Goat Talk’s AFC 2021 Predictions
Goat Talk’s AFC 2021 Predictions
Finally we the public have made the journey to the time of year we all really have been waiting for. We finally won't have a Sunday without football until February. Yes we will have preseason games starting next Sunday. So that means one thing: it's time for predictions. These are not my final picks however. These are my picks before the preseason starts. My final picks will come out in the week before the Cowboys and defending Super Bowl Champions Buccaneers go head to head to start the season on September 9th. Not that my picks will change drastically or anything more like a safety net. Every year one major player is usually hurt for a significant amount of time or traded somewhere else before the season. We are factoring that in this time around. However the picks will mostly stay the same barring anything drastic happening. We will start first in the AFC today and get to NFC on Friday. For the ones that hate reading we will have a podcast to breakdown the picks. Get it? Got it? Good let’s get started.
AFC East
Bills 13-4
Dolphins 9-8
Patriots 8-9
Jets 2-15
The Bills to me are the clear cut favorite to win their 12th AFC East title. The Bills to me may be the second best team in the AFC and will challenge the Chiefs for that AFC crown. Josh Allen had a breakout season last year with 4,544 passing yards, 37 touchdown passes, while completing 69% of his passes. Allen will only get better. The Bills went 13-3 last year to win the division. Giving the Dolphins a game in Miami since they did get better would put the Bills at a similar position compared to last season. The Bills brought back LB Matt Milano who was a big piece to their defense last season. His leadership is needed as well as his play. Milano for the four years in Buffalo has racked up 30 TFLs, 21 passes defended, five interceptions, five fumble recoveries, and two forced fumbles. While also retaining nickel cornerback Levi Wallace for so cheap at 1.75 million. The Bills also brought in veteran wideout Emmual Sanders to give Josh Allen more weapons. However the Bills do lack tight ends and a running game. Josh Allen legs were the running game last season They brought in former Dolphin and 49er running back Matt Berida to go along with Devin Singletary but not much improvement at the position. They also still have questions at defensive tackle as teams were able to run the ball up the gut on the Bills all last season. They will get Star Lotulelei back who missed last season due to injury. However, not completely sure Lotuelei will be able to make up all that ground but he will help. The Bills are still well built in the secondary and through their linebackers. They just need to get more pressure on the quarterback to contend for the AFC title. Either way the Bills have a star quarterback, good weapons, good offensive line, a top 10 defense, and great head coach in Sean McDermott that will get them another division title. The Dolphins will be the Bills toughest test. A team that improves every year under head coach Brian Flores. The Dolphins made a run at the final Wildcard spot but the Colts edged them out with a 10-6 record. We have them winning one less game in Tua Tagovailoa first year as the starter. Last season Tagovailoa was the starter in and out based on in-game situations. Veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick started a lot of games and finished others. Fitzpatrick is in Washington now as the Dolphins fully commit to Tagovailoa. Coming off an injury Tagovailoa seemed to not have that “wow” factor like fellow draftees Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert had. Tagovailoa however will get his chance to shine. Personally, I was a believer in Tagovailoa, and don't plan on bailing now. Yes his receivers won’t be Alabama open but he has a year to adjust to speed of the game and his weapons have improved. The Dolphins already had Davante Parker and underrated tight end Mike Gesicki who may be a top 5 tight end in the league by the end of season. They added deep threat Will Fuller and drafted who I think was the best wide receiver in the draft Jaylen Waddle. Someone who Tagovailoa threw to while at Alabama. Running back Myles Gaskin will have a better year than his somewhat breakout year last season taking pressure off Tagovailoa. The Dolphins secondary is very good with Bryon Jones and Xavien Howard. They have problems with Howard who led the league in interceptions last year at the moment but we will assume he is there for now. However they did get rid of veteran leader Kyle Van Noy who returned to New England. Their defensive line is not good; it is ranked 28th by PFF coming into 2021. The Dolphins