This NFL offseason has seen a ton of trades and acquisitions, and in the AFC especially, things have been shaken up quite a bit. This will make for a very interesting upcoming football season, to say the last. Some of the headlining moves in the AFC were: Russell Wilson to Denver, Davante Adams and Chandler Jones to Vegas, Matt Ryan to Indianapolis, Von Miller to Buffalo, Tyreek Hill to Miami, Deshaun Watson and Amari Cooper to Cleveland, Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers, and to New England went… well, Malcolm Butler. Let’s take a look at the AFC Power Rankings as of right now:
#16: Houston Texans
The Texans start out at the bottom of our list. They just unloaded Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns for a good amount of picks which will absolutely be useful to them in the coming years. Davis Mills will be able to take the reins at QB full-time this season as well. Considering the lack of help and O-Line situation he had last year, he actually played surprisingly well. It’ll be very interesting to see the leap he can make under new head coach Lovie Smith this year.
#15: New York Jets
The Jets haven’t done much to improve their team this offseason. They even let go of one of their best WRs in Jamison Crowder to a divisional rival. The Jets will most likely remain at the bottom of the AFC and AFC East once again this year, but it will be interesting to see the strides that second-year QB Zach Wilson can make. Elijah Moore is turning into a stud on the outside as well. While the Jets aren’t going to make any noise this season, their young team should absolutely improve under second-year coach Robert Salah.
#14: Jacksonville Jaguars
While Trevor Lawrence didn’t have the year many were expecting him to have as a rookie, the team around him was awful. He was in a bad coaching situation, had a bad offensive line and Marvin Jones was his WR1 – not exactly setting him up for success right out of the gate. The Jags will once again draft first this year and they need to build around their franchise QB. They added Zay Jones, Evan Engram and Christian Kirk to their pass catching core which could be some nice help for Lawrence as he starts to get more comfortable in the NFL. The Jags also added new head coach, Doug Pederson, which I believe is a great option. Seeing what he did with Carson Wentz and Nick Foles even, I think he’s a great choice to get Lawrence’s career off the ground. The Jaguars are going to be bad again, but this season will shed some light on Lawrence to see if he can make that leap that many are expecting to see from him.
#13: Pittsburgh Steelers
It’s odd putting the Steelers at No. 13 right now given the elite defense they still have. But with all the fire power in the AFC this season, this is where they have to land. The Steelers lost Big Ben to retirement, which was actually a blessing in disguise, as he had a Hall of Fame Career, but unfortunately was not getting the job done for them anymore. They added former Bills backup QB, Mitch Trubisky, who will most likely be their starting QB going into the 2022 season. While Trubisky will be a serviceable option at QB, and the Steelers pass catchers and RB Najee Harris are young and talented, they lack almost everywhere else on offense. And while the Steelers aren’t going to be a walk-over this year by any means, the division they’re in is just too good right now for the Steelers to be able to make any noise for the time being.
#12: New England Patriots
Yes, the Patriots had a solid season last year. Yes, they made the playoffs. And yes, Mac Jones played pretty well for the most part. But looking at the rest of the AFC, the Patriots are not better than the remaining 11 teams. The Patriots exceeded expectations last year and will most likely be taking a step back. They didn’t make any major moves in free agency and they finished the year spiraling downwards with a 47-17 drubbing by Josh Allen and the Bills in the AFC Wild Card round. While the Patriots are going to be competitive this season and be in almost every game they play, and Mac Jones will continue to make strides in the Patriots offense, there just isn’t enough talent there on either side of the ball to compete with the top teams in the AFC this season.
#11: Cleveland Browns
The Browns biggest move this offseason was the acquisition of Deshaun Watson. The question is, will a year off of football hurt Watson? And will he be the same guy that we saw in 2020? There is still a decent chance that Watson will be suspended for at least several games in this upcoming season, leaving a determined Baker Mayfield to take his spot. Unfortunately outside of Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, and newly-acquired Amari Cooper, there isn’t much offensive talent for the Browns. While the defense is solidified with Jadeveon Clowney and Myles Garret, one of the best pass rushers in the league, that still won’t be enough to get the Browns over the hump. They’ll be competing for a wild card all year, but with the Ravens and Bengals in a very tough division, it’s going to be difficult for the Browns to gain any momentum throughout the season.
#10: Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins have just acquired elite WR Tyreek Hill from the Kansas City Chiefs, and while he will absolutely make an impact with them, the question is still the guy that’s throwing the ball to him. The Dolphins have a talented team. Jaylen Waddle and Hill on the outside are studs and Chase Edmonds with Raheem Mostert at RB are also dangerous. The Dolphins have the pieces to be a contending team. This will be Tua’s ‘put up or shut up’ year, no doubt. He has the talent he needs to succeed, the question is, will he be able to take that leap, or will he just remain the mediocre QB he is right now. New head coach Mike McDaniel is looking to change the culture in Miami this year. The Dolphins can contend for a playoff spot and they will be a team to keep an eye on this year. Their season will most likely depend on the left arm of Tua Tagovailoa.
