Kansas City Chiefs – Page 12

NFL Week 6 Predictions

Washington Commanders (4-1) @ Baltimore Ravens (3-2)

Two of the most exciting QBs in the league face off in what should be one of the best games of the weekend. I think the Ravens win, Commanders cover (+7), and the over (51.5) hits.

Houston Texans (4-1) @ New England Patriots (1-4)

Drake Maye makes his NFL debut against one of the best teams in the AFC (GULP!) The Pats should have some early game energy and come out pretty good, but it won’t last long. I think things get ugly and the Texans win, cover (-6.5), and the over (37.5) hits. At least the Pats will look good because they’re wearing their red Pat the Patriot throwbacks aka The Best Uniforms in all of Sports.

Detroit Lions (3-1) @ Dallas Cowboys (3-2)

The Thanksgiving staples face off just as Fall is getting started. The Lions are better and healthier than the Cowboys. I think they win, cover (-3), and the under (52.5) hits.

Buffalo Bills (3-2) @ New York Jets (2-3)

The Jets have had the most Jets week since Bill Belichick resigned on a napkin. I mean literally if any other NFL team had the week the Jets just had, I would be shocked – even the Browns. But since it’s the Jets and they are one of the most poorly run franchises/businesses in the entire world, you just have to shake your head, laugh, and be thankful you aren’t a Jets fan. If you are a Jets fan? At least the Yankees and Mets are still playing and you probably have something else to root for.

Despite my thoughts on the Jets, I think they will win Monday, cover (+2), and the over (41) hits. I think teams with interim coaches get a little bump after their original coach is fired, because it lights a fire under the team. I also think Rodgers will be pissed and come out and play well. Furthermore, the Bills have tons of injuries and the Jets are simply healthier.

NFL Week 4 Reaction

New England Patriots (1-3) @ San Francisco 49ers (2-2)

Despite all their injuries, the 49ers utterly dominate the Pats. This game was never close and the Pats season is looking brutal. They gave up another 6 sacks today to make it 17 this year and got out gained 405 yards to 206. Even when the Pats pull off a cool trick play, it gets called back for a nonexistent block in the back. The one bright spot is that Christian Gonzalez continues to look amazing.

Injuries still may hurt the 49ers long term. Warner and Kittle aggravated prior injuries and McCaffrey, Hargrave, Greenlaw, and Hufanga are still on IR or out. They have the best roster in the league, but for the time being Purdy and Shanahan will have to carry the team. The fact that the 49ers are still playing pretty well and guys like Jordan Mason and Jauan Jennings are making big contributions is impressive.

Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) @ Los Angeles Chargers (2-2)

The Chargers put up a fight, but the Chiefs always find a way to pull out a win. Patrick Mahomes is now 12-0 when his team is down by exactly 10 points in a game which is a crazy stat. It also must feel good for Chiefs fans to see Kelce play great.

On the other hand, the injury to Rashee Rice might end his season. That would be a devastating blow to a team already dealing with extended injuries to RB Isiah Pacheco and WR Hollywood Brown. Rice was their only player with over 100 yards receiving entering the game and he had over 200 yards more than the next closest guy.

The Chargers will be fine long term once they get guys back.

Buffalo Bills (3-1) @ Baltimore Ravens (2-2)

The Ravens played exactly how they want to. If they play like that all season, they can beat anyone. Derrick Henry is a future Hall of Famer and he looks as good as he ever has. He’s so big and fast that tackling him must be the least fun thing ever.

On a separate note, John Harbaugh is an overrated coach. He never seems to fully understand how the NFL rules work – like when he called a timeout when he wasn’t able to on Sunday night – then he cries or complains as if he isn’t in the wrong.

The Bills will be okay, but in a year where the AFC is wide open, it’s concerning another contender beat them so badly.

