The AFC is going to be an absolute bloodbath. The Bengals surprised everyone last season and managed to win the AFC. I feel like we can see more of the same this year. I feel as if eight to ten teams from the AFC could appear in the Super Bowl. The league is just that loaded.
My opinion is my own, be upset and disagree all you want. There are so many teams that can be so good, that a lot of the teams with high hopes can be disappointing. This article is what I feel will end up happening by the end of the season.
Ravens: This year is incredibly important for the Ravens. The Ravens are coming off an incredibly disappointing season. This is also a contract year for Lamar Jackson. This team has a lot to prove. The Ravens had an incredible draft, picking up safety Kyle Hamilton and center Tyler Linderbaum. At the same time, they traded their number one wide receiver, Marquise Brown. I think this season all just depends on Lamar Jackson. The defense is going to keep them in games, but Lamar cannot rely on his legs to win them games. While he has Rashod Bateman and Mark Andrews, he still has no number one receiver to throw to. This may be a hot take, but I feel the Ravens are going to struggle again. I have the Ravens finishing the season at 9-8, missing the playoffs.
Bills: I feel like everyone has the Bills winning the Super Bowl. If I was a Bills future better, I would definitely be worried about that. I do not care though, the Buffalo Bills will be Super Bowl champions. Buffalo is so loaded and is coming for revenge. They only got better by adding Von Miller to an already solid defense. Josh Allen is only getting better. One of the keys to success will be running the football more. Feed Devin Singletary and James Cook, and the offense will only get better. Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis and Dawson Knox are going to have incredible seasons. The Bills will be so much fun to watch. I have the Bills at 13-4, which will be good enough for the best record in the AFC.
Bengals: The Bengals surprised all football fans last season by making it all the way to the Super Bowl. The Bengals will be more of the same this coming season. They are bringing back their entire core from last season and finally got some much needed protection for Joe Burrow. They also improved on defense. One of the best receiving cores in the league to go along with a top tier running-back in Joe Mixon. We all know what this Bengals team can do. The Bengals will finish the season 11-6, winning the AFC North.
Browns: The Cleveland Browns. Where do I even start? One of the best defenses in the league and a rock solid offense. It really will not matter if Deshaun Watson is not playing. I was super high on this team until they lost Watson. I think they are going to just play very average football until Watson comes back. Jacoby Brissett will not do enough to keep them in the race by the time Watson comes back. I have the Browns finishing the season at 8-9.
Broncos: Broncos country, let's ride. Someone is going to have to be the worst team in an ultimately overpowered AFC West. I see the Broncos being that team. I still think they are going to be really good. Russell Wilson is going to be airing the ball out in Mile High. Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy are going to have the best year of their career. Javonte Williams is also going to burst onto the scene this year and be huge for them. The defense is also extremely good; I would argue, one of the best in the league. I think the Broncos will finish 10-7, somehow finishing fourth in the AFC West.
Texans: I will not spend much time on the Texans. They are going to be bad. Lovie Smith taking over as coach was definitely an interesting decision. I really just hope that Davis Mills can play solidily enough to prove he can be the guy after this season. He showed some nice flashes last season. Houston will finish at 2-15, being the worst team in the league.
Colts: I am really excited about the Colts this season. Jonathan Taylor is going to run for about 200 yards a game and that defense is going to be nails all year. Matt Ryan will have to make the occasional throw, but I do not think that will lose them games. Indianapolis is going to take control of a fairly weak division. I have the Colts finishing 12-5, winning the AFC South.
Jaguars: The Jags will be better than they have been in years past. That does not mean they will be good though. I think Trevor Lawrence is going to have a really nice year. He got some solid weapons in the off-season. Travis Etienne and James Robinson will be a two-headed monster. The defense definitely got better, but I still think they are a year or two away from putting it all together. My brother is a huge Jaguars fan, so I hope he doesn't get mad at me. Jacksonville will finish the season 4-13.
*Jaguars fans seeing their team go 4-13*
Chiefs: The Chiefs are still very good. Patrick Mahomes is still their quarterback. They are not going to miss a beat even with the loss of Tyreek Hill. Kelce is still there, and they added Marquez Valdez-Scantling and JuJu Smith-Schuster. The defense will do just enough to keep them in ballgames and the offensive line will protect Mahomes. They are still a Super Bowl threat. Every game in that division will be tough though. I have them finishing at 12-5, good enough for second in the AFC West.
