Well, it's September. Which means it's football season. And it should be an interesting one. Especially after last season, when the Jaguars, Titans and Bills all made the playoffs. Was it a one-year thing or was it the start of something? And how about the AFC West? Will the Chargers live up to the hype? How will Jon Gruden's return impact the Raiders?
There is one thing about the AFC that we can probably write in ink, though. The Patriots will once again win the AFC East. I have no idea how good New England is in comparison to the rest of the conference. I never do. It doesn't matter. They haven't gotten any competition for the division title in years, and that's not going to change this season. Their sights are solely focused on getting back to the Super Bowl for the third straight year, the fourth time in five seasons, and the ninth time in the Bradicheck Era.
As for the other three teams in the East, I don't know, the Jets? suck the least. And I say that only because I think they're making the right move in going with Sam Darnold as the starter from day one. If you want him to be your QB of the future, let him get in there and take his lump. And don't pull a Jets and pull him at the first sign of trouble. The Bills ended the longest playoff drought in sports last season, but they already look primed to break it down and build it back up again, so don't expect a return trip. The Dolphins, meanwhile, don't really seem to have an identity. They could have a completely injury-free season, end up 10-6 and get a wild card. Or one thing could go wrong, everything else starts to snowball, and they finish 5-11. I can see either happening.
If there's one team in the AFC that seems capable of topping the Patriots, it's the Pittsburgh Steelers. In fact, this might be the best team in the AFC. They just need to avoid Jacksonville, who surprisingly gives them all sorts of trouble. But the Steelers had the AFC's No. 1 seed last season locked up until that controversial no-catch ruling late in their game against New England (we can thank that game for them revising the catch rule so it finally now makes sense!). Who knows how different things would've turned out had that play not been overturned?
Pittsburgh won't back off the gas pedal one game this season. Because they know how important it'll be to finish ahead of the Patriots and get home field. Which is bad news for the rest of the AFC North. Baltimore's window is closing. This might be the last time the Ravens contend for the playoffs with this current group. Cincinnati should've fired Marvin Lewis after last season and will be paying for their decision to retain him all year.
The Browns, meanwhile, might be the most intriguing team in all of football. This is a team that is 1-31 over the past two seasons and is coming off just the second 0-16 season in NFL history. Yet there's so much hype surrounding them you'd think they were a playoff team! I get it, the Browns were better than their record last season, and they've only gotten better. My not-so-bold prediction about Cleveland is that they'll win more games this season than the last two years combined. Beyond that, though, they might actually be watchable this year.
Moving over to the AFC South, which is suddenly one of the most competitive divisions in football. You could make a legitimate case for any of three different teams as the favorites in this division. Jacksonville, of course, made that unlikely run to the AFC Championship Game last season and is out to prove they'll be a contender for years to come. The Titans were a wild card team last year, and they're also desperate to show they're a year-to-year contender after a decade of irrelevance.
I think the best team in the AFC South is the Texans, though. Houston's fortunes, seemingly more than any other team, relies on the health of its stars. When their key guys are healthy, the Texans are a playoff team. When they're not, they go 4-12. I'm gonna bank on J.J. Watt and DeShaun Watson remaining healthy. Which means the Texans should be the team to beat in the AFC South.
Speaking of teams that have been sunk by injuries, Andrew Luck will start in Week 1 for the first time since October 2016. The Colts aren't a good team with him. They'll be at best .500 and maybe have an outside shot at a wild card. But without him, they're bottom-feeders.
Then there's the AFC West, a division full of intriguing storylines. The Chargers still don't have any fans and still don't want to be in Los Angeles. Yet they might win the division. That is unless the Chiefs continue their recent run as the division's top dogs. Or Jon Gruden's return to Oakland brings the Silver & Black back to the glory days. Or Denver's offense is good enough for that awesome defense to bring the Broncos back to the playoffs for the first time since they won the Super Bowl three years ago.
My pick in the AFC West is Kansas City. Not that I don't believe in the Chargers. I do. In fact, I think they'll get a wild card. But Andy Reid has proven time and again that he's one of the top coaches in the game. He always has his team ready, and they'll win one key game that'll prove to be the difference in a tight division battle with (Should Be In) San Diego.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs' longtime rivals in Oakland made quite a splash by bringing Jon Gruden back as head coach after 15 years away. Will he turn it around overnight? No. But he's not expected to. His job is to mold the Raiders in his image as they prepare to make a splash when they move to Las Vegas in 2020. I wouldn't be totally surprised if Gruden puts them back in the playoffs. But I have a lot of questions, too (like why are you trading Khalil Mack?), so I can't completely trust the process.
Denver is in a better position than it was at this time last season. The Broncos need to figure out their quarterback situation, though. That's been a revolving door since Peyton Manning retired, and nobody they've plugged in there has managed to do the job. Which is a waste. Because Von Miller and that incredible defense don't need much to keep them in every game, but the offense needs to do its part too.
So who are my AFC playoff teams? Well, New England obviously. But I'm going with Pittsburgh, Houston and Kansas City as the other three division winners. My wild card teams are the Chargers and Jaguars. It's a conference rule that the Patriots play in the AFC Championship Game, but who'll be their opponent? How about the team that I consider to be the best in the AFC? That's right. The Pittsburgh Steelers. They beat New England in the AFC Championship Game and head to their fourth Super Bowl of the Ben Roethlisberger Era.
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