The 2006 NFL season is underway and, as always, nobody really knows what to expect.

In case you haven’t spent the last three months of your life watching the NFL Network, we have prepared a division-by-division preview for the upcoming season.

NFC East

Projected Standings: Giants, Eagles, Cowboys, Redskins

Eli Manning and the G Men will come out on top of football’s toughest division, but not without a fight. Behind them, the T.O.-less Eagles will rebound and beat out the soon-to-be-T.O.-less Cowboys for a wild card berth.

In Washington, Joe Gibbs will try too early to replace a serviceable Mark Brunell with an unproven Jason Campbell at quarterback, with disastrous results.

NFC North

Projected Standings: Packers, Lions, Bears, Vikings

“They just picked the Packers first because that’s their favorite team.” Yeah, so what? Deal with it.

The Lions will improve with the help of new offensive guru Mike Martz, and the Bears plummet due to the lack of an offensive guru. Last, the Vikings will suck.

NFC South

Projected Standings: Panthers, Falcons, Buccaneers, Saints

The Panthers are head-and-shoulders above the rest of this division. Falcons backup QB Matt Schaub will replace Michael Vick permanently after early struggles, while the Bucs have little to offer.

New Orleans is so used to fierce Hurricane-like winds that the Saints will have trouble adjusting to a Brees. Ba-da-cha. Thank you, I’m here all week. Actually, Drew Brees will have a decent year, as will Reggie Bush — just not the rest of the team.

NFC West

Projected Standings: Seahawks, Cardinals, Rams, 49ers

Edgerrin James will help the Cardinals, but no, he won’t give Arizona “The Edge.” The ’Hawks repeat easily with little competition from the Rams and Niners.

AFC East

Projected Standings: Dolphins, Patriots, Bills, Jets

The Phins will find a way to knock off New England, thanks to the play of new signal-caller Daunte Culpepper, but the Patriots will sneak in the playoffs as a wild card. The Bills and Jets hardly deserve mention.

AFC North

Projected Standings: Bengals, Ravens, Steelers, Browns

A healthy Carson Palmer will lead the Bengals to the Super Bowl, while Ben Roethlisberger and the last year’s champs will, dare I say, crash. Steve McNair and the Ravens will be the surprise of the season. The Browns might also try to play football.

AFC South

Projected Standings: Colts, Jaguars, Titans, Texans

Peyton Manning and the Colts will miss Edgerrin James more than they know, and will barely top the Jags for the division title. The Titans are rebuilding and the Texans still can’t believe they didn’t draft Reggie Bush.

AFC West

Projected Standings: Chiefs, Broncos, Chargers, Raiders

The Chiefs take it thanks to a record-setting year by running back Larry Johnson, though Jake Plummer will rally Denver into the playoffs, only to throw seven picks in a Wild Card loss.

Philip Rivers and the Chargers need one more year before they make a serious Super Bowl run, while the Raiders need about 50 more years.

NFC Championship:

Giants over Panthers

AFC Championship:

Bengals over Dolphins

Super Bowl XLI:

Giants over Bengals

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