AFC Division Record Predictions
AFC East
1. Patriots 11-5
2. Jets 8-8
3. Bills 7-9
4. Dolphins 2-14
First off, I have no doubt that the Patriots are going to win their division this year. They don't have a ton of question marks with their team, and even if they did I'd still pick them. The Patriots are the greatest, there's no other way to sum it up. They can overcome anything you put you put in their direction. For this upcoming year, I'm really excited about their wide receivers. The two that I'm most particularly interested in are N'Keal Harry and Jakobi Meyers. l think these two players will both be x-factors late in the season. Next I have the Jets. I think both the Jets an the Bills are going to be much improved this year, but I feel like the Jets just have separating star power. I like Josh Allen more than Sam Darnold, but Darnold has a better team around him. The Jets now have in my opinion the most electric running back in the NFL with Le'Veon Bell. Bell is going to bring a whole new juice to this Jets locker room and it will be energy that they haven't had in years. I also love them adding CJ Mosley in the offseason. I wouldn't be surprised if the Jets are a playoff contender this year mostly because of their run game. The Jets are going to be a lot better this year. The Bills are going to be an other team on the playoff bubble. I am a big fan of Devin Singletary and an even bigger fan of Josh Allen. I think Singletary is going to have a big impact for the Bills and Josh Allen taking a big second year leap. Allen was very inconsistent last year, so this year I look for him to show consistency. Their defense has a lot of hype, they are supposed to be the big "sleeper" team. I am not completely sold on their defense, but I guess we'll just have to see. Now for the Dolphins, they are completely buying in for the future. They've made trades that have given them multiple first round picks for the next two seasons. You can see what they think about Josh Rosen and the direction they're going with at quarterback. Their offensive line can't compete and their defense isn't great. While I don't love what the Dolphins are doing right now, I will provide a little bit of hope for this season. We haven't witnessed Kenyan Drake's full potential and they have a top 5 cornerback with Xavien Howard. The Dolphins aren't going to be great this season, but their is a lot of hope for the future.
AFC North
1. Browns 11-5
2. Ravens 10-6
3. Steelers 9-7
4. Bengals 4-12
This is what you all have been waiting for... the Browns are in the playoffs! I just feel like they have everything you want in a football team. I think Baker Mayfield throws 40 touchdowns this year. I believe this year Jarvis Landry will have a very good complimentary season. I don't see him having over 1,000 yards, but I see him stepping up when they are in need of a big time play. On the other hand I believe Odell Beckham continues to do Odell Beckham like things. I see him having over 1,200 yards and 7 touchdowns. David Njoku is going to be big on third downs this year, and Nick Chubb will have a thousand yard season. What I'm most excited about is Kareem Hunt. People forget just how good Kareem Hunt was for the Chiefs. All you need to do is look up, "Kareem Hunt run vs Bengals" on google... That's all you need to see. The fact that the Browns get him back with fresh legs at week 10... will take the Browns to a whole different level. The Ravens are going to be really good as well. At first I wasn't very high on them, I thought Lamar Jackson really struggled with throwing the ball last year. It looked like the Chargers had "figured him out" in the playoffs. But then I watched what he did in the preseason, and I know preseason can be deceiving, but he looked so comfortable dropping back and throwing the ball down field. You can tell he really worked hard this offseason, and I think it's going to pay off. They also upgraded at both the wide receiver and running back position in the offseason. Mark Ingram is going to have double digit rushing touchdowns and Marquise Brown gives them a true threat on the outside. I am a little concerned about the loss of CJ Mosley, but the Ravens are so good at developing young linebackers. Could Kenny Young be the next man up? I'm not sure about who it's going to be, but the opportunity is there. They also picked up a big time leader in Earl Thomas, and I truly believe Marlon Humphrey will be top 10 at his position this year. The Steelers have more question marks in the NFL than any other team. I believe Ben Roethlisberger has more pressure than any other NFL player due to his dispute with Antonio Brown, and this will be the year we get to see if JuJu is a true number one receiver. Lucky for the Steelers fanbase, I believe everything will workout. I think James Conner will end the season as a top 5 running back and JuJu finishes as a top 10 receiver. I think they have a solid defense and I love them adding Devin Bush. I believe the Steelers are a team on the playoff bubble without any drama this year. Finally are the Bengals, I think this is more of a "let's see who we are" type of season. I am a big Andy Dalton hater, but let's see if he can change my mind with Zac Taylor calling the shots. One thing I love about them are their running backs. I think Joe Mixon will have a huge role in the passing game this season and Samaje Perine will be the third down back that they've been needing. I have questions about AJ Green's health and John Ross' role, but I think Tyler Boyd will be solid this year. Overall, I think they will be in position to take one of the top quarterbacks in next years draft.
