NFL 2012-13 Season Predictions Review
By Kim Myers
I might have been wrong about my prediction that Woodley would break that sack record this season. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Before the season began, I took on the lofty task of predicting each team’s record. Impressive sounding, but not really when I looked back and saw that I picked the Steelers over the Packers for the Super Bowl. Homer biases aside I actually was rather accurate in some of my predictions, which surprised me. The 2012-13 NFL season sure had its ups and downs. Remember those replacement refs in the beginning of the season? That was fun right? Let’s take a look back and see how I did.
NFC West This division has come a long way in a short amount of time from being call the NFC Worst.
Arizona Cardinals: My prediction = 1-15, Actual finish = 5-11. Pittsburgh West fired former Steelers OC Ken Whisenhunt only to hire another former Steelers OC Bruce Arians and their quarterback situation is still a few steps below a dumpster fire. Makes you kind of feel bad for Larry Fitzgerald.
St. Louis Rams: My prediction = 5-11, Actual finish = 7-8-1. There doesn’t seem to be a more boring team right now than the Rams. They managed to tie the 49ers this season and have just fired their defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnolo. Not much else to say about them. RB Stephen Jackson is a free agent this year and might just be looking for his way out of town.
San Francisco 49ers: My prediction = 11-5, Actual finish = 11-4-1. Pretty close. I knew they weren’t going to top the 13-3 season that was Jim Harbaugh’s rookie head coaching season. The 49ers are the NFC Champs now and have a chance to tie the Steelers with 6 Lombardi trophies for the franchise. I don’t know what makes me sicker, the thought of that or the “Kaepernicking” poses of random douche bag wannabes kissing their own bicep.
Seattle Seahawks: My prediction = 7-9, Actual finish = 11-5. Well I was way off on this one. I wasn’t the only one who underestimated Russell Wilson and that Seattle defense.
NFC South With the Saints suffering under the Bounty-Gate scandal and having to go through a head coaching by committee routine for most of the season, there was no other way to look at this besides that it was the Falcons division to lose.
Atlanta Falcons: My prediction = 13-3, Actual finish = 13-3. Boom. Got that one on the money. The Falcons ended up being the only stomachable choice to root for in the playoffs but they blew that opportunity big-time.
Carolina Panthers: My prediction = 7-9, Actual finish = 7-9. Nailed it. The Panthers are still a bad football team, plain and simple. Bang up job by the media for complimenting Cam Newton left and right during his 6-10 rookie season but then getting upset when he’s less than gracious in his defeats during a 7-9 season.
New Orleans Saints: My prediction = 7-9, Actual finish = 7-9. Anyone who thought the Saints were still going to be in playoff contention playing the entire season without their head coach was crazy. The public pissing contest between Roger Goodell and Jonathan Vilma took damned near the entire season and now at least it will be entertaining to see Goodell get booed and harassed everywhere he goes in New Orleans for the Super Bowl this week.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: My prediction = 4-12, Actual finish = 7-9. Nailed another one.
NFC East I’m going to admit that this is the division I was by far the most wrong about. I didn’t get close on anyone’s schedule. In my defense, I don’t think before the season started anyone else would have pegged the Redskins to have won the division over everyone else. Andy Reid’s longtime tenure in Philly has come to an end and the division will probably be up for grabs again next season.
Dallas Cowboys: My prediction = 10-6, Actual finish 8-8. The Cowboys fired Rob Ryan as defensive coordinator and it actually did take longer than 5 minutes for him to find a job. It’s hard to say how many more mediocre seasons the Cowboys will have under Tony Romo and Jason Garrett but my guess is all of them.
NY Giants: My prediction = 12-4, Actual finish 9-7. The Giants failed to make the playoffs following their Super Bowl win from the previous year. It’s happened before. They’ll be back.
Philadelphia Eagles: My prediction = 11-5, Actual finish = 4-12. Ouch. That was a rough one for the Eagles. I made the mistake of picking them way too many weeks during our weekly picks too.
Washington Redskins: My prediction = 6-10, Actual finish = 10-6. Way off on that one. There’s no telling how the Redskins are going to do next season with RG3 having blown everything in his knee that ends in the letter “L” during their playoff loss to Seattle. Most likely he’ll return before he’s ready and injure it further to prove how much of a “warrior” he is.
NFC North The Vikings came out of nowhere this season to contend for a spot in the playoffs thanks to Adrian Peterson and his mutant knee. Ndamukong Suh didn’t stomp on anyone this year but did manage to kick Matt Ryan in the junk. Nice guy though.
Chicago Bears: My prediction = 10-6, Actual finish = 10-6. Nailed it. Did not see the firing of Lovie Smith coming though. I probably predicted he’d be fired maybe two seasons ago but since he seems to have an overall winning record I didn’t see the ax coming.
Detroit Lions: My prediction = 11-5, Actual finish = 4-12. Yikes. Ndamukong Suh is set to star in the latest season of Dancing with the Stars. Lord help the judges if they ever find themselves in the area to be stomped or kicked in the junk after giving him a bad score.
Green Bay Packers: My prediction = 13-3, Actual finish = 11-5. The Packers got flat out out-played by San Fran in the playoffs similarly to how they were outplayed by Eli and the Giants the year before. They might just need to invest in a defense if they ever want to return to the Super Bowl, just a suggestion.
Minnesota Vikings: My prediction = 3-13, Actual finish = 10-6. Orange Peanut? I, like everyone else in Steeler Nation, am praying that Heath Miller enlists in the Adrian Peterson knee surgery rehab program.