August 25, 2010 – Two pre-season games and two episodes of “Hard Knocks” and we think we’ve got a handle on who will emerge as the conference winners in January. Here are our bold predictions without the knowledge of critical injuries that are sure to happen.

American Football Conference

AFC East

We are banking on Tom Brady and the Patriots, even with that helmet hairdo under his helmet. The whining Boston fanbase may be worried about the running game and the defense, but Belichick takes care of the “D” and surprising pieces emerge on offense (Edelman, Gronkowski, etc.) to compensate. The Jets will celibrate every positive play as though they are the only ones in the NFL that can make a catch, or recover a fumble. Unfortunately, they will come up short when trying to win big games. Miami is the only other pretender in this group and they will fare well head-to-head against NE and NY, but falter elsewhere.

AFC North

There are three legitimate contenders here. Only the Browns have room to grow. Baltimore seems more likely to emerge as their defense peaks later in the season when it counts. Joe Flacco will use his new receivers to an advantage and Ray Rice and depth everywhere on offense will keep that “plain vanilla” offense producing. Cincinnati’s hopes hinge on Carson Palmer, not the diva wideouts. The Bengals are most likely to hit some dysfunction along the way. Pittsburgh will be behind the eight ball throughout Ben Roethlisberger’s suspension. Losing games that maybe he could have won during that span will spell the difference.

AFC South

This division is more about who will finally challenge the Colts? The answer is ‘no one.’ Houston is most poised to make a stand, but that might be more based upon hope and “it’s-about-time” than any real football basis. The playoff spot hinges on Peyton Manning’s health.

AFC West

Three teams trying to rebuild to respectability and the San Diego Chargers. Some might lament the loss of LT and the delayed signings of Merriman, McNeill and Jackson, but don’t underestimate the abilities of a quarterback in his prime, who is a bit wounded from finishing out-of-the-money too many times. The Chargers go as far as Philip Rivers can take them.

National Football Conference

NFC East

Popular choice, those Dallas Cowboys. But this is a team with the personality of its owner, who happens to think everything he does is golden. The Cowboys are another version of the Jets, where a team mouthpiece (Jerry Jones) declares everything about his team to be ideal. Trouble is, they haven’t won a playoff game since 1996. The New York Giants have regained the tools from their Super Bowl year, but coach Tom Coughlin may not have the patience to deal with steps backward along the way. Andy Reid’s Eagles are a more likely bet to sail under the radar and capture this division. Kevin Kolb will have his growing pains, but it won’t be long before he’s compared to Aaron Rodgers, just like the Eagle’s defense will be compared to the Pack’s with their mixtures of names and no-names. Mike Shanahan will make progress in Washington, but needs more time.

NFC North

The Vikings and the Packers are the class here and their head-to-heads will have more importance than ever before. Brett Favre will prove himself to be old, a distraction and likely to end his career with an interception, but the Vikings will not even be considered without his steerage. Aaron Rodgers zips the ball to places and even though you might not know all the players, the Pack can bring it from both sides. The most compelling race in the NFL will have Green Bay getting the last laugh over Favre. Chicago and Detroit will beat the Packers and Vikings but they will remain challenged by inconsistency.

NFC South

New Orleans remains the champion until beaten. Drew Brees will pick up where he left off. How much does luck play into a Super Bowl run? And how much can Sean Payton count on luck again? Payton’s teams pressure you defensively and overwhelm you on offense. Until someone figures out how to bring those two factors down to earth, the Saints will keep their distance ahead of the Atlanta Falcons, while Carolina and Tampa Bay rebuild with not enough pieces.

NFC West

Arizona is the likely call because San Francisco and Seattle are in the midst of rebuilding projects. Though both the Seahawks, under new coach Pete Carroll, and the Niners under Mike Singletary believe they have enough to challenge now. Especially with Kurt Warner gone from the Cards and Matt Leinart stepping in. Still, the Cardinals offer good coaching, experience and the most consistent offense and defense to command this group.