|
No team is a real threat to the Chiefs. The teams that are most likely to compete for #2, however...
1. Ravens-- Even if that run gimmick offense is a fluke, John Harbaugh has a little Andy Reid to him. He's too good of a coach to let things fall apart. The Ravens will have some easy teams they can pick off with their defense alone, and even if Lamar regresses, well-coached teams who play defense and run the ball are good bets to make the playoffs. And that's only if Lamar is actually a piece of crap
2. Chargers-- Look, I'm usually one of the first people to make fun of them for preseason hype, but I don't think it's crazy to look at their defense and say, "This team can make the playoffs even with Tyrod Taylor at QB." They frequently come up short because inexplicable act-of-God shit usually happens to them, but until those injuries actually take place, I guess here they are ranked highly in a preseason projection.
3. Steelers-- This is assuming Ben has made a recovery and they're not rolling with Duck Hunter at QB. 80% of Ben is good enough for them to play defense and win games.
4. Patriots-- The downgrade from Brady to Stidham is certainly a downgrade, but speaking of it as an insurmountable obstacle is a little ridiculous because it implies that Brady was playing at a high level last year. We see QBs come out of college all the time who get neutered by their head coaches and confuse people into thinking they're starting QB material because they can be okay game managers who should be career backups. The Patriots can absolutely win that shit division with that kind of QB play, and if it goes really wrong, I think they'll make a play for Cam.
5. Colts-- Because I'm missing an AFC South team, the Titans are poised for a let down, and the Texans imploded this offseason. Not saying they're going to be good, but I think this is the worst division in football, and somebody has to represent them in the playoffs.
|