Brady for MVP? Bills for the Super Bowl? Our NFL season predictions revisited

P eeking back at your preseason predictions can be like looking at pictures of yourself from junior high: absolutely horrifying. But as professional journalists we’re up for the challenge of peeling the onion and learning from past mistakes. Strap in: we struck gold in a couple of categories … but others weren’t so pretty (you can read them here before we go).

What we said before the season: Two of us predicted the Broncos would crash (“it will likely take the Broncos some time to figure out the Russell Wilson-Nathaniel Hackett dynamic”) although not as spectacularly as they did, and we overestimated how strong the AFC West would be overall. We also said the Pats would flop: “Jones hitting his head on his low ceiling after a solid rookie campaign, alongside a coaching staff dealing with multiple departures will combine to make this a transitional year for the Pats.” The less said about the possibility of the Chiefs missing the postseason the better.

What actually happened: The Broncos were even worse than expected and the Patriots only avoided a last-place finish in the AFC East because of the New York Jets’ spectacular late season collapse. You may have heard that the Chiefs ended up doing pretty well ...

What we said before the season: Among our candidates was Tom Brady who we said,“is fresh as a daisy after that 11-day holiday, and the reviews from training camp have been raving about the 45-year-old throwing it better than ever.” One of us selected Justin Herbert based on an improved offensive line, “his protection got even better when the Chargers took polished guard Zion Johnson at 17th overall.” We also threw Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson in the mix. Patrick Mahomes? Jalen Hurts? Nope.

What actually happened: Bra