struggled to pressure the quarterback last season and are hoping rookie Jaelen Phillps can help change that. The Dolphins have improved but not greatly so they will sit second once again in the AFC East. Now the bully of the AFC East for nearly twenty years the New England Patriots. After going 7-9 in 2020 the first year without Tom Brady the Patriots will improve by one win in 2021 in my predictions. Cam Newton is still the starter even after the Patriots drafted Mac Jones in the first round. Newton knows 2021 will be his final year as a starter in New England and will need to show out to be a starter again. The Patriots had eleven starters sit out last season and Newton got covid even with all that Bill Belichick still figured out how to go 7-9. New England went spending in free agency for the first time in a long time. Their linebacking crew and defensive line were big problems last season. They brought in Matthew Judon, Kyle Van Noy, Davon Godchaux, Henry Anderson, Montravius Adams, Christian Barmore and Ronnie Perkins to help improve the defense. They also spent money on the offensive side of the ball with tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith signing contracts. Also bringing in wideouts Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor giving Newton weapons. The Patriots have always ran the ball well and bringing back Trent Brown to the offensive line will only give more space for their backs and Newton. Belichick’s team has definitely improved and wouldn’t be shocked if they do better than my prediction. Now the easiest to describe and last place once again the Jets. The Jets traded away Sam Darnold during the offseason so they could draft a new franchise quarterback Zach Wilson out of BYU with their second overall pick in the 2021 draft. To me Darnold was just fine but we get he was due for pay with no real team around him so just better to reset the clock. The Jets fired head coach Adam Gase and brought in 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh who was a great pickup in my opinion.The Jets won two games last season and we see them doing similar in 2021. Not because they haven't improved but so has everyone else. One bright spot last season for the Jets was the defensive line behind Quienton Williams, Folorunso Fatukasi, and John Franklin-Meyers. The Jets defense did very well at stopping the run last season. If CJ Mosley and his linebackers as well as the secondary can improve the Jets can have a top 15 defense. Nonetheless that doesn't change the fact they have a rookie quarterback with no offensive linen besides tackle Mekhi Becton. Wilson will be running like a mad man in the backfield in the 2021-2022 season. With no real running game and no time to get the ball to new addition Corey Davis and rookie Elijah Moore. The Jets have a young team on the offensive side and in an offensive NFL it’s hard to see them winning a good amount of games. The AFC East will stay the same compared to 2020.
AFC North
Ravens 13-4
Browns 12-5
Steelers 9-8
Bengals 3-14
Now the always competitive AFC North and only getting more competitive. Doing the win loss with schedules the Ravens seem to be my pick to win the division and edge out the Browns in a very competitive battle. 2021 will be the last year of Lamar Jackson's rookie contract; he will be paid during the season or during the offseason. Baltimore went 11-5 in 2020 which gave them a Wildcard spot. The Ravens will improve by two wins in 2021. During last season's struggles Jackson complained about being too predictable on offense. Working with offensive coordinator Greg Roman the team improved as the season went on. The offense is clearly run through the 2019 MVP Lamar Jackson. His ability to run is matched by none at the quarterback position. With his accuracy improving Jackson is only getting better. Running back JK Dobbins gets another year. We expect him to improve as well which will open up the option even more than his rookie year. The offensive line was hurt last year falling to 23rd in the league after tackle Robert Stanley missed the year with injury. Even trading Orlando Brown Jr the team still ranks 13th at offensive line according to PFF. The addition of Alejandro Villanueva to replace Brown who has been one of the most consistent offensive lineman in the league. However he may take time to adjust from going from left tackle to right tackle. The Ravens struggled with the interior of the offensive line but with the addition of Kevin Zeiter who has been one of the best run/pass blockers in the league for over five years except Jackson to get more time. The addition of wideout Sammy Watkins next to Marquise Brown, and elite tight end Mark Andrews that will give