Three days to go until the last two Super Bowl champs meet up at Lambeau Field for the Opening Kickoff on Thursday night. Who cares about Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all of the other holidays, because it is officially the best time of the year with the College Football and the NFL seasons getting underway. There are some exciting story-lines heading into the 2011 season. Will Peyton Manning streak finally end at 208 consecutive starts? (227 if you include the playoffs.) Will Chris Johnson be able to stay healthy after holding out until two weeks until week one? What young team will make a run to the playoffs? Can Bill Belicheck get the careers of Chad Ochocinco and Albert Haynesworth back to relevancy? What rookies will make impacts for their teams? This is just a small percentage of all of the big story-lines heading into the 2011 season. We will take a look at the AFC this week, and next week before Opening Night we will take a look at what to expect from the NFC. All of these questions will be answered as we preview and predict each division in the AFC. Lets start this off by beginning with the AFC West.
AFC WEST
Last year the Kansas City Chiefs shocked everybody by winning the AFC West. They have a ton of talented young players, but the San Diego Chargers handed them the West. The Chargers became the first team in NFL history to lead the NFL in total offense and total defense and not make the playoffs. Special teams for the Chargers were pathetic last year, and it single handily cost them three games. I see the AFC West coming down to the Chargers and the Chiefs this year. The Raiders have some talented young players but the loss of Nnamdi Asomugha will hurt their defense tremendously. Also, Jason Campbell is not the guy to lead the Raiders back to the post-season. It has been nine straight years since the Raiders have made it to the playoffs. Things are looking up for the Raiders down the road, but they are still a couple years away. They have some very talented young wide receivers to pay attention to in Jacoby Ford, Louis Murphy, and Denarious Moore. However, they do not have a quarterback they can depend on, so it will be another tough year for Raider Nation. Don't expect the Raiders to run the table in the AFC West again this year, and 8-8 would be another good year for Oakland. The Denver Broncos will be a mess this year. The whole Tim Tebow and Kyle Orton situation will be a distraction for a team that has way more issues than just their quarterback situation. The addition of Von Miller will be a bright spot for Denver, but that very well could be the only one. They are hoping Elvis Dumerville can stay healthy this year after missing all of the 2010 season. Dumerville and Miller will be a nice tandem down the road for the Broncos, but they have a ton of other issues on the defensive side. I see Denver winning seven games at best this year. This brings us back to the Chargers and Chiefs. Kansas City has a lot of good young players, but I see Phillip Rivers leading the Chargers back to the postseason in 2011. Rivers led the NFL in passing last year, and that was with Antonio Gates, Vincent Jackson, and Malcom Floyd only being on the field together for only one quarter. Rivers will be one of the leading candidates for MVP this year. Their defense should be amongst one of the better defenses in the league again this year. They replaced Special Teams Coach Steve Crosby with Rich Bisaccia, which should help fans quickly forget about all of the special team woes in 2010. Bisaccia was with the Buccaneers as their special teams coordinator for the past nine years, definitely a good hire by the Chargers.
AFC NORTH
The AFC North has the best rivalry currently in the NFL. When the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers play each other you better have your popcorn ready. Last year, they played in three epic games, all of them close. The Ravens still have that awful taste in their mouth after blowing a 21-7 halftime lead in the AFC Divisional game in Pittsburgh. Before we get into the discussion about the two top teams in the North, lets discuss the two bottom teams briefly. If you are a Bengals fan I feel sorry for you this year. Andy Dalton is not the answer. I expect AJ Green to have a good rookie season, but it might be hard with a rookie quarterback trying to get him the rock. Expect the Bengals to lock up the number one pick going into the 2012 NFL draft. (Andrew Luck heading to Cincy!) The Cleveland Browns are still a couple years away from being relevant, and that is if Colt McCoy is the answer. He has looked stellar in the pre-season, but it is just the pre-season. They have some good young talent, and also with Mike Holmgren in charge, things are finally heading in the right direction. I expect both the Ravens and the Steelers to be in the playoffs this year. It always seems like the Steelers find a way to win the North, and I do not see that changing this year. Joe Flacco has never beaten Big Ben in his young career yet. I still expect the Ravens to be a scary team in the playoffs with the additions of Ricky Williams and Lee Evans to the offense. Their defense will always be amongst the best with Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, and Haloti Ngata on the field together. The Steelers are a very talented team and they will try come into this season hungry after losing to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV. Expect the Steelers to do what they do best, run the ball, and hit you in the mouth on defense. They might have the best defense in football, and also have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Everyone talks about Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees, but I think when you mention these quarterbacks you have to mention Big Ben. He is a proven winner and has made big time plays in his career. The Steelers have a well balanced attack on offense, with Rashard Mendenhall running the ball, and Mike Wallace on the outside. Also, Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown have looked good this pre-season. And, we can not forget about Heath Miller and Hines Ward who have proven to be great chain movers. Pittsburgh will be battling for the number one seed in the AFC this year.
