AFC Power Rankings

tims4wins

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Because a) I'm bored and b) I don't care about the NFC

Tier 1 - likely division winners, one of these will be the bye team
1) KC
2) BAL
Tier 2 - teams that will contend for their divisions, good chances of being a playoff team
3) BUF
4) TEN
5) PIT
6) NE
7) HOU
Tier 3 - chance of being a wild card team
8) DEN
9) LAC
10) LVR (what is the appropriate abbreviation for the Raiders?)
11) IND
Tier 4 - see you in 2021
12) MIA
13) JAX
14) CLE
15) NYJ
16) CIN

I think you could make an argument to move most teams within each tier. Any teams in the wrong tier?
 

TFisNEXT

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On the ticker yesterday I saw "LV" as the abbreviation for the Raiders.
 

cshea

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I know they had a stinker on Sunday, but I'd probably move Indy up. I'd take Rivers over Lock, Taylor and Carr right ahead of them.
 

tims4wins

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I know they had a stinker on Sunday, but I'd probably move Indy up. I'd take Rivers over Lock, Taylor and Carr right ahead of them.
In Rivers' last 13 games he has thrown 20 picks. In Carr's last 17 games, he has thrown 8. Taylor also protects the ball much better. Rivers makes way too many mistakes IMO.
 

54thMA

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I think you could make an argument to move most teams within each tier. Any teams in the wrong tier?
it's obviously very early, but you've got two elite teams and then a bunch of six of one/half dozen of the other teams behind them.

One of those two elite teams will end up playing on wildcard weekend under the new playoff format with seven teams now getting in.
 

tims4wins

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it's obviously very early, but you've got two elite teams and then a bunch of six of one/half dozen of the other teams behind them.

One of those two elite teams will end up playing on wildcard weekend under the new playoff format with seven teams now getting in.
Agreed - I think one of KC/BAL gets the bye, and the other (likely) destroys the 7th seed on WC weekend.

And I think your term six of one / half dozen of the other is a pretty accurate assessment of that second tier in the AFC. All with strengths, all with weaknesses.
 

cshea

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In Rivers' last 13 games he has thrown 20 picks. In Carr's last 17 games, he has thrown 8. Taylor also protects the ball much better. Rivers makes way too many mistakes IMO.
Yeah, that's fair. I didn't realize Rivers was that bad last season. I still think that tier is a bit of a muddled mess and maybe Reich coaxes something out of Rivers and they end up a WC team.
 

54thMA

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Agreed - I think one of KC/BAL gets the bye, and the other (likely) destroys the 7th seed on WC weekend.

And I think your term six of one / half dozen of the other is a pretty accurate assessment of that second tier in the AFC. All with strengths, all with weaknesses.
It's the wrong year to add another playoff team, the conference is pretty weak overall.

Curran has the Steelers going to the Super Bowl BTW; what do you think of that prediction?
 

tims4wins

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It's the wrong year to add another playoff team, the conference is pretty weak overall.

Curran has the Steelers going to the Super Bowl BTW; what do you think of that prediction?
I think there's no way the Steelers win multiple road playoff games, whether or not there are fans in the stands.
 

54thMA

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I think there's no way the Steelers win multiple road playoff games, whether or not there are fans in the stands.
I don't know how he came up with that pick other than to be contrarian and not pick either of the obvious choices.

A strange pick by him IMO.
 

Gunfighter 09

wants to be caribou ken
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1.KC - The Champs
2.Bal- Probably better, but not the champs
3.Pitt- the defense is nasty and Big Ben looks at least 2018 good.
4.Tenn- They'll find a kicker
5.Buff- LB injuries are worrisome, but that offense looks much better
6.NE- Cant imagine them any lower than this, we'll know much more after Sunday
7.LV- They're quite a bit better than the other two teams that won. Good offense that needs the defense to be average.
8.LAC- They lost. That wasn't OPI.
9.Jax- They're undefeated
10.Den- The no Von Miller defense looked much better than I expected
11.Hou- We cant judge them until week 3, after KC & Baltimore beat them up
12.Cle- Baker is just bad
13.Indy- Rivers is worst. The reason he looked cooked last year is because he is.
14.Miami- Am I alone in questioning their rebuilding progress so far?
15. Cincy- I like Burrow. He is going to be real good, but that O line is not good.
16.Jets- Tirefire.
 

