My conclusions from preseason are that nothing can be concluded. It's fun to speculate, however, so here I go!!
I read somewhere about sleeper teams in the NFL. The term sleeper refer to teams who start the season under the radar, but get positive attention as the season goes on due to much improved performance. The team that got the highest sleeper rating? My 49ers. Now, I did take this with a boulder of salt, but I have to believe they will do better than they did last year. Other teams mentioned were the Bills, the Bears, the Texans, the Seahawks... you begin to see the company the '9ers are in. As far as teams that I think will be tough this year, in no particular order: Steelers, Titans, Giants. Teams to watch are the Chargers, Patriots, Cardinals, Colts, and Ravens. I am not sure the Cardinals will be the team they were last year. The Colts and how they transition with a new head coach will be interesting to watch. Even tho he was handed the reins by Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell will have some things to learn. I was no fan of Jay Cutler in Denver, I don't think I will be in Chicago either. Teams I predict to have not so stellar seasons are the Vikings, Raiders, Lions and Bengals.
I know this is kinda vague, but so is how the first, second, and third weeks in regular season. Time will tell. For now, this is how I see things, but injuries happen, coaches are fired. For the opening season kickoff, game Sept. 10, I pick the Titans over the Steelers by 7 in a great match up to start the 09-10 season.