AFC East
1.
New York Jets
2.
New England Patriots
3.
Buffalo Bills
4.
Miami Dolphins
It seems like the entire division is in some type of rebuild but the Jets still appear to me to be the front runner. Phenom running back Todd Gurley, newly acquired WR Dezmon Briscoe and the rest of the receiving core help QB Mark Sanchez get over the hump on finally living up the expectations—at age 30. The defensive unit isn’t as strong as it has been in years past but it still has enough talent to get the job done. The Pats are the only legitimate competition for New York with its potential for an explosive offense but I think they’re a bit short on the other side of the ball. The Bills brought it some good talent but like the Dolphins, they’re operating with quarterbacks who still need some work before they can take their team to the next level.
AFC North
1.
Cincinnati Bengals
2.
Cleveland Browns
3.
Pittsburgh Steelers
4.
Baltimore Ravens
The Bengals have the most talent, and came close to the Super Bowl without their 6’4” starting safety, Robert Sands. They shopped but didn’t unload their vet stars this offseason for whatever reason, so I feel they’ll take another run at it while sprinkling in a game or two for Goff, who probably gets all the preseason action. The point is to win it all and I think they’re better off attempting it now than taking more lumps for Goff’s sake. The Browns return their talented roster but lost their kicker in free agency and now sport a rookie who needs work. The offensive line is ripe with aging vets and the potential for the injury-prone Brohm to be sidelined for a couple of games is greater this season. The Steelers acquired veteran CB Josh Norman, signaling to me they want to be more competitive. The Ravens dealt some solid vets in the offseason and I believe they look at this season as a rebuilding one where they get the most snaps for their young players.
AFC South
1.
Tennessee Titans
2.
Houston Texans
3.
Indianapolis Colts
4.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The reigning champs keep their hold on the division, which should surprise no one. I don’t think any team poses a big threat this season, even if running back Derrick Henry happens to run into the Chiefs and thus get his legs broken. The team is just too stacked. The league may have to break them up by dissolving the squad and having a separate draft for their star players. I like that idea. Let’s take it to the think tank for a vote.
AFC West
1.
Kansas City Chiefs
2.
Denver Broncos
3.
San Diego Chargers
4.
Oakland Raiders
The West looks to be the most competitive division and I’ll take an All-Star team from here over any other. The Chiefs will grab the Raiders by the scruff, bop them on the head and give them a firm “no” by all means necessary—Henne knows the deal and if wants to stay healthy he’ll act right. The Broncos are too talented to lose as much as they did last season, and the Chargers are still a year of maturity away from trying to beat the division’s daddy.
Wild Cards:
Denver Broncos and Houston Texans
NFC East
1.
Dallas Cowboys
2.
New York Giants
3.
Philadelphia Eagles
4.
Washington Redskins
The Cowboys should coast to a divisional title barring an injury to Glennon as the talent gap between them and the rest of the division is pretty large at this point. They’re going for it all and it’s just a matter of waiting for the playoffs to see how the rest turns out. The Giants made a few hot-seat moves that makes them significantly better. The Redskins seem to have all but chalked this season up to the start of a rebuild with former Titans QB Wenning being developed into a potential star.
NFC North
1.
Detroit Lions
2.
Minnesota Vikings
3.
Green Bay Packers
4.
Chicago Bears
The North is going to be a competitive division but I think it’s going to be between the Lions and Vikings. The Lions appear to be focused on making the run game the focal point by adding former Vikings running back Lamar Miller to back up Jordan Howard. Their wide receiver unit took a hit in overall talent but they’re still good. The Vikings are nearly ready to be carried by QB Tyler Wilson and I expect them to get hot as the season progresses. Chicago has QB Ainge returning but still has a couple of holes that keeps them from winning the division. The Pack should be competitive with new additions of CMC, Julio Jones, and Jelani Jenkins added to the roster, but QB Andrew Luck continues to limit their ceiling. They’ll be entertaining either way. I still get a chuckle thinking about Gary’s first goodbye to Justin at the meetup.
NFC South
1.
Carolina Panthers
2.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3.
New Orleans Saints
4.
Atlanta Falcons
Eddie Lacy is really, really good, has been traded twice in one offseason, and now he’s quietly ended up on the Carolina Panthers. He’ll set the table for the veteran QB Drew Stanton to make timely passes to wideouts Kelvin Benjamin and Ty Hilton. The team also got a new safety net in the high-awareness TE Gary Barnridge. The recipe has proven successful in the past. Tampa will not make it easy especially with the new edition of TE George Kittle, who will be force to be reckoned with. The Saints may play the number one overall pick QB Mitchell Trubisky some to shorten that developmental period and the Falcons turn over the team to Blake Bortles but a few bumps are expected. They’ll miss QB Eli Manning, who retired this offseason.
NFC West
1.
San Francisco 49ers
2.
St Louis Rams
3.
Arizona Cardinals
4.
Seattle Seahawks
The 49ers keep the top spot as I feel their team is the most complete. The Rams have quite a few good pieces and will compete, but I think the defense lets them down in the end and QB Paxton Lynch gets some burn late. Arizona would be competing for the division if their luck was any better than crap, as QB Matt Barkley has gotten hurt the last two seasons, and should have been carrying the team by now. The curse of Eddie Lacy began this year, and who know how long it will last, but the chubby running back will be very sorely missed by the club who drafted him. First piece of damage was how he was shopped for more than a season for just a 1st round pick, traded for a late one, then was dealt for an unknown 1st AND 2nd. Ooof.
Wild Cards: Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