TFisNEXT

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I don't know how he came up with that pick other than to be contrarian and not pick either of the obvious choices.

A strange pick by him IMO.
If one actually believes that Roethlisberger is back to pre-injury form (or very close to it) and buys that PIT is an elite defense, you could sort of see it. Still hard to picture them beating KC or BAL on the road though.
 

54thMA

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If one actually believes that Roethlisberger is back to pre-injury form (or very close to it) and buys that PIT is an elite defense, you could sort of see it. Still hard to picture them beating KC or BAL on the road though.
In your opinion, do they have an elite defense and how do you think they stack up vs the Chiefs or the Ravens offense?

How do you think their offense would fare vs either the Chiefs or the Ravens defense?
 

SMU_Sox

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Tier 1 - Likeliest contenders for AFC Crown
1) BAL- think they are the most complete squad in the AFC and Lamar's passing looks even better this year. If Happy masters putting...
2) KC - I know they are the champs but they have some issues at OL and front 7. Also this is more like a 1a and 1b situation
Tier 2 - Competing for the division or a WC
3) PIT - sensational defense, OL is hurt but good, and good skilled position players
4) TEN - well balanced team, good coaching.
5) IND - I am not ready to give up on them - think they have a solid roster as well.
6) NE - Long way to go in the passing game BUT have a good defense, OL, running game, and QB. Like the young guns. I thought they would look a lot worse and thought Miami would look a lot better.
7) BUF - Think they are overrated AF because I am not sold on Allen. Guy is inaccurate at every level of the field. Obviously good defense. Good skilled position players but Allen is a liability.
Tier 3 - chance of being a wild card team but mediocre.
8) LV - Love their offense but have questions about Carr against pressure as well as their defense.
9) HOU - OL looks like crap, Cooks is a shadow of his former self, and their defense has holes all over the roster. It's up to Watson.
10) DEN - They are a young team but have a lot of talented players. Need good coaching to get them to play to the best of their collective abilities.
11) LAC - They have a good defense and skilled position players but Tyrod Taylor is not a great option for them. Is it Herbert time yet?
Tier 4 - Not in contention... for now
12) MIA - Thought they would look a ton better. So much pre-season hype and they laid that turd.
13) JAX - Week 1 was a fluke. This team isn't talented.
14) NYJ - Lack of talent and shitty coaching
15) CIN - Not crazy about coaching and a very young roster with holes on the OL and defense.
16) CLE - A train wreck as usual.
 

luckiestman

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Most are posting similar list and the only place I would zag is on Pit and Buf. I did not think Pitt looked that good and the Bills looked seriously fast. Sure the Jets suck but Buff could have won that game 50-0
 

TFisNEXT

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In your opinion, do they have an elite defense and how do you think they stack up vs the Chiefs or the Ravens offense?

How do you think their offense would fare vs either the Chiefs or the Ravens defense?
I think their defense is elite.

They were pretty solid against the Ravens once last year holding them to 277 total yards and losing in OT. The 2nd time around they got run over allowing over 200 yards on the ground.

Hard to say how well they would hold down the Chiefs.

The offense has potential to be very good if Roethlisberger is healthy. Still a big IF there but he looked pretty good in week 1...esp considering any rust he may have had.

I personally don’t think they can keep pace with those other two top tier teams but I could see how if someone was convinced that Big Ben was back to pre-injury form and that the defense took it one step further then last year’s excellent unit, then they could hang with the big dogs.
 

54thMA

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I think their defense is elite.

They were pretty solid against the Ravens once last year holding them to 277 total yards and losing in OT. The 2nd time around they got run over allowing over 200 yards on the ground.

Hard to say how well they would hold down the Chiefs.

The offense has potential to be very good if Roethlisberger is healthy. Still a big IF there but he looked pretty good in week 1...esp considering any rust he may have had.

