Looking back at 2018 NFL win totals: NFC edition
Prior to the 2018 NFL season, we gave out our picks for every team's win total to go over or under the listed number. After covering our results in the AFC, here's how we fared in the NFC.
NFC West
Los Angeles Rams
Our pick: Under 10 wins
Record: 13-3
We got way too cute here. The Rams were the clear-cut front-runner in the NFC West and had essentially five or six automatic victories in the division alone.
Seattle Seahawks
Our pick: Over 7.5 wins
Record: 10-6
The market wasn't all that high on the Seahawks, but we were!
Arizona Cardinals
Our pick: Under 6 wins
Record: 3-13
This was smooth sailing from the get-go. We knew the Cardinals would be the least talented in the division - they wound up the worst team in all of football with a measly three wins.
San Francisco 49ers
Our pick: Under 8.5 wins
Record: 4-12
The 49ers will be an intriguing team once they finally glue together all their parts around a full season of Jimmy Garoppolo. After trading for the franchise quarterback midway through the 2017 season, they lost him to a season-ending knee injury just three weeks in. For the second straight year, San Francisco was handcuffed on reaching their true ceiling, which could have likely been more than 8.5 wins.
NFC North
Minnesota Vikings
Our pick: Over 10 wins
Record: 8-7-1
A year after recording one of the most astounding wins in playoff history, the Vikings' "30 for 30" - whenever it may be - should instead be centered around their 2018 flop. How in the world does this team upgrade the quarterback position, bring back virtually every player, and not only lower their win total, but completely miss the postseason altogether? If there's an award handed out to the team in 2018 that did less with more, you're reading about them.
Green Bay Packers
Our pick: Over 10 wins
Record: 6-9-1
Relatively early in the season, it became clear the Packers were merely paper tigers, consistently getting too much love by the market on a weekly basis. It's always easy to tag a bad play in hindsight, but we should have known better. And speaking of bad plays ... ahem.
Chicago Bears
Our pick: Under 7 wins
Record: 12-4
Oops! We thought the Bears were overhyped by the media when, in reality, they shored up almost every need through the draft or free agency and put their players in a position to contend in a division that saw both the Vikings and Packers flounder. Kudos to Matt Nagy, who should be a surefire lock for Coach of the Year.
Detroit Lions
Our pick: Under 7.5 wins
Record: 6-10
The Lions weren't in a terrible position early on, sitting 3-3 on the season through Week 7. But then they decided to trade Golden Tate, were hit by the injury bug, and all of a sudden unraveled. When in doubt, take the under on teams whose head coaches are never on time to meetings.
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons
Our pick: Over 9 wins
Record: 7-9
It's crazy to think about what this Falcons team could have been had they not sustained key defensive injuries in the opener, or blatantly threw in the towel in November. It was a quiet seven wins that could have easily been nine, but inconsistency was the killer in an underwhelming year for the Birds.
New Orleans Saints
Our pick: Under 10.5 wins
Record: 13-3
Sometimes the obvious pick is the right one, folks.
Carolina Panthers
Our pick: Under 8.5 wins
Record: 7-10
Right as Cam Newton slipped into MVP talks and the Panthers earned their sleeper tag, they naturally lost seven in a row. Add Carolina into the "Tough to Trust" jar for the umpteenth time.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Our pick: Over 6 wins
Record: 5-11
This one hurts. The over pick on the Buccaneers was our biggest flier of the season, one that was sitting pretty with a 2-0 start out of the gate and 3-3 through six games. Then started the quarterback flip-flop, injuries, and a couple of four-game skids.
NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles
Our pick: Under 10.5 wins
Record: 9-7
Aha! Take that, Eagles.
New York Giants
Our pick: Under 7.5 wins
Record: 5-11
They actually thought the Giants had a shot at going .500. And to think we handed out seven wins to this team. That was just us being kind.
Washington Redskins
Our pick: Under 7 wins
Record: 7-9
Please tell us we aren't the only ones who thought prior to checking the NFC East standings that the Redskins won fewer than seven games. It is absolutely a split reality that Washington won seven and we urge all bookmakers to grade this a win.
Dallas Cowboys
Our pick: Under 8.5 wins
Record: 10-6
Of course, the Cowboys somehow learned to play defense and did enough offensively to win 10 games.
Alex Kolodziej is theScore's betting writer. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 11 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AlexKoIodziej.