Overrated & Underrated AFC Contenders

[Wizard]

What teams based off their record, momentum, upcoming schedule, and style of play, makes them overrated or underrated?

 

Curious how people view the AFC contenders.

 

Overrated

Chiefs

Bills 

Jacksonville

 

Underrated

Ravens

Dolphins

Bengals

 

I like Bills odds against any teams, but I believe Ravens and Cincy are the two teams that would be least ideal playoff matchup.

 

 

 

[Gregg]

How are the Dolphins underrated. Their 6 wins have come against cupcakes. The two good teams they have faced they got beat bad especially the Bills game. Tyreek can run around the field at 100 miles per hour it won't change the fact that the Dolphins are frauds.

[Big Turk]

1 hour ago, Wizard said:

What teams based off their record, momentum, upcoming schedule, and style of play, makes them overrated or underrated?

 

Curious how people view the AFC contenders.

 

Overrated

Chiefs

Bills 

Jacksonville

 

Underrated

Ravens

Dolphins

Bengals

 

I like Bills odds against any teams, but I believe Ravens and Cincy are the two teams that would be least ideal playoff matchup.

 

 

 

 

I  was watching the last episode of Quarterback Season 1 on Netflix yesterday morning and Mahomes was on talking about the Bills-Cincy game and about the two teams since they already beat Jacksonville at that point and knew they would be playing one of them the next week.  It really stung when Mahomes said he thought Cincinnati was a better team but that the Bills could definitely still win and that he thought they matched up better with the Bills than the Bengals.  

 

I can't say he was wrong tho. They came out and T-Rolled us on both sides of the ball.

 

I can't say the Chiefs are overrated because they have won 2 Superbowls in the last 4 years, lost another and been to the AFCCG 5 straight times. Until they at minimum get knocked out in the divisional round, they are still the team to beat.  Now their D and Special Teams are actually really good too and they have become more balanced as well.

 

Jags are overrated. Bills as currently constructed with their defensive injuries are probably overrated as well. Doesn't mean they can't figure it out as the year goes on, just means right now they haven't yet.

 

Ravens and Dolphins are both overrated.  Jackson doesn't play well in the playoffs.  He tends to play his worst in those situations.  Has happened many times, including against us once.  Dolphins can't beat good teams, they got smoked by us and lost to Philly as well although they hung with them for a half and tied it after looking like they were about to get blown out initially. Not sure how anyone could say the Fins are underrated since everyone seems to be salivating about their offense and them scoring a bunch of points.

 

Bengals are underrated. Every year it's the same thing...they start out really slow, Burrow looks like he isn't even a DIII level QB, then by week 6 they start turning it on and go on a hot streak and finish near the top of the AFC. Their DC is a really good playoff DC and knows how to limit Mahomes and apparently the Bills as well...offense SHOULD be better than it is, especially in the playoffs, but they win because they play very solidly as a team.

 

Browns are underrated...they have a menacing D that can help keep them in any game and have been doing fairly well with Watson and their backups playing not great...if Watson comes back and gives them anything approaching good QB play, watch out.

 

In the NFC, it's looking like San Fran and Detroit are overrated...IMO, Purdy is starting to be figured out by opposing DC's and I think you are starting to see him fall back down to earth.  Their D isn't quite as fearsome as it looked earlier in the year either...Lions got absolutely demolished by the Ravens and it showed they have a long way to go in terms of being taken seriously in the upper echelon of teams, IMO.

 

Seattle is probably underrated.  They now lead the NFC West and have great WR's and CB's...Geno Smith continues to look like a solid, if unspectacular QB for them.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 30, 2023 by Big Turk

[Franco_92]

The bills are overrated by who? The frothing masses here trip over each other to declare how certain they are of buffalo failure. The media is barely more put together than that.