Jackson more passing lanes and makes the danger of him breaking off a big run even bigger with the extra attention opposing teams will give to his weapons. The Ravens defense is in question, especially the defensive line with the departure of Yannick Ngakoue and Matthew Judon. Even with them gone however the line of Calais Campell, Brandon Williams, and Derek Wolfe did swell at stopping the run. The Ravens will need to use their four linebackers to cause pressure in the pocket. The secondary is ranked second by PFF with ball hawk Marcus Peters leading it. The Ravens and Browns will fight till the end but right now take Jackson over Mayfield. That doesn’t mean the Browns are not an elite AFC team. They'll probably be the first Wildcard in the AFC if they don’t win the division. This is not your dad’s Browns. This will also be Baker Mayfield last year on his rookie contract he will need to show out to get paid which except him too. He has the team around him to do so. They have the top ranked offensive line which is the number one key to win the NFL. Behind that line Mayfield will have all day to deliver the ball to Jarvis Landry, returning Odell Beckham which I am not sure if that's a good or bad thing yet. Mayfield has three very good tight ends with Austin Hooper, Harrison Braynt, and David Njoku. Didn't even mention the running game with Nick Chubb and Kareen Hunt which may be the best backfield in football. The Browns' Achilles heel last season was their secondary; they brought some new players next to Denzel Ward to improve. The secondary will not have to cover long with a defensive line put together by a top 3 rusher in Myles Garrett, and he will be alongside Malik Jackson, and Jadeveon Clowney in the trenches. The question is Mayfield for the Browns. We are believers in Mayfield over here at Goat Talk. Mayfield will play well enough to get paid and make the Browns a top 5 team in the AFC. The defending division champions Pittsburgh Steelers will take a step back in 2021 after that terrible playoff loss to the Browns in 2020. Which was the last of their five game losing streak after starting out 12-0. 2021 will be Ben Roethlisberger's last season as many expected. Big Ben has been the starter for Pittsburgh since 2004. Pittsburgh will give him one last ride before going towards the future. The Steelers are still an above .500 team to me. Yes the injury prone Big Ben scares me behind that 31st rank offensive line by PFF. The line is a big concern for me especially in a division with the Browns and Ravens who will cause a lot of problems for offenses. Especially one like the Steelers with immobile an quarterback on the other side of that line. They drafted running back Najee Harris out of Alabama with their first round pick. Which to me was a great pick. Harris will take away from Big Ben getting hit but running back is already a grueling position. Hope Harris doesn’t take all the hits they’ll have to give the ball to back up Blake Snell Jr, and we don’t know how well that will go. A bad offensive line will also give Big Ben little time to get the ball to his playmakers such as JuJu Smith-Schuster, Clay Claypool, James Washington, and Eric Ebron. It’s the offense with the Steelers that there are just too many questions for me. Their defense with Mike Tomlin as coach will always be one of the best in the league. According to PFF they have the defensive line in the league. Yes the Steelers will have problems getting the ball off but so will opposing teams. A defense led by TJ Watt who may be the pass rusher in the league will always cause pressure. Watt in himself is hard to contain. He takes away a lot of attention from others such as Stephon Tuitt, Cameron Hayward, and Devin Bush. Their secondary ranks 13th according to PFF. That secondary will look a lot better with the pressure from the front. They will not have to defend as long as others. The Steelers are a dark horse in the division. They just have too many questions at the offensive line for me to be confident in picking them ahead of the Browns and Ravens. Since the offensive line is what a great team always has and usually the difference in close games. However the Steelers can win ugly with their defense in most games, Mike Tomlin seems to always figure something out. Now the Bengals three wins may be a little short. They could definitely win six or seven games in Joe Burrow's second year but their schedule is tough. Burrow is also coming off an ACL tear behind a bad offensive line. We don’t really know if Zac Taylor is a good head coach. Joe Mixon could be a top 10 running back but a little too inconsistent for me. The Bengals drafted wide receiver Jamar Chase instead of an offensive lineman with their