It’s that time of the year: Sportsbooks in Vegas are rolling out their win totals for the 2019 NFL season, and our NFL experts Steven Ruiz and Charles Curtis are here with their picks for all 32 teams.
We still have the NFL draft coming up at the end of the month, but for the most part teams across the league have their rosters pretty much set. We will, however, revisit these predictions after the draft, which will likely affect these numbers.
Charles Curtis is covering the NFC teams, and Steven Ruiz has the AFC covered. Let’s get to the picks.
(Win totals courtesy of PointsBet)
CC: I think they’ll end up with Kyler Murray, but that doesn’t mean he’ll win 6 games for the franchise in Year 1.
CC: They won seven games last year and I don’t see any huge improvements to make me think they get two more victories.
SR: After an offseason purge of defensive talent, I expect the Ravens to take a minor step back but the decisions they’ve made over the last month will benefit them in the future. Another year of growing pains from Lamar Jackson will keep them hovering around .500.
SR: You have to have a lot of faith in Josh Allen to pick the Bills to get anywhere close to .500 in 2019. I don’t, so I’ll gladly take the under.
CC: Matt Paradis helps a bit at center, but the Saints own the division and the Falcons and Bucs are still tough opponents. Seven wins again seems about right.
CC: This seems super low for a team on the rise. Between the Khalil Mack-led defense and Mitchell Trubisky in his third season, they’re worth at least 10 victories.
SR: The Bengals won’t be a playoff team in 2019, but this was a good team last season before injuries ravaged the roster. They’ll win seven games with a little more injury luck.
SR: I'm not buying into the hype just yet. While I wouldn't be surprised if the Browns do hit double-digits in the win column, I don't know what to expect out of this inexperienced coaching staff that will be tasked with managing a locker room full of characters.
CC: Jason Witten’s back so over! I kid. But the offensive line is still among the NFL’s best and they’ll get a full season of Amari Cooper. So, I'll still take the over.
SR: The upgrade in coaching alone should push the Broncos up to the seven-win mark. If Joe Flacco has anything left, this team can challenge for a playoff spot with another good draft.
CC: Is Trey Flowers worth two more wins to get us to the over? In a division with three other good teams, I’ll say no.
CC: We can’t say push here, so I’ll take the over simply in the hopes that Aaron Rodgers is happy with a new coach and the pass rush is improved.
SR: This is a combination of the Texans being a little worse compared to last year and the rest of the AFC South being a bit better.
SR: I'm all in on the Colts, who continue to make smart, cost-effective moves that improve the roster. Indy was one of the better teams in the league over the second half and it should be even better in 2019.
SR: The Jaguars have (marginally) upgraded the QB position but the defense is not nearly as deep as it was when this team made a run to the AFC championship.
SR: There is no reason to believe the Chiefs will take a step back offensively and the defense has to be better than it was a season ago, right?
SR: As much as it pains me to put any faith in the Chargers, this roster is just too good to expect anything less than a 10-6 season. Then again, these are the Chargers we're talking about, so I can't blame you for taking the under.
CC: The Niners will have Jimmy G. back and the Seahawks still have Russell Wilson. Yet I don’t think the Super Bowl reps from the NFC will take a four-win step back.
SR: I don't even think the Dolphins want to win more than five games in 2019. They shouldn't at least.
CC: Kirk Cousins will lead this team to eight wins for a second straight year.
SR: I feel like I say this every year we do this, but as long as Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are in New England, I'm taking the over. And the argument can be made that the roster is better now than it was when the Pats beat the Rams in February.
CC: Drew Brees is ageless, the offense is a well-oiled machine and the defense is still elite.
CC: Three words... Eli. Manning. Starting.
SR: I guess Vegas was impressed by the Jets' offseason moves, but I don't consider overpaying for a linebacker and running back moves that will dramatically improve a team. Unless Sam Darnold takes a gigantic step forward, the Jets will be a 6-10 team once again.
SR: My pick is based on the assumption that the Raiders will somehow end up with Kyler Murray on the roster. Even with Derek Carr behind center, Oakland is closer to a seven-win team than it is a five-win team.
CC: Carson Wentz returns and proves doubters wrong with one of the best set of offensive weapons in the league.
SR: The Steelers will try to paint the Antonio Brown trade as an "addition by subtraction" move, but don't buy it. Pittsburgh is worse off without its best player (duh) and that offensive line isn't going to stay healthy forever.
CC: The Dee Ford trade helps a lot as does the return of Jimmy Garoppolo. But they’re just a hair below a .500 team as a young roster takes another step forward toward contending for a playoff spot in 2020.
CC: I’ve got them at nine wins, just barely getting to the over.
CC: Over … as long as Gerald McCoy plays.
SR: Do you have faith in either Marcus Mariota or Ryan Tannehill to (1) stay healthy for 16 games and (2) play consistently enough to get the Titans to nine wins in a tough AFC South? I don't.
CC: Case Keenum? Colt McCoy? Whatever. Even the extremely expensive addition of Landon Collins doesn’t get them to more than four or five victories.