[Big Turk]

4 minutes ago, Gregg said:

How are the Dolphins underrated. Their 6 wins have come against cupcakes. The two good teams they have faced they got beat bad especially the Bills game. Tyreek can run around the field at 100 miles per hour it won't change the fact that the Dolphins are frauds.

 

Agree, everyone is enamored by the Fins in the National Media because they are the shiny car that goes 200 mph but can't brake at a red light.

[Matt_In_NH]

The Jets with Rodgers would be true contenders.  The entire North can make noise.

[Gregg]

1 minute ago, Matt_In_NH said:

The Jets with Rodgers would be true contenders.  The entire North can make noise.

 

Pickett got hurt yesterday. I haven't heard if he will miss any games. They will go nowhere with Trubisky. The Steelers defense is pretty good, but the lack of a good offense won't allow them to hang with the Bengals and Ravens.

[Big Turk]

3 minutes ago, Matt_In_NH said:

The Jets with Rodgers would be true contenders.  The entire North can make noise.

 

The Jets remind me of the Dick Jauron Bears where their offense was abysmal, but the D was so good they could steal a game as long as their QB didn't puke all over himself and actually did literally anything of value in the game.

 

Pretty much every game other than the Cowboys game was a nail biter because their D is so good it keeps teams under 20 points for the most part.

Just now, Gregg said:

 

Pickett got hurt yesterday. I haven't heard if he will miss any games. They will go nowhere with Trubisky. The Steelers defense is pretty good, but the lack of a good offense won't allow them to hang with the Bengals and Ravens.

 

Pickett has been pretty garbage mostly this year.  Their offense has been bad.

[Gregg]

1 minute ago, Big Turk said:

 

The Jets remind me of the Dick Jauron Bears where their offense was abysmal, but the D was so good they could steal a game as long as their QB didn't puke all over himself and actually did literally anything of value in the game.

 

Pretty much every game other than the Cowboys game was a nail biter because their D is so good it keeps teams under 20 points for the most part.

 

Pickett has been pretty garbage mostly this year.  Their offense has been bad.

 

He is still the best option they have which isn't saying much.

[zow2]

The NFL is week to week.  Three weeks ago the 49ers were penciled in as SB champs and the Bengals were thrown out.

 

As of this moment, I think Cincinnati is the most dangerous team.  I trust Burrow more than Lamar in the playoffs and both have solid D.  I'd probably place KC 3rd in that list and then 4) Jax,  5) Buffalo, 6) Miami

[Big Turk]

2 minutes ago, zow2 said:

The NFL is week to week.  Three weeks ago the 49ers were penciled in as SB champs and the Bengals were thrown out.

 

As of this moment, I think Cincinnati is the most dangerous team.  I trust Burrow more than Lamar in the playoffs and both have solid D.  I'd probably place KC 3rd in that list and then 4) Jax,  5) Buffalo, 6) Miami

 

Lamar is terrible in the playoffs mostly. Burrow is average and Cincy has shown they can get it done up to a point.

 

I still don't really buy Jacksonville. I know they beat us but I would take a rematch with them in a heartbeat even if it's in Florida.

 

KC might be more dangerous than ever because their defense and special teams are top 5-7 now.  That's scary paired with Mahomes.

Edited October 30, 2023 by Big Turk

[Matt_In_NH]

I see 6 teams as being out of it, Raiders, Broncos, Patriots, Colts, Titans, Texans....the other 9 are fighting for 7 spots.  If you dont win your division, you are one of 5 fighting for 3 WC spots...that is how I see it.  You can argue Steelers wont stick, could be right, you could argue one of the south teams could make a run too but none of them are catching the Jags.   Interesting Bengals today are 4th in their division.....will be a tough game Sunday night.

[Gregg]

7 minutes ago, zow2 said:

The NFL is week to week.  Three weeks ago the 49ers were penciled in as SB champs and the Bengals were thrown out.

