Falconsroach7
Starter
After examining the landscape of the NFC, let's turn our heads towards the AFC. In many respects, it's eerily similar to how the NFC is shaping up, but it has its own distinctive characteristics as well. If the season ended today, this is how your playoff field would shake out in the American Football Conference:
Division Champs:
#1: Denver Broncos (9-0)
After week 1, the broncos have simply cruised to victory after victory. Osweiler has set the league ablaze, posting a QB rating of 132.3. CJ Anderson has found the endzone 9 times on the ground and the receiving corps is deep and versatile. Have we talked about this defense? Aqib Talib has locked down top flight wide receivers while Brandon Marshall has been flying all over the field, having a career year. These Broncos force turnovers too, and hardly turn it over. They really resemble the hawks of the NFC, but their offense has more edge to it, threatening to blow the top off at any moment and take control of a game. Already 4-0 in divisional play, it's looking like Denver can lock up the AFC west soon enough and charge towards homefield advantage
#2: Pittsburgh Steelers (8-0)
Well. Here we go. The steelers have done their best Broncos impersonation, steamrolling through a plethora of opponents to remain undefeated. Big Ben has put up an even better year than Osweiler, ranking 2nd in MVP voting and Martavis Bryant continues to develop as a top-tier WR. The biggest difference for the Steelers this year is their vastly improved defense that ranks 4th in total yardage allowed and has surrendered 99 total points, good for 3rd best in the league. Both Denver and Pitt have a chance to go undefeated, but one's hopes will be crushed on Sunday Night in week 12, as they square off in Denver. It's not implausible to think whoever wins that game could be 16-0.
#3: Tennessee Titans (6-1)
Hold on. Don't overlook these Titans. It's not always a pretty win, but it's usually a win, and that is all that matters.After making strides forward a year ago, the Titans have jumped to contender status this year. The development of Mariota is a key reason why. While he's not an MVP candidate quite yet, he's playing efficient football, generally taking care of the ball and punching it into the endzone with his arm and legs. The emergence of Bishop Sankey after a rocky start to his career also has the titans pushing for the AFC South title. The biggest question mark for the Titans is if the defense can make bigger plays. As a team, they've only managed 6 total sacks and the same number of picks. The D has got to get their offense in better positions. While they were handed a clear loss in week 2, that was quite awhile ago, and, as you can see above, the Broncos are no fluke. The maturity of Mariota will dictate where this team goes come January
#4: Buffalo Bills (3-4)
Most definitely the most difficult team to gauge, especially because the whole division is completely up for grabs as none of the teams have .500 record. As it stands, Buffalo is the division leader, but both New England and New York are right on their heels. The new Qb in town is Sam Bradford, and he's been a mized bag of touchdowns and picks. Meanwhile, lesean mccoy has disapponted this season, putting up very middle-of-the-road numbers. The real silver lining here is the defense. They've been fantastic against the run and pass, ranking top 5 in pass and top 15 in run defense. If the offense can simply keep up their end of the bargain, this team could find their way to a playoff berth and even compete. As it stands without the offense producing, they're clinging on for dear life
Wild Card Aces
#5: Cleveland Browns (5-3)
A wildcard team in 2015, the Browns find themselves in familiar territory. However, this year, things haven't been clicking like they were when they were the surprise team. With a year's worth of tape, it seems teams have figured out Zach Mettenberger, and that should scare cleveland. After locking him up to a multi-year deal and dealing Manziel away, he's locked in, and he has to start performing at the level that he displayed last season or serious QB issues could arise. Furthermore, after a renaissance last year, Ray Rice has fallen off, and no longer looks as effective. The defense is really keeping this team in games by forcing turnovers at an exceptional rate. We all know this offense is capable of great things, but the regression this season is real. The team can still fight to a wildcard spot, but it looks as if a divisional championship is out of the question. If Mettenberger can't deliver consistent play, this could devolve into a real dilemma. In the meantime, we'll keep an eye on them as a darkhorse candidate since the defense still ranks among the top of the league
#6: Cincinnati Bengals (5-3)
And here is our 3rd AFC North team. The offense has looked sharp all season, ranking 5th in the NFL behind the legs of Jeremy Hill and a very game manager-esque Andy Dalton. However, the defense has been a major liability, ranking 28th in the NFL. They don't take away the ball much either, really putting the pressure on their offense to put up big numbers. Good defense typically trumps good offense, so Cincy could slip out of the playoff race should their defense continue to falter. If they can right the ship though, the offense is potent enough to do some serious damage to another team's title hopes
In The Hunt:
San Diego Chargers (4-4): Despite adding a ton of new weapons in the offseason, the chargers haven't exactly been able to put all the pieces together. As of late, they've looked much better, but Rivers must improve for this team to really go anywhere
New England Patriots (3-4): While putting up some fight, this team is reeling without Brady and is real in rebuilding mode. While they could still potentially battle in the AFC east as its still wide open, they're not going to make any noise in the postseason.
New York Jets (3-5): In most circumstances, the Jets wouldn't be in the hunt-- in the AFC East, they're still alive. Statistically, both the offense and defense are middle of the road, but the team has a ton of key players and potential. With rookie Nolan Harris healthy, the Jets could get a spark and hit a run, but the Defense cannot allow 30+ per game. A week 10 thursday night matchup against buffalo can either give this team a jumpstart, or put the dagger in their 2016 season
I sincerely hope you all enjoyed this preview of the postseason field in the AFC. As the season progresses, we'll update the standings and start to look over some playoff matchups!
