AFC East
1.Buffalo Bills 12-5
2. Miami Dolphins 9-8
3. New England Patriots 9-8
4. New York Jets 5-12
The AFC East will be fun to watch as all four teams have quarterbacks 25 and under. Josh Allen and the Bills made it to the AFC Championship game last season falling short to the Chiefs, but Allen made tremendous strides. Allen really made strides in terms of accuracy completing 69% of his passes after only completing 58% the year before. A big reason for that success is the acquisition of Stefon Diggs who had an incredible season setting Bills single season records in receptions (127) and yards (1535) earning his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro. The Bills have all the talent to make another run at the Super Bowl.
The Dolphins were so close to the playoffs last season but came up short losing the last game of the season to the Bills a game in which they needed to win to get in. Tua Tagovailoa is the starter and won’t have to look over his shoulder with the departure of Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Dolphins have immense talent on both sides of the ball and a good coach in Brian Flores, but Tua must be able to be more consistent for them to hit the heights they wish to reach. Adding Jaylen Waddle in the draft will give Tua someone he is comfortable throwing to as he and Waddle played together at Alabama. The Dolphins should be pushing for one of the three Wild Card spots.
New England where do I begin? Cutting Cam Newton and anointing Mac Jones the unquestioned starter was the right thing to do as Jones looked comfortable in the Patriots offense this preseason. The Patriots added weapons through free agency and look to return to the playoffs. I have some concerns with Mac Jones, but he fell into the perfect situation for him. The defense should be elite once again even without Stephon Gilmore who will miss the first 6 weeks with a quad injury. Bill Belichick will have to work his coaching magic to get this team to the playoffs, but he is the greatest coach of all time so it’s possible.
J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS! I have a love for what the Jets are building. New Head Coach Robert Saleh already has been an upgrade over Adam Gase and they drafted Zach Wilson with the number two overall pick. I have. Been a huge Zach Wilson fan seven before the draft process and I believe he is what the Jets have been looking for since Namath. They took the time out to get weapons for Wilson such as Corey Davis and Elijah Moore bolstered the offensive line drafting Alijah Vera-Tucker. The Jets will be fun to watch but still have a long way to go before they join the three teams above them. The secondary is very lackluster, and Wilson will have to grow playing defensive minds like Belichick and Flores. This first year of the new Jets regime shouldn’t be looked at for wins and losses instead improvement in their young players throughout the season.
AFC SOUTH
1. Indianapolis Colts 10-7
2. Tennessee Titans 10-7
3. Jacksonville Jaguars 6-11
4. Houston Texans 0-17
The Colts added Carson Wentz, which I think was a great addition, pairing him with his former OC Frank Reich. The Colts have dealt with injuries throughout the preseason, but they have the talent to make up for it. The defense isn’t elite but it’s good enough to keep the games close and let Indy’s strong run game, led by second year back Jonathon Taylor, takeover. If Wentz can give the Colts anything from his 2017 form, this team will be dangerous enough to make a deep playoff run. I have concerns with the Colts wide receivers, they’re a mediocre group on paper. Another concern I have is their brutal schedule. If they can win two or three of their first five games, this team should be able to make good on my prediction, and win the South.
The Titans added Julio Jones to an offense that already had Derrick Henry and AJ Brown scary, right? The offense should put up points and be one of the best in the NFL, but my concern, is with the defense. The Titans drafted cornerback Caleb Farley in the first round of the draft, but there are health concerns with him, and after losing multiple starters on defense, I can see the Titans defense holding them back from fully dominating the way some people have predicted.
Jacksonville drafted Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick, and I personally believe they have some good talent to pair with him on both sides of the ball. Hiring Urban Meyer is a bit of a question mark for me as he will have to adapt form his college ways to the NFL. Jacksonville is headed in the right direction, but they’re young and I don’t think Urban was the right pick for this team.
Houston is just a complete mess they let go of JJ Watt then their best player Deshaun Watson asked for a trade and soon after that has been dealing with legal trouble that could keep him out of the 2021-22 season. The Texans seem to be just one big mess and former players have even said, “stay away from the Texans or get out of there if you can”. I know 0-16 is bold, but if a team can do it, these Texans can.
