Rank The AFC After All The Moves

[Billsfanatic8989]

2 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

They’ve won 9 and 10 games with worse rosters. They will be better. 

They had Flores.

[Nelius]

Some good rankings that I pretty much agree with but I'm not really tracking the Denver love. They might be more competitive, but #2, in this conference? I wouldn't be surprised if they're last in their division. I think the Raiders have the better full roster on paper, and I'm not convinced that Wilson is that much better than Carr to make up the difference.

Edited March 23, 2022 by Nelius

[RalphWilson'sNewWar]

1.)  Chargers - Game Day Coaching

2.)  Bills

3.)  Chiefs

4.)  Broncos

5.)  Bengals

6.)  Ravens

7.)  Colts

Edited March 23, 2022 by RalphWilson'sNewWar

[TBBills]

2 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

They’ve won 9 and 10 games with worse rosters. They will be better. 

Yea getting lucky happens some times, not every time. The Dolphins are in your head. That was them at there peak also don't forget, all downhill from here until they find a QB.

Edited March 23, 2022 by TBBills

[Greg S]

4 minutes ago, Billsfanatic8989 said:

They had Flores.

 

Their owner is still being investigated for all of their offseason problems. New HC coming in with a new coaching staff. Have to learn to new systems/schemes along with the distractions of all the offseason stuff that has happened. Maybe the distractions hurt them or maybe not but adjusting to a new coaching staff takes time. You hear players say it all the time that year 2 is a lot better than year 1 since they are more comfortable with how things are done and knowing what is expected of them.

[MafiaMio]

2 hours ago, corta765 said:

After Hill's trade today rank the AFC as you see it at this point for 2022 (yes I understand draft still needs to happen). Here are my thoughts:

 

1. BUF 13-4    After everything that has happened most complete team right now

2. DEN 12-5    I trust Wilson over LAC for division

3. BAL 11-5    Historic amount of injuries last year, they will bounce back

4. TEN 10-7    They've bled some depth but I trust them over IND more right now

5. LAC 12-5    Tie breaker for division so they are WC and really good

6. CIN 10-7    They get the WC and start on the road this playoff year. Their rivals have all gotten better

7. MIA 10-7    Similar to the Patriots last year a soft schedule compared to AFCW or AFCN foes will gift wins even though talent wise  teams 8-10 are better IMO.

------ playoff cut off -------

8. CLE 9-8    Watson is going to be suspended for at least 4-6 games if not more. That's too many games in division this competitive

9. OAK 9-8    I think that QB wise their third in division and the attrition inside will hurt their playoff chances more then talent

10. KC 9-8    They have bled a lot of free agents as the cap has not been nice and their division is insane. Hill leaving though makes it a tough sell to see them up top

11. IND 8-9    Matt Ryan is on the backside of his career and has been for years. He couldn't take advantage of the weapons he had in ATL the last few years and has less in IND

12. JAX 8-9    Competent coaching will do wonders for Trevor who takes steps forward. After hearing very thing Urban did its a miracle he didn't retire at QB

13. PIT 7-10   Mitch its not personal just business and they have the 4th best QB in a division that is quite solid.

14. NE 7-10   Teams year 1 with new free agents gain on average 3 wins, next year they lose that gain. Additionally the rest of the division is only better and nothing has been done to help make Mac's life easier.

15. NYJ 5-12    Their defense will play better this year, but their offense is still ways behind the rest of the AFC plus Zach Wilson needs to take some major steps to show life.

16. HOU 4-13   They are slowly rebuilding what they had it will just take time.

I wouldn't put KC that low. They still have a good coach and elite qb. That's always going to make them contenders. We're definitely the better team now though. 

 

Also the Dolphins may have surpassed the Pats in the division. They really need Tua to step up this year or bust. 

[YoloinOhio]

KC way too low - wack!

 

Head Coach. QB. Those should be your biggest factors 

Edited March 23, 2022 by YoloinOhio

[Not at the table Karlos]

2 hours ago, Paup 1995MVP said:

Tua is mediocre at best.  And their O line hasn't been good since the Dwight Stephenson Richmond Webb days.  LOL

Jimmy G is mediocre at best and has been to a super bowl and NFC championship in the offense the Dolphins are gonna run. 