I personally don’t think they can keep pace with those other two top tier teams but I could see how if someone was convinced that Big Ben was back to pre-injury form and that the defense took it one step further then last year’s excellent unit, then they could hang with the big dogs.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts................
 

j-man

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Dec 19, 2012
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Arkansas
1 KC
2 BALT

Tier B
3 Pitt
4 Buff/ne
6 tenn

Tier c
7 LV
8 LAC
9 HOU
10 DEN

TIER D
11 JAX
12 CINY
13 MIA
14 INDY
15 CLE
16 NYJ
 

j-man

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Dec 19, 2012
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why i have pitt 3rd they have the best def or 2nd best def in the NFL on ben he is still the 4th best QB in the AFC pitt sch sits up for a 4-0 start

buffalo and ne are even they have to cut cam rushing attempts or sitham will start by week 8

tenn will win the afc south but 3rd is a high as they can go

vegas LAC HOU and denver will battle for that last spot denver will most likely start 2-5 and go 8-8 but i have to think wouild the best long term play for denver is to go 3-13 get the 1 or 2 pick trade lock for a 2'3'5 put lawernce jerdy sutton fant hamler with eric briemy KC OC and go really head to head with KC
 

CoffeeNerdness

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Last night, Pittsburgh lost their starting right tackle for the season and their fill-in RG tore their pec. Bad injury luck on the OL could really cap their upside.
 

Ale Xander

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Oct 31, 2013
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1.KC
2. NE
3. BAL
4. TENN


5. PITT
6. BUFF

7. LV
8. HOU
9. LAC


10. DEN
11. CLE
12. MIA
13. JAX
14. INDY


15. CIN
16. NYJ
 

mauf

Anderson Cooper × Mr. Rogers
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14.Miami- Am I alone in questioning their rebuilding progress so far?
Expectations were too high.

Tanking is usually not a good strategy in the NFL, but the Dolphins’ situation was so bad heading into last year that they embraced it as the least-bad option. Flores had a great first year, which transformed what was supposed to be a historically bad squad into merely a garden-variety bad team — 5-11 record, with a point differential suggesting they were a tick worse than that record (though I realize a few September blowouts skewed the differential). And while they were right to draft Tua as their QB of the future, I think we’d all agree he’s unlikely to contribute much this season; if he sees the field at all, he probably won’t be better than Fitzmagic.

I was expecting 6 or 7 wins. What we saw on Sunday was consistent with that — they lost decisively but not embarrassingly on the road to
a team that Vegas thinks will go 9-7 or thereabouts.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
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Looking forward to putting some thought into this and revising my rankings later today.
After the Sunday night game, I hope that you bump New England UP in your rankings, not down. Of course I'd prefer they had won, but that game actually really encouraged me about this team moving forward. I think they're better than I originally estimated.
 

tims4wins

PN23's replacement
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After the Sunday night game, I hope that you bump New England UP in your rankings, not down. Of course I'd prefer they had won, but that game actually really encouraged me about this team moving forward. I think they're better than I originally estimated.
While I understand your point, I’m not sure I can say they are better than BAL, KC, PIT, TEN, or BUF. And then there’s the better than expected Raiders.
 

Super Nomario

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After the Sunday night game, I hope that you bump New England UP in your rankings, not down. Of course I'd prefer they had won, but that game actually really encouraged me about this team moving forward. I think they're better than I originally estimated.
Personally, I'm a little higher on the pass game than I was after Week 1, but significantly lower on the run game and defense. They got manhandled at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. So I think it's basically a wash.
 

Ale Xander

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Oct 31, 2013
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1) KC
2) BAL


3) PIT
4) TEN
5) BUF
6) NE


7) VEG
8) LAC
9) JAX

10) IND
11) CLE
12) DEN (without Miller)
13) MIA


14) HOU
15) CIN

16) J-E-T-S
 
Last edited:

BigSoxFan

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1) KC
2) BAL


3) PIT
4) TEN
5) BUF
6) NE


7) OAK
8) LAC
9) JAX

10) IND
11) CLE
12) DEN (without Miller)
13) MIA


14) HOU
15) CIN

16) J-E-T-S
This looks reasonable to me. The Pats game will determine if your OAK/NE ratings are on track. I also think BUF may force their way into the first group at some point given that Josh Allen may be making a leap.
 

tims4wins

PN23's replacement
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Because a) I'm bored and b) I don't care about the NFC

Tier 1 - likely division winners, one of these will be the bye team
1) KC
2) BAL
Tier 2 - teams that will contend for their divisions, good chances of being a playoff team
3) BUF
4) TEN
5) PIT
6) NE
7) HOU
Tier 3 - chance of being a wild card team
8) DEN
9) LAC
10) LVR (what is the appropriate abbreviation for the Raiders?)
11) IND
Tier 4 - see you in 2021
12) MIA
13) JAX
14) CLE
15) NYJ
16) CIN