Game/Betting Picks Results

Game: 2-1 (9-4 This Season) (47-20 All-Time)

Spread: 1-2 (8-5) (47-19-1)

O/U: 1-2 (6-7) (35-31-1)

NFL Week 4 Predictions

New England Patriots (1-2) @ San Francisco 49ers (1-2)

Two teams with the same record and who are dealing with many injuries but who couldn’t be more different. The 49ers are pissed off and need a win, and should easily be able to handle the Pats. The 49ers will win, cover (-10.5), and the under (40.5) will hit.

Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) @ Los Angeles Chargers (2-1)

The Chargers were rolling until last week and now things are looking dire. Nearly every one of their star players is dealing with injuries this week. The Chiefs have looked off at times but are still 3-0 and are pretty healthy. I think the Chiefs win, cover (-7.5), and the under (40) hits.

Buffalo Bills (3-0) @ Baltimore Ravens (1-2)

The Bills are absolutely rolling, as they tend to so during the month of September. The Ravens saved their season from going off the rails last week, but still need to keep things from falling apart. I think the Bills win, cover (+2.5), and the over (46.5) hits.

Football and Continuity

One thing I often hear former Patriots players and coaches talk about as a key element of success in the NFL is continuity. Brady talks about it all the time and recently Josh McDaniels talked about the importance of it on Julian Edelman’s fantastic podcast Games with Names.

While it is not something that the average fan would think of, it makes sense. Having the same coach means that you have the same culture and overall system in play. Having the same QB means your leader knows the system and is an example for others to follow. And when you have star players like Edelman, Gronk, or Travis Kelce on the team for a long time it further helps spread the culture to incoming free agents and draft picks.

And when a team has continuity while other teams in their division don’t, it makes said continuity even more valuable. During the Brady-Belichick era (2001-2019), the Jets had 5 coaches and 18 starting QBs, the Dolphins had 10 coaches and 20 starting QBs, and the Bills had 9 coaches and 18 starting QBs. Meanwhile the Pats had 1 coach and 4 starting QBs. The other 3 QBs played a total of 19 starts during Brady’s 2008 injury season and 2016 bullshit suspension. No wonder the Pats dominated their division – they actually had consistency while every other team kept having to restart.

The Chiefs have faced similar ineptitude. Since Mahomes took over in 2018, the Chargers have had 4 coaches and 4 starting QBs, the Raiders have had 4 coaches and 6 starting QBs, and the Broncos have had 5 coaches and 11 starting QBs. The Chiefs have had one coach and 4 QBs, with the 3 others QBs starting 4 combined games.

The Pats and Chiefs continuity stands out even more when the teams around them experience a complete lack of it. Continuity leads to continuous success, which experiences compounding interest just like investing does. I feel like this goes for all of life too. Having the same people in place at major positions of a business helps the business run better than if there’s turnover and the business should continue to get better over time. Constantly learning about a subject leads to your knowledge of the topic growing exponentially over time. The Pats and Chiefs are examples of the hidden force of continuity in the NFL.

Belichick Coaching Tree vs Shanahan and Reid

I was reading a book about investing recently that advised that just because an investor has success with their investing strategy, does not necessarily mean others can copy it and be successful. That brought to mind the fact that Bill Belichick is the greatest coach of all time, yet his numerous assistants that have been hired to implement the “Patriot Way,” continuously and spectacularly fail to do so with other organizations. The main complaint you hear about these coaches is that they try so hard to be like Bill, but it just doesn’t work for them.

On the flip side, you see the coaching trees of two of Belichick’s contemporaries, Mike Shanahan and Andy Reid, that are dominating the NFL right now. Shanahan and Reid are successful, Hall of Fame level coaches, but still have less Super Bowls combined than Bill does. It is an interesting tale in showing that the most successful strategy is not always the best one to learn from and replicate.

Bill’s Coaching Tree:

Romeo Crennel: 32-63
Brian Daboll (active): 15-19-1; 1-1 playoff record; 1-time AP Coach of the Year
Brian Flores: 24-25
Eric Mangini: 33-47; 0-1 playoff record
Josh McDaniels: 20-33
Bill O’Brien: 52-48; 2-4 playoff record
Matt Patricia: 13-29-1
Nick Saban: 15-17
Jim Schwartz: 29-51; 0-1 playoff record
Joe Judge: 10-23
Jerrod Mayo (active): 1-0
3 other coaches combined: 13-18
Total: 14 coaches; 257-373-1; 3-7 playoff record; 1-time AP Coach of the Year
- NOTE: Above records are the record of coaches after they have served on Bill’s staff. Any record before they coached for Bill is not included.

