Bold Predictions for Next Season

With the NFL season coming to a close after Super Bowl 53, I thought I'd lay down some bold takes for next season. I have a feeling that most of these won't come true, but one can hope, right?

1. The Cleveland Browns Will Win the AFC North: Yes, THOSE Cleveland Browns. I wished they would've hired interim head coach Gregg Williams as their new coach since the team rallied around him and Baker Mayfield. But Freddie Kitchens doesn't seem like a bad pick for head coach. Anyway, the Browns have Mayfield under center (finally, a franchise quarterback for Cleveland!), an up-and-coming defense anchored by Myles Garrett, and tons of swagger after last season's late run. Plus, the Bengals are a dud, the Steelers seem to be headed for some turmoil, and the Ravens got in despite not having the best offense. Cleveland can make a run for the AFC North if they get a few missing pieces filled and they build off last season's run.
   
2. The Indianapolis Colts Will Make the AFC Championship: Like Cleveland, the Colts have an up-and-coming defense led by the NFL's leading tackler, Darius Leonard (164 total tackles). Offensively, Andrew Luck saw the number of sacks he took cut drastically, going from 41 in 2017 to just 18 in 2018. With a newfound offensive line protecting Luck and lots of cap room, the Colts will make their way to the AFC Championship next year.
   
3. Daa Bears Will Make the NFC Championship: If Cody Parkey had not missed a late fourth quarter field goal against Philadelphia in the wild card round, the Chicago Bears would've possibly made a deep run in the playoffs. The defense resembles the 1985 Bears that won it all and Mitchell Trubisky is making Bears fans forget about Jay Cutler (thank goodness). If the Bears can secure a tight end and another receiver in an NFC North division that is experiencing some turmoil right now, the Bears may have Chicago fans thinking about a Super Bowl Shuffle redux.
4. The 49ers Will Barely Miss Out On the Playoffs: Yes, the Niners were devastated by injuries last season. The Niners may have found one of the better tight ends in the game in George Kittle. But I'm not sold on San Francisco making the playoffs... yet. The defense only mustered seven turnovers last season and the secondary is still pretty young sans Richard Sherman. There's also the NFC West, which has the NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams and a resurgent Seattle Seahawks team. If the Niners can snag a big-time receiver (looking at you, Antonio Brown) and can draft wisely on defense, the Niners could make this prediction look silly come next January.