AFC South
1. Jaguars 10-6
2. Texans 8-8
3. Colts 7-9
4. Titans 4-12
After what's gone down in the past month, I think this division has moved back down to the worst division in football. Between the Texans giving up Jadeveon Clowney and the Colts losing Andrew Luck, I think the Jaguars have been elevated to the top of the division. Prior to Andrew Luck's retirement, I would have had the Colts running away with this division, but that's just too big of a blow to take less than two weeks before the season starts. I believe Nick Foles makes this Jaguars team a playoff contender. I don't love the weapons he has around him, but a healthy Fournette and an above average offensive line should be enough for him to get busy. I think Dede Westbrook will be the number one for Doug Marrone this year and their tight end by committee approach will work. While all this is great, their defense is what really makes them a contender. They still have a top 5 front seven even without Telvin Smith, and their secondary is top 3. I'd expect a big year from Yannick Ngakoue and Myles Jack, and I expect Jalen Ramsey to be in the top 5 with interceptions this year. I don't love this division, but I expect the Jaguars to rebound this year. Originally when Andrew Luck retired, I thought "oh this is the Texans division to lose", but then I looked at the stats. The amount of one score games they were in last year scares me, and they have one of the hardest schedules. I also really dislike the moves they made over Labor Day weekend. I don't think they received any where close to enough compensation in return for Jadeveon Clowney, who they took number one overall just five years ago. Clowney is a premier player at his position and all the Texans received was a third round pick and two backup linebackers. I do like the addition of Laremy Tunsil, but at the same time I think they gave up a lot for him. While they did have some unfortunate trades go down this past weekend, Texans fans still have a lot to be hopeful about. Deshaun Watson is just amazing, there's not other way to put it. I think he is a top 5 quarterback in the NFL and this is his year to show it. They also have the best wide receivers in the NFL with Deandre Hopkins and one of the best players in the NFL with JJ Watt. I love Justin Reid and they had a nice pick up in Bradley Roby. If Deshaun Watson can have a similar season to what he had last year, they should be able to win this divison. For the Colts, I think they are still capable of being a double digit win team, they just have a big question mark with the most important position in the NFL. I think Brissett is capable of leading this team to the playoffs, I am just playing it safe here with this prediction. I love the Colts overall roster, coaching staff, and front office, so I could be completely wrong. It just all depends on Jacoby Brissett. I think they have one of the brightest young rosters in the entire NFL and they are very capable of being one of the best teams in the league. I love their offensive line and their receiving core, and I'm also a huge fan of Darius Leonard and Malik Hooker. This team will go as far as Jacoby Brissett takes them, so I guess we'll just have to see how he plays. The Titans are in my opinion one of the more overhyped teams in the NFL. I am not a big fan of Marcus Mariota, I think he is too inconsistent to be a franchise quarterback. The thing is, that can change all over the course of one season. My biggest concern with the Titans is that they won't properly use the talent they have at wide receiver. We've seen Corey Davis been under utilized his entire career, and I hope the same doesn't apply to AJ Brown. The weapons are there for Tennessee, I just don't see them using the two properly. The Titans also have Derrick Henry, I think he ends the season with over 1,000 rushing yards. The two defenders I really like on their defense is Kevin Byard who I think will be an all-pro this season and Adoree Jackson who I believe will breakout. I just don't think this is enough for the Titans to put up any type of wins.
AFC West
1. Chiefs 13-3
2. Chargers 8-8
3. Raiders 6-10
4. Broncos 4-12
The Kansas City Chiefs are the best team in football. I can say that with no doubt in my mind. I think on offense, there is no position on weakness. They have an elite offensive tackle in Mitchell Schwartz and the former number one overall pick in Eric Fisher. They also have a new running back committee. I think all three backs are solid starters, but I think Darwin Thompson has the most potential out of the three. If I were Andy Reid, I'd set up plays to get him the ball because he's their long term starter. Now let's talk about what separates the Chiefs from any other team... Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes is special, there's no other way to put it. He is like nothing we've ever seen before. Mahomes alone gets the Chiefs into the playoffs, but it helps to have an amazing team around him. He has Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, both of these players are two of the best at their position. Both weapons are gigantic mismatches. It's almost unfair that they are both on the same team. The Chiefs also have an improved defense. They picked up one of the most versatile DBs in the NFL with Tyrann Mathieu. They also traded for a sack artist in Frank Clark to pair up with Chris Jones. This team is going to be really really good. I'm worried about the Chargers, they won't have three of their best players entering the season. Let's start out with Russell Okung, Their starting left tackle has a terrifying injury, a pulmonary embolism. This will be a huge blow to their team if they don't have Okung blocking for Phillip's backside. Next is Derwin James, he won't be out for the whole season, but will miss a significant amount of time. He's one of the best players at his position right now, but is dealing with a broken foot... another huge blow. Finally is Melvin Gordon, their pro bowl running back. He's looking to pull a Le'Veon Bell this year and sit out the entire season if he doesn't get traded. Gordon's absence will be a big distraction for the Chargers, so I just see them taking a step back this season. The Raiders have a lot of hype this year, but I just think it's going to take a year to develop. I like Derek Carr, but I'm not sold on him. I do think he will have an amazing connection with Antonio Brown though. Josh Jacobs will be a contender for offensive rookie of the year, but I think their defense will struggle. I love Johnathan Abram and I think he wins defensive rookie of the year. I don't think this defense is good enough to put them in playoff contention. Finally we've got the Broncos, I think they place last in their division when it comes to both the quarterback and wide receiver position. I don't believe they have enough fire power when it comes to their offense. I think Joe Flacco is a temporary fit at quarterback, but I'm not sold on Drew Lock being their quarterback of the future. I think they have one of the best front sevens in the NFL and that is what will lead their team. I expect Noah Fant to have a solid rookie season, but I think they need some stronger pieces in that receiving core. To conclude everything, I believe Phillip Lindsay is what leads their offense. I think the Royce Freeman hype is all smoke, Lindsay will be a thousand yard rusher and finish as a top ten running back in the NFL.
