The AFC gave us plenty of surprises during the 2010 NFL season. Chief among them were:
The San Diego Chargers starting 2-5 and missing the playoffs, despite having the top-ranked offense and defense in the league. The young Kansas City Chiefs finishing 10-6 and winning the AFC West. The Houston Texans not making the playoffs. The Oakland Raiders and Cleveland Browns getting some surprising wins and looking like teams to watch going forward.
The point is, no one ever knows what 17 weeks of NFL football are going to bring. That said, I’m going to do my best to predict a full season’s worth of events, starting with the AFC.
Some of these predictions may come as no surprise, while others–such as a division winner from 2010 finishing last in its division this year–may have me eating my words just a few weeks into the season.
Either way, feel free to debate these, and get ready for some football!
Playoff teams in bold
AFC East
New York Jets — 12-4
New England Patriots — 12-4
Miami Dolphins — 9-7
Buffalo Bills — 4-12
Division Notes: While the Dolphins could probably contend for a wild card berth if they played in a friendlier division, this one is going to be a battle for dominance between the feisty Jets, whose passing game should continue to improve in Mark Sanchez’s third year under center, and the always-efficient Patriots, who have looked next-to-unstoppable early in the preseason. Miami’s offseason acquisitions should help the Dolphins get above .500, while the Bills, who took a step backward with the departure of wide receiver Lee Evans, will remain in the basement of one of the toughest divisions in the NFL.
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens — 12-4
Pittsburgh Steelers — 10-6
Cleveland Browns — 7-9
Cincinnati Bengals — 3-13
Division Notes: The Ravens have very few holes on either side of the ball, and could capitalize if the Steelers endure a post-Super Bowl hangover over the first quarter of the season. Pittsburgh, however, should recover in plenty of time to make the postseason as a wild card. The Browns have a lot of young talent, and while they will miss the postseason in 2011, they’re making a push to get there soon. The same can’t be said for the Bengals, however, who have unproven rookies Andy Dalton and A.J. Green at quarterback and wide receiver, respectively. While both players show promise, getting this offense to do much will be a tough task for anybody.
AFC South
Indianapolis Colts — 9-7
Houston Texans — 8-8
Jacksonville Jaguars — 7-9
Tennessee Titans — 7-9
Division Notes: Judging from the quarterback play of the Colts’ in the preseason thus far, Indy better hope that Peyton Manning is ready for the season opener. If he is, that 9-7 projection could improve. If not, it could get worse, and the Colts’ snap of nine consecutive postseason appearances could be in jeopardy. The Texans offer the greatest challenge to the Colts in this division with an improved defense and, as always, a high-powered offense. The Jaguars and Titans will struggle at times, although the Titans are more prone to disaster if all-world running back Chris Johnson continues his holdout into the regular season.
AFC West
San Diego Chargers — 10-6
Oakland Raiders — 8-8
Denver Broncos — 5-11
Kansas City Chiefs — 5-11
Division Notes: The Chargers should bounce back from their ugly 2-5 start from a year ago and get back to the playoffs, under the assumptions that A) they avoid as many special teams mishaps as possible early on, and B) that their top-ranked offense from a year ago can click immediately. The Raiders remain just a step or two behind San Diego, but will remain competitive late into the year thanks to their underrated defense–although the loss of Nnamdi Asomugha to the Eagles will hurt. The Broncos will be able to put up enough offense to stay close in a lot of games, but their aging defense will be their Achilles’ heel. The Chiefs have a much tougher schedule in 2011 than they did during their 10-6 season of a year ago, and their youth will show in tough games against proven teams like New England and Green Bay.
Stay tuned. Coming up next, I’ll take a look at the NFC.