If you haven't read the NFC Division Predictions yet, then check out the article here. Duo did NFC Predictions and I am doing AFC Predictions. Together we'll use our predictions to guess who's going to win the Superbowl! So, let's get started.
AFC Predictions
North: After watching Hardknocks this season, I have fully drank the Browns (5-12) Kool-aid and think that they will win a solid 5 games this year. Not nearly enough to be competitive in this division, but still five more wins than they had last year! The Bengals (7-9) are going to finish just ahead of them in the standings. They have an under the radar team this year and they always play the Steelers competitively which means they can steal a game away from them this year. George Iloka will be a solid addition to their defense this year, and their offense can't be any worse than it was last year. The Ravens and the Steelers are the two teams that will be fighting it out to win this division. However, I believe that the Steelers (10-6) will edge out the Ravens (9-7) because their offense is just so much better than the Ravens. Plus, I can't trust Joe Flacco to play well for his team unless it's in the playoffs. This may change though if Le'Veon Bell decides to not show up for most of the season. He is highly unlikely to play Week 1 which is bad, but something the Steelers can get over. If Bell is out for more than half the season then that could impact their ability to win this division.
West: This division, like the north, is a two team race between the Chargers (11-5) and Chiefs (10-5-1). Andy Reid, the Chief's coach is one of the best regular season coaches of the last 10 years, but I believe that they will not win this division because having a new starting QB in Patrick Mahomes will lead to some early season struggles. Getting Eric Barry back will help anchor their defense, I just think that the Charger's roster is better on defense and the Charger's offense (led by Phillip Rivers) will be much more explosive. That being said, I have a feeling that the Chargers will lose a couple games they should have won this season due to some last minute semantics which means that the Chargers will squeeze out this division win. If the Chargers can win this division and make the playoffs though, expect them to make some serious noise. The Raiders (6-10) will be in for a tough season with new head coach Jon Gruden and, now that they traded away their best defensive player, have taken a step back on that side of the ball. Despite that, I still don't think they'll be as bad as the Broncos (3-12-1), who have Case Keenum at starting QB (I don't think he can repeat his success from last year), and although they have a great defense, just won't have nearly enough offense to compete with any other team in this division. I think this could be a historically bad year for the Broncos.
South: I think this is the Texan's (8-8) year to finally get back into the playoffs and win this division. However, this is mainly if they can stay healthy. Deshaun Watson is back at starting Quarterback and JJ Watt is once again healthy. These are two essential anchors on both sides of the ball that they need to stay healthy if they want to win the division. If they can both stay healthy, then this is Houston's division to win; even if just narrowly. The Jaguars (8-8) are going to take a step back this year and finish 2nd. Their defense is just as good as last year, but they now have a first place schedule and every other team in their division got better during the offseason. Their out of division schedule is also very difficult. They need to travel to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Kansas City, and end the season in Houston. All of these teams are playoff teams which will make this one of the most difficult schedules in the NFL and hurt their record as a result. The Titans (7-9) have a new head coach, which is an improvement over last year, but are lacking in both receiving and offensive line depth. These things are must have if they wish to have Mariota succeed at QB this year. They will be a tough out every time they play and cause teams a lot of trouble, but they just wont be able to put together as many wins as last year. The Colts (4-12), even if Andrew Luck is healthy all season long, are going to be a bad team. They haven't addressed any of their issues from last season, lost out on their number 1 coaching option, and are playing in a very tough division. Andre Luck has played in the preseason which is a vast improvement for his health, but if the Colts are smart, they will be cautious with him and throw this season away.
East: This is the Patriots (12-4) division to lose. Even with a four game suspension for Julian Edelman, they still have the best coach and best quarterback in football. I do not anticipate any other team challenging them this year. The Jets (8-8) could surprise them and maybe make the race for the division title closer than the Pats would like if Sam Darnold ends up being the savior of New York, but neither Miami nor Buffalo will be competing, nor do they plan on competing this year. Miami (6-10) is a team destined to always finish 8-8 or 6-10. I think this year it will be the latter. Buffalo (3-13) made a surprise appearance in the playoffs last year, but I truly think that was a fluke and not according to their plan. They are focusing on a long-term rebuild and they are not going to let one year of success drive them off course.
Playoff Picture:
With all AFC Division winners and Wild Card winners in hand:
North: Steelers
West: Chargers*
South: Texans
East: Patriots*
Wild Cards: Chiefs and Ravens
NFC Winners from yesterday:
North: Vikings
West: Rams*
South: Saints*
East: Eagles
Wild Cards: Falcons and Packers
Playoff Matchups, AFC:
Chiefs at Steelers
Ravens at Houston
Playoff Matchups, NFC:
Falcons at Vikings
Packers at Eagles
With the entire regular season figured out, it's time to get to the playoffs. Check back later for those predictions and find out who wins the Superbowl.
*First round bye
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