While it has been nearly a seven-month wait following Super Bowl XLVIII, football will be back for good starting September 8th. The one impending question is what the heck is going to go on in the AFC?
After his pitiful Super Bowl performance, Peyton Manning will once again lead the AFC preseason favorite Denver Broncos in their quest to avenge their blowout loss to the Seahawks. Denver was aggressive in the offseason by signing defensive end DeMarcus Ware, safety T.J Ward and cornerback Aqib Talib. Denver enters with the best offense in the game, but clearly needing to strengthen their vulnerable defense. The defending AFC West Champion will once again hope to prevail in the newly crowned best division in the AFC.
With the emergence of Andy Reid as the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs and the new look San Diego Chargers starting to take shape, the AFC West will most likely get three teams into the playoffs once again. While the Raiders did have a decent draft by grabbing linebacker Khalil Mack and quarterback Derek Carr, they are still not quite good enough to contend. The Chargers addressed their secondary help by getting corner Jason Verrett from TCU and signing Pro Bowl corner Brandon Flowers from the rival Chiefs.
As a result, Kansas City had a rough offseason, losing Flowers, running back Dexter McCluster and tackle Branden Albert to free agency. Also, starting quarterback Alex Smith and Pro Bowl linebacker Justin Houston both had stalemates in their extension talks with the team. Therefore, the Chiefs might not have that magical 9-0 start that they recorded last year. Generally speaking, the AFC West will be the division to watch and while the other divisions will have interesting players and rookies to follow, they will not be anywhere as entertaining.
Rookies will help highlight the AFC South in 2014. The Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars both drafted in the top three in May with Houston taking Jadeveon Clowney number one, and the Jags taking UCF quarterback Blake Bortles at number three. With Jacksonville trying to figure themselves out, and Houston trying to be more like the 2012-13 Texans, this is going to be the Colts’ division to lose. Indianapolis is easily the favorite to win the division again, and their biggest challenge will be making it further in the playoffs.
Andrew Luck is looking like the second coming of Peyton Manning and is already playing like a ten year pro. While the Titans should finish second, they haven’t done much to separate themselves from the team that they were last year. This will probably be the last chance Jake Locker has to prove himself as a starting NFL quarterback and if he has another down season, expect to see him looking for a new job.
The AFC North is an intriguing division, not only because Johnny Manziel and all his shenanigans but also because both Pittsburgh and Baltimore seem to be on a decline. All the while, Andy Dalton and his new $116 million dollar contract have made the Cincinnati Bengals the team to beat in the North. The Ravens will be without running back Ray Rice after he was suspended the first two games by the league for domestic abuse against his fiancée. While Manziel will be having to live up to expectations in Cleveland, he will be without receiver Josh Gordon, who was suspended for the entire 2014 season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy once again. With Pittsburgh starting to show their age and salary cap issues, it looks like it might be time for a change in the Steel City.
How could an AFC preview be complete without mentioning Tom Brady? Despite turning 37 this past year, Brady and the Pats are coming off a year when they fell just short of the Super Bowl by losing to the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game. Brady and Co. look to be the favorites to return to the championship game and get their shot at redemption.
The rest of the AFC East will once again beat up on each other but no team will come out on top. The Jets finally cut ties with Mark Sanchez and signed Michael Vick, and also managed to add wide receiver Eric Decker and running back Chris Johnson to give their offense a new look. Many believe Johnson is nearing the end of his career. Hopefully, a new change of scenery can bring back the old CJ2K. The Dolphins will be the Patriots’ biggest competitor and one of the Jets peskiest opponents. After blowing their chance at a playoff berth last year, the Dolphins are ready for their second chance to not make the same mistake.
The Bills will once again finish at the bottom of their division, despite Sammy Watkins and all the excitement that he brings coming to upstate. The Bills are hoping E.J. Manuel can continue to grow as a quarterback and become worthy of the first round pick that they spent on him a year ago.
Connor Anthony can be reached at connor.anthony@spartans.ut.edu