It’s never too early to start talking about the playoff race. Today we will take a look at the AFC. There are a bunch of teams that make the list because the six-seed in the AFC is wide open right now. It’s also pretty early in the season. As the year moves along, some teams will drop off the list. We’ll also get more in-depth predicting seeds and looking at teams’ schedules to see where each squad could end up. Let’s start with the obvious.
AFC East
New England Patriots 6-0
The Patriots are the favorite in the AFC. They already have six wins and their tough games against the Bills and Cowboys are at home. Their remaining potential losses include a Ravens team that has been struggling on defense, an Eagles team with a lot of holes, and a Texans team that has historically not done well against New England.
Buffalo Bills 4-1
The second-best team — by record — resides in the AFC East. The Bills could have beaten the Patriots and been alone atop the AFC. The problem is that their offense couldn’t do anything. That alone should be a worry for Buffalo. They are completely reliant on their defense to keep them in games. That’s tough in a conference with the Chiefs and Texans — both teams that can put up a ton of points.
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens 4-2
The Ravens turned into a team that relies heavily on its offense in one offseason. Their defense hasn’t played well. They’ve beaten some bad teams by close scores — the Patriots have beaten bad teams by blowing them out. The thing is, the Ravens don’t have much competition in the AFC North.
Cleveland Browns 2-4
The Browns are going to be that team that gets mentioned in playoff race articles until they are officially dead. Their roster is too talented and the sixth seed in the AFC is that wide open. Their schedule also lightens up toward the end of the season. In fact, That’s why . . .
Pittsburgh Steelers 2-4
The Steelers make the list. Their defense is a top-10 unit and could be even better. They have talent on offense. They can figure out a way to win games. They have an easy schedule. It’s tough to drop the Steelers out of the list already. The Steelers played the Niners close and San Francisco is one of the best teams in the NFL. All aboard the Duck Hodges and Mason Rudolph train.
AFC South
Houston Texans 4-2
The Texans are in a great position to secure a bye in the AFC. They already have the tiebreaker against the Chiefs. They play the Patriots in Houston on the weekend after Thanksgiving. They have the inside track in the AFC South. This is the year the Texans can put it all together.
Indianapolis Colts 3-2
The Colts may not have a super explosive offense but they don’t need one. They have a very good defense. Their offensive line is talented and they can protect Jacoby Brissett. They started playing at one of the slower paces in the league because Frank Reich is smart and he’s playing to his team’s strengths which are controlling the football and the Indy running game. The Colts are a perfect six-seed team. They are good enough to make the playoffs, maybe upset a team in round one, but not good enough to make a Super Bowl run this year.
AFC West
Kansas City Chiefs 4-2
The Chiefs may have shown some weakness in the past two weeks, but they are still 4-2. They still have an explosive offense if they can get their offensive line healthy. They still have reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes. This Chiefs’ freakout seems similar to what happened with the Patriots last year when New England struggled early in the season. The Chiefs haven’t even really struggled. They lost to two very good teams.
Oakland Raiders 3-2
Yup, the Raiders are on the list. Maybe they are a team of destiny. This would be a nice going-away gift to the fans in Oakland. The problem for the Raiders is that their schedule gets a bit difficult moving forward with games at Green Bay, at Houston, and Detroit and the Los Angeles Chargers at the Coliseum. That’s not easy.
Los Angeles Chargers 2-4
The Chargers make the list for the same reason the Browns make the list. They are entirely too talented to be 2-4 at this point in the season. This is a typical Chargers start. They’ve lost games they should have won. They’ve played uninspired football. Expect them to run off five straight wins if history is any indication.
