When the Eagles beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl, all NFL fans were looking forward to the start of the 2018-19 NFL season with hopes that their favorite team improved their roster to try and win the Super Bowl this year. Lots of additions were made via the draft, trades, free agent signings and teams brought in new coaches. With the season set to kick off tomorrow, here are some predictions for the 2018-19 NFL season.

1) Lions have an RB that rushes for a 100+ yards

For the past few years, the Lions running game has been a huge weakness. Not having a strong running back is what made the Lions a mediocre team for the past few seasons.

No RB on the Lions has rushed for 100 or more yards since Reggie Bush rushed for 117 yards on November 28, 2013. Since that game, there have been 56 games where a Lions RB has not rushed for at least 100 yards. Ever since Bush left the Lions, the Lions have relied on two fringe RB's in Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick. Neither of them has made much of an impact. During the off-season, the Lions went out to improve their running game by signing LeGarrette Blount and drafting Kerryon Johnson (who's been compared to LeVeon Bell), in the second round. Once the Lions figure out which one of them will be the primary RB, one of them will rush for more than 100 yards in a game and will be the first Lions player to do so since 2013.

2) Barkley wins Rookie of the Year

After a ridiculous combine where he ran a 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds, got a vertical of 41 inches and did 29 consecutive bench presses at 225 pounds, Saquon Barkley was considered a serious contender to be the first overall pick. However, he was ultimately drafted second overall by the Giants as the Browns took Baker Mayfield with the first pick.

His combine results gave him a grade of 7.45 which is considered a pro bowl caliber player. With his electric speed, Barkley could easily rush for more than 1000 yards in his rookie season and could possibly score double-digit touchdowns. Barkley is a huge favorite to take home Rookie of the Year honors according to Bleacher Report and many others.

If he does really well and stays healthy all year, he could possibly put himself into MVP contention and be the first running back since Adrian Peterson since 2012 to win the award.

3) Russ Wilson rushes for more yards than second string RB

The Seahawks have one of the better quarterbacks in the league in Russell Wilson but haven't had fantastic receivers in a while. This situation forces Wilson to rush the ball a lot himself when he can't find open receivers. Wilson lost Jimmy Graham who departed via free agency and Graham was one of his main targets. His best two receivers in Baldwin and Lockett are dealing with injuries which will limit them both on the field. With a lack of reliable target options, Wilson will be running the ball himself more than ever this year.

This will give him more rushing yards than any RB on his team and second string RB on other teams at the end of the season. He could also very well have more rushing yards than primary running backs. A full season of Duane Brown on the line will only help Wilson to have more space to run the ball.

4) Dolphins finish with worst record

In the past year, the Dolphins have traded away two of their best players which weakened their team a lot. They traded Ajayi at the deadline last season and traded away Landry in the off-season. That now leaves the Dolphins with Stills being the only reliable option on offense as the rest of the offense is unproven. Tannehill missed a whole season with an injury. Parker showed promise but never delivered, and they have two inexperienced running backs.

Their defense has a lot to be desired and is one of the weaker ones across the league. They play five games that they realistically have a chance of winning. They play both the Jets and Bills twice as they're in the same division and they also visit the Colts in week 12. They're not going to win all five games but could come out with a win in two or three of them. The one thing Dolphins' fans should be looking forward to is potentially getting the first pick in the 2019 draft.

5) Raiders disappoint, again

At the beginning of the 2017 season, the Raiders were a favorite to win the Super Bowl. They made those who thought so look like fools as they finished the season 6-10. With hopes of making the playoffs this year, they brought Jon Gruden out of retirement and gave him a 10-year, $100 million deal to coach the team.

They brought in new offensive weapons in Jordy Nelson and Martavis Bryant to give Carr three strong receiving options along with Amari Cooper who struggled last year. The team has only taken a downturn from the off-season as they traded defensive star Kahlil Mack since they wouldn't meet his contract demands. They also let go of Bryant, just months after trading for him. With a weakened defense, the Raiders will disappoint again this season and will miss the playoffs. To add to this, five of six Football experts from CBS have the Raiders finishing last in their division.

6) Texans make the playoffs

The Texans have been a great team for the past few years but missed the playoffs as star players went down with injuries.

Watt's season was cut short for the past two years due to injury and Watson tore his ACL which forced him to miss a good chunk of the season. Both injuries proved to be a huge blow to the Texans. The Texans have one of the best offenses in the game when everyone remains healthy. They've got a great young QB in Watson, they've got Hopkins who's considered by some to be a top-five WR. They have Miller at RB who struggled last season but is expected to bounce back and they've also got Fuller and Ellington who are steady contributors. They also have Watt and Clowney on defense who are dynamic when both are healthy. They may not be able to clinch their division as they're in the same division as the Jaguars but expect the Texans to clinch a wild-card spot if everyone can stay healthy.

7) Jalen Ramsey says more stupid stuff throughout the season

Leading up to the season, Jalen Ramsey gained attention for saying outrageous things. He said that Matt Ryan is overrated which comes as a bit of a shock as Ryan won MVP in 2017. He also said that Ravens QB Joe Flacco sucks, rookie QB Josh Allen is trash, Roethlisberger is decent. He also said that other players around the NFL suck, even players who are perceived good by most. Days later, he came out with an even more ridiculous claim saying that if he were given six months to train, he would be able to crack an NHL roster. Yeah, no. As the season goes on, Ramsey is going to say more stupid stuff by trash-talking opposing players on teams that he's playing and other outrageous claims that will make him sound hilarious and stupid.

Who knows what he's going to say next.

8) Giants will contend for a playoff spot

The 2017-18 season was one to forget for the Giants. They finished 3-13 and saw Beckham Jr sit on the sidelines for most of the season with an injury. Shepard also went down with an injury which made their situation worse. With their poor season, they got the second pick. With the addition of Barkley, the Giants have a lethal offense but the biggest question will be whether Eli Manning can be reliable at the age of 37. Their defense is weak, but their offense should push them through. If the Giants do well in their first few weeks, the front office will go out and seek defensive help before the deadline.

9) Cowboys finish with a record below .500

The Cowboys offense is pretty new. Dez Bryant isn't in town anymore as he still remains a free agent looking for a job. The offense is led by star RB Ezekiel Elliot and rookie WR Michael Gallup. They have Prescott at QB who took a step back from his strong rookie season. They also no longer have longtime TE Jason Witten as he retired in the off-season to start his career as a commentator. In order for the Cowboys to do well on the offensive side of the ball, Prescott will have to hand off the ball to Elliot a lot. He is is an elite RB but teams will pick up on their strategy and have their defense set up in rush attack defense. Their defense also needs a lot of improvement with the only notable name being LB Sean Lee. If they fail to do well, Jerry Jones may fire long-tenured head coach Jason Garrett, who may be shown the door early in the season.
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