[Greg S]

Just now, Not at the table Karlos said:

Jimmy G is mediocre at best and has been to a super bowl and NFC championship in the offense the Dolphins are gonna run. 

 

Jimmy G can throw the ball at an NFL level. Tua can't. I wouldn't be surprised if Bridgewater replaces him as the starter at some point.

[DCOrange]

SB Contenders:

• Buffalo
• Kansas City
• LA Chargers
• Baltimore
• Cinci
• Denver

Playoff Contenders:

• Miami
• Cleveland (if Watson plays this year)
• Tennessee
• Indy
• Las Vegas

Losers:

• New England
• Pittsburgh
• NY Jets
• Jacksonville
• Houston

 

Denver and New England were the most difficult for me to place; I think Denver is somewhere between SB contender and playoff contender and New England isn't as bad as the other losers but isn't as good as the playoff contenders IMO.

[MafiaMio]

1 hour ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

Agree on the top 2.  I think Chargers have a case for 2, but I am not sure their defensive signings are enough, that defense was bad on 3 levels last year.  

 

 

I think I have to get the Chargers here somewhere in the top 4.  

 

 

Couple of things, Cincinnati made the SB last year, but doesn't mean they are a top 6 team this year.  I think they regress...that being said, they can still win their division and be at least the 4th seed, but this isnt a playoff positional list, this is best team list.  And right now, I don't have them in the top 6.  They had a lot..and I mean a lot...of success throwing 50/50 balls, prayer balls, etc.  Guys made some insane plays at a high success rater for the risks of those plays.  And thats just not sustainable way to consistently win in the NFL.  So while, I fully acknowledge they could still win their division, I don't think they are one of the 6 best teams in the AFC right now personally.  

 

I think people are also writing the Chiefs off way too fast.  Go back and check the stat lines last year on Hill...big game, then like 5-7 duds in a row of like 30 yards.  This is a WR rich draft with an elite QB in KC.  You can bet they will take at least one WR early, and when you have a guy like Mahomes, that WR may come in and make a big impact early.  

 

Miami over achieved under a great coach...I think they regress this year even after adding Hill.  

 

Oakland is better than people are giving them credit for right now and I think will surprise some people this year.  They have a good defense and added Chandler Jones to it.  Their offense is intriguing with addition of a big time guy like Adams too who already has played with Carr.  Yes Carr is a big downgrade from Rodgers, but he still is a guy who can sling the ball and played clutch in close games.  So I think they could be a tough out.  

 

 

All of these teams above belong in this range IMO, people can argue the order, but I cant put any of them higher except maybe Atlanta over Cleveland just given the probability Watson gets a big suspension.  However, Cle with no Watson suspension is better than Indy imo.  

 

My ranking:

1. BUF - Almost all of our main pieces back and some very good FA additions to areas we need to improve.
2. Den - Tough to put them here before we see what Wilson can do there, but on paper it makes sense given the balance of defense and offense they have.
3. LAC - Herbert takes yet another progressive step, which is enough to move them up to 3 even though the D has questions to whether it is improved enough.
4. KC - Too early to right them off.  Hill will be missed, but his production was very hit or miss, they can find a replacement for that potentially in this WR rich draft.  
5. OAK - Yes I realize I just put the whole AFCW from 2 -4, but its (on paper) maybe the best division ever, and quite frankly I think any of the 4 are capable of winning it.  I think its unrealistic to say all 4 make the playoffs, but this isn't a playoff list, its best team list.  And right now, I think these 4 are better than everyone in the AFC not named the Bills.  
6. TEN - They proved doubters wrong when they kept beating the best teams even after losing Henry.  
7. CIN - A lot of people will have them higher, but I don't feel their style of winning is sustainable long term and I think other teams have improved more than they will be next year.  
8. BALT - Assuming they are all healthy and stay that way, I think they work their way back to being one of the better AFC teams, but how good is still a question.  They have some holes still and questions at RB as well, so hard to know who they are today.  Potential to be a top 4 team or could miss the playoffs, hard team to figure out at this stage of the offseason.

