As the 2016 season nears, we're asking our NFL Insiders to make some predictions. On Monday, we touched on 2016 award winners. We devoted Tuesday to the rookies. On Wednesday, we hit all things overrated and underrated.
For today, let's dive into which teams will be making the 2016 playoffs. Our Insiders predict the eight division winners and four wild-card recipients.
Who will win the NFC East?
Matt Bowen, NFL writer: Giants. They have upgrades on the defensive side of the ball and more weapons on offense for QB Eli Manning. The Giants will make a strong December run to win a division that's wide open.
John Clayton, NFL senior writer: Redskins. They are the most complete team in the division. Kirk Cousins will continue to grow with Jay Gruden, and the defense should improve.
Mike Sando, NFL senior writer: Redskins. The Giants have spent out of desperation to help a rookie head coach. The Eagles' QB situation is too fluid. The Cowboys are breaking in a new QB. Washington could be the safest bet.
Aaron Schatz, editor-in-chief of Football Outsiders: Giants. I've been driving the Dallas bandwagon all offseason, but even if Dak Prescott is better than the usual fourth-round rookie, he's not going to be as good as Tony Romo. Combine that with the pass-rush questions and Rolando McClain's nonsense, and it seems likely that the Giants and their rebuilt defense can edge past the Cowboys and take the division. It would help if they don't lead the league in injuries for once.
Field Yates, NFL Insider: Giants. The defensive line was a focus in free agency, which should help propel this team back to double-digit wins.
Who will win the NFC North?
Bowen: Packers. Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson and Eddie Lacy will produce numbers, but it's Dom Capers' versatile defense that allows Green Bay to win the North.
Clayton: Packers. With Teddy Bridgewater out for the season in Minnesota, the Packers should cruise to the division title with no problem.
Sando: Packers. Have we forgotten the Vikings won this division last season? Apparently so. I see Green Bay earning 11-12 victories with Nelson back. That should be enough.
Schatz: Packers. Nelson is back, and I like Rodgers and Lacy to rebound. The defense has been very inconsistent from year to year under Dom Capers, but after Bridgewater's injury, that probably won't matter.
Yates: Packers. It's going to be a close race with Minnesota -- yes, even after the Teddy Bridgewater injury -- but Nelson will help resurrect what was a stuck-in-the-mud offense last season.
Who will win the NFC South?
Bowen: Panthers. Opposing teams still won't have an answer for Cam Newton, and the Panthers' defensive front-seven will continue to create chaos in the South. It's the Panthers -- again.
Clayton: Panthers. The Falcons might be the Panthers' biggest challengers, but Carolina has the best roster. Plus, Newton continues to grow as the best young quarterback in the league.
Sando: Panthers. The NFC South is stacked at QB with Jameis Winston's emergence, but Carolina is the only team from the division with a defense worth trusting.
Schatz: Panthers. Their defense will not be as good as it was last year, but it will be far superior to the other three defenses in the division. Plus, there's Cam Newton.
Yates: Panthers. I think there's a decent chance that Carolina regresses by two or three wins this season, but the Panthers are still a superior overall team to last year's Super Bowl runner-up squad. This roster is loaded.
Who will win the NFC West?
Bowen: Seahawks. They have too much speed on defense. The Seahawks will suffocate opposing teams this year with playmakers on all three levels of the field.
Clayton: Seahawks. Seattle added a draft class loaded with great players and great leaders. Plus, Russell Wilson will continue his rise into the top tier of quarterbacks.
Sando: Seahawks. Seattle must get the ball out quickly to help its offensive tackles. The Seahawks figured that out last season. Bradley Sowell has played better than anyone could have expected at left tackle, which is a plus.
Schatz: Cardinals. I still think the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit will make the difference between the Cardinals and Seahawks, who look like the two best and most well-rounded teams in the NFL. Because of Tom Brady's four-game suspension, Arizona gets to play Jimmy Garoppolo at home, while the Seahawks will face Brady on the road later in the season.
Yates: Seahawks. It's possible the two best teams in this conference are in the NFC West, but I'll give Seattle a slight edge over Arizona. The offense will soar to complement this terrific defense.
Who will win the AFC East?
Bowen: Patriots. After navigating the first four weeks of the season without Brady, the Patriots will continue their dominance of the East. It's another division title for Belichick.
Clayton: Patriots. As long as Brady and Belichick are together, the division belongs to the Patriots. The Pats will go 2-2 or better during the Brady suspension and come out with 11 wins.
Sando: Patriots. Having three home games during Brady's absence could help the Patriots match or even improve upon their 12-victory total from last season. Playing the NFL's easiest schedule of opposing QBs (as measured by our QB Tiers survey) helps.
Schatz: Patriots. They have a multifaceted defense that will counter opponents' strength, and they get 12 weeks of Tom Brady. Plus, the Jets will regress, the Bills are a mess, and the Dolphins are starting over.
Yates: Patriots. Although the Patriots will no doubt miss Brady during his four-game suspension, the depth and talent of this roster will be revealed during that time.
Who will win the AFC North?
Bowen: Steelers. Concerns in the secondary will be covered up by Ben Roethlisberger and one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL. Pittsburgh will score -- often.
Clayton: Steelers. Despite suspensions and injuries, the Steelers have an offense that can score 30 points a game. Plus, the defense will be better in Keith Butler's second year as defensive coordinator.
Sando: Bengals. It's easy to underestimate Cincy based on their postseason mishaps, but only the Patriots, Packers, Broncos and Seahawks have won more regular-season games in the past five seasons.
Schatz: Steelers. With Roethlisberger healthy, this is the best offense in the NFL right now.
