AFC East
- Buffalo Bills (4 Seed)
- New York Jets (6 Seed)
- Miami Dolphins
- New England Patriots
The AFC East is up for grabs right now. The Bills have the best QB in the division, but Josh Allen will have to contend with some unproven playmakers around him. The Jets have all the talent in the world, but need to prove they can stay healthy and keep it together for an entire year. The Dolphins have a great coach and a track team on offense, they just feel limited by their quarterback. The Pats are currently at ground zero of a rebuild, so expectations are low – to put it nicely. Ultimately, I think the top 3 teams are so even that I’m going to give the Bills the tiebreaker due to having the best player in the division at the most important position.
AFC North
- Baltimore Ravens (2 Seed)
- Cincinnati Bengals (5 Seed)
- Cleveland Browns
- Pittsburgh Steelers
This is the deepest division in the whole league. This will be a close race, but the Ravens will just edge out the Bengals for the division title. They have a more talented team than the Bengals and they have a better coach. The Bengals have also been a little more loud than I would like a team to be in the offseason and I don’t think they’ll be focused to start the year. The Browns boast a great roster and coach, but Deshaun Watson has been absolutely terrible and often injured while in Cleveland. The Steelers have a great defense and coach, but no answer at QB. Russ or Fields limits them in such a stacked division and conference.
AFC South
- Houston Texans (3 Seed)
- Indianapolis Colts
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Tennessee Titans
Similar to the AFC East, three teams could potentially win this division and it’ll be close at the top. The Texans have such a great blend of veterans and young player that I think it propels them to the top. The Colts have a potentially lethal combo of Anthony Richardson and Shane Steichen that should start paying dividends this year. The Jags had a terrible collapse last year that their psyche might be off this year. The Titans are by far the worst team in the division.
AFC West
- Kansas City Chiefs (1 Seed)
- Los Angeles Chargers (7 Seed)
- Denver Broncos
- Las Vegas Raiders
The Chiefs should easily runaway with the division. The Chargers with Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert will be a force to reckon with and will make the playoffs. The Broncos have potential but don’t have the talent to compete with the Chiefs or Chargers. The Raiders have good offensive skill players but QB will be an issue.
AFC Playoffs
Wild Card Round
- 1 KC: Bye
- 2 BAL vs 7 LAC: 7 LAC Wins
- 3 HOU vs 6 NYJ: 3 HOU Wins
- 4 BUF vs 5 CIN: 5 CIN Wins
Divisional Round
- 1 KC vs 7 LAC: 1 KC Wins
- 3 Hou vs 5 CIN: 5 CIN wins
AFC Championship Game
- 1 KC vs 5 CIN: 5 CIN Wins AFC
Final AFC Thoughts:
The AFC is the most stacked we have ever seen an NFL conference in recent memory. There are so many teams who could get an a hot streak and win the conference. I think Cincinnati ends up being the team this year. They are the one team that has proven they can consistently knock off the Chiefs and I see it happening again this year.
Note: All predictions as of 8/29/2024
