* In fact, it's so early, I reserve the right to make more serious picks later if one starts to look utterly ridiculous, but I'm going to try to keep them the same!
** Last year I predicted a Patriots-Packers Superbowl, and while that didn't pan out, I did guess 6 of the 8 Division Champs correctly! I'm going with a few more underdogs this year, so we'll see how it goes...
Divisional Champs
AFC East
New England Patriots: Yeah, they lost receivers Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd, but the offensive restructuring has the potential for elite status - as it always does with Tom Brady - and the secondary is continues to improve. In Belichick I trust.
Why not the others? The Miami Dolphins made a lot of big moves, but there's too many unknowns to give the division title to them yet. The Buffalo Bills have new leadership, including a new quarterback. The New York Jets don't have a QB at all.
AFC North
Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals are a young team that's getting better in a division that's seeing a lot of shifting dynamics. If QB Andy Dalton can tighten up on throwing picks just a bit and the defense continue to improve, the Bengals stand as good a shot as anyone in the AFC North.
Why not the others? The Pittsburgh Steelers lost some key players because they didn't have enough money. The Baltimore Ravens had that problem, but at an even bigger level because of how much they overpaid quarterback Joe Flacco. The poor Cleveland Browns keep trying hard, but they're not even sure who their QB is anymore.
AFC South
Indianapolis Colts: I don't see any reason why the Colts cannot continue to improve with all-star quarterback Andrew Luck, who is clearly superior to the QB of the next best team the division. The Colts are younger than that team too, so its a question of energy vs experience.
Why not the others? The Houston Texans are obviously going to be in contention for the title as well, but they just need a better offense. The Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tennessee Titans are both teams still looking for some sort of x-factor to get their act together.
AFC West
Kansas City Chiefs: I know, I know. It's crazy. You might even be calling me stupid right now. But the Chiefs already had an amazing roster of athletes. And now they have a great coach in Andy Reid and a pretty good quarterback in Alex Smith to bring them together to collect some wins. It's crazy, but you heard it here first.
Why not the others? The Denver Broncos are the HUGE favorites and I don't really have any logic to go against them, just a gut feeling that something just doesn't click in Colorado this year. The Oakland Raiders are undergoing a total overhaul and the San Diego Chargers are giving QB Philip Rivers one last year to prove he can do something; not great signs for either team.
AFC Wildcards
Denver Broncos & Houston Texans 
NFC East
Washington Redskins: Honestly, the NFC East is pretty much a 50-50 guess between the Skins and the Giants, so I went with my favorite team. I could gvie reasons, but there are just as many to pick the Giants, maybe even the Cowboys.
Why not the others? Pretty much what I said just said concerning the New York Giants. The Dallas Cowboys can't seem to give Tony Romo what he needs to win (that's right, I'm a Romo fan [which really just means I'm not a Romo hater]). The Philadelphia Eagles are rebuilding and impossible to predict at this point, but in all likelihood will need some more time to get better.
NFC North
Green Bay Packers: This is another really competitive divisions, but it's hard to bet against Aaron Rodgers & Co. And that's pretty much it.
Why not the others? I was an early Christian Ponder fan, but not so much anymore and I wonder how good the Minnesota Vikings will be after losing Percy Harvin. The Chicago Bears are good, but Brandon Marshall seems to be their only consistent receiver and the offense turns the ball over too much. The Detroit Lions didn't do anything in the off-season to make me think they'll be able to catch up to the rest of the division.
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons: They finally won a playoff game and I see no reason why they can't win a couple more, especially if the otherwise great defense can work on stopping the run more frequently.
Why not the others? The New Orleans Saints should be better this year with their coach back, - not good enough yet to really challenge the Falcons - but good enough to surprise people with a shot at the playoffs. The Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are even further behind.
NFC West
San Francisco 49ers: The toughest pick of all is between the 49ers and the Seahawks. Advantage 49ers, just because they went to the Superbowl last year.
Why not the others? If you flip the coin again, maybe I'd say the Seattle Seahawks win the division, so I don't have much to say against them. The poor St. Louis Rams would probably have a shot at the playoffs if they didn't play in this division, but alas, tis not so. Conversely, the Arizona Cardinals wouldn't stand a chance in any division.
NFC Wildcards
Seattle Seahawks & New Orleans Saints 
AFC Champs
New England Patriots
NFC Champs
Seattle Seahawks
Superbowl Champs
New England Patriots
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