Which team will be the biggest upset this season?

[fyo]

It's early and we don't know crap. What better time to take wild stabs at which team will outperform (or underperform) expectations the most?

Here are the current over/under's:

Arizona Cardinals 7.5
Atlanta Falcons 4.5
Baltimore Ravens 6
Buffalo Bills 8
Carolina Panthers 7.5
Chicago Bears 8
Cincinnati Bengals 7.5
Cleveland Browns 8
Dallas Cowboys 10
Denver Broncos 7.5
Detroit Lions 6.5
Green Bay Packers 8
Houston Texans 7.5
Indianapolis Colts 11
Jacksonville Jaguars 10
Kansas City Chiefs 6
Miami Dolphins 5.5
Minnesota Vikings 8.5
New England Patriots 12.5
New Orleans Saints 8.5
New York Giants 9
New York Jets 7
Oakland Raiders 6.5
Philadelphia Eagles 8.5
Pittsburgh Steelers 9
San Diego Chargers 9.5
Seattle Seahawks 8.5
San Francisco 49ers 6.5
St. Louis Rams 6.5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 8
Tennessee Titans 8
Washington Redskins 7.5

[TonyB0D]

UNDER!

[YoFuggedaboutit]

When you say upset, did you mean disappointment?

[fyo]

When you say upset, did you mean disappointment?

Both ways. Which team will win the most games OVER what people expect them to and which team will disappoint and win the most games LESS than expectations.

Personally, I think the Ravens stand a good chance of winning a lot of games this year. They probably won't make the playoffs, but I can see them winning 3 games more than they're expected to - so 9 wins for them. Sure, they don't have a quarterback, but everything else seems to be in much better shape than Miami, yet they're expected to win about the same number of games.

[Brian Fein]

take the packers with the under.  i don't see them winning more than 4 or 5 games this season.

[Dave Gray]

I think that Brian may be right with the Packers.

With the Saints, I'll take the over.

[Rick]

  The Browns over 8 is a good pick imo.  I can see them winning 11 or 12 games.

   Tennessee would be my under as of  right now.  They may win 4 or 5 games.

[Brian Fein]

I also think taking the Ravens with the Over is a pretty safe bet.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

New Orleans with the over is a good bet too.  The way they came on strong at the end of last season..... they probably will make it back to the NFC Championship this season. 

[fyo]

The way [New Orleans] came on strong at the end of last season....

You mean the way they won 2 of their last 5 games? (Including losing the final 2)

And the 2 games they won: Falcons and Cardinals.

They had 3 half-decent games last year: Panthers, Jaguars and Seahawks.

Playing in a pretty weak divisions helps, but they're not paired with the NFC West this year. That's 3 of their 7 wins right there.

New Orleans are a hard team to figure out. Clearly, they outperformed themselves 2 seasons ago - but wtf happened last year? I saw quite a few of those games and it was UGLY. Their draft consisted pretty much of defensive players, plus they got Randall Gay from the Patsies, Bobby McCray from the Jags and a few more D's on the tail end of their careers...

So they should improve on defense, but unless the offense starts working, they're still screwed.

A big part is going to be admitting that Reggie Bush is not a running back. He's a great slot receiver, though, and the Patsies have shown that with a good quarterback, a star receiver and a solid #2, the slot can really be a difference maker. Seriously, the Saints aren't that far from the Patsies with Drew Brees, Marques Colston and David Patten. Add Reggie Bush as a slot receiver and let Pierre Thomas play running back... that could be a killer O, especially considering that the Saints actually had a very good offensive line last year.

Hmm.. I think I may have just talked myself into the Over ;-)

[BJL]

Anything we say is basically hunches, but I'll take a stab at this. Here are my choices...

Chicago Bears 8

Indianapolis Colts 11

Washington Redskins 7.5

Bears- They lost their best receiver. They're relying on a rookie back and a mediocre line to carry an awful quarterback. They're star defensive player isn't happy. They haven't improved at all really. I don't see this team doing anything at all. I don't see how they could win. The defense would have to be amazing, and I just don't see it from that group.

Colts- Injuries have to catch up to them. They have guys coming back from injuries who are key players. Those guys have to come back, stay healthy, and they can't lose other key players. The division they play in has also gotten a lot better from top to bottom. 11 wins seems like a lot to expect, even with Manning under center.

Redskins- I just like this team to surprise this year. Maybe it's the fact that they didn't buy every player in sight during free agency. Maybe it's the fact they tried to give the offense a bunch of young talent. I would be certain of this pick if Greg Williams was still their defensive coordinator. Now I'm iffy because it's a new head coach. Still, it seems like a pretty good team that will surprise, and could wind up making the playoffs.

[Dave Gray]

I'd love to take the Redskins with the over, but they always find a way to suck, no matter who's on their roster.  They just can never get it together.  They show flashes of brilliance and then sink back to zero the next week.

[Sunstroke]

Until proven otherwise, I assume that SF will go 16-0 every season...so I'll take the over on the 49ers.