third overall pick. Which yes Chase is very good and he knows Burrow from LSU but if you have no time it doesn’t really matter how open you are sometimes in the NFL. Left tackle Jonah Williams was their best lineman last year and only ranked 12th in pass protection. The O-line was terrible last season. The Bengals did try a lot to improve the offensive line bringing in veteran tackle Riley Reiff who fits in their zone heavy rushing attack. They drafted Jackson Carman in the second round. Some scouts thought Carman could be a first round talent. They used their fourth round pick on D’Ante Smith and sixth round pick on Trey Hill. Two more offensive lineman to show Burrow they care. The line was so bad last year the Bengals might improve a tad but throwing in some rookies and one veteran doesn’t solve the problem. Especially a second year quarterback who’s coming off an ACL tear after being hit too much. That’s just the offensive side we didn’t even get to the defense yet. The Bengals have no pass rush ranking in the bottom 25 in defensive line and linebacker crew. Geno Atkins is gone so don’t see things getting better since the Bengals spent so much time on that offensive line during the offseason. The secondary is not bad; it ranks 15th according to PFF. However they have to cover for too long against the best athletes on the planet with no real rush. The secondary may have to work as well if runners get by the bad front of the Bengals. The Bengals still have so many questions that's why when looking at their schedule it’s hard to be confident the win total increases. The AFC North will be a dog fight all season long, maybe the best division in football behind the NFC West.
AFC West
Chiefs 15-2
Chargers 11-6
Raiders 7-10
Broncos 6-11
The AFC as a conference isn't better than the NFC in my opinion but the AFC does have the best team in my opinion. Yes the Kansas City Chiefs led by Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes are the best team to me coming into 2021. The Buccaneers are the defending champions after torching the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. However a lot of that beating can be blamed on the injuries the Chiefs suffered on the offensive line. The Chiefs have drastically improved at the front that protects Patty Mahomes. According to PFF the offensive line is now ranked 7th in the league. They were 11th last season before the injuries. With the injuries the Chiefs don’t even rank inside the top 20. They let go of veteran Eric Fisher but replaced him with Ravens tackle Orlando Brown Jr who improved every year. Then they brought in Joe Thuney and Austin Blythe who both ranked in the top 10 in guard and center play in the last three seasons. They added depth through the draft with their fourth and sixth round picks. The Chiefs did a lot to show Mahomes they care about his protection. The better protection will hopefully also help second year running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The Chiefs used their 2020 first round pick on Edwards but after a disappointing rookie campaign some wondered if the Chiefs would look for more running back help. They’ve decided to stick with Edwards and if he gets going behind the line with Mahomes dishing the rock they may be unstoppable. Yes the offense lost a weapon with Sammy Watkins going to the Ravens, but to be honest don't really think that Mahomes needs a lot to produce. Mahomes still has the cheetah Tyreek Hill to throw to, Demarcus Robinson is a good option, and Travis Kelce is still probably the best tight end in the league. With Reid designing plays the Chiefs offense is just fine. What the Chiefs should be worried about is their defense. The Chiefs have the best safety with Tyrann Mathieu but outside that their defense is bottom tier. All three units on defense rank in the bottom 16 of the league. Chris Jones is still very good and worth his contract. Frank Clark on the other hand has declined since signing that 20 million per year deal. The Chiefs could struggle causing pressure which could make their 18th ranked secondary look much worse than the secondary actually is. Outside of Mathieu and L’Jarius Sneed the Chiefs secondary lacks consistent players which causes problems in shootouts. Which in this NFL is a problem since the game is more pro offense than the game ever has been. The linebacking crew ranks 23rd according to PFF and will help more in coverage than causing pressure.Chiefs second year linebacker William Gay Jr is a better coverage linebacker than pressure. They used a second round draft pick on Nick Bolton but he won’t solve their problems at causing pressure. The Chiefs are betting their offense is so overpowering the defense just needs to be good enough which to me in today's game will get them at least 15 wins. The team that will be competing the most with the Chiefs in the AFC West to me is the Chargers. LA will finish second according to my picks under new head coach Brandon Staley. 