There is no telling when the 2020 NFL season will start, assuming that it does at some point take place. If the worst does happen, and the season gets delayed or canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, fans will be able to rely on ‘Franchise Mode’ seasons of Madden to predict what might have happened. Our friends over at Pro Football Focus have another way to predict how 2020 might turn out, and it’s probably more accurate than yours.
With the help of a number of statistics and data, they’ve simulated the 2020 season 10,000 times and have distributions for win totals. The simulation has the Washington Redskins finishing the season with an average of 7.2 wins, which barely slots them to finish in third place in the NFC East, behind the Philadelphia Eagles, at 7.7 wins. The Dallas Cowboys are out in front with 8.7 wins, and the New York Giants bring up the rear at 6.6 wins.
This prediction is a bit flattering for Washington, as most projections that have been released this offseason slot them to win somewhere between 4-6 games, and many believe they will have one of the top overall picks in the 2021 NFL Draft. Most Las Vegas Sportsbooks have the over/under win total right at 5.5, which we predicted would hit the under.
Obviously, the only thing we want — aside from COVID-19 going away and everyone remaining safe and healthy — is to have an uninterrupted NFL season this fall as scheduled. But if we don’t, I move to make this simulation official and part of history. If you’re a fan of the Redskins, you take 7 wins and run when you can get them.