Division Champs:
#1: Denver Broncos (9-0)
After week 1, the broncos have simply cruised to victory after victory. Osweiler has set the league ablaze, posting a QB rating of 132.3. CJ Anderson has found the endzone 9 times on the ground and the receiving corps is deep and versatile. Have we talked about this defense? Aqib Talib has locked down top flight wide receivers while Brandon Marshall has been flying all over the field, having a career year. These Broncos force turnovers too, and hardly turn it over. They really resemble the hawks of the NFC, but their offense has more edge to it, threatening to blow the top off at any moment and take control of a game. Already 4-0 in divisional play, it's looking like Denver can lock up the AFC west soon enough and charge towards homefield advantage
#2: Pittsburgh Steelers (8-0)
Well. Here we go. The steelers have done their best Broncos impersonation, steamrolling through a plethora of opponents to remain undefeated. Big Ben has put up an even better year than Osweiler, ranking 2nd in MVP voting and Martavis Bryant continues to develop as a top-tier WR. The biggest difference for the Steelers this year is their vastly improved defense that ranks 4th in total yardage allowed and has surrendered 99 total points, good for 3rd best in the league. Both Denver and Pitt have a chance to go undefeated, but one's hopes will be crushed on Sunday Night in week 12, as they square off in Denver. It's not implausible to think whoever wins that game could be 16-0.
#3: Tennessee Titans (6-1)
Hold on. Don't overlook these Titans. It's not always a pretty win, but it's usually a win, and that is all that matters.After making strides forward a year ago, the Titans have jumped to contender status this year. The development of Mariota is a key reason why. While he's not an MVP candidate quite yet, he's playing efficient football, generally taking care of the ball and punching it into the endzone with his arm and legs. The emergence of Bishop Sankey after a rocky start to his career also has the titans pushing for the AFC South title. The biggest question mark for the Titans is if the defense can make bigger plays. As a team, they've only managed 6 total sacks and the same number of picks. The D has got to get their offense in better positions. While they were handed a clear loss in week 2, that was quite awhile ago, and, as you can see above, the Broncos are no fluke. The maturity of Mariota will dictate where this team goes come January
#4: Buffalo Bills (3-4)
Most definitely the most difficult team to gauge, especially because the whole division is completely up for grabs as none of the teams have .500 record. As it stands, Buffalo is the division leader, but both New England and New York are right on their heels. The new Qb in town is Sam Bradford, and he's been a mized bag of touchdowns and picks. Meanwhile, lesean mccoy has disapponted this season, putting up very middle-of-the-road numbers. The real silver lining here is the defense. They've been fantastic against the run and pass, ranking top 5 in pass and top 15 in run defense. If the offense can simply keep up their end of the bargain, this team could find their way to a playoff berth and even compete. As it stands without the offense producing, they're clinging on for dear life
Wild Card Aces
#5: Cleveland Browns (5-3)
A wildcard team in 2015, the Browns find themselves in familiar territory. However, this year, things haven't been clicking like they were when they were the surprise team. With a year's worth of tape, it seems teams have figured out Zach Mettenberger, and that should scare cleveland. After locking him up to a multi-year deal and dealing Manziel away, he's locked in, and he has to start performing at the level that he displayed last season or serious QB issues could arise. Furthermore, after a renaissance last year, Ray Rice has fallen off, and no longer looks as effective. The defense is really keeping this team in games by forcing turnovers at an exceptional rate. We all know this offense is capable of great things, but the regression this season is real. The team can still fight to a wildcard spot, but it looks as if a divisional championship is out of the question. If Mettenberger can't deliver consistent play, this could devolve into a real dilemma. In the meantime, we'll keep an eye on them as a darkhorse candidate since the defense still ranks among the top of the league
#6: Cincinnati Bengals (5-3)
And here is our 3rd AFC North team. The offense has looked sharp all season, ranking 5th in the NFL behind the legs of Jeremy Hill and a very game manager-esque Andy Dalton. However, the defense has been a major liability, ranking 28th in the NFL. They don't take away the ball much either, really putting the pressure on their offense to put up big numbers. Good defense typically trumps good offense, so Cincy could slip out of the playoff race should their defense continue to falter. If they can right the ship though, the offense is potent enough to do some serious damage to another team's title hopes
In The Hunt:
San Diego Chargers (4-4): Despite adding a ton of new weapons in the offseason, the chargers haven't exactly been able to put all the pieces together. As of late, they've looked much better, but Rivers must improve for this team to really go anywhere
New England Patriots (3-4): While putting up some fight, this team is reeling without Brady and is real in rebuilding mode. While they could still potentially battle in the AFC east as its still wide open, they're not going to make any noise in the postseason.
New York Jets (3-5): In most circumstances, the Jets wouldn't be in the hunt-- in the AFC East, they're still alive. Statistically, both the offense and defense are middle of the road, but the team has a ton of key players and potential. With rookie Nolan Harris healthy, the Jets could get a spark and hit a run, but the Defense cannot allow 30+ per game. A week 10 thursday night matchup against buffalo can either give this team a jumpstart, or put the dagger in their 2016 season
I sincerely hope you all enjoyed this preview of the postseason field in the AFC. As the season progresses, we'll update the standings and start to look over some playoff matchups!
