By MICHAEL SMITH
Staff Writer
Published September 7, 2011
This Thursday night, the Green Bay Packers prepare to host the New Orleans Saints to open the 2011 NFL regular season.
There are many story lines to follow in this upcoming series. Some story lines may already be answered by the time of the Thursday kickoff. The most noteworthy being, will Peyton Manning, whose consecutive start streak stands at 208, be under center for the Colts in Week 1?
Some may take the whole season to follow, such as, can the Packers repeat? Can the Jets finally claim the AFC East crown from Tom Brady and the New England Patriots?
One big question is, is this the year that the Colts finally get knocked off in the AFC South? At times last year, the Colts didn’t look like themselves in the Peyton Manning era.
The Colts have missed the playoffs twice since Manning came into the league in 1998. They have now made the playoffs in nine straight years, but with Manning’s health in question, there is no way to know what to expect from them this year.
With that being said, all this could make Peyton a favorite for an all-time record fifth MVP. The Colts are a bad team without him and they need him to win, which is the true meaning of the Most Valuable Player award.
However, the award for Offensive Player of the Year will go to Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers. He has a rocket for an arm, he’s mobile and he’s going to lead Green Bay to back to back playoff appearances.
Defensive Player of the Year is Ndamukong Suh. He’s a monster, and with Nick Fairley there, some of the pressure gets taken off of Suh. Suh will be running free all year against quarterbacks.
As for the divisions and the wild card in the NFC, with Michael Vick and a revamped defense, the Philadelphia Eagles will run away with the NFC East.
The Green Bay Packers, having gotten the monkey off their backs, will take the NFC North.
In the NFC South, the New Orleans Saints will win this season, after getting the Wild Card berth last year and losing in the first round of the playoffs.
In the horrific NFC West, the 49ers quarterback troubles will doom them yet again in a winnable division that will go to the St. Louis Rams. Dallas and Atlanta will come out of the NFC as the wild cards.
The AFC East will go to the New York Jets, as they will, finally, edge out New England. The AFC North will go to Pittsburgh over Baltimore, again. Same story in the AFC South, Colts over Houston, again.
As for the west, the Chargers will take it from last year’s Cinderella, the Chiefs. The Patriots and Baltimore will be the wild cards, leaving Houston out again.
The playoffs will end with a Super Bowl match-up between the Jets and the Eagles. The Jets will play well, but not well enough, leaving the Philadelphia Eagles as the Super Bowl Champions, 45-35.
NFL fans are in for an incredible year. Are you ready for some football?
