We've reached the last non-football Sunday until February. And, I don't know about you, but I'm ready for some football! Mainly because we enter this season without any real clear favorites...unless you count the Cardinals, who we might as well just give the Lombardi Trophy right now! Arizona's definitely good, but are they good enough to keep the Super Bowl home team streak alive?
More on the Cardinals and the rest of the NFC tomorrow. Today I'm focusing on the AFC, which should, once again, give us the usual suspects. A lot of people are picking the Bills to reach the Super Bowl, and I can see why. The AFC West, meanwhile, might just be the best division in football now that the Broncos have Russell Wilson. Could we end up seeing all four teams make the playoffs?
The interesting thing about the AFC, though, is that there are so few "bad" teams, so it's realistic to think pretty much anybody has a shot at the playoffs. Really, it's only the Jets, Jaguars, Texans and Browns where it'd be a stretch to call them a "playoff contender." With any of the other 12 teams, it wouldn't be a surprise at all.
AFC East: People were so pissed the Bills lost to the Chiefs in last season's playoffs, they changed the OT rules (which was ridiculous!). I don't know if that's the reason so many people are so high on Buffalo, but whatever the reason is, that faith is justified. The Bills already had one of the best offenses, and now they've added Von Miller to the defense. If they don't win the division, it'll be a surprise. But, then again...
It took the Patriots all of one season to get back to the playoffs after missing them in 2020. And another 10-win season looks possible. Winning only 10 might not be enough to make the playoffs, though, especially since I think Miami is a potential spoiler. While the Dolphins probably aren't a playoff team right now, they can definitely make life difficult for the good teams, and they may even have a say in who ends up getting the wild cards. The Jets will not be one of those wild card teams. They went 3-0 in the preseason! Good for them! Too bad preseason games don't actually count for anything!
AFC North: While the AFC West is probably the deepest division in the NFL, the AFC North might be the craziest! I literally have no idea which of the three teams that aren't the Browns will win the division! Cincinnati came out of nowhere last year and won the AFC title, Pittsburgh has a new quarterback for the first time in two decades, and Baltimore blew so many close games last season you know they want to prove that was a fluke.
Let's start with the burning question. Can the Steelers win with Mitchell Trubisky? The Bears couldn't, but the Bears are also a mess. For some reason, I think things'll be different in Pittsburgh. Likewise, Cincinnati will almost certainly come down a peg or two. The Bengals went from this loveable upstart to the hunted. We'll see how they handle it. And the Ravens may be the most talented team in the division...as long as they can stay healthy. As for the Cleveland Browns, the less said the better. The DeShaun Watson situation and their role in it is disgusting. They deserve the 2-15/3-14 record that's in store for them.
AFC South: Once again, the AFC South features two good teams and two not-so-good teams. The Colts are trying this again, turning to Matt Ryan as their fourth quarterback in four years. Will that be enough to get them over the hump? Frankly, I don't think so. Which, unfortunately, means no playoffs, since it's highly unlikely a wild card comes out of the AFC South and the Titans are just better.
As for Jacksonville and Houston, it's a race to stay out of the cellar. Although, I think things will be much easier for the Texans now that they've freed themselves from the DeShaun Watson drama. Problem is, they're still not a very good team. Slightly better than Jacksonville? Maybe. But it's very tight. And the Jaguars probably do have a little bit more upside than Houston does. Will it translate to more than five wins? Probably not. But they'll at least be more competitive.
AFC West: While I think the 12 games they have to play against each other will prevent the AFC West from getting all four of its teams into the playoffs, I do think they can all finish above .500. And, frankly, those 12 division games are a toss-up. I doubt we'll see the Chiefs go 5-1 in the division this year. Not when they're not as good as they were, and the Chargers, Raiders and Broncos are all better.
Kansas City has become the new New England. The Chiefs have hosted the AFC Championship Game four years in a row. I'm not sure they make it five, though. They're still very good. They just aren't as good as they've been. Frankly, they may not even be the best team in the AFC West. Because I really think that might be the Chargers. We saw what happened with them in the final game of last season, so you can bet they'll do everything they can to make sure they're not in that position. The Raiders were a wild card team last year, and they easily could be again. Or, they could just as easily lose all the one-possession games and finish 7-10. I'm also curious to see how Russell Wilson does in Denver. The Broncos will be better. How much better, though? And being in the AFC West doesn't help. Still, they could end up being the best last-place team in football.
Playoffs: Chiefs, Bills, Steelers, Titans (division champions), Chargers, Patriots, Bengals (wild cards)
I think the Chiefs will beat the Bills in the regular season, and that'll make the difference in determining the 1-seed. Ultimately, I don't think that'll matter though, because I see Kansas City getting upset in the Divisional Playoffs. My wild card games are Bengals at Bills, Patriots at Steelers and Chargers at Titans, with Buffalo, Pittsburgh and the Chargers winning.
Even though I've got Kansas City winning the AFC West, that matchup between the division rivals in the Divisional Playoffs will be won by the road team. The Chargers will then head to Buffalo for the AFC Championship Game, since the Bills will easily beat the Steelers. And, count me among those jumping on the Bills bandwagon. Because I've got them making the trip to Arizona.
AFC Champion: Buffalo
Simply put, the Bills are the best team in the AFC. That's why I'm picking them to reach their first Super Bowl in nearly 30 years. Buffalo has the most talent and is playoff-tested, and they feel like they have something to prove after the way their 2021 season ended. That could prove to be a dangerous combination for the rest of the AFC.
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