With the beginning of the NFL Season now in the books, it is time for every football know-it-all’s favorite activity. It’s time to predict who will have the playoff positions at the end of week 17.
Although we know next to nothing about these teams from these games, they have brought some new insight to where these teams could rank at the end of the season.
AFC East: Oakland Raiders
Raider Nation, it is finally your time to shine. After years of mediocrity, the Raiders have a very legitimate chance to win this division. Derek Carr has only shown improvement since he joined the league in 2014. He has shown what it takes to be a franchise QB for years to come. Add that along with a pro Bowl caliber receiver in Amari Cooper and an All-Pro defender in Khalil Mack, and the Raiders have a recipe for a very strong showing in the 2016-2017 season.
The only real threat I see from this division is the Kansas City Chiefs. However, I feel that the Raiders have more overall talent than the chiefs and should be able to take the division.
AFC North: Cincinnati Bengals
This pick may cause some controversy, but I personally really like the Bengals chances to win the division. Their offense is extremely underrated. Led by Pro Bowl Wide Receiver A.J. Green and QB Andy Dalton, these two are one of the best duos in the NFL right now. However, what people don’t talk about is the other strong members of that offense. RB Jeremy Hill and TE Tyler Eifert make for an offense that can keep the top defenses on their toes.
The biggest competition to the Bengals is the Pittsburgh Steelers. Everyone knows how dominant Big Ben and Antonio Brown are, but that defense worries me personally. They can score a ton of points, but will give up a lot of points as well. From this reasoning, I feel the Bengals will take the division.
AFC South: Houston Texans
This pick was a lot harder than I imagined it would be, but with the Colts starting to fall down and the Jaguars picking up their game, the Texans seem like the team that can really explode this year and take advantage of a fairly weak division. While the Texans don’t really have a strong offense, their defense is where they really shine. Don’t get me wrong, I like DeAndre Hopkins and Lamar Miller as much as the next guy, but the defense is where the Texans make their stand.
Led by All-Pro DE J.J. Watt who is arguably the best player in the NFL, and Jonathan Joseph in the secondary, the Texans will be able to make solid stops on both running and passing plays.
The biggest competition for them going into the season is the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jags finally are looking like a playoff caliber team with all the talent they have on that offense, but their defense still needs work. Overall, the Texans seems like the better team.
AFC East: New England Patriots
While the Seahawks fanboy in me hates to type out that prediction, the football analyst in me knows this is the right pick. The Patriots have been an AFC stronghold for years and this year looks no different. The only difference is that Tom Brady is out for the first four weeks because of a delayed “Deflate gate penalty” and TE Rob Gronkowski is week to week with a new injury. However, once those two come back, there is no reason to believe that the team will not return to its normal strength.
While there isn’t much competition for the division, I would say the Jets are the closest to being “competition” to them. Their defense is looking phenomenal with Darrelle Revis and Sheldon Richardson leading the charge and Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker being a great tandem at WR. However, I don’t think it is enough to take over the Patriots.