So far, 14 former assistant coaches have not come close to surpassing Bill’s career win total of 302 regular season wins and have barley made a dent in reaching his 31 playoff victories or 6 Super Bowls.

Jerrod Mayo and Brian Daboll are the only active coaches from Belichick’s tree. They also are coaching two of the worst teams in football so, short term, they probably won’t improve the overall success of Belichick’s tree. However, if they can rebuild their respective teams, they could become exceptions to the rule.

Mike’s tree:

Gary Kubiak: 82-75; 5-2 playoff record; 1 Super Bowl
Matt LaFleur (active): 56-28; 3-4 playoff record
Mike McDaniel (active): 21-14; 0-2 playoff record
Sean McVay (active): 70-46; 7-4 playoff record; 1 Super Bowl; 1 time AP COY
Raheem Morris (active): 4-8
Kyle Shanahan (active): 64-51; 8-4 playoff record;
3 other Coaches Combined: 91-90; 3-4 playoff record
Total: 9 coaches; 388-312; 26-20 playoff record; 2 Super Bowls; 1 time AP COY

Andy’s tree:

Todd Bowels (active): 42-57; 1-2 playoff record
John Harbaugh (active): 160-100; 12-10 playoff record; 1 Super Bowl; 1 time AP COY
Sean McDermott (active): 74-41; 5-6 playoff record
Matt Nagy: 34-31; 0-2 playoff record; 1 time AP COY
Doug Pederson (active): 60-54-1; 5-3 playoff record; 1 Super Bowl
Ron Rivera: 102-103-2; 3-5 playoff record; 2 time AP COY
5 others combined: 94-167-1; 1-3 playoff record
Total: 11 coaches; 566-553-4; 27-31 playoff record; 2 Super Bowls; 4 time AP COY

Andy and Mike’s trees account for 10 of the 32 active NFL coaches (including Andy). They have had multiple coaches win Super Bowls and have had their coaching trees well surpass their regular season and postseason win totals.

I think these coaches have tended to work when Bill’s don’t for a couple of reasons. Coming from the Patriots as a new head coach, there is so much pressure in terms of replicating what Bill has done. This already puts Bill’s coaches at a disadvantage because fans automatically compare them to Bill and the Patriots success. Rebuilding a team takes time and fans and ownership need patience.

Belichick is also such a unique coach in the sense that he knows so much about every aspect of football. He is the greatest defensive mind in NFL history, knows a ton about the offensive side of the ball, and has a great understanding of personnel and the salary cap. All this is nearly impossible for a former assistant to copy.

Lastly, Bill had total control of the Pats, as the HC and GM. Most head coaches do not have that kind of power. If a Belichick guy is hired as HC and the GM of their new team is not aligned with what the new coach thinks is the best way to build a roster, then the coach is doomed from the start.

It’s interesting to note that former Belichick coaches have fared much better in college. Saban is the greatest college coach of all time, while Pat Hill and Kirk Ferentz both have had a lot of success. This is likely due to the fact that college coaches have much more control of their team than NFL coaches do.

In terms of how the game has changed, most of Shanahan’s guys are genius offensive coaches, which is what most teams look for in new head coaches nowadays. The way they coach is made for today’s modern game. For Reid, he has produced great coaches on both sides of the ball. I think they learn from Andy how to mainly focus on coaching and work with the front office more than Patriots guys did since Bill was both the HC and the GM.

Maybe Daboll and Mayo will change the narrative. For the time being, Shanahan and Reid’s coaching philosophies are dominating the league and it likely won’t change soon.

