The NFL season is just minutes away from beginning and ESPN’s 35 NFL pundits predicted the eight divisional winners, AFC and NFC wild cards, Super Bowl matchup, Super Bowl XLVIII champion and NFL MVP for 2013. Mike Ditka predicted the Chicago Bears to go all the way.
(I’m sure, cough, cough, there’s NO BIAS at work there. None whatsoever). Of the 35 pundits, Mike Ditka was the only one to predict the Bears in the Super Bowl. Five analysts picked them to win the NFC North division. Two more said the Bears would be the Wild Card. There 7/35, or just 20% of the NFL talking heads believe the Bears are postseason bound.
Of the predictions, the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos are favorites to be crowned Super Bowl champion with eight votes each, followed closely by Atlanta (seven) and San Francisco (four).
New England is heavily favored to win the AFC East with Ron Jaworski the lone ESPN analyst to not pick the Patriots (picked the Miami Dolphins). Other popular division champion picks include the Denver Broncos (AFC West), Houston Texans (AFC South) and Green Bay Packers (NFC North).
As for my sexy pick of the Cincinnati Bengals as NFL Champs, zero of the ESPN analysts got on board with that. Although three Bristolites picked Cincy to reach the Super Bowl. So there’s that.
Mike Ditka went out on a limb. Good for him.
Catch me every Friday at 7:30 AM CDT talking Chicago Bears on WAOR 95.7 The Fan, Michiana’s home for Bears football
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. An analyst for 95.7 The Fan, he also writes on Chicago sports media for Chicago Now. Follow him (@paulmbanks)