Football is back as week two of the preseason is this week and we are less than three weeks away from the beginning of the regular season as the Chicago Bears host the Green Bay Packers September 5th. Here are my division winners.
AFC East (New England Patriots)
Since the year 2000 the Patriots have won the AFC East 16 times and will win it again this year. Tom Brady has dominated the division as he is 30-3 against the Bills, 22-11 against the Dolphins and 27-6 against the Jets. Looks like the Patriots will continue their dominance over the AFC East, despite the Jets improving their roster by bringing in Le’Veon Bell, CJ Mosley, Jamison Crowder and drafting Quinnen Williams.
Another bad sign for the AFC East teams is that Bill Belichick believes this is the most athletic team he has had. The Patriots have made it to the Super Bowl 4 of the last 5 seasons and have won 3 of them. It’s no secret as to why the Patriots are favorites to win this division but it will be interesting to see how they gel after losing six of their coaches including twp defensive coordinators — Brian Flores and Greg Schiano — wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea,, cornerback coach Josh Boyer, defensive line coach Brendan Daly and character coach Jack Easterby.
AFC North (Pittsburgh Steelers)
What I don’t understand is how a team that went 7-8-1 last year in the Cleveland Browns is projected to win this division. Yes, they are very talented. But this is not the NBA, you can’t just throw a bunch of talented players together and expect tremendous success to happen. The Browns are the youngest team in football with a rookie head coach, not to mention their left and right tackles were ranked in the bottom six according to Pro Football Focus. Baker Mayfield was 1-5 against teams with a winning record last year. Although I like the Browns and expect they will make the playoffs, they will not win the division.
The Steelers will win the division. Yes, they got rid of Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown, but I believe long term this will work out better for them. Brown was a distraction despite his hall of fame talent. With his departure, it will allow guys like James Washington Jr., a former second-round pick, an opportunity to step-up. Washington will thrive this year. James Conner is no Le’Veon, but he is a very solid running-back. Last season, he had 13 total touchdowns in as many games along with 973 rushing yards. As for the defense, they were about average in points allowed, but they did show improvement from the year before as they finished 6th in total yards. This off-season the Steelers made free agent moves by bringing in linebacker Mark Barron, cornerback Steve Nelson and they drafted Devin Bush from Michigan with the 10th overall pick. Let’s not get confused, Pittsburgh won 9 games last year with a team full of distractions. Don’t be surprised when the Steelers win 10-plus games and reclaim the division this year.
AFC South (Indianapolis Colts)
How many flaws do the Colts have? Elite quarterback, a solid group of running backs, a very good cast of receivers, two top-15 tight ends and a very well-rounded defense. Mix all that together and not only do you have a division champion, but you could be looking at a team that could win the Super Bowl. My only concern with this team is injuries. Currently, Andrew Luck is battling an ankle sprain and will need to be 100 percent come regular season time, because this could be the best division in football. Remember, last year the Houston Texan won 9 games in a row to claim the division title. All four AFC South teams have elite defenses, meaning every game will be a physical, grind-it-out game as all four teams finished in the top 12 in total yards allowed, points per game and yards per game.
What I love most about the Colts is that they draft very well. In last year’s draft, 9 of their 11 picks made contributions to teams, two of which were all pros in Quenton Nelson and Darius Leonard. They had a very successful draft this year by selecting mostly defensive players and adding a few keys pieces to their phenomenal passing attack.
AFC West (Kansas City Chiefs)
The Kansas City Chiefs were one off-sides call away from going to the Super Bowl. They responded by retooling their defense, which makes Kansas City a favorite to win the title. This summer, the Chiefs brought in Tyrann Mathieu to vastly upgrade their secondary and they traded for elite pass rusher Frank Clark. According to Pro Football Focus, Clark pressured the quarterback on 64 of his 441 pass rush snaps which was fourth-best in the NFL among players on the field at least 50 percent of the time. They also traded for Darron Lee and brought in Damien Wilson, two athletic linebackers that can make tackles from sideline to sideline. To continue to beef up their pass rush, Kansas City brought in Alex Okafor, who had four sacks last season for the Saints, and the Chiefs upgraded at the corner position by bringing in Bashaud Breeland from the Packers.
The Chiefs had the best offense in football along with the NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes. If Mahomes were to lose 20 percent of his stats this year, he would still lead the NFL in passing TD’s with 40 and still be in the top 10 in passing yards. Mahomes has a fantastic arsenal around him, including the best tight end in football with Travis Kelce, arguably the most explosive receiver in the game in Tyreek Hill and two solid running backs in Damien Williams and Carlos Hyde. If the Chiefs defense can find its way to middle of the pack, I don’t see why they won’t win the AFC West and the Super Bowl.
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