NFL Week 2 Reaction

Interesting Note: The NFL averaged a record 21 million viewers per game during Week 1. It’s seems impossible, but the NFL keeps growing and getting more popular. Even the Friday game that aired mainly on Peacock (and also local NBC affiliates in Philadelphia, Green Bay and Milwaukee) averaged 14 million viewers. This is a good sign for the NFL as they push towards more games being on streaming services.

Buffalo Bills (2-0) 31 @ Miami Dolphins (1-1) 10

The Bills simply match up well with Dolphins and consistently beat them. Josh Allen is now 12-2 vs the Dolphins and is their kryptonite. Usually, Allen plays like Superman vs the Fins, but yesterday James Cook and great defense led them to a win. That is good news for the Bills because they can’t solely rely on Allen to carry them every game.

The biggest question mark for the Bills is who their main weapon in the passing game is. Keon Coleman and Dalton Kincaid both have potential, but neither has looked amazing yet. Currently their leading receiver, Khalil Shakir, is under the 100 yard mark for the season. Someone needs to emerge for the Bills to be able to get past the other elite teams in the AFC.

For the Dolphins, this game went as bad as it could possibly go. The worst outcome is the Tua injury and the uncertainty surrounding him. It absolutely sucks to see a great guy like Tua consistently get concussions and take brutal blows to the head. This is now his 4th known concussion in the past 5 years and it’s gotten the point that we are all concerned for his long-term health. The Fins need to be very careful about bringing him back and we wish nothing but the best for him.

Miami needs to figure out how to beat the Bills. They are the two best teams in the AFC East, but the reason the Bills keep winning the division is that they consistently beat the Dolphins. The Tua injury and recovery will have a huge impact on the rest of the season, but the Dolphins still have other issues. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle combined for just 65 yards receiving. After they were taken out of the game due to the blowout, they just sat on the bench and looked like they didn’t really care. That was a moment they needed to continue to be leaders, especially with Tua out of the game, and they failed to step up.

Seattle Seahawks (2-0) 23 @ New England Patriots (1-1) 20

The Pats welcomed back Super Bowl XLIX hero Malcolm Butler. Shoutout to him for making the greatest play in NFL history and giving Pats fans a moment to remember for ever. Also shoutout to the 20 other players who came for a Super Bowl XLIX reunion weekend. That 2014 team was one of my favorite Pats teams ever.

Rhamondre Stevenson and the rushing attack continues to carry our offense. Ja’Lynn Polk getting his first TD is big for his confidence. Hunter Henry was a beast today and we’ll need that to continue. Defensively, CB Christian Gonzalez and DE Keion White have both looked great through 2 games

The Pats offense still suffers from a lack of explosiveness. If they get behind the sticks and have to pass on 2nd and long or 3rd and long, they are ineffective. Likewise, if they get down in a game and have to throw the ball, they are screwed. These are the problems we have dealt with since Brady left. The hope is that Maye and the young WRs we have can eventually fix that. They still need to draft, trade for, or sign another good weapon or two to get where they need to be.

The Pats could’ve won this game if not for mistakes. A bad 2 minute drill led to the Seahawks getting the ball and a FG at the end of the first half. A blown coverage led to a long TD for DK Metcalf. They also had a FG blocked at the end of the game that could’ve won them the game.

Overall, I’m pleasantly surprised by the Patriots play the first two weeks. We have been competitive vs two teams that are much better than us. Our defense and rushing attack have been tremendous.

The Seahawks are a good team and have weapons all over the field. Three good WRs, two solid RBs, and a solid TE combined with an above average QB in Geno Smith make them a formidable offense.

Cincinnati Bengals (0-2) 25 @ Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) 26

These teams play each other so well and their games are always entertaining. The Bengals deserved to win today, but what makes Mahomes and the Chiefs so good is that they pull out wins even when they get outplayed. The Bengals had chances to put the Chiefs away, but let them hang around and it cost them.

Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson is so underrated. He’s one of the best pass rushers in the league and was THE BEST player on the field Sunday. He had two sacks, drew so many penalties, and put so much pressure on Mahomes. KC’s offensive line did not play well and will need to clean it up.

