As tonight begins another season of the National Football League, teams have what they think are necessary to reach the Super Bowl. Let's dig into the AFC with my very quick thoughts.
The East will be easy since New England will most likely win their division again. How they do in the ground game is the big concern. Buffalo has some decent expectation, but who plays at quarterback and starts at running back may determine their fate this year. Miami is a team that can go either way depending on all three facets of the game. If you're a NY Jets fan, you're either going to be disappointed or really happy with the Sam Darnold starting scenario, as well as whether the other facets hold up.
Regarding the North, it will come down to Pittsburgh likely winning it. They just have to improve and hope the ground game can be sustainable without Le'Veon Bell. Baltimore has players. It's a matter of performing every week. Same with Cincinnati. Improve with rushing on both sides, they could reach the playoffs. I don't expect much from Cleveland. I feel like Baker Mayfield will be disappointing, but things could change. I can see them at least winning some games if they do. How many, I don't know.
Tennessee might be the team could change things. However, they have to improve a bit with some of their new players if they want to get back in the playoffs. Houston gets DeShaun Watson back from injury, and he will be a big factor to success or failure combined with the ground game and defense. Indianapolis depends on Andrew Luck getting back to form and the defense. The team to beat is Jacksonville. There is a lot of hype for them and if they can look at what made them good last year, they could repeat as division winners and potentially get to the Super Bowl, something they have not done yet in their 23 year existence.
I have no clue how the West will be. More than likely, it's Kansas City's division. They have all the pieces. It's just they gotta stop choking in the postseason. Andy Reid can't win the big games on his own. The LA Chargers have the pieces, too. Improving the rushing on both sides will compliment the passing sides. Something has to give in Denver. Their quarterback situation and the pass defense have to be much better if they want to succeed. There is hype in Oakland with Jon Gruden back to coaching. A lot has changed since 2001. Can he fix a number of their problems?
The NFC is an interesting animal. In the East, I don't see Philly repeating. They'll still have a playoff team, but the quarterback situation will be a problem along with what I think will be a big hangover. Dallas has some expectation. Can all three facets gel together at the same time? How the run game goes will determine the NY Giants fate combined with healthy players and a new look defense. Washington might have players, but the age of some of them will determine how they fare in replacing others.
The North will come down to Minnesota. How they do with Kirk Cousins is another question if he can compliment the ground game and strong defense. Green Bay may have Aaron Rodgers, but he will not save them all the time. The ground game is a huge concern, and the defense is aging along with some changes at coordinators. Chicago has the pieces to do better on offense. Work on it, and they can be deadly and surprise people. Matthew Stafford will keep Detroit going, but that ground game has been a struggle for all of his career. They do better with it, and they will not be as one dimensional as it has been the last few years. This year can go either way.
I don't know who succeeds in the South since they all have potential. New Orleans can run well and the defense held it's own. Work on what they did last year, and they could surprise the league again. Atlanta can still be a strong team. Work better on scoring points and better consistency from the offense, and they will do a lot things this year. Carolina had a bounce back year. They still have that defense. How the offense in terms of performance and a new coordinator will determine their fate. Tampa has a young group of players. It's only a matter of whether they can improve and perform consistently.
The West belonged to the LA Rams last year. They will repeat their division. Outside of some defensive players leaving, they will still have a strong offense that will keep them in games. Seattle doesn't have much of a Legion of Boom on defense. It's unfortunate that Russell Wilson will have to be over relied on since he can only do so much with a questionable ground game. There is hype for San Francisco. Getting some guys on both sides should help them. Whether it gets them a playoff berth is a question in itself. They will at least do better than the last two years. Arizona, I don't know. New staff, a number of new players. They could do well, but I wouldn't put much expectation on them.
Those are my very quick thoughts on all 32 teams. This season should be an interesting one. A good number of them have strong potential to be a Super Bowl caliber team, and the first month will see who are the posers and the contenders.
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