With our nation giddily pivoting into July Fourth mode, the NFL landscape has fallen silent.Players and coaches are home with their loved ones, firing up the grill, mixing margaritas and playing catch with the kids -- or, if you're Clipboard Jesus, drinking chablis on the sea like a glorious hero of old:Manning the news limb of NFL.com on a holiday can make for a long day when absolutely nothing is happening, so we're going to make something with four completely irresponsible early July predictions for the NFL season ahead:1. The Chris Chiozza Jersey Texans, Giants will make the playoffs -- Denver won'tThe lack a franchise quarterback, but Houston won nine games last season with nothing under center. The combination of and is suspect, but Hoyer has meshed well into coach Bill O'Brien's system. The team boasts the greatest defensive player alive in Nicolas Claxton Jersey and will finally see meaningful snaps from . In a weak division, Houston will topple the and over the final two weeks of the season to nab the AFC's final wild-card spot.The don't generate headlines like the and , but New York has something scary cooking on offense. A healthy , and give one of the league's top receiving trios, while is an underrated free-agent addition. The NFC East looms as a dogfight and Big Blue will do enough to squeak into the show.The are a playoff team on paper, but our editors asked for irresponsible -- not robotically methodical -- predictions. Denver's fortunes boil down to being the same guy he was before last year's injury. Find me in December if the season doesn't end with getting a look and San Diego's Mike McCoy earning votes for Coach of the Year. -- Marc Se sler2. Tom Brady goes 12-0 as a starterFor the sake of this exercise, I'm gue sing the league doesn't budge on Brady's four-game ban: While I'm predicting an ugly season for Peyton, Brady will return to the field in Week 6 Kyrie Irving Jersey to shred the on national television. Operating as an unhinged fireball, Tommy will detonate 12 straight opponents en route to another AFC East title for the Pats. Springtime chatter around the , and taking over the division will be remembered as the beery cry of fools. -- Marc Se sler3. Ryan Mathews scoring streakIt shouldn't Jarrett Allen Jersey be a surprise to anyone that Chip Kelly signed two very good running backs this offseason for a reason. Based on Kelly's perception of value, Murray would seem to be the workhorse, but it wouldn't surprise us in the least if Mathews is favored at the goal line. Kelly is all about minimizing risk, and while Murray's fumble total has risen steadily over the years, Mathews' has declined. It could be as simple as a coach using the numbers at hand to form a logical theory about when and where Murray is best fit to carry. That way, both running backs stay happy. -- Conor Orr4. Hoyer is the king in TexasBill O'Brien has a great team with a quarterback problem, which is why he'll need to make a decision and stick with it. The malaise the team felt with under center prompted him to make a change late last year, but he's learned his le son. Chances are that Hoyer will continue to separate himself during camp and earn the job outright in August. Don' Jason Kidd Jersey t be surprised to see him remain there through December. -- Conor OrrThe latest Podcast to recap ' suspension and the 'Top 100' rankings. Find more content on .