Magazine predictions deliver no clear Super Bowl favorite
By Skip Wood
USA TODAY
Our annual summertime look at what the five glossy-and-venerable NFL preseason magazines predict for the coming season has hit a small snag.
Here's the deal: Street & Smith's parent company, American City Business Journals, Inc., purchased the Sporting News last year, and the decision was made to meld the preseason annuals into one, with the Sporting News left standing.
The transaction leaves us with four outlets declaring division and Super Bowl winners, but, as always, we also reserve the right to look back on last summer's predictions.
Not surprisingly, no one got it right. Four of the five —Athlon, Pro Football Weekly, Sporting News and Street & Smith's— fingered the New England Patriots as Super Bowl winners. Athlon and Sporting News had the Pats beating the Dallas Cowboys, and PFW and Street & Smith's had them beating the New Orleans Saints.
Lindy's? The Baltimore Ravens beating the Saints. Neither team made the playoffs.
As for the team that actually won the Super Bowl? Not one of the five picked the New York Giants to win the NFC East. But it's a new summer, and new season about to dawn. So let's get to it.
There is no clear-cut winner. All four have a different winner of Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa
Athlon predicts the Cowboys beating the San Diego Chargers; Lindy's predicts the Indianapolis Colts defeating the Cowboys; Pro Football Weekly predicts the Patriots downing the Cowboys, and the Sporting News predicts the Chargers topping the Cowboys.
Somewhere, Giants quarterback Eli Manning is smirking.
Division winners:
•Athlon: NFC East: Cowboys; NFC North: Green Bay Packers; NFC South: Saints; NFC West: Seattle Seahawks. AFC East: Patriots; AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers; AFC South: Colts; AFC West: Chargers.
•Lindy's: NFC East: Giants; NFC North: Minnesota Vikings; NFC South: Saints; NFC West: Seahawks. AFC East: Patriots; AFC North: Cleveland Browns; AFC South: Colts; AFC West: Chargers.
•Pro Football Weekly: NFC East: Cowboys; NFC North: Packers; NFC South: Saints; NFC West: Seahawks. AFC East: Patriots; AFC North: Browns; AFC South: Colts; AFC West: Chargers.
•Sporting News: NFC East: Cowboys; NFC North: Packers; NFC South: Saints; NFC West: Seahawks. AFC East: Patriots; AFC North: Steelers; AFC South: Colts; AFC West: Chargers.
USA TODAY
Our annual summertime look at what the five glossy-and-venerable NFL preseason magazines predict for the coming season has hit a small snag.
Here's the deal: Street & Smith's parent company, American City Business Journals, Inc., purchased the Sporting News last year, and the decision was made to meld the preseason annuals into one, with the Sporting News left standing.
The transaction leaves us with four outlets declaring division and Super Bowl winners, but, as always, we also reserve the right to look back on last summer's predictions.
Not surprisingly, no one got it right. Four of the five —Athlon, Pro Football Weekly, Sporting News and Street & Smith's— fingered the New England Patriots as Super Bowl winners. Athlon and Sporting News had the Pats beating the Dallas Cowboys, and PFW and Street & Smith's had them beating the New Orleans Saints.
Lindy's? The Baltimore Ravens beating the Saints. Neither team made the playoffs.
As for the team that actually won the Super Bowl? Not one of the five picked the New York Giants to win the NFC East. But it's a new summer, and new season about to dawn. So let's get to it.
There is no clear-cut winner. All four have a different winner of Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa
Athlon predicts the Cowboys beating the San Diego Chargers; Lindy's predicts the Indianapolis Colts defeating the Cowboys; Pro Football Weekly predicts the Patriots downing the Cowboys, and the Sporting News predicts the Chargers topping the Cowboys.
Somewhere, Giants quarterback Eli Manning is smirking.
Division winners:
•Athlon: NFC East: Cowboys; NFC North: Green Bay Packers; NFC South: Saints; NFC West: Seattle Seahawks. AFC East: Patriots; AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers; AFC South: Colts; AFC West: Chargers.
•Lindy's: NFC East: Giants; NFC North: Minnesota Vikings; NFC South: Saints; NFC West: Seahawks. AFC East: Patriots; AFC North: Cleveland Browns; AFC South: Colts; AFC West: Chargers.
•Pro Football Weekly: NFC East: Cowboys; NFC North: Packers; NFC South: Saints; NFC West: Seahawks. AFC East: Patriots; AFC North: Browns; AFC South: Colts; AFC West: Chargers.
•Sporting News: NFC East: Cowboys; NFC North: Packers; NFC South: Saints; NFC West: Seahawks. AFC East: Patriots; AFC North: Steelers; AFC South: Colts; AFC West: Chargers.
posted by The Gryphon at 5:55 PM
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