I was researching something for another article this morning when I happened to come across 2015 season predictions that were made by ESPN's individual team bloggers that were made way back in April, before the draft.
Optimism was high. Here's a snapshot of how ESPN's writers thought the season would play out:
| NFC | Wins | Losses | AFC | Wins | Losses |
| NFC EAST | AFC EAST | ||||
| Cowboys | 11 | 5 | Patriots | 11 | 5 |
| Eagles | 10 | 6 | Bills | 9 | 7 |
| Giants | 8 | 8 | Dolphins | 9 | 7 |
| Redskins | 6 | 10 | Jets | 8 | 8 |
| NFC NORTH | AFC NORTH | ||||
| Packers | 11 | 5 | Bengals | 10 | 6 |
| Vikings | 9 | 7 | Ravens | 9 | 7 |
| Lions | 8 | 8 | Steelers | 9 | 7 |
| Bears | 7 | 9 | Browns | 4 | 12 |
| NFC SOUTH | AFC SOUTH | ||||
| Panthers | 10 | 6 | Colts | 13 | 3 |
| Saints | 10 | 6 | Texans | 10 | 6 |
| Falcons | 8 | 8 | Jaguars | 7 | 9 |
| Buccaneers | 8 | 8 | Titans | 5 | 11 |
| NFC WEST | AFC WEST | ||||
| Seahawks | 11 | 5 | Broncos | 13 | 3 |
| Cardinals | 9 | 7 | Chiefs | 9 | 7 |
| Rams | 8 | 8 | Chargers | 8 | 8 |
| 49ers | 7 | 9 | Raiders | 6 | 10 |
Add up the records of every team in the NFL in the predictions above, and you'll get a record of 281-231 (.549). Other notes:
• Only seven teams in the NFL will have losing records. An 8-8 team is going to have the 8th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
• All four of the NFC South teams had losing records a year ago, but in 2015 none of them will.
• Lol at the Jets and Bucs winning eight games.
To note, these are writers making these predictions, not even fans (in most cases). If you were to take a fan poll of season predictions, they'd be exponentially more unrealistic. So lower those expectations, because your favorite team is more likely to lose more games than you're probably projecting.
Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @JimmyKempski