NFL.com Super Bowl picks

[Palmetto]

www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000952161/article/super-bowl-liii-predictions-analysts-split-on-rams-saints

No Panthers.  Saints and Falcons  tho

 

[LinvilleGorge]

Love it. We have always historically underperformed when we've had high expectations. We've always flown under the radar going into our best seasons.

[caatfan]

No surprise. History says that we have to suck this season. Everyone will view us as a certified up and down team until we prove differently.

[Sam Mills Fan]

Constantly amazed at you people that put so much stock into national media year after year after year after year. Every single year we've had a great year, the national media never saw it coming in season previews. N-e-v-e-r.

[Tepper's Chest Hair]

This was last years:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000837191/article/super-bowl-lii-predictions-patriots-raiders-steelers-head-picks

 

Patriots.  Raiders.  Steelers.  Seahawks.  All popular picks. 

Patriots is the boring/easy one.  Raiders, Seahawks didn't even make the playoffs.  Steelers lost their first game (second round).

[Pantha-kun]

Dont forget before last season started the Bucs were the hot pick to win the south and make noise, I kid you not.

I would take pre season predictions with a gigantic grain of salt.

There are always teams that were good the previous year who are much worse the following year, and vice versa. The media tends to just make safe picks based on last seasons data. 

[archer4364]

Packers and Eagles with only 1 vote is surprising. 

[PantherOnTheProwl1523]

Even if the Panthers won the SB there still would be an empty sense of this accomplishment from anyone but our fans.

[FakePlasticTrees]

Personally, I think the fact that the Saints beat us three times last season makes it difficult for many in the media to pick the Panthers to win the division. Furthermore, I think the media tends to fall in love with the offensive side of the ball and place less emphasis on the defense. At the end of the day, these predictions mean nothing.

I will say that I hope the defensive brain trust develops a better game plan against Saints this season. The Panthers' average points per game allowed were 19 points (this includes two of the Saints games). In the three games against the Saints, the Saints averaged 32 points per game against the Panthers scoring 30+ points in every game. In 2016 the Saints averaged that same 32 points per game against us albeit only scoring 20 in the game they lost. In 2015 they averaged 30 points per game against us (Drew Brees did not play in one of those games) even though they lost both games.

 

[Wyank]

2 hours ago, Tepper's Chest Hair said:

Panthers is the boring/easy one. 

Sigh I can't wait for this to be true each off season.

[RumHam]

The Rams are the clear favorites. It could be an all LA Super Bowl. You think the NFL wouldn't set that up to generate interest?

[Reebis21]

6 hours ago, RumHam said:

The Rams are the clear favorites. It could be an all LA Super Bowl. You think the NFL wouldn't set that up to generate interest?

Wouldn’t that be something? Obviously not what I’m rooting for but would be pretty interesting none the less.

[UpstatePanther]

10 hours ago, Wyank said:

Sigh I can't wait for this to be true each off season.

In Tepper we trust

[Bama Panther]

I don’t get the love for Atlanta. They just finished up a winless preseason. Although I know it is not the “end all, be all,” the ‘82 Redskins are the only team to I winless in the preseason and win the Super Bowl. Also, the Falcons only scored 27 points in their four preseason games. That’s quite the big-time offense there.