AFC Conference Predictions
I am normally more of a ‘wait and see’ kind of guy, but I figured what the heck, everyone else is doing it… So here are my predictions for the entire AFC.
AFC East
1. Patriots
The Patriots are still the Patriots. Tom Brady is back from injury, Bellicheck is still the coach, and can anyone give me a legit reason why the Pats won’t win the East? (barring injuries)
2. Dolphins
The Fins are really hard to pick this year. It seems like most surprise teams usually have a down year the next but to be honest I don’t see much difference between the Dolphins, Jets and Bills, as all have similar talent. I think second place in the East will probably come down to the division games and possible even a big play or two in those games. In my mind the Dolphins are more likely to convert those big plays (slightly).
3. Jets
Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco made rookie QB’s look good last year and we all know that is not the norm. I don’t think Mark Sanchez will do bad but I don’t think he will do that good either, but he does have enough talent around him (offensive line and rushing attack) to hover around 8-8 (give or take).
4. Bills
The Bills (similar to the Chiefs) fired their OC during the preseason and will now rely on the head coach to call the plays and I for one don’t really like this idea. I would look for the Bills to make or break their season in the early on. If they lose a few close games early on things could start to turn ugly (esp with T.O. on board) but that door swings both ways, a few good wins at the beginning of the year and this team could challenge for number two in the East.
AFC North
1. Steelers
The Super Bowl champs are one of the most offensively and defensively balanced teams in the NFL and that is the reason I picked them to win the North over Baltimore. What I mean by that is the Steelers can beat you with offense, defense, or even special teams.
2. Ravens
The Ravens defense is still VERY good and can be downright nasty at times but I am still not convinced that they could win a game with their offense if they needed to, which is why I gave the North to the Steelers. The Ravens should still be a lock for the playoffs.
3. Bengals
I would love to see Carson Palmer have a great bounce back year but I am not convinced that the Bengals offensive line could support this.
4. Browns
When the Browns stop being the Browns someone please let me know.
AFC South
1. Colts
The Colts may have lost a HOF coach in Tony Dungy along with WR Marvin Harrison but new head coach Jim Caldwell has worked with Peyton Manning for what, 20 years? Seriously Peyton Manning is still the QB of this team and we all know this is a QB driven league. I wouldn’t worry too much about Harrison either as the Colts have shown time and time again they know the right time to let a player go. My only concern with this team is how much Dungy leaving will effect the defense, but either way they still have enough in them to win the division.
2. Titans
The Titans remind me a lot of the Ravens, they will beat you with their defense. If it comes down to it do you trust Kerry Collins to carry your team? Although with with the Titans rushing offense you may not have to worry about Collins.
3. Texans
Why all the hype surrounding the Texans this season? I don’t see how they have improved enough to beat out the Titans and Colts for tops in the South as many are predicting. Yes they are a very talented team on both offense and defense but for the last few years the Texans have been the trendy pick and until they prove otherwise I will keep them below the Colts and Titans.
4. Jaguars
The Jags… I am not sure what to say about them. They are obviously not happy with their QB play as they have been linked to many of this off season’s QB talks but unable to upgrade at the position. Sorry Jags, this just isn’t your year.
AFC West
1. Chargers
If the Chargers don’t win the West it isn’t because of lack of talent. LT is looking to make a return to the top tier of running backs, but even if he doesn’t they still have have Darren Sproles. Phillip Rivers is bound to have a little bit of a let down this year after a superb 2008 but even a small let down would still be a great year. The best thing going for the Chargers is that they play in the West as no one really has any expectations for the Chiefs, Raiders and Broncos.
2. Chiefs
Of course I have a little bit of a bias toward the Chiefs (I mean I do run a Chiefs blog) but I feel that the Chiefs are in better shape than both the Raiders and the Broncos. The right leadership is in place I just don’t know if the turn around will happen this quick, plus the Chiefs have a pretty brutal looking schedule this season.