AFC WEST
1. Kansas City Chiefs 14-3
2. Denver Broncos 10-7
3. Los Angeles Chargers 9-8
4. Las Vegas Raiders 7-11
Do I really have to say much about the Chiefs? Two straight Super Bowl appearances, winning one of them with a top #3 coach, and the best quarterback and player in the world. Plus the best tight end, and then just for fun, the fastest player we may have ever seen, who is a top three wide receiver is also. The Chiefs will remain dominant.
This is where I’ll probably get some criticism. The Broncos have struggled since winning Super Bowl 50 and haven’t had a winning record since 2016. The Broncos have in my opinion, a top ten roster from top to bottom with great depth, and what could end up being their best defense since their Super Bowl run. The offense is filled with young talent especially at receiver and tight end. Naming Teddy Bridgewater, the starting quarterback, could give this team the quarterback it needs just for this season, at least to manage the game and make the right decisions instead of Drew Lock, who last season turned it over a lot and would take Denver out of games. I think the Broncos are a playoff roster.
The Chargers found their quarterback for the foreseeable future with Justin Herbert who won the Rookie of the Year putting up numbers 66% completion percentage, 4,336 yards and 31 touchdowns. He has given Charger fans hope and I am of fan of Brandon Staley who they hired as head coach. He was the Rams defensive coordinator last season, and with him, should be able to improve this Chargers defense over time, if not this season. I am concerned about the Chargers secondary, but if Staley can get even a top 16 pass defense and Joey Bosa stays healthy, the Chargers will be dangerous.
It seems like every season people say, “watch out for the Raiders” and then they end up around 8-8, well after losing just about their entire offensive line, and not making really, any big improvements. I think they’ll fall under the 8-win mark. Jon Gruden needs to get going cause he was paid 100 million dollars, and that’s a lot for a coach, who has yet to make the playoffs almost halfway through his 10-year deal.
AFC NORTH
1. Cleveland Browns 12-5
2. Baltimore Ravens 12-5
3. Pittsburgh Steelers 8-9
4. Cincinnati Bengals 4-13
The Cleveland Browns finally had something to celebrate as they made the playoffs last year, and even won a playoff game beating the Steelers in Pittsburgh, in the Wild Card round. Now, they hope to build on that success as they get dynamic superstar Odell Beckham, Jr. back from injury, and had a fantastic draft addressing needs on defense. They brought in safety John Johnson from the Rams, and now, this may be one of the more well-balanced teams in football. They have the best running back tandem to go with the best offensive line and weapons galore. I am expecting a big season in Cleveland.
The Ravens lost a big piece to their offense when second year running back JK Dobbins tore his ACL in the final preseason game. Baltimore still has electrifying quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has won games at an incredible rate since becoming the starter. Baltimore also has a great cornerback room, but my concern goes to an aging defensive line, as well as a lack of weapons on offense. They drafted Rashod Bateman, but he had to have surgery on his groin, and it looks as though he will miss the start of the season. Lamar will have this team in the playoff, but how far can they go?
Pittsburgh hasn’t had a losing season in 17 years, so this is a bit bold, but they have weaknesses across the offensive line and at corner. Pittsburgh finished the season losing 5 of their last 6 games, after starting off 11-0. Big Ben will be at the helm again, but he’s nowhere near what he once was, and with the struggles on the offensive line, the 39-year-old quarterback may take unnecessary hits. I believe the Steelers will have their first losing season since I was a child this season.
Cincy has some good young talent on offense, and added Ja’marr Chase to that, with the number five overall pick. Joe Burrow and Chase have immense chemistry, as they led LSU to a National Championship in 2019. Burrow is recovering from a devastating knee injury that ended his rookie season, but if he can knock off the rust quickly, we may be able to see more than just the flashes we saw from him last season. Where the Bengals pray, they see flashes is on defense, where they lost their best corner, William Jackson to Washington. The Bengals also have a coach I don’t believe in, Zac Taylor. He doesn’t move the needle and I feel like this will for sure, be his last season as the coach in Cincinnati.
WILD CARD ROUND
Cleveland over Denver
Buffalo over Tennessee
Baltimore over Indy
DIVISIONAL ROUND
KC over Baltimore
Cleveland over Buffalo
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
KC over Cleveland
SUPER BOWL
Rams over Chiefs
MVP
Matthew Stafford
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Alvin Kamara
OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Kyle Pitts
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Myles Garrett
DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Micah Parsons
COACH OF THE YEAR
Bruce Arians
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