I think you could make an argument to move most teams within each tier. Any teams in the wrong tier?
1) BAL (LW: 2) - most consistent team so far
2) KC (LW: 1) - still the champs

3) PIT (LW: 5) - better than expected so far
4) BUF (LW: 3) - Allen seems to have improved
5) TEN (LW: 4) - wins are wins
6) NE (LW: 6) - offense looked good, but defense was torched. Good matchup coming next weekend
7) LVR (LW: 10) - Carr very much in control so far

8) HOU (LW: 7) - toughest schedule so far, but it's a talented team
9) LAC (LW: 9) - it's tough to trust this team in close games. 1-1 feels right so far
10) IND (LW: 11) - Rivers is over the hill but there's decent supporting talent

11) DEN (LW: 8) - bad injury luck so far. They're only going to win 4-5 games but they're better than that
12) CLE (LW: 14) - more talent than the teams below them, but consistency is an issue
13) MIA (LW: 12) - competitive, but still a talent gap
14) JAX (LW: 13) - ditto
15) NYJ (LW: 15) - both a talent and coaching gap
16) CIN (LW: 16) - ditto
 

OurF'ingCity

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New York City
1. Baltimore
2. KC
3. Buffalo
4. New England
5. Pittsburgh
6. Tennessee
7. Las Vegas
8. LA Chargers
9. Houston
10. Indy
11. Cleveland
12. Miami
13. Denver
14. Jacksonville
15. Cincinnati
16. Jets
Not sure why the Bills should be ranked higher than the Pats since they’ve both played and beaten Miami (with the Pats win being arguably more convincing) and their other games are the Bills against the execrable Jets and the Patriots being a yard away from beating the team almost certain to be #1 if we were doing an NFC version of this thread.

Edit: but I agree it’s close.
 

RedOctober3829

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deep inside Guido territory
Not sure why the Bills should be ranked higher than the Pats since they’ve both played and beaten Miami (with the Pats win being arguably more convincing) and their other games are the Bills against the execrable Jets and the Patriots being a yard away from beating the team almost certain to be #1 if we were doing an NFC version of this thread.

Edit: but I agree it’s close.
Well, I think the Bills are better than the Patriots at this point so I put them ahead of the Pats.
 

RIrooter09

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1. KC
2. Bal
3. Pit
4. Buf
5. Ten
6. NE
7. Ind
8. LV
9. Cle
10. Hou
11. Den
12. LAC
13. NYJ
14. Jax
15. Mia
16. Cin
 

j-man

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Dec 19, 2012
3,646
Arkansas
thanks for giveing denver some love as i will explain in 3 weeks why denver couild take a leap in 2021

1 Balt most compete team
2 KC LAC showed the blueprint can other teams match
3 Buff only because of allen grown
3b or 4 NE sunday game is a must win for 2 or 3 seed hopes
5 TENN should win the south
6 PITT i overrated them last week had denver played just a littie better in haif 1 pitt chokes this game away
7 LV sorry i need to see more i dont like their def
8 JAX
9 LAC if they start hebert
10 Cie
11 den
12 indy
13 ciny
14 hou
15 mia
16 jets
 

johnmd20

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It's funny that the Browns are just so bad that they are getting rated below lousy teams like Denver, Houston, Indy, Jacksonville, and LAC. It is fair to say that it is difficult to have confidence putting them in the top 10, despite the fact that there are a bevy of bad teams in the AFC. And they have a lot of talent. But they also have Odell and he is a destroyer of teams.
 

NJ_Sox_Fan

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NJ
1. Ravens
2. KC
3. Pitt
4. Pats
5. Bills
6. Titans
7. Chargers
8. Texans
9. Raiders
10. Colts
11. Denver
12. Browns
13. Jags
14. Miami
15. Bengals
16. Jets
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
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Oct 1, 2015
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The teams with a legit chance to win the AFC:

1. KC - Defending champs with the best player.
2. Bal - Probably the best all-around team...good in every area.
3. NE - If Cam is healthy and the defense does it's job, NE could beat anyone.
4. Buf - Defense needs to play better, and Allen needs to avoid mistakes, but they could do it.
5. Ten - Came close last year and if Tannehill plays well, they've got a shot.
6. Pit - Excellent defense and Roethlisberger, while not what he was, does have two SB titles, so he knows how to get it done.

That's it. Everyone else is a pretender, IMO.