The Sports Brief's 2009 NFL Preview

The NFL Season Kicks off tonight with Steelers and Titans. Below are the predictions for the 2009 season. Final division standings, playoff match ups, Super Bowl picks, and the big individual awards.

KEEFE's Picks:

AFC East

1. Patriots*

2. Bills*

3. Dolphins

4. Jets

AFC North

1. Steelers*

2. Ravens*

3. Bengals

4. Browns

AFC South

1. Texans*

2. Colts

3. Titans

4. Jaguars

AFC West

1. Chargers*

2. Raiders

3. Chiefs

4. Broncos

Playoffs:

Wildcard:

Patriots over Bills

Ravens over Texans

Divisional:

Patriots over Steelers

Chargers over Ravens

Conference:

Chargers over Patriots

NFC East

1. Eagles*

2. Giants

3. Redskins

4. Cowboys

NFC North

1. Bears*

2. Vikings*

3. Packers

4. Lions

NFC South

1. Saints*

2. Panthers

3. Falcons

4. Buccaneers

NFC West

1. Cardinals*

2. Seahawks*

3. Rams

4. 49ers

Playoffs

Wildcard:

Seahawks over Cardinals

Eagles over Vikings

Divisional:

Eagles over Bears

Saints over Seahawks

Conference:

Saints over Eagles

SUPER BOWL: Chargers over Saints

MVP: Drew Brees, Saints

Offensive Player of the Year: Brees, Saints

Defensive Player of the Year: Mario Williams, Texans

O-Rookie: Percy Harvin, Vikings

D-Rookie: Brian Cushing, Texans

Coach: Gary Kubiak, Texans

BESSE's Picks:

AFC East

1. Patriots*

2. Dolphins

3. Jets

4. Bills

AFC North

1. Steelers*

2. Bengals*

3. Ravens

4. Browns

AFC South

1. Colts*

2. Texans*

3. Titans

4. Jaguars

AFC West

1. Chargers*

2. Broncos

3. Chiefs

4. Raiders

AFC Playoffs

Wildcard:

Chargers over Texans

Colts over Bengals

Divisional:

Pats over Chargers

Steelers over Colts

Conference:

Pats over Steelers

NFC East

1. Giants*

2. Cowboys*

3. Eagles

4. Redskins

NFC North

1. Packers*

2. Bears

3. Vikings

4. Lions

NFC South

1. Saints*

2. Falcons*

3. Panthers

4. Bucs

NFC West

1. Seahawks*

2. Cardinals

3. 49ers

4. Rams

NFC Playoffs

Wildcard:

Falcons over Giants

Cowboys over Seahawks

Divisional:

Packers over Cowboys

Falcons over Saints

Conference:

Falcons over Packers

SUPER BOWL: Pats over Falcons

Awards:

MVP – Aaron Rodgers, Packers

Offensive POY – Drew Brees, Saints

Defensive POY – Justin Tuck, Giants

Offensive ROY – Knowshon Moreno, Broncos

Defensive ROY – James Laurinaitis, Rams

Coach of the Year – Mike McCarthy, Packers

-The Sports Brief

Week 1 Picks

Keefe: Steelers(-6) over the Titans

Hate both teams, but I'll go with Pittsburgh at home to win by more than a touchdown. They will be all jacked up and could get off to a slow start, but I think that's going to be the Titans' problem all year. Collins plays himself out of the starting QB job, only for it to get worse with Vince Young at the helm.

Besse: Steelers (-6) over Titans
While some money grubbin' whore in Vegas is digging up the names of every chick Big Ben has slayed (good luck w/ that), he'll be methodically breaking down the Titans defense on opening night. The loss of Haynesworth will gleam brightly tonight for the Titans, and the vaunted Steelers defense will shut down the run and force Kerry Collins to pass more. By the end of the night, we'll be wondering if Collins fell off the wagon again. And look for Willie Parker to do what he did last year: explode in Week 1, get all of his fantasy owners jacked up for the rest of the season, then get hurt and run like Maroney for the rest of the year. If you can't tell, that's exactly what happened to me last year. Bitter? Nah...