Okay, okay. So it's cheating a bit, especially given the result of Thursday's game. But here we are anyways, hence the asterisk in the title. For six years I've posted my season predictions for the standings, the playoffs and the yearly awards, and generally I've managed to complete them and post them within an hour or two of the Thursday kickoff. A last-minute 3:00 PM draft on Thursday derailed that tradition, but the show must go on. Admittedly, the predictions are tainted since I originally had New England at 15-1 and in the Super Bowl and Kansas City at an underwhelming 8-8 and on the outside of the playoffs looking in. Now my skeptical overreaction to one game has me going down a different path to pit elite defense versus elite offense in a matchup that I think would please many people. See (and decide) for yourself:

National Football Conference

NFC EAST
New York Giants – 12-4 (2)
Dallas Cowboys – 10-6 (6)
Philadelphia Eagles – 8-8
Washington Redskins – 6-10

NFC SOUTH
Atlanta Falcons – 10-6 (4)
Carolina Panthers – 10-6 (5)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 9-7
New Orleans Saints – 8-8

NFC NORTH
Green Bay Packers – 14-2 (1)
Minnesota Vikings – 8-8
Detroit Lions – 5-11
Chicago Bears – 3-13

NFC WEST
Seattle Seahawks – 11-5 (3)
Arizona Cardinals – 9-7
San Francisco 49ers – 4-12
Los Angeles Rams – 4-12

American Football Conference

AFC EAST
New England Patriots – 13-3 (1)
Miami Dolphins – 7-9
Buffalo Bills – 3-13
New York Jets – 1-15

AFC SOUTH
Tennessee Titans – 12-4 (2)
Houston Texans – 11-5(5)
Jacksonville Jaguars – 6-10
Indianapolis Colts – 4-12

AFC NORTH
Pittsburgh Steelers – 11-5 (3)
Cincinnati Bengals – 9-7
Baltimore Ravens – 7-9
Cleveland Browns – 6-10

AFC WEST
Los Angeles Chargers – 10-6 (4)
Kansas City Chiefs – 10-6 (6)
Oakland Raiders – 9-7
Denver Broncos – 6-10

PLAYOFFS

NFC Wild Card Round
Dallas – 19 @ Seattle – 24
Carolina – 31@ Atlanta – 27

AFC Wild Card Round
Kansas City – 20 @ Pittsburgh – 25
Houston – 16@ Los Angeles – 13 (OT)

NFC Divisional Round
Seattle – 17@ New York Giants – 13
Carolina – 24 @ Green Bay – 41

AFC Divisional Round
Houston – 23@ New England – 20
Pittsburgh – 31 @ Tennessee – 33

NFC Championship
Seattle – 22 @ Green Bay – 27

AFC Championship
Houston – 20@ Tennessee – 19

Super Bowl
Green Bay – 31 vs. Houston – 23

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2017 Individual Awards

Super Bowl MVP – Aaron Rodgers, QB (GB)

NFL Most Valuable Player – Aaron Rodgers, QB (GB)
Runner-up –Marcus Mariota, QB (TEN)

NFL Offensive Player of the Year – Aaron Rodgers, QB (GB)
Runner-up –David Johnson, RB (AZ)

NFL Defensive Player of the Year – Justin Houston, LB (KC)
Runner-up –Jason Pierre-Paul, DE (NYG)

NFL Comeback Player of the Year – J.J. Watt, DE (HOU)
Runner-up –Eric Decker, WR (TEN)

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year – DeShone Kizer, QB (CLE)
Runner-up –Joe Mixon, RB (CIN)

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year – Reuben Foster, LB (SF)
Runner-up – Jarrad Davis, LB (DET)

Pro Bowl MVP – DeVante Parker, WR (MIA)
Runner-up –Jameis Winston, QB (TB)

AP NFL Coach of the Year – Anthony Lynn, LAC
Runner-up – Mike Mularkey, TEN

For any comments, mockery or questions, tweet at me: @Hoover_L_A