The key drive of the game was the Burrow fumble drive. The Bengals got a highlight reel interception and had all the momentum and a five point lead. Mike Gesicki dropped a perfect pass on first down that would’ve gotten them another first down and kept the momentum going. Instead Burrow ends up fumbling and the Chiefs recovered and retook the lead. That was a drive the Bengals needed to take advantage of and they didn’t.

Mahomes is a wizard at somehow winning these types of games. Even on 4th and 16, I think we all expected that to go the Chiefs way and it did. That was a bad penalty by the Bengals, but Mahomes deserves a lot of credit. He threw a great pass to Rice and it put pressure on the defense that caused the penalty. Mahomes was terrible today, but still great in the clutch.

Speaking of clutch, Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker is the 2nd most clutch kicker of all time behind Adam Vinateri. This guy seems to always come through in big moments. Just like Brady’s legacy wouldn’t have been the same without Vinateri, Mahomes’s legacy wouldn’t be the same without Butker.

For the 3rd straight year, the Bengals fall to 0-2. They’ll be fine and normally start slow, but losing this game hurts in case it impacts home field advantage. At least the Bengals know they can come into Arrowhead and beat the Chiefs.

I’m not sure how Rashee Rice is playing after all of his incidents this offseason, but he has been huge for the Chiefs. On the flip side, Travis Kelce needs to get it going. 4 catches on 7 targets for 39 yards through two games is not ideal.

The Bengals need to pay Ja’Marr Chase. He’s clearly frustrated and it’s creating an unnecessary headache for them. Pay him and let him ball out.

Other

I gotta say, you have to feel good for Baker Mayfield. He’s gotten so much shit through his career and gone through some ups and downs, so it’s great to see him play well. He seems like a great teammate and locker room guy.

Game/Betting Picks Results

Game: 3-0 (5-2 This Season) (43-18 All-Time)

Spread: 2-1 (4-3) (43-17-1)

O/U: 0-3 (3-4) (32-28-1)

NFL Week 2 Predictions

Seattle Seahawks (1-0) @ New England Patriots (1-0)

A rematch of one of the greatest Super Bowls in NFL history…

Sorry, I’m just trying to remember the glory days of being a Pats fan. In the present, the Seahawks are missing their starting RB Kenneth Walker and starting RT George Fant. This should hurt their physicality in a game where they will need it. I expect this to be a low scoring, smash mouth football game because that’s how the Pats like to play. I think the Seahawks will still pull out a win, the Pats will cover (+3.5), and the under (38.5) hits.

Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) @ Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)

One of the best rivalries in football right now gets back underway. It’s as contentious as ever with Ja’Marr Chase saying Cincy is the team to beat in the AFC and another Bengals player saying all Xavier Worthy can do is run fast in a straight line. Joe Burrow is 3-1 vs Mahomes in his career, so it’s understandable why the Bengals feel good, but these comments will only fire up the Chiefs more.

Both teams are likely missing their number 2 WRs, but this should still be an exciting game like it usually is. I think the Bengals will be a great team by the end of the year, but they always get off to slow starts and Burrow is still healing and getting back into the swing of things. The Chiefs will win, cover (+6), and the under (48) will hit.

2024 NFL Week 1 Reaction

Baltimore Ravens (0-1) @ Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)

The exact type of opening game you wanted to see. The game set an NFL kickoff game record with 28.9 million viewers.

Lamar Jackson falls to 1-5 vs Mahomes despite being 60-19 against the rest of the league. He and the Ravens need to solve their Chiefs problem. In terms of optimism for the Ravens, Lamar plus Derrick Henry should be a problem for other teams, especially as the year goes on. I love the 2 TE set the Ravens are using. Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely are both so talented that this formation will be lethal for their running and passing games.

The Chiefs look scary. Last year in their opening game, and for much of the season, they looked lethargic offensively and still won the Super Bowl. This year, their explosiveness is back. Rashee Rice continues to get better and develop into their WR1, Isaiah Worthy looks like he could be the next Tyreek Hill with his track star speed, Travis Kelce is gonna be Travis Kelce, Isiah Pacheco continues to get better, and Marquise Brown is going to come back from injury. I’m sure all the sports media will say that the Chiefs three-peating is a given for the next week and a half. One word of caution is that Brady’s Patriots teams that won the Super Bowl were often the ones who were “boring” like last years Chiefs. Those boring teams fared better than his ones with explosive offenses, so nothing is guaranteed.

