We are now halfway through the 2021 NFL season. Naturally, that means it's time to revisit our preseason predictions regarding which teams will make the playoffs, who will win each of the league's eight divisions, who will nab wild-card spots, who will go to the Super Bowl, and who will win it. As usual, we have gathered our panel of experts to do just that.
Here are a few notes before we get to the predictions:
- In our preseason predictions, we had a lot of unanimity. The same is true at midseason. We have unanimous picks for the division winners in the AFC East (Bills), AFC North (Ravens), AFC South (Titans), NFC East (Cowboys), NFC North (Packers), and NFC South (Buccaneers).
- We also had unanimous agreement on six of seven playoff teams in the AFC and five of seven in the NFC. The only teams to receive at least one vote for the playoffs, but not receive every vote are the Browns, Steelers, Seahawks, Saints, and Falcons.
- There was one division with a fully unanimous order of finish: The AFC South.
- We had a unanimous last-place finisher in six of eight divisions, and at least one unanimous second- or third-place finisher in four of eight.
- There are two teams whose fortunes are viewed as having changed the most since the preseason predictions: the Cowboys and Cardinals. Only one panelist predicted the Cowboys to win the NFC East before the season and they are now unanimous. The Cardinals received only one playoff vote in the preseason predictions and are also now unanimous.
- Our seven experts combined to have a total of five different teams playing in the Super Bowl, down from six prior to the season. For teams received multiple votes to make it to the Super Bowl, with only one receiving a solo vote.
- There is now less unanimity on which team will win the Super Bowl. Four different teams received at least one vote -- two from each conference. Two teams received multiple votes, both from the NFC. Only one team received three votes.
For more expert predictions, be sure to click here to see our revised picks for who will win all the major awards in 2021, including regular season MVP, Super Bowl MVP and Rookie of the Year.
Pick Six Newsletter
Crafted By The Best NFL Experts
Get the day's big stories + fun stuff you love like mock drafts, picks and power rankings.
By pressing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge Paramount's Privacy Policy.
Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe.
Thanks for signing up!
Keep an eye on your inbox.
Sorry!
There was an error processing your subscription.
Alright, let's get to these predictions.
AFC East
AFC North
AFC South
AFC West
AFC Wild Cards
NFC East
NFC North
NFC South
NFC West
NFC Wild Cards
