FanPost

AFC Preview

Here's my AFC Preview. Check out my NFC preview from a few days earlier as well.

AFC North

Cincinnati Bengals- Cincinnati faces the very rare challenge of replacing both coordinators in one season. The Bengal defense will be nasty again this year despite loving Michael Johnson in free agency. Andy Dalton has been average his first two years, but his numbers are fairly similar to guys like Eli Manning and Joe Flacco after their first two years and he has my second favorite WR in the league AJ Green to throw to.


Baltimore Ravens- Baltimore is overwhelmed with mediocrity again this year. Their offense will be near the bottom of the league again, and they lost some nice role pieces on both sides of the ball. I like the Steve Smith addition as he improves the offense while adding toughness to this team after a disappointing season last year. 9-7 is the best Baltimore can be.


Pittsburgh Steelers- Don't see how Pittsburgh will move the ball this year. Antonio Brown is their only passing weapon with the key departure of Emmanuel Sanders. The defense is pretty average as well and letting LaMarr Woodley go won't help. Even in a week AFC, the Steelers may struggle being 8-8.


Cleveland Browns- I like the direction the Browns are in for the first time I can remember. They added youth and veterans on defense and it will be interesting to see if Ben Tate can be a solid RB. However, the QB position is still completely unknown and they will likely be without Josh Gordon a majority of the season. 2015-2016 could be a big year for the Browns, but this year they will stay in last.

    AFC South

    Indianapolis Colts- Without Andrew Luck, this Colts team would struggle to win 5 games. No other unit on either side of the ball is better than average and most of their best players are getting up there in age. The Colts are the best of a bad situation in this division and most of that is because the have one of the best QB's in the league.


    Houston Texans- Texans have all the pieces to be like last season's Kansas City Chiefs. Obviously Watt and Clowney will create massive problems on the opposing quarterbacks, which should help the back end of the defense as well. Ryan Fitzpatrick just has to be ok for this team to flirt with the playoffs in the weak AFC. I expect DeAndre Hopkins to have a breakout year at WR as well. With the Texans very weak schedule, I could see them winning 9-10 games this year.


    Jacksonville Jaguars- There finally seems to be a direction for this franchise, which should excite fans. Gus Bradley and his coaching staff has started to turn Jacksonville into the southern, poor man's version of Seattle by adding guys like Red Bryant and Chris Clemons and committing to a defensive mentality. While adding mid-level free agents isn't the ideal way to build a team, it at least makes this team competent and mildly competitive in more games. I also loved their draft because they added offensive playmakers like Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson as well as a franchise QB in Bortles. There is finally something to look forward to in Jacksonvile.


    Tennessee Titans- Tennessee could be the worst team in the AFC. Their offensive line and WR's will be pretty solid, but Jake Locker at QB is a disaster. The defense could be alright, but I am pessimistic about it all coming together. Although the supporting cast is pretty decent, I don't think the offense can overcome the QB situation.

      AFC East

      New England Patriots- Adding the best Corner in the league (Darrelle Revis), Brandon Browner and Brandon Lafell should improve a roster that really wasn't all that special last year. The Patriots will continue to dominate this division and have the second best team in a weak AFC.


      New York Jets- Are the Jets a playoff team? I say yes. This team didn't get near enough credit for somehow going 8-8 last year. The really strong defense now could have a mildly competent offense to go with it. Chris Johnson, Mike Vick and Eric Dekker aren't elite additions, but they should make the offense watchable at times. I think Geno Smith will hold this team back, but they should be good enough overall to have Jets fans excited again.


      Miami Dolphins- Definition of mediocre. There is nothing on this team to be very excited about, but they play in a week division and have a bunch of average pieces. I expect 7-9 from Miami, but could see them falling apart. The Dolphins are a ways away from seriously mattering still.


      Buffalo Bills- If EJ Mauel is serviceable, the Bills offense could be pretty good. Sammy Watkins and Mike Williams provide a upgrade at WR and Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller are solid RB's. The defense is poised for another solid season, probably ranking between 10-14. Unfortunately for Bills fans, I don't think EJ Manuel will be serviceable Buffalo reached for him a couple years ago in the draft and like Minnesota and Christian Ponder, I think this will cripple the franchise for multiple years.

        AFC West

        Denver Broncos- Denver has by far the best team in the AFC. I'd be really surprised if they didn't return to the Super Bowl. This team lost some solid players, but replaced them with even better players like Aqib Talib, Emmanuel Sanders, Demarcus Ware and TJ Ward. If i had to pick a team right now, I think Denver has the best roster in the NFL.


        Kansas City Chiefs- I expect some regression from Kansas City this year, especially considering losses like Branden Albert and Dexter McCluster. The Chiefs and Chargers are a toss up, but I think KC's defense will give them a slight edge.


        San Diego Chargers- Phillp Rivers' resurgence last year should have Chargers fans fired up for this year. Hopefully losing Ken Whisenhunt won't have a major effect on Rivers and this offense. San Diego didn't do a whole lot in the offseason, but will gain some WR depth back from injuries. This team is better than most people may realize and are not that far from being a really good team.


        Oakland Raiders- I can't believe I'm about to say this, but do the Raiders finally have some sense of direction? I'm starting to think so. Matt Schaub can't be as bad as he was last year (I think he can still be a average starter), they added a good WR in James Jones and added another solid RB in Jones-Drew. They also added a number of solid veterans on defense like Carlos Rodgers, Justin Tuck and LaMarr Woodley. Unlike years past, taking a trip to the Black Hole may not be a game most teams expect to win with little worry. All this being said, I still think the Raiders are at the bottom of this pretty deep division.

        Check out my blog "Warm Up The Bus" for some general sports thoughts if interested. (http://warmthebus.blogspot.com)

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