Before I get flamed for believing in some form of stability in the NFL, let's see some predictions!
x-Wild Card
y-Division Champs
z-Home Field Advantage
AFC East:
Patriots (z)
Jets
Bills
Dolphins
The Patriots are winning games and aren't slowing down, while the rest of the division has been bumbling along. The Jets, in my opinion, upgraded at QB with Tebow (only because Sanchez is terrible), but that's not saying much. The Bills got some work done on defense, but Fitzpatrick is still running that team and he's shown to be inconsistent. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Bills contending, but there are a lot of question marks surrounding that franchise. The Dolphins suck and Tannehill probably isn't starting.
AFC North:
Ravens (y)
Steelers (x)
Bengals
Browns
It's a three-horse race in the AFC North, with the old guard of the division (Steelers and Ravens) fighting off the upstart Bengals. The Bengals are on the cusp of being great, but I think stability will prevail in this division. The Steelers and Ravens are getting old, but they have enough in them for one more season of dominance. Browns lol
AFC South:
Texans (y)
Titans
Colts
Jaguars
This division is boring. Texans are good, Titans are hungry but untalented, and Colts and Jags are on the long road of rebuilding.
AFC West:
Chargers (y)
Broncos (x)
Chiefs
Raiders
This has to be San Diego's year. They're talented. It's a pretty weak division. Philip Rivers is bound for a bounce-back to usual near-elite form, though Peyton's the best QB in that division. The Chiefs are going to contend, but I think 8-9 wins is the best they can do and that's not going to be enough in the AFC West this season.
NFC East:
Eagles (y)
Giants (x)
Cowboys
Redskins
The Eagles are one of the most talented teams in the game, but they didn't find the W column as much as their stats suggested last season. Expect that to change as they start living up to the hype. The SB Champions are good, but last season they really overachieved and it's reasonable to expect some regression to the mean. The Cowboys are vastly overrated in my opinion, as this "retooled" secondary is really a "rebuilding" secondary and Romo's elite season was last season. If Romo can repeat the amazing numbers from last season then fuck it, he's elite. Redskins are on the extremely long rebuilding road, which will be especially brutal as the find themselves short on first-round picks for a while...
NFC North:
Packers (z)
Lions (x)
Bears
Vikings
This division has some room to change, but I think stability will still reign in the NFL's toughest division. The Packers are the best team in the NFL, unfortunately, thanks to Aaron Rodgers. The defense will get better (it can't get much worse) while the Packers steamroll most teams like last season. The Lions and Bears will probably finish very close to the Pack, but there'll only be enough room for one wild-card spot in the North and that's probably going to the more consistent Lions. The Bears O-line issues will be their downfall, since there's not much reason to believe that that entire big-play offense can stay upright for 16 games. lol vikings.
NFC South:
Saints (y)
Falcons
Panthers
Buccaneers
Even with the bounty suspensions, the Saints are the team to beat. The Falcons are contenders, but they don't have the passing offense that the Saints have. Drew Brees is an intelligent football player, and even without great coach Payton he can run that offense well. The Panthers are looking for a division crown, but Cam set the bar high and now has the burden of expectations on him. He is also unlikely to repeat the greatness of last season as defenses will be more prepared to face the run/pass option. Suckaneers suck.
NFC West:
San Francisco 49ers (y)
Seattle Seahawks
Arizona Cardinals
St. Louis Rams
The niners have what it takes to win that division because they match up well with their division opponents. Their unstoppable run defense does well against the Seahawks' run attack and the Cardinals will have QB troubles since imo Kolb and Skelton both suck. Bradford is a somewhat injury-prone QB who was having a God-awful season before the injury and isn't showing signs of improvement. Obviously too early to call Bradford a bust, but I think he's the most likely high draft QB to bust in upcoming years. Obviously throw these predictions out the window if Matt Flynn plays even half as well as he did Week 17 though. Dat Flynn.
So, my take on it is that since the NFL has become a passing league (to a greater extent this year than any), it's reasonable to believe that the teams with the best passing offenses and defenses will thrive this year as they did last year. I only predicted two division crowns to change this year over last year, but I wouldn't be surprised if the AFC North or NFC South crown changed too. The four division champs which I think will almost definitely repeat are the Texans, Patriots, Packers, and Niners because the first three have by far the best QBs in their divisions and the latter matches up well against the division opponents.
go lions roar!