenomenon. Indianapolis always crushes Denver
but gets beat by New England. But if there’s one team the Patriots
consistently struggle to beat when it’s all on the line, it’s these Broncos.
Denver is the most complete team in football and they will win the game of
the year. Arizona at Dallas
It’s an old NFC East divisional flashback game!
Tony Romo! Matt Leinart! It’s the NFC Championship on FOX! This would be
quite a matchup, and I’m making a pick here based solely on the reasoning
that Wade Philips has never been a big game coach and would surely have to
choke (him or TO or Romo) with everything on the line. Arizona completes the
miracle season by making it all the way to the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl Arizona vs Denver
Congratulations to the Cards for making it this
far, but everyone knows the AFC is still the class of the NFL. Any one of
those division winners could scorch every team from the NFC, and Denver is
no exception. They just have too much talent here, and they end an emotional
roller coaster of a season and win this one for Darrent Williams and the
entire Denver Broncos family. Super Bowl MVP: Travis Henry | 
