2016 NFL predictions: Super Bowl XLXI and more

JJ: Cardinals. What Bruce Arians has done with this organization is extremely impressive and he won’t stop with the dominance in 2015. This team will still be as explosive as ever on offense and the defense will play as effectively as they did in 2015. Carson Palmer and Co. will get the job done for a second year in a row.

MV: Cardinals. Arizona might be the best team in the National Football League and Seattle is going to lose Marshawn Lynch in the offseason. The Cardinals have a very good quarterback, a terrific coach and one of the best secondaries in the league. This team is not going anywhere.

MD: Seahawks. They’re resilient and have overcome some issues early in the 2015 season. Russell Wilson found his groove and really began to take over late in the season. They can take these lessons into 2016 and build upon them, refocus the offense and get some help to the line in order to protect him. Sure, the Cardinals were great, but they’re an old team that are a couple of injuries away from being the 2015 Dallas Cowboys.

JH: Seahawks. Look, the Cardinals are a cute story but they’re old — there’s no nice way to say it. Carson Palmer retiring on top would be a great and totally unexepected way for his legacy to end, but the Seahawks just have more going for them. Don’t expect the NFC West to be incredibly competitive as the drop off was bound to happen, but Seattle will stand above the rest in a return to form.

JB: Seahawks. The Cardinals feel like they are held together with scotch tape and bubblegum. Too many injuries hurt the aged team in 2016. The Seahawks are here and they’re not going anywhere. If nothing else from this last bit of the season we’ve learned that maybe Russell Wilson is actually more than a caretaker at quarterback.

PA: Seahawks. This one is a toss up. The Cardinals and Carson Palmer have been excellent this season. The Seahawks, as is their custom, started slow and finished hot.

Next: AFC Wild Cards