Richard Janvrin: In AFC, Chiefs are Gonna be Hard to Beat — Again
Special to Sports News Highlights
(SNH) — The NFL offseason is in full swing with offseason training activities (OTAs), and we’re about a week away from the mandatory minicamp.
From there, in July, we have important events like the deadline for signing franchise tags and the supplemental draft, which shouldn’t happen again this year after no players were selected a year ago.
Pending injury, we have a relatively clear picture of each roster.
Below, we’ll navigate each seeding for the postseason following the 2024 regular season, focusing on the AFC. Let’s dive in.
AFC Playoff Picture
No. 1 Seed: Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs are coming off back-to-back Super Bowl titles. They’re poised to be the top team in the AFC after adding two key offensive weapons in Hollywood, Brown in free agency and Xavier Worthy in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Chiefs did lose a key player in La’Jarius Sneed, but they still have Trent McDuffie back there to help hold down one side of the field.
Last season, the Chiefs had minimal weapons, but the emergence of Rashee Rice proved to be just enough to get them over the hump for another Super Bowl title. Rice is likely facing suspension after numerous off-the-field incidents this offseason, but still, the Chiefs have Worthy, Brown, tight end Travis Kelce, and running back Isiah Pacheco.
They’re going to be tough to beat once again.
No. 2 Seed: New York Jets
This is a bold call, but the Jets hype is worth it.
Of course, Aaron Rodgers is in his 40s and coming off a torn Achilles, so this pick involves believing he’ll be okay and hold up.
Under that assumption, the Jets have one of the most talented teams in the NFL. Their offensive line now includes Tyron Smith, John Simpson, Joe Tippmann, Alijah Vera-Tucker, and Morgan Moses. They also drafted one of the best pass-blocking linemen, Olu Fashanu.
Offensively, the Jets have a trio of wide receivers, including Garrett Wilson, Mike Williams, and rookie Malachi Corley.
Like Rodgers, the health of Williams and Smith are important, but should Smith go down, they have Fashanu.
The Jets drafted with the intent of making life easier for Rodgers. They took the offensive lineman, a slot receiver reminiscent of Randall Cobb, and two running backs, Braelon Allen out of Wisconsin and Isaiah Davis out of South Dakota State, to assist Breece Hall and provide easier outlet passes for Rodgers.
This team is built to win right now.
No. 3 Seed: Baltimore Ravens
We went back and forth here with the Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals winning the AFC North but opted for Baltimore due to the additions in the draft.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson slimmed down this offseason, and he should be more elusive than ever. To help with that, the Ravens drafted offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten. In the first round, they took cornerback Nate Wiggins to help out a cornerback room with Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Stephens.
One loss that could hit hard is Odell Beckham Jr., but the Ravens are hoping for Zay Flowers to take another step forward and for Rashod Bateman to be a more contributing member after his contract extension. Also, they took Devontez Walker out of North Carolina, who should have been a valuable deep threat.
The Ravens will continue to win high-profile games.
No. 4 Seed: Houston Texans
The Texans will be mainstays in the AFC South for years after their dominant performance last season with a rookie quarterback and second-year head coach.
Coming off a season where they won a playoff game, the Texans got even better this offseason. They added Blake Fisher and LaDarius Henderson, two depth linemen in the draft, and took Kamari Lassiter, who will likely be their starting nickelback. They didn’t have a first-round pick after some offseason dealings, but they did bring in Stefon Diggs to overhaul the wide receiving depth. Now, at full health, their starting trio is Nico Collins, Tank Dell, and Diggs.
And, oh yeah, they signed Joe Mixon as the starting running back and brought Danielle Hunter to play off the edge. This team is loaded.
No. 5 Seed: Cincinnati Bengals
There are still some question marks about quarterback Joe Burrow’s wrist, so we have them getting into the postseason as a No. 5 seed. However, we could see this spot flipped with the Ravens and the Bengals winning the division.
Despite the offseason rumblings, the Bengals still have Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but they did lose Tyler Boyd. They took a potential replacement, Jermaine Burton, out of Alabama in the draft. He should have the opportunity to contribute almost right away.
The offensive line also got an upgrade with Amarius Mims going in the first round, and he’ll be an immediate option to fill in for any injuries.
The running back depth is slightly questionable with Zack Moss and Chase Brown, but Moss was a consistent option for the Indianapolis Colts last season with Jonathan Taylor out, and Brown showed some upside as a rookie.
No. 6 Seed: Buffalo Bills
The Bills are likely due to take a bit of a tumble this season, but they’re still a playoff team with Josh Allen at the helm.
The team saw notable players like safety Jordan Poyer, center Mitch Morse, and wide receivers Gabe Davis and Stefon Diggs walk out the door, but they also made enough acquisitions to where it’s not as bad as it seems.
The wide receiver room consists of Curtis Samuel, a free agent pickup, Khalil Shakir, an asset who came on late last year and should be highly productive, and rookie Keon Coleman, their first pick in the draft. They also signed additional weapons in Mack Hollins, Chase Claypool, KJ Hamler, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Some other key draft picks include Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, who will serve as a backup interior offensive lineman, and Cole Bishop, a safety out of Utah who might be a starter for them.
It may seem bad in Buffalo, but they’ll make the postseason.
No. 7 Seed: Miami Dolphins
There are some other exciting potential playoff teams like the Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, or even Los Angeles Chargers, but the Dolphins are still the Dolphins with offensive firepower, unlike most teams.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is coming off an excellent season, and his two top weapons, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, are both under expensive contracts. It remains to be seen how that’ll impact the team long-term, but for the immediate future, they’ll be tough to stop.
On top of that, they brought in Beckham Jr. to help give them a bonafide No. 3 option.
In the backfield, the Dolphins still have Raheem Mostert, who had over 20 touchdowns last season, but he’ll likely take a backseat as he ages to breakout rookie from a year ago, De’Von Achane, and another rookie this year in the speedy Jaylen Wright.
This team is going back incredibly fast, and teams just won’t have what it takes to slow it down.
The offensive line is certainly somewhat of a concern, with Terron Armstead seemingly always injured, but they did take Patrick Paul out of UCLA as insurance.
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