One take for every team in PML for the cycle.
NFC South
Saints- Hard to do a take for myself, but as someone who had aspirations of 5 division titles this cycle I’ll say that after two games and a couple of failed trades: I don’t know if that will be the case anymore. You can’t drop division games this early.
Bucs- Cammy is still a good user without Burrow but he won’t win a playoff game all cycle unless he somehow gets Caleb Williams or Arch Manning. I think he can definitely squeeze out a division title but winning after that is a different battle.
Panthers- Depending on how much having a kid impacts his life, I think JT and the Panthers make the playoffs before season 5 and surprises many. He knows his scheme too well on both sides of the ball to stay at the bottom.
Falcons- Nef is on the up overall and has tons of weapons but I don’t think he is above .500 in any season even if he finds a quarterback. The conferences are pretty balanced so Nef will just always have too tough a schedule for his level of play.
NFC East
Eagles- HD has the best team in PML in the worst division but I don’t think he’ll make the playoffs all cycle and Hurts will only keep his abilities because of overly cautious play. Another disappointment of a cycle for HD and an elite team.
Commanders- The first two games are not a mirage, Vet may own this division but at the very least he’ll be competitive all cycle and won’t finish worse than 7-10. I was skeptical but if you watch those first games he clearly has figured out something.
Giants- Burn is in no man’s land with the Giants thanks to Daniel Jones’ contract and will finish 2nd or 3rd in the division every season, not making the playoffs and not doing bad enough to get a game changer. It is an unfortunate reality of Burn in this division.
Cowboys- With a talented team and franchise players at key positions, Drama will quickly figure out the rest of the East and dominate division matchups going no worse than 4-2 in each season. I don’t know if he’ll do good enough outside of the division to win the division or a playoff game, but I trust him against his rivals.
NFC West
49ers- CEO is using a great team with a great defense but this is a division you would hate to be in and I think that means CEO is going this whole cycle with no playoff appearances and most of that can be pinned on that I don’t think he even goes 3-3 in the division any season.
Rams- Cook has the Rams for a reason, he’ll get them right and win a super bowl in season 4. I trust his team building, player development, and just straight up skill. They are many pieces away and already have beaten their toughest division rival.
Seahawks- Z will have the scariest defense all cycle and still be a good offense. The defense needs work right now but those cornerbacks are going to let Z focus everywhere else and other teams will pay. This will definitely be a good cycle for Z.
Cardinals- Que will either pick top 10 or make the playoffs every season. I’m not actually accusing him of tanking but people’s subconscious impacts their play. If he starts off strong he’ll make a playoff push, but if he starts poorly he’ll phone it in and blame the team and division which is honestly fair.
NFC North
Bears- It hurts my heart to see the Bears mismanaged just like in real life, but Jefe was dealt a great hand but seems to not be interested. The team has the young stars, it has the cap space, and it has the draft capital but I just don’t know if I see him doing what has to be done, especially in this tough divison
Packers- This is the cycle HypeMike gets his super bowl, the defense is already there and Mike can get it done with any offense, just ask Cam Rising. He’ll put the offense together sooner than later and finally get that ring.
Vikings- I think Wimmy will win 4 out of 5 division titles thanks to strong play but I think the Packers will always get the last laugh in the playoffs. The Vikings just aren’t built strong enough for playoff pushes and I think Wimmy sees his lowest amount of playoff wins in a while
Lions- Fallen will surprise people but in this division he’ll just be stuck in purgatory. I think he unfortunately is a 7, 8, or 9 win team every season which just won’t be good or bad enough to move any needle.
AFC South
Colts- CB was given his team so I think we see a lot of great content and one of the best builds overall wise, but I don’t see him putting it together on the field just yet.
Texans- Ke is just too strong of a user for this division, I think he goes 6-0 every season and makes all 5 postseasons with ease. The question will just be if he can keep up at that point with such impressively talented teams.
Jaguars- Tbandit will miss the playoffs by one game in the first 3 seasons. Maybe it’s because of the losses I’m projecting to Ke or maybe it’s just coming up short like with the Bills, I see him getting so close to the playoffs but with a strong conference I think it’ll test him mentally. Will he come back stronger or phone it in?
Titans- Dlloyd won’t be able to break through with his team. Maybe he gets Levis going, but I think this team is too bad and the division/conference are just too good for him right now. He’ll always compete in games but I think the record will always be below .500
AFC East
Jets- Aaron Rodgers retiring after 1 or 3 seasons is what Greeny has to hope for. Zach Wilson is obviously not going to stay and develop into the successor so the Jets are going to need to draft someone and unless Greeny wants to use a top pick on a position he has filled in the first offseason, he may be stuck with the abysmal QB class that comes after season 2.
Bills- Beast will be welcomed to PML with 0 playoff appearances despite some impressive wins. I just think there’s too much talent in this division both on the sticks and on the teams for a newcomer to capture a division crown even with the Bills and Josh Allen.
Dolphins- Deebo will win this division at least once. He has been putting in the work with the Dolphins and they are too talented to not win. He has some tough division mates but I expect him to put it together and be a contender all cycle.
Patriots- His worst seasons will be 2 and 3. Spdot is one of the best users but last year he completely botched team building until after season 3. This Patriots team is in a worse spot than his Bears were so I expect a strong start but a similarly tough year 2 and 3 before he gets the rebuild going.
AFC West
Broncos- DK will win the division more than anyone else in the AFC West. The Broncos are really nothing special this madden and Russell Wilson and his contract make it worse but nobody wins more with less than DK and he does a great job figuring out his rivals.
Raiders- Mike won’t win a division title this cycle. He’s too good at this game to miss the playoffs every year but I think his team is just too behind in this elite division to get the upper hand and put together a top season which is what it will take to win in the west.
Chargers- Codes will have the most postseason success of his division. The Chargers are the most complete team in this division and Codes knows how to adjust and get better. I think his team stays the best over the course of the cycle and he goes further and further every year.
Chiefs- Patrick Mahomes will hurt Matigy. Whether it’s benching him to save abilities or just his high price, I think Matigy’s team suffers even with all of the great Mahomes will do for him. I think he’ll come up short one way or another because Mahomes soaks up resources.
AFC North
Ravens- Lamar won’t be a Raven all cycle. Arod is not one of the best users so he’ll consistently have a chance to get a fresh new QB with a chance of abilities after he unfortunately loses Lamars. This will lead to him shipping off Lamar to fill the other spots on the Ravens.
Bengals- Goose will utilize Burrow and make the leap just like Cammy did. Burrow’s velocity ability coupled with elite receiving options makes offense easy and in this easy division I think Goose will have what it takes to put it together and win more games than we think.
Steelers- It’ll be a disappointment if Curt doesn’t own his division mates. Curt has always been a solid opponent with awful connection issues but those are supposedly gone so if he can’t go 4-2 or better every season in the division, it would prove he isn’t actually good.
Browns- Mali will win a playoff game. I was surprised to see the Browns start 2-0 especially against division mates with better teams so props to him and after thinking about it I think he can win the division, make the playoffs, and use that momentum to win a playoff game.