11-6 seems to be most realistic for these Chargers. They have a franchise quarterback with Justin Herbert who threw 33 touchdown passes last season which broke the rookie record. Which is more impressive considering all the dysfunction the Chargers had last season with no offensive line. The Chargers, just like their rival Chiefs, overhauled the line in the offseason. They drafted Rashawn Slater with their first round pick, who was looked at as top ten talent but fell all the way to the Chargers at 16. They signed Packers center Corey Linsley who is the best center in the league, and he joined former Packer tackle Bryan Bulaga who is very good when healthy. Matt Feiler and Oday Aboushi both came over in free agency to play the guard positions, and the Chargers drafted another lineman with their fifth round pick. Which ranks the line at 18th in the league before playing a snap together. The Chargers were near the bottom last season so a second longer Herbert gets to throw is dangerous. Running back Austin Ekeler is a very good running back that takes pressure off Herbert and with a little more space can cause problems for defenses like the Chiefs. The Chargers offense still has a top 10 receiver in Keenan Allen and major deep threat Mike Williams. They added veteran tight end Jared Cook to give Herbert a nice safe option. The Chargers can top the league as long as this offensive line clicks, and could go toe to toe with the Chiefs. However what gives the Chiefs the advantage is they have Mahomes and the Chargers don't. Yes the Charges have a tad better defense but not much. They have Joey Bosa on the defensive line who is two handfuls for even the best lineman. However, everyone else on the line is nowhere near Bosa making the job a little easier for opposing teams to stop Bosa with double teams and using a tight end or running back to help. The secondary is the 14th ranked unit in the NFL just like the Chiefs though they have a great safety with Derwin James. Besides James and an unhealthy Chris Harris Jr the Chargers don’t have a ton of playmakers. They drafted Asuante Samuel Jr to help the secondary but opposing teams with explosive offenses with the lack of pressure can and will cause many headaches for defensive head coach Brandon Staley. The Chargers to me are a year away still from being a serious contender to the Chiefs. Now for Jon Gruden’s Raiders. Personally I am a fan of Gruden and wish he could figure it out in Las Vegas. Just unfortunately for him he has Mahomes and Herbert in his division. Quarterback Derek Carr is not the problem at all, he is the solution. Carr’s numbers have improved every year. Josh Jacobs is on the road to be a top league running back, tight end Darrell Waller is top 5 at the position after posting a 1,000+ receiving yard season, the receiving core Henry Ruggs, Bryan Edwards, Hunter Renfrow, John Brown, and William Sneed IV is one of the best in the league. The Raiders have plenty of weapons and a guy who can get those weapons the rock. The problem for the Raiders is the offensive line which as we discussed worries me terribly. Trading tackle Trent Brown back to New England was a very shocking and bad move in my opinion. They also traded away center Rodney Hudson which left a battle between two veterans for the starting role. They’ll have the surprise first round pick Alex Leatherwood start at tackle which is another project. In fairness starting left tackle Kolton Miller has gotten better ever since his rookie year and starting veteran guard Richie Incognito seems to be ageless.The Raiders defense just as their division rivals have a not so good defense. Both their secondary and defensive line rank in the bottom 25 of the league. Which is not good when you have Mahomes and Herbert in your division, if you can't cause pressure and your corners can't cover for long you can’t stop the Chargers and Chiefs offenses or really any NFL offense. Gruden will be going back to the drawing board because he does have a very high powered offense he is just missing almost everything else. The Broncos were the leading team to get Aaron Rodgers during the offseason but once it was clear he was staying in Green Bay the Broncos playoff hopes once again faded fast. The Broncos head coach Vic Fangio who is a defensive head coach in an offensive league leaving the quarterback situation a very big problem, but before we get there let’s talk Denver up. Their defense is by far the best in the division and