AFC SOUTH
This division has a lot of question marks about it. Will Peyton Manning's streak at 208 consecutive regular season starts come to an end? Can the Texans finally find a way to get into the playoffs? Will Chris Johnson be able to stay healthy after holding out for so long? Regarding Peyton Manning, I expect him to be behind center before week three for the Colts. Personally, I think the Texans will go 9-7 this year, but miss out on the playoffs once again. The Jaguars shocked a lot of people by battling the Colts for the AFC South last year, but I do not see that happening this year. Sorry Tennessee Titan fans, Matt Hasselbeck is not the answer. I see a struggle for the Titans this year. This division will come down to the Texans and the Colts. Until I see Peyton Manning not make the playoffs, I am not going to bet against him. Especially, with Houston always finding a way to miss the playoffs. I do love the additions made to their secondary in the off-season. Jonathon Joseph and Daniel Manning were big acquisitions to a weak secondary. Also, drafting JJ Watts, with their first round selection out of Wisconsin, was a great pick for their front seven. Brooks Reed, their second round pick from Arizona, might end up being like one of Brian Cushing's teammates when he was at USC (Clay Mathews). Wade Phillips was an outstanding hire for a weak defense in the past few years. Wade Phillips has proven himself to be one of the best defense coordinators in football, it is easy for him when he just has to focus on the defensive side of the ball. The Texans did all the right things in the offseason, but it will matter what they do on Sundays. The Texans also have a very explosive offense with Matt Schaub, Arian Foster, and Andre Johnson. However, the Colts' have made the playoffs nine straight years and it will be 10 after this year. The Colts' skill position players are healthy heading into 2011 so that is a good sign for the Colts' offense. But, if Peyton Manning can not stay healthy the door is wide open for the Texans, and their might be a problem in Indy.
AFC EAST
Things are not looking great for fans out in Miami and Buffalo, but if you are a Jets' fan or Patriots' fan you are juiced for this season. This very well could be Tony Sparano's last year as the Miami Head Coach after they tried to give Jim Harbaugh seven million last year, while Sparano was still under contract. They are hoping Reggie Bush can be the Reggie Bush he was back at USC. The Bills are making all the right moves into becoming a good team in the future. They have added some nice pieces on defense, especially selecting Marcell Dareus third overall. Dareus was a monster at Alabama, and could end up being in the running for 2011 Defensive Rookie of the Year. The Jets did not get Nnamdi Asomugha, but they did re-sign Antonio Cromartie to keep their secondary amongst the best. Also, the addition of Plaxico Burress will be a solid addition if he can stay healthy. He hasn't been on the football field for over two years so it might take him a few weeks to get comfortable. Also, Derrick Mason was a nice pick up because he has always been an excellent possession receiver during his career, and is a great third down receiver. If Shonn Greene can step up after a sub-par 2010 season, the Jets will be a scary team. The Patriots added a couple of veterans to an already talented team. It seems like Ochocinco is taking longer than expected to get use to his new team, and Albert Haynseworth has only been on the practice field a handful of times. However, New England won 14 games last year with a great quarterback, decent skill players, and a very young defense. Man, that Bill Belicheck is a pretty good coach. However, the Patriots have not won a playoff game since 2008, and Brady is only 3-3 in his last six playoff games. I think this will be the year the Jets find a way to win the AFC East. I still think the Jets and Patriots will both make the playoffs this year.
AFC PLAYOFF PREDICTION
1. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (12-4)
2. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (11-5)
3. NEW YORK JETS (11-5)
4. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (10-6)
5. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (10-6)
6. BALTIMORE RAVENS (10-6)
AFC WILD-CARD (Winner is high-lighted)
3. NEW YORK JETS vs 6. BALTIMORE RAVENS
4. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS vs 5. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
AFC DIVISIONAL ROUND
1. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS vs 6. BALTIMORE RAVENS
2. PITTSBURGH STEELERS vs 5. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP
2. PITTSBURGH STEELERS vs 6. BALTIMORE RAVENS
2011 AFC CHAMPIONS: BALTIMORE RAVENS
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