Honorable mentions for top 8:

• Cleveland would be in that top 8 if not for the expected Watson suspension.  If he doesn't get suspended then I think Cleveland by default moves into the top 5 ranking.  
• Indy is a curious one, not sure how much of an impact Ryan at this age makes there with mediocre receiving group compared to what he was used to in Atlanta most his career.  But on paper now, I like the other teams a little bit better, but they are pretty close with those teams outside of the top 5 in terms of ranking them today.
• Miami I think is at best a 9 win team, and may be under .500 this year.  I think they will feel the sting of losing their HC a lot personally who always had them over achieving most the time.  I have a feeling they are more like a 7 or 8 win team, AFCE has a tough schedule this year.
• Teams like NE and PIT cant be in the top 8 right now, but they have sleeper potential.  NE showed it last year, while not in our class of teams, they still found ways to win a lot more games than people expected, so hard to just flat out count them out even though they definitely don't belong in the top 8 ranking list right now.  And Trubisky might just surprise a lot of people in Pit...I mean he cant be any worse than Ben was last year IMO, and likely better.  If he Trubisky comes in and proves to be a good starter there, then that team can be dangerous again.  

 

Everyone else has no shot at being in the convo of being a good team this year IMHO.  

 

Oakland has a team?

[YoloinOhio]

16 minutes ago, RalphWilson'sNewWar said:

1.)  Chargers - Game Day Coaching

2.)  Bills

3.)  Chiefs

4.)  Broncos

5.)  Bengals

6.)  Ravens

7.)  Colts

I’m confused on #1. They have game day coaching (opposite day?) or they would be #1 if they had that….

[H2o]

1. Buffalo Bills - We are the team to beat. We added Von Miller, a really good Slot WR in Crowder, OJ Howard as our 2nd TE which is a massive upgrade, brought back (Jordan)Phillips, brought back Shaq, brought back McKenzie, signed Settle, signed Da'Quan Jones, signed a quality 3rd Down RB in Johnson, and basically kicked a** in FA. Everyone is looking up at us now. 

 

2. LA Chargers - They already had a good defense, but then traded for Khalil Mack, signed Sebastian Joseph-Day, and signed JC Jackson. That unit is going to be sick. They basically return the entire offense and added a better TE in Gerald Everett as well. Herbert is already a top 8 QB. They will continue to build the OL and receiving corps through the draft. 

 

3. Cincinnati Bengals - Last year was not a fluke. This is a really good team and they will be for years to come. They have also made it a point to upgrade that OL through FA, which was the weakest link on that team. Burrow has a plethora of weapons at his disposal and they are going to continue to grow together. 

 

4. Denver Broncos - I like Russel Wilson and all, but I don't think he's ever really been THAT guy who elevated his entire team. He won a SB on a Seattle team with one of the best defenses I've ever seen. He then lost a SB trying to force a slant instead of handing the ball off to Marshawn, who was the real key cog in that offense if you ask me. Either way, Denver has plenty of weapons and a solid defense. A better defense is why I put them ahead of the Raiders who come in at #5. 

 

5. LV Raiders - Say what you want about Carr, but the guy has been solid. They have all kinds of weapons for him now too. Josh Jacobs, Devante Adams, Darren Waller, Hunter Renfrow, Foster Moreau, Kenyon Drake, they have a pretty stacked offense. Then they added Chandler Jones on defense to go with Maxx Crosby and Rock Ya-Sin to the Secondary. The Raiders had to fight through a ton of adversity last year, still made the Playoffs, and the team got better this offseason.

 

6. Tennessee Titans - They traded for Robert Woods and added Austin Hooper. Those are two instant upgrades for the offense. I think Woods is a better compliment to AJ Brown than Julio was. They will have a healthy Derrick Henry. I also expect Bud Dupree to have a bounce back season now being almost 2 years removed from his knee injury. Because of Derrick Henry alone I see this team as better than KC. Tannehill doesn't have to do everything, only enough, and that's why I have them ahead of KC. 