3. Raiders
The head coach is punching his assistants, they are trading 1st round picks for 30-something year old linemen and Al Davis is still in charge… and they still aren’t in quite as bad shape as the Broncos.
4. Broncos
I have never seen a head coach tear apart a team and become so disliked (to put nicely) as quickly as Josh McDaniels has in Denver. Kyle Orton is your QB, your best offensive player acts like a preschooler, and your defense still sucks. It’s going to be a long year.
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AFC West Predictions from StreetCred’s Blog
I came across StreetCred’s Blog of AFC West predictions on FoxSports and here is what he is predicting in a nutshell:
1. San Diego Chargers’ Record: 12-4 – AFC West Divisional Champion; AFC #3 Seed
- 07 Record: 11-5
- Points Scored: 412
- Points Allowed: 284 th
- Playoff Result: Lost AFC Championship Game
- 2008 Strength of Schedule:108-148 (.422) (31st in NFL)
2. Denver Broncos’ Record: 9-7 – AFC West 2nd Place; No Playoffs
- 07 Record: 7-9
- Points Scored: 320 (21st)
- Points Allowed: 409 (28th)
- Playoff Result: N/A
- 2008 Strength of Schedule: 114-142 (.445) (29th in NFL)
3. Oakland Raiders’ Record:6-10 – AFC West 3rd Place; No Playoffs
- 07 Record: 4-12
- Points Scored: 283 (23rd)
- Points Allowed: 398 (26th)
- Playoff Result: N/A
- 2008 Strength of Schedule: 112-142 (.438) (30th in NFL)
4. Kansas City Chiefs’ Record:5-11 – AFC West 4th Place; No Playoffs
- 07 Record: 4-12
- Points Scored: 226 (31st)
- Points Allowed: 335 (14th)
- Playoff Result: N/A
- 2008 Strength of Schedule: 116-140 (.453) (26th in NFL)
Here are a couple things he listed as Strengths for the Chiefs:
- One thing the Chiefs had was a pretty nice pass defense last season. They finished ranked 5th in passing yards allowed. They also finished 9th in sacks. They were also 14th in points allowed. However, you can throw all that out the window, because their best defender, Jared Allen, is no longer with the team. He led the NFL with 15.5 sacks and was the team’s best defender. He was traded to the Minnesota Vikings before the draft for draft picks.
The Chiefs went with a youth movement and the result was one of the best drafts in the NFL. They should be better than 28th against the run. Glenn Dorsey is one of the best defensive tackle prospects to come out of college in a number of years and he should immediately help them in that regard. Brandon Flowers should also help the passing game from the cornerback position as he replaces Ty Law.
Here is a little of what he had in his Weaknesses section:
- Last year I said this about Herm Edwards in my 2007 AFC West predictions, “It took Herman Edwards exactly one year to ruin this offense. After finishing in the top 5 for offensive yardage ever season of the Vermeil era and first, first, second, and sixth in points, Herman Edwards destroyed this offense. It dropped to 15th in both yards and points in his first year with most of the same players. As usual, the problem was Herm Edwards refusal to embrace the passing offense, which ranked 22nd last season.”Kansas City fans weren’t happy about that and I admit that I was wrong. While the passing offense was not a strength when compared to other NFL teams it was actually the strength of this offense. I don’t think a lot of people would have guessed the Chiefs would finish 30th in rushing attempts, 32nd in rushing yards, 31st in yards per carry, and tied for 31st in rushing touchdowns.
Here is his Prediction:
- I thought the Chiefs had a great draft. In my opinion it was the best in the NFL. That said, I also maintain the Colts and Patriots could have had the best draft in the NFL had they traded Brady or Manning. The only reason the Chiefs had the best draft is they traded their best player in Jared Allen. While that may turn out to be a great move for the future, it doesn’t necessarily translate into winning a lot of games the following year.
I know that I don’t agree with some of what he had to say, but what do you think Chiefs fans? Are we in for a 5-11 record finishing behind the lowly Raiders in the cellar of the AFC West?
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