PITTSBURGH _ The Kansas City Chiefs looked impressive Thursday night in a 34-20 win over the Houston Texans. Patrick Mahomes was again the best player on the field, and that offense looked unstoppable at times. It's more of the same, and naturally there are many saying the Chiefs are the team to beat in the NFL.
I would agree the defending champs should be the favorite. But from what I saw Thursday, the Chiefs are not invincible and have some holes that could be exploited.
Teams will be able to score against them. And they aren't going to just roll through the AFC. That is good news for the Steelers and gives them hope that they can compete for an AFC title.
Now that doesn't mean the Steelers are a lock to be contenders. As I've written before, the Steelers have a lot of questions, but if the majority of them are answered, they have a chance to be a strong team.
The larger point, though, is that the AFC doesn't seem to be all that deep. The Steelers' division, however will be tougher than people think, as the Browns and Bengals will be better than people want to believe.
Cincinnati should have new energy with a new coaching staff. Joe Burrow is a rookie, but he will be an upgrade for them at the quarterback position. They are clearly the worst team in the AFC North, but not by a large gap.
Cleveland should also benefit from a new coaching staff. The Browns have had talent, but they've been horribly coached and lacked maturity. A new coaching staff, a renewed commitment from Baker Mayfield and an improved defense will put them in contention with the Steelers and Ravens.
Baltimore is maybe the second best team in the AFC. They had a lot of things go their way en route to a 14-2 season last year. Some would point to the fact that they are back-to-back AFC North champions as proof they should be the favorite. I would point to their 0-2 record in the playoffs over those last two seasons _ with both games at home _ as proof they might be overrated. MVP Lamar Jackson is a special talent, but if he doesn't become a much bigger threat as a passer, he won't be nearly as dangerous.
Outside of the AFC North looks a lot less scary than it has in the past.
The Patriots no longer have Tom Brady and had a number of their best players opt out of the season. Cam Newton is a good quarterback, but he has been injured a lot recently and will he asked to run a different kind of offense than he has in the past. The Patriots defense is young and talented, but the team is going to struggle to score, and the Bills look like they have passed them in the AFC East.
The Texans, as we saw Thursday, lack explosive plays on offense, and the defense is still overrated. Tennessee still can run the ball, but the Titans' run to the AFC title game last year felt a little bit like a fluke. The Chargers could make a little bit of a comeback from last year's disappointment, but they are at best a wild-card team.
It should be a wild race all the way through Week 17. And that's especially true when you add in the variables due to the coronavirus.
The Steelers have a lot of opportunities to prove they belong with the contenders. They have a chance to show that last year was almost completely about the quarterback position and the organization isn't slipping. They, of course, have to play well as always, but they also should be able to rely on a conference field that isn't all that deep.
