AFC EAST
Buffalo Bills
The one thing that could potentially slow down the Bills is a major injury to Josh Allen – even minor ones don’t seem to slow him down. He’ll be in the MVP conversation yet again and Buffalo should be atop the AFC East despite some holes on defence.
Prediction: 13-4
New England Patriots*
Going from a completely inept coach to Mike Vrabel should bring a massive boost in New England that could be amplified further if Drake Maye lives up to his sizable hype. A wild-card spot isn’t out of the question for the rebuilding Pats.
Prediction: 9-8
Miami Dolphins
It has been another messy off-season for the Dolphins and there’s still plenty of questions surrounding coach Mike McDaniel, injury-prone QB Tua Tagovailoa and mercurial star WR Tyreek Hill. Things should be interesting in Miami – but perhaps for the wrong reasons.
Prediction: 8-9
New York Jets
New coach Aaron Glenn has his work cut out for him and essentially trading Aaron Rodgers for Justin Fields doesn’t seem like an upgrade, it’s just something different. With a sound defence, look for lots of low-scoring games involving Gang Green.
Prediction: 5-12
AFC NORTH
Baltimore Ravens
Perhaps the most complete team in the AFC, the Ravens should be a Super Bowl contender once again. Considering they were let down immensely by special teams last season, getting back to average on that front should make them even more fearsome.
Prediction: 13-4
Cincinnati Bengals*
The offence is going to score a ton of points, but the defence didn’t get much better this off-season – and it would’ve been hard for it to get worse. Joe Burrow is one of the league’s best QBs, but how many games can this team win when it can’t stop anybody?
Prediction: 10-7
Pittsburgh Steelers
No matter what this team has done over the past few years, this team has hovered right around .500 – so why think anything different will happen? At best, this team seems destined for another wild-card round loss, at best.
Prediction: 9-8
Cleveland Browns
The Browns became even more of a circus after taking Shedeur Sanders and watching him struggle in the pre-season as a third-stringer. Aside from Myles Garrett, there isn’t much to like involving the Browns this season.
Prediction: 3-14
AFC SOUTH
Houston Texans
After a definitive sophomore slump from the Texans in CJ Stroud’s second season, we’re looking for Houston to bounce back in a big way. The defence should be amongst the league’s top units while the offence should improve once they figure out the running game.
Prediction: 11-6
Tennessee Titans
Can Cam Ward vault the Titans into contention in this sad-sack division? It’s not out of the question if we see a Jayden Daniels-like rookie season out of the top pick. Last year the Titans were plagued by some of the worst turnovers and QB play we’ve ever seen – stepping up to average should mean a big improvement.
Prediction: 6-11
Jacksonville Jaguars
Hey, Trevor Lawrence, show us something, will ya? Once touted as a generational prospect, things haven’t come together in Jacksonville for a variety of reasons. We’re likely to see at least another year of building before things come together for the Jags with Liam Coen at the helm.
Prediction: 6-11
Indianapolis Colts
Indy seems like a team that lacks any sort of direction, but still has some very good pieces on the roster. The biggest problem is at QB, where Daniel Jones beat out Anthony Richardson in camp and now puts the future of the former first-rounder very much in turmoil.
Prediction: 5-12
AFC WEST
Denver Broncos
The Broncos have all the tools required to unseat the Chiefs atop the AFC West. Denver has one of the league’s best defences and a young QB in Bo Nix who showed some spark in his rookie season. Taking another step could see the Broncos move well up the AFC power rankings.
Prediction: 11-6
Kansas City Chiefs*
Regression and the Super Bowl losers curse are going to hit the Chiefs. They overperformed in one-score games last year and still have some big question marks on the roster. This could be the year that we see a wobble from the Andy Reid-Patrick Mahomes dynasty.
Prediction: 10-7
Los Angeles Chargers
There isn’t a lot of buzz around the Chargers after another playoff flop last season. There hasn’t been much in the way of improvement and losing star OT Rashawn Slater hurts immensely. Justin Herbert also needs to show the star qualities that many believe he possesses.
Prediction: 8-9
Las Vegas Raiders
There’s a lot to like about the Raiders these days, but while they’ve made some sizable upgrades, they’re still not there yet. Geno Smith should bring consistent QB play while Ashton Jeanty is a star RB in the making to pair Brock Bowers. But the AFC West is as tough as they come.
Prediction: 7-10
OVERALL PICKS
NFC Champions: Green Bay Packers
AFC Champions: Baltimore Ravens
Super Bowl champions: Ravens over Packers
MVP: Lamar Jackson, BAL
Offensive player of the year: CeeDee Lamb, DAL
Defensive player of the year: Aidan Hutchinson, DET
First overall pick: New Orleans Saints