 

As of this moment, I think Cincinnati is the most dangerous team.  I trust Burrow more than Lamar in the playoffs and both have solid D.  I'd probably place KC 3rd in that list and then 4) Jax,  5) Buffalo, 6) Miami

 

The Ravens match up well with the Bengals. Those teams usually play close games. The Ravens already won at Cincinnati. If they can beat them at home to sweep the series, then they will most likely win the division.

[May Day 10]

I feel like the entirety of the AFC is underrated and any one of about 7-9 teams can go beast mode, make a run, and win the super bowl.  

 

 

 

 

[2003Contenders]

Pete Rozelle's dream of parity across the NFL is here. Literally any one of several teams could represent the AFC in the Super Bowl as they all have chinks in their armor:

 

-- Bills are inconsistent and the defense is banged up at every position

 

-- Aside from Mahomes/Kelce, the KC offense is not especially talented

 

-- Miami reminds me of the 1999 Jacksonville Jaguars -- went 14-2 and had the #1 seed in the playoffs that year but only played one quality opponent all year (Tennessee twice) and got bounced their first game in the playoffs (by Tennessee).

 

-- Lamar has all-world upside -- but hard to trust him to play that way for more than 2-3 games in a row.

 

-- Like last year, Cinci, struggled early on (especially on offense) largely due to injuries. They appear to have righted their ship (just in time to play the Bills).

 

-- Cleveland's defense is legitimate -- but without a reliable/healthy QB, not sure how far they will go. Same with the Jets.

 

-- Pittsburgh's record is a bit of a mirage. They have won a couple of games they had no business winning thanks to fluke plays. Also, the offense does not seem capable of scoring more than 20 points on a weekly basis.

 

-- Jacksonville has the advantage of playing in such a weak division -- although they have not exactly cleaned up in that division so far this year. Defense is underrated and their running game is legit. T. Lawrence still hasn't shown that he is elite, however.

[zow2]

8 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

Lamar is terrible in the playoffs mostly. Burrow is average and Cincy has shown they can get it done up to a point.

 

I still don't really buy Jacksonville. I know they beat us but I would take a rematch with them in a heartbeat even if it's in Florida.

 

KC might be more dangerous than ever because their defense and special teams are top 5-7 now.  That's scary paired with Mahomes.

 

Yeah, that's why I said at this moment.  Things will change a lot.  I agree about the KC defense, although they lost Nick Bolton for the next several weeks and he cannot be replaced.  I was down on Jax earlier in the season but they have a low key nasty defense, and their O can move the ball on anyone with good skill players.  I don't understand what happened vs Houston but they are a different team now.

[Dillenger4]

Underrated: The Browns and Cincy.

 

The rest are who we think they are.

 

My dream is that we get to play Jax in the playoffs in Florida. We will smoke them!

 

It's anyone's road to the SB in the AFC. Jets are 1 game behind us and have the head-to-head. Don't count them out.

[zow2]

9 minutes ago, Gregg said:

 

The Ravens match up well with the Bengals. Those teams usually play close games. The Ravens already won at Cincinnati. If they can beat them at home to sweep the series, then they will most likely win the division.

 

I tend to agree,, I think the Bills should be watching a lot of Ravens film vs Cincinnati this week to figure out how they scheme the Bengals.  That being said, assuming that Burrow is healthy for the rematch I think Cinci will beat Baltimore.  I think both will get in the playoffs and will be dangerous, home field or not.

[mannc]

33 minutes ago, Matt_In_NH said:

The Jets with Rodgers would be true contenders.  The entire North can make noise.

Jets without Rodgers are still a problem.  They are 4-3 and are a very tough out. They are also a bad matchup for the Bills.

[finn]

18 minutes ago, Gregg said:

 

The Ravens match up well with the Bengals. Those teams usually play close games. The Ravens already won at Cincinnati. If they can beat them at home to sweep the series, then they will most likely win the division.

The Ravens are to the Bengals as the Jets are to us. Kryptonite. Ironically, we do better against the Ravens than the Bengals.