Raiders: The Raiders are going to be awesome. Derek Carr is the most underrated quarterback in the league. He has proven that he can win close games, and I think that will go a long way in this division. Not to mention, he is now throwing to his best friend, Davante Adams. Plus, Hunter Renfrow, Darren Waller and Josh Jacobs are still in that offense. Oh, and they also got a guy named Chandler Jones to anchor that defense. The Raiders will finish the season 12-5, third in the AFC West.
Chargers: I just felt a sigh of relief knowing this is the last AFC West team I have to write about. The division is just that tough. The Chargers bolstered their defense. Adding Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson makes them 100 times better. That offense is going to be dynamite. Justin Herbert is going to explode this year. He will be one of the best quarterbacks by the end of the year. I do think this team deserves all the hype that it is getting. This division is going to be so much damn fun. I have the Chargers also finishing 12-5, winning the AFC West.
Dolphins: Miami definitely got a lot better. Adding Tyreek Hill is going to be huge for Tua Tagovailoa. They also got some much needed protection up-front by adding Terron Armstead. Mike McDaniels steps in and will try and improve this offense and make Tua a better quarterback. There are so many good teams in this conference, it is really hard to rank them in the preseason. I have the Dolphins finishing at 9-8, but I would not be surprised if they end up being better.
Patriots: I feel as if the Pats are going to have a tough year. Everyone around them got better, while they stood pat. They lost a couple of pieces from that great defense they had a year ago. Mac Jones will be just fine, but I do not think he will do enough to carry them to a lot of wins. People are predicting this will be the final season of Bill Belichick. I think we will just have to wait and see. I have New England finishing 7-10.
Jets: Everyone and their mother (literally) are in on Zach Wilson. It is really tough we will not see him until week four because I was super excited about him as well. For now, we will just have to watch four weeks of elite quarterback, Joe Flacco. I do think the Jets got much better this off-season. They had an incredible draft. They drafted Ahmad Gardner, Garrett Wilson, Jermaine Johnson and Breece Hall. Those are four players I can all see making a huge impact going forward. I still think the Jets will struggle this year, but the future is much brighter in Jersey. The Jets will finish the season 5-12.
Steelers: Mitchell Trubisky is the guy in Pittsburgh. Even after drafting Kenny Pickett in the first round, Mike Tomlin and Co. still opt for Money Mitch. You can never count out a team that is coached by Mike Tomlin. The defense is still in place and they have some really nice young pieces on offense (Najee Harris and George Pickens). The Steelers are another team where they almost feel unpredictable. I do see them struggling in a tough AFC North and finishing the season at 8-9.
Titans: The Titans are going to struggle this year. As much as I like the guy, I ultimately think this will be the last year of Ryan Tannehill. The defense really is not very good at all. The best weapons are a rookie and a thirty-year-old coming off an ACL tear (Treylon Burks and Robert Woods). The impact A.J. Brown had will be felt. On the other hand, Derrick Henry is back. He has proven many times that he can single-handedly win games. I just do not think this is the Titans' year. I have them finishing at 9-8.
I cannot say it enough, the AFC is going to be tough. So many good teams, with great potential. Ultimately, this is what I think the standings will be come the season's end.
Buffalo Bills
Los Angeles Chargers
Indianapolis Colts
Cincinnati Bengals
Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders
Denver Broncos
All four teams from the AFC West is insane, and probably will not be true by the end of the season. These are my predictions though, and I do not give a damn what you think.
This conference is going to be so much fun and I cannot wait to see what the standings look like near the end of the season. Weeks 16 and 17 are going to end up being so important for so many teams as I do think many will be separated by a game.
So with that, there are my official predictions for how I think the NFL predictions will play out. You can click this big green button to check out how I think the NFC will shape up as well.
Football is back and I truly could not be more excited about this season. Football is the most exciting time of the year and it deserves all the love that it gets. Buckle up, because this is going to be an amazing season of football!
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