an elite one in the league. They brought back always dangerous pass rusher Von Miller who next to Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell is a top five linebacking unit with their top ten defensive line will cause major problems for any offense. Especially ones in their division that struggle at the offensive line. That’s why it's hard to believe all three of these teams take both games against Denver. Also since their secondary is absolutely stacked with the safety combination of Justin Simmons and Kareen Jackson. That’s not where the names end with that coverage team with Kyle Fuller, Patrick Surtain II, and Ronald Darby. The Broncos secondary can cover for a while but won’t have to play the majority of the time. Denver will have to win close and ugly to be successful. Their offense is not great. They have good weapons with Noah Fant, Jerry Jeudy, KJ Halmer, Courtland Sutton, and Tim Patrick. Javonte Williams and Melvin Ingram III are an underrated running back duo. However just like the Raiders the Broncos offensive line stinks ranking 21st according to PFF. We don't know if Drew Lock or Teddy Bridgewater will be the starter and either way it’s hard to take any of them over Mahomes, Herbert, or Carr even with just a great defense. The Broncos offense will struggle just like the team will make other teams offenses struggle. They will be in all their games; they just won’t have the firepower on offense to win. The west is ran through Kansas City for another year but the Chiefs shouldn't get too comfortable
AFC South
Titans 9-8
Colts 8-9
Jags 4-13
Texans 3-14
Everyone does like to trash the NFC East for being the worst division in football but the AFC South in 2021 will give them a run. The Colts would be the clear winner if Carson Wentz and Quienton Nelson didn't need foot surgery. They will be out 5-12 weeks and the math is based on Wentz and Nelson out until week 8. So if they come back sooner the Colts will have a better chance in getting that win that will win them the division. Their schedule in those first 8 weeks is rough and hard to expect Jacob Eason to get the job done. The schedule lightens up when two key players come back giving the Colts a chance. The Titans however are good enough though to edge out the Colts. The Titans lost a good chunk of players from last year’s team that won them the division. They lost Corey Davis to the Jets but replaced him with Julio Jones which is an upgrade. Ryan Tannehill who can be argued a top 10 quarterback will have two very good receivers in Julio Jones and AJ Brown. You can only double team one leaving a very elite receiver with a one on one on the outside. With Tannehill’s ability to extend plays that is a lot of work for a secondary and we are only talking about three guys on the offense. They still have the league’s best running back Derrick Henry. Who ran for 2,000 yards last season being one of few running backs to ever accomplish that. The Titans also have a top 16 offensive line. They were the third best run blocking team last season so Henry will have lanes to run. However, they were the 25th ranked pass blocking team. Tannehill hopes that improves but his legs will give him more time to get the ball to the playmakers. My worry is not on the offensive side of the ball for the Titans, it's on the defensive side. Linebacker Jayon Brown is one of the only bright spots for that defense. Outside of Brown a lot of disappointment for the Titans. Former first round pick Rashaan Evans has not developed causing the Titans to draft a linebacker with their third round pick. The Titans struggled to cause pressure in the pocket last year ranking 29th in pass rush according to PFF. Tennessee signed Bud Dupree and Denico Autry to help with the pass rush but that is a lot to make up. Don’t expect the Titans to now be a top passing rushing unit. Except to improve at best to the 20th ranked pass rushing team.. Opposing teams will get time to throw and against a Titans secondary that ranks 21st in the league that makes calling defensive plays that much harder. The line can't cause pressure and a secondary that shouldn't be covering for long periods will have to at times. The Titans had a better line or secondary than they would be amongst the top tier of the AFC teams but for now they are division winners still but barely. They benefit greatly from the Wentz and Nelson injuries. The Colts will still be in the Wildcard running. The first 8 weeks they will only win one or two games with such a tough schedule but after that week 8 they will be teams that may be out of any running. The Titans won’t build a big enough lead to silence the Colts early. The Colts may bring back Philip Rivers which would make them a