 

7. Indianapolis Colts - I think the acquisition of Matt Ryan was the perfect one for that team. Jonathan Taylor will be the best RB he's ever had and Matt Ryan excels in the Play-Action game. He won't be out there losing games for them like Carson Wentz. The defense is a good unit. They still almost won the division last year with dead weight at QB. They may overtake the Titans this year. Also, with Ryan at QB, I think Mo Alie-Cox will have a breakout season for them. Watch for them to upgrade the receiving corps in the draft as well adding a WR early and a TE in the 3rd or 4th. 

 

^^^^^Those are your Playoff teams from the AFC in 2022.^^^^^

 

8. KC Chiefs - You can talk about Mahomes, Kelce, and whoever else all you want. The Chiefs will now struggle to put points on the board like before. Mahomes will be making a lot more mistakes because he'll get frustrated and try to force passes. I don't think the loss of Tyreke Hill can be fully quantified yet, but you WILL see the effect on the field come this fall. Stack them up against the AFC west and they might have 4 or 5 losses in the division alone. The run is over. I'm saying it right now. 

 

9. Miami Dolphins - Yes they have an outstanding receiving corps now with Parker, Hill, Waddle, and Gesicki. Yes they have a solid defense. The one thing that remains? Tua. I just don't have any faith in the guy. Here they sit. 

 

10. Cleveland Browns - I don't care about how people view their defense. I don't care about DeProstate Watson. Cooper and DPJ are alright. Grant is solid as a returner and in the Slot. Yes they have Chubb. Yes they still have Hunt. Njoku is a good TE. This franchise is still the epitome of dysfunction. Watson will likely be suspended anywhere between 6-10 games as well. 

   

 

 

 

Edited March 23, 2022 by H2o

[Gugny]

2 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

I’m confused on #1. They have game day coaching (opposite day?) or they would be #1 if they had that….

 

I think it's his way of saying that if Sean McDermott was a better game-day coach, then the Bills would be #1.  If he felt that way, then I'd have guessed that KC would be #2.

 

[Lieutenant Aldo Raine]

The AFC is stacked this year.  The BILLS cannot stumble out the gate or it could be an uphill climb for sure.  

Edited March 23, 2022 by Lieutenant Aldo Raine

[YoloinOhio]

2 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

I think it's his way of saying that if Sean McDermott was a better game-day coach, then the Bills would be #1.  If he felt that way, then I'd have guessed that KC would be #2.

 

There is literally no worse game day coach than Brandon Staley 🤪

[Motor26]

I just don’t see Mahomes and Reid missing the playoffs. The Chiefs will be right in the thick of things as long as they have those two.

[TBBills]

12 minutes ago, Motor26 said:

I just don’t see Mahomes and Reid missing the playoffs. The Chiefs will be right in the thick of things as long as they have those two.

Chiefs trending down, Super Bowl win, Lost Super Bowl, Out at AFC Championship. I think they make the playoffs but out in Divisional round.

[RalphWilson'sNewWar]

26 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

I’m confused on #1. They have game day coaching (opposite day?) or they would be #1 if they had that….

 

2019 - Blew 16 Point 2nd Half Lead in WC

2020 - Kicking FG from KC 2 yard line end of 2nd Qt.

2021 - 13 Seconds and Defense

 

i think I’m within the realm of reason to question just how good Coach McDermott can be when the opponents are evenly stacked and the moments are big.

 

Staley has been burned on some of his 4th down aggression.  But I feel over time it is the right move and those decisions will balance out and it will lead to more winning.

Edited March 23, 2022 by RalphWilson'sNewWar

[Alphadawg7]

30 minutes ago, MafiaMio said:

Oakland has a team?

 

Haha force of habit...growing up 40 min from Oakland, I have always known them as the Oakland Raiders...and my hate for the team was firmly rooted in hating the local fan base so much, literally the worst.  So it still comes out as Oakland Raiders a lot when I talk about them lol.