Stats of the game: Mahomes became the Chiefs all-time leading passer this game at just 28 years old. Jackson moved to third all-time on the QB rushing list and could break Michael Vick’s record this year.

The league is sending a message with the illegal formation calls. It’s annoying right now but teams will learn and it will make the game better.

Green Bay Packers (0-1) vs Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) (In Brazil)

The playing surface was very slippery. That plus first game rust led to a sloppy game.

Saquon was on full display. It was a reminder that when he is on, he is one of the best RBs in the league. Him plus a great offensive line, two star WRs, and Jalen Hurts gives the Eagles an offense that can go toe to toe with any other in the league. Jahan Dotson and Dallas Goedert are good compliments too.

Jayden Reed looked electric for the Packers. They have so many good young players that it might be hard to keep them all happy and develop them like they want to. Their biggest current concern is Jordan Love. He sprained his MCL and should be back in a couple weeks. The Pack need to keep it together during his absence.

New England Patriots (1-0) @ Cincinnati Bengals (0-1)

An absolute shocker of a game. The Pats defense absolutely stifled the Bengals and they had no momentum or fire as a team whatsoever. For the Pats, I don’t think wins like this are sustainable because the defense completely carried and the offense was not very good. Still nice to get a W though.

For the Bengals, this is concerning. It’s one thing to lose and its another thing to lose and have the team not look like it gives a fuck. They had a loud offseason and have let the Ja’Marr Chase drama spill into the season. They are 1-5 in Week 1 the past six years, so this is familiar territory. They normally start slow and build momentum, but they need to sign Chase and have some passion as a team.

The one bright spot for the Bengals was that their rookie punter, Ryan Rehkow, had the best game by a punter I have ever seen. He had 4 punts and his AVERAGE punt went 64.5 yards (an NFL single-game record), including an 80 yard punt. The first and, probably, last time we hype up a punter on this blog.

New York Jets (0-1) @ San Francisco 49er (1-0)

The 49ers look motivated to get back to the Super Bowl. They went out and dominated the Jets without their best player Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey missing the game is probably good long term, as now the Niners know Jordan Mason (147 yds rushing), can help take some of the burden off McCaffrey. The one area they needed to be better was finishing drives, as Jake Moody made 6 field goals last night.

Rodgers and the Jets looked rusty last night. They clearly have the talent, but they need to mesh. Realistically, this was the first full regular season game they have played with Rodgers, so some kinks need to be worked out.

Game/Betting Picks Results

Game: 2-2 (2-2 This Season) (40-18 All-Time)

Spread: 2-2 (2-2) (41-16-1)

O/U: 3-1 (3-1) (32-25-1)

2024 Week 1 Prediction

Baltimore Ravens @ Kansas City Chiefs

The season kicks off with an awesome opening matchup. The Ravens look to get revenge on the team who eliminated them from last year’s playoffs. I don’t think that happens as the Chiefs will win, cover (-3), and the under (46.5) hits.

Green Bay Packers vs Philadelphia Eagles (In Brazil)

A Friday night game to kick off the season in Brazil is unprecedented but I’m here for it. Both teams have huge expectations for the season. I think the Packers win, cover (+2.5), and the over (48.5) hits.

New England Patriots @ Cincinnati Bengals

This season will not be fun for Patriots fans. The Bengals, meanwhile, are all in for a Super Bowl victory. That will be apparent as the Bengals win, cover (-7.5), and the under (41) hits. Note: Updated 9/7 to Bengals -7.5

New York Jets @ San Francisco 49ers

Both teams think they can win the Super Bowl this year. The Jets are delusional, while the Niners actually have a shot. The Niners will win, cover (-3.5), and the over (44) will hit.

2024 AFC Predictions

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