true contender again. The Colts would make the AFC title game with Wentz and Nelson. The Colts have a Super Bowl roster. The Colts with Jacob Eason at quarterback will have to win ugly and close. Jonathan Taylor and Marlon Mack are two great running backs to have. They can push the pile and make Eason’s job easier. With Nelson the Colts rank as the second best offensive line in the league. Without him the line is still probably top 10. They brought in LT Eric Fisher to replace Anthony Castonzo who retired due to injuries. That was a big loss but Fisher even coming off an achilles injury can replace Castonzo. Center Ryan Kelly and Right Tackle Braden Smith will be coming back who are some of the best at their positions. Eason will have time to get the ball to playmakers TY Hilton, Michael Pittman Jr, Zach Pascal, Parris Campbell, and Jack Doyle. Except the Colts to run heavy on first and second down to limit Eason’s mistakes. The Colts offense with Wentz, Nelson, and play calls by Frank Reich would be hard to stop but with Eason without Nelson the job becomes so much harder. The Colts defense is also very good. Led by linebacker Daruis Leonard who stops the run as well as anyone and is one of the league’s best linebackers. His linebacker crew is top 5 in the league that will cause problems for the run and the pass for opposing teams. The linebacking crew can make that defensive line look a lot better than it probably is. PFF ranks the Colts defensive line at 19th in the league. The Colts secondary is one of the better ones in the league. The team was the best defense for about 10-12 weeks last season. The defense is good and can keep games close when Eason is starting. However they are no Denver so it's hard to believe they can slow down the offenses they play early enough to get Eason to lead them to a multiple wins. Outside of the Colts and Titans the division is very weak and those two teams aren't super strong at the moment. The Jaguars will improve technically. They only won one game last season that's how they got generational talent QB Trevor Lawerence out of Clemson with their first overall pick. They fired head coach Doug Marrone and brought in former multiple NCAA National Champion head coach Urban Meyer to run the ship. There are a lot of changes going on in Jacksonville but they're good changes. The Jaguars are still developing. They have a bottom tier offensive and defensive line, a very bad secondary, with a decent linebacking crew coming into 2021. However they still have Lawerence who looks to be the next best quarterback which gives you a win or two in itself. The young backfield of Travis Etienne Jr and James Robinson will develop to be a good one.They have good young wideouts but for the 2021 season the Jags ceiling is 5-6 wins so we will say they win four in Meyers and Lawrence first year with hope to be much better next season. Now the Texans actually don't have a terrible team and they have a great young quarterback with DeShaun Watson. Outside of Watson the Texans are not great. They got rid of JJ Watt which put them as the worst defensive line in the league. Their secondary is also very bad but they have a good linebacking crew. Watson’s offense for now only has David Johnson at running back and Brandin Cooks at wideout. That's how far the notable names go for the Texans offense. The Texans have new management and a first year head coach. We did not even get to the 22 civil lawsuits Watson has against him and all the drama the Texans have with Watson who requested a trade in the beginning of the offseason. The Texans have a ton of dysfunction and if they do trade Watson they will have less than three wins. The AFC South is not great but still gets a home playoff game by winning it so the Titans get that benefit.
AFC Wildcard #1
Browns 12-5
AFC Wildcard #2
Chargers 11-6
AFC Wildcard #3
Dolphins 9-8
Wild Card Round
7 seed Dolphins @ 2 seed Bills result: Bills over Dolphins 24-21
6 seed Chargers @ 3 seed Ravens result: Ravens over Chargers 28-17
5 seed Browns @ 4 seed Titans result: Browns over Titans 31-14
Divisional Round
5 seed Browns @ 1 seed Chiefs result: Browns over Chiefs 27-24
3 seed Ravens @ 2 seed Bills result: Bills over Ravens 31-28
AFC Championship Game
5 seed Browns @ 2 seed Bills result: Bills over Browns 24-17
Sources
https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-ranking-all-32-nfl-linebacker-units-entering-2021-season
https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-ranking-all-32-nfl-defensive-line-units-entering-2021-season
https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-ranking-32-nfl-secondaries-entering-2021-season
By Matthew Doherty
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