#9: Tennessee Titans
It’s pretty clear now that the Titans were not worthy of that No. 1 seed last year in the AFC, as they played very poorly, and Ryan Tannehill threw an INT in the final minutes of the Divisional Round game to allow the Bengals to win. They did add Robert Woods this year which will help Tannehill a lot now with Julio Jones gone. And Derrick Henry should come back healthier as well. However this Titans team doesn’t have much of a wow factor to them this year. The other teams in the AFC are more talented. Tannehill needs to make a big jump this year if Tennessee wants to compete for a Super Bowl title. They’ll be fighting with the Colts all season long for the AFC South crown.
#8: Indianapolis Colts
The Colts are another team that are right on that fringe spot. They can go and blow out the Bills in Buffalo by 26 and then lose to the Jaguars to miss the playoffs. They’re a very inconsistent team. Jonathan Taylor is a superstar however and he will once again be the focal point in this offense. Matt Ryan is definitely an upgrade over Carson Wentz and it’ll be fun to see how Ryan fares in this Colts offense where he’ll actually have time to throw and a great running game. The Colts will be another team in the mix for things all year long and they absolutely have a chance to dethrone the Titans this year.
#7: Baltimore Ravens
Ravens find themselves in the middle of the pack here. They’ve been fairly quiet throughout this free agency period and the teams around them in their division are only getting better. With QB Lamar Jackson back and healthy, the Ravens will still be right in the mix, but with the Bengals, and Deshaun Watson now in their division, it’s going to be difficult for them to get back that AFC North crown.
#6: Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders took a big leap this past year and found themselves in the playoffs even after all the distractions off the field last year, and they’re only getting better. They’ve been very active this offseason, acquiring star wideout Davante Adams from the Packers and pass rusher Chandler Jones. With Adams, a healthy Darren Waller and a rising star in Hunter Renfroe, Derek Carr has the weapons he needs to be a very good QB in this league. Expect the Raiders to make some noise this year even though they are now in arguably the best division in football. They will still find themselves competing down to the wire every week.
#5: Cincinnati Bengals
The representative for the AFC in last year’s Super Bowl comes in at No. 5. The Bengals are going to be a great team and while many can argue they should be higher, the remaining teams above them are very close. The Bengals had some fortunate wins in the playoffs last year, with their defense making game changing INTs on their opponents’ final drives, and it’s just tough to see them repeating that same kind of postseason success they had last year, especially with the firepower in the AFC this year. Their biggest weakness was obviously at offensive line, and they did take some steps to bolster it with the acquisitions of Alex Cappa and Ted Karras this offseason. While Ja’Maar Chase is going to be a superstar in this league for a long time, some could argue if they had drafted Penei Sewell, that would’ve been a different super bowl outcome. Nonetheless, the Bengals, with Joe Burrow under center, will be a top team this year and contending for another trip back to the Super Bowl.
#4: Denver Broncos
It’s been said the past couple years that the Broncos are a very good team with a talented roster, and the only thing they severely lack is a good QB. Well, it’s not Aaron Rodgers, but Russell Wilson is a pretty darn good option. With the addition of Wilson, that now puts him in charge of an offense with Javonte Williams, Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick to name a few. The Broncos defense was already one of the best in the league and they still have some young superstars on the defensive side of the ball as well, such as Bradly Chubb and Pat Surtain II. Expect the Broncos to be right there every week and contend with the best of the best. If Wilson and company are able to stay healthy all year, this is going to be a dangerous team for sure.
#3: Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are going to make a run this year. They’re finally ready and they’re going to be playoff bound. Justin Herbert is the real deal at QB, they added JC Jackson from New England as well as Khalil Mack, and they signed WR Mike Williams to a $60 million dollar contract extension. They have the pieces in place for this season and this Chargers team is going to be right in the mix of things all year long, competing for the AFC West title. They are ready to make the leap and be in that elite conversation.
#2: Kansas City Chiefs
Coming in at No. 2 we have the Kansas City Chiefs. It appears the Chiefs’ massive contract to Patrick Mahomes is starting to cause some problems, in that it will be difficult for them to retain key players in the coming years. We’ve already seen that come to fruition with the loss of Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins. However, Mahomes can turn any player into a superstar. Travis Kelce is still going to be the best TE in the league and expect Juju Smith-Schuster to have a breakout season as well for the Chiefs. As long as Mahomes is under center, the Chiefs will have a good chance to win almost every game they play in.
#1: Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are currently the consensus betting favorite to win the Super Bowl this year, and Josh Allen is the favorite to win MVP as well. With the signings of Von Miller, Shaq Lawson, Jordan Phillips, Jamison Crowder, and OJ Howard, and the re-signing of Isaiah McKenzie, the Bills are the clear-cut favorite right now to win the AFC. They’re loaded at nearly every single position on the field and there isn’t a real weakness to this team anymore (maybe punter?). Seeing the Chiefs load off Hill to the Dolphins is a huge win for the Bills as well, as he seemingly made big plays at huge points in both the last two postseason matchups with the Bills. Let’s get excited Bills fans! It’s super bowl or bust for this team this coming season.