Yates: Steelers. Even without Le'Veon Bell for three games and Martavis Bryant for the full season, Pittsburgh figures to be an offensive juggernaut.
Who will win the AFC South?
Bowen: Texans. I have questions about Brock Osweiler, but the Texans can facilitate some of his development with the new speed on offense and the All-Pro ability of DeAndre Hopkins. They play some good defense down in Houston too.
Clayton: Texans. Bill O'Brien gets the most out of his quarterbacks, so Osweiler should be effective. The Texans have the best defense in the division, and they are the most complete team in the AFC South.
Sando: Texans. It's tough picking against a healthy Andrew Luck in the AFC South, but the Texans have the more talented roster. They also should have a coaching edge. O'Brien could become one of the best.
Schatz: Colts. Honestly, just flip a coin -- or a series of coins. Football Outsiders' projections give all four teams in the South a between 25 and 40 percent chance of making the playoffs, rarely via wild card. But the Colts come out on top most often, mostly because they have the best quarterback -- if Andrew Luck rebounds as expected.
Yates: Texans. The offensive line is a concern to begin the season, but the defense has the potential to be dominant.
Who will win the AFC West?
Bowen: Broncos. Can Trevor Siemian manage Gary Kubiak's system? I think he can. That could be enough, given the Broncos' top-tier defense. I'll take Denver to win the West again behind Von Miller and a secondary that can lock down opposing wide receivers.
Clayton: Broncos. Denver still has one of the most talented defenses in the league. As long as Siemian doesn't turn the ball over a ton, the Broncos should stay slightly ahead of Kansas City and Oakland.
Sando: Chiefs. The Broncos are the Super Bowl champs, and the Raiders have become media darlings, which makes Kansas City an AFC West afterthought. All the Chiefs do is play tough defense and smart offense under one of the game's best head coaches. They have quietly improved the supporting cast around quarterback Alex Smith.
Schatz: Chiefs. This offense is a lot better than most people realize, despite the limitations of the quarterback, and offense is simply more consistent and predictable than defense. It's rare for a defense to play at an all-time great level for two seasons in a row, and if Denver's defense declines to a top-five unit in the league, then the Broncos are just the Rams or Texans. Oakland isn't ready yet.
Yates: Broncos. The formula will be the same: Win with defense and a running game. Expect this division to be tight.
Who will be the four wild-card teams?
Bowen
NFC: Cardinals/Lions. Expect Carson Palmer to put up MVP numbers again in Bruce Arians' vertical offense, while a healthy Tyrann Mathieu leads the Cards' D to a playoff ticket. With the injury to Bridgewater, the door is open for the final wild-card spot in the NFC. Matthew Stafford played his best football during the second-half of the past season under new OC Jim Bob Cooter, and the defense has talent.
AFC: Raiders/Bengals. Derek Carr's production meshes with an Oakland defense that can rush the passer. It doesn't have to be complicated. The Raiders are back and will edge K.C. for the final wild-card spot. In Cincinnati, the loss of Hue Jackson could impact the production on offense, but the Bengals have the defense to control tempo. Cincy will win some ugly games to get in the dance.
Clayton
NFC: Falcons/Cardinals. Atlanta has the offensive weapons to bounce back from the sluggish way it ended the 2015 season. The Cardinals and Seahawks are the most talented teams in football. Even if Arizona isn't able to take the West from Seattle like it did last year, the Cardinals are good enough to win 10 games and make the playoffs.
AFC: Bengals/Chiefs. The Bengals' roster is loaded, and Andy Dalton is that much more of a leader. In K.C., Andy Reid has a good defense, and Alex Smith can manage the passing game while the running game continues to be a force.
Sando
NFC: Cardinals/Lions. The Cardinals shouldn't drop off much if Carson Palmer can rebound from a rough postseason, but Arizona will have a hard time matching the 140 points off turnovers that the team collected last season. That was up from an 87.5 average over Bruce Arians' first two seasons with the team. Bridgewater's injury opens the door for another NFC North team to grab the conference's second wild-card spot. The Lions have enough talent to make that happen if Matthew Stafford continues to flourish in Jim Bob Cooter's offense.
AFC: Broncos/Steelers. Denver plays the NFL's toughest schedule of opposing quarterbacks, according to input from 42 league insiders for ESPN's annual QB Tiers survey. The Broncos also lost some talent on defense. That's why I see them settling for a wild card. Issues surrounding Martavis Bryant, Le'Veon Bell and Ladarius Green make me think Ben Roethlisberger will again have to carry too much of the load. He can do it well enough to keep Pittsburgh in the mix.
Schatz
NFC: Seahawks/Lions. Barring a catastrophic injury, it's hard to see the Seahawks missing the playoffs, even if they don't win the West. The Bridgewater injury turns the race for the second NFC wild-card into a hurricane of question marks. I give the Lions a slight edge over other teams because the defense should rebound, and we project them to have one of the league's five easiest schedules.
AFC: Bengals/Ravens. The whole AFC West will be in the wild-card mix, but I like the AFC North teams. It blows my mind how many fans seem to write off the Ravens as if they are some sort of expansion team that will again be saddled with December's injury-riddled roster. Baltimore is back to the team that went 10-6 in 2014. Their secret advantage: quality and consistency on special teams that only New England can match.
Yates
NFC: Vikings/Cardinals. The NFC figures to be the stronger conference, top to bottom. Arizona could easily win the West this year, and Minnesota could have been in the mix in the North prior to Bridgewater's injury.
AFC: Bengals/Chiefs. Both of these teams have question marks worth monitoring. The Chiefs' pass rush will fall off a bit while Justin Houston recovers from ACL surgery, and the Bengals must fill the holes in the passing game. But I'm still picking Cincy and K.C. to make return trips to the postseason.