2023 AFC playoff contenders

This post isn't meant to compare teams and speculate on which teams are better than others. I am just taking a broad look at the teams in each division and guessing which ones actually have a legit shot to make the playoffs this coming season.

The result: I only see 3 teams that I believe have no shot at the playoffs - and they are all in the AFC South. The Titans, Colts and Texans.

The Titans seem like a dumpster fire that could go off the rails and wind up as one of the league's worst teams.

The Colts will experience growing pains as Anthony Richardson learns to play QB.

The Texans could be much improved and should take second place in this division, but I just don't think Stroud is ready for primetime.

So basically, 13 of the 16 AFC teams are battling for 7 spots! It won't be easy to make the playoffs in this conference - at all - and we could see "great" teams winning their divisions with just 10 or 11 wins, and other "great" teams missing the playoffs. I'm not sure I've ever seen anything like this, and it is going to be a no holds barred dogfight!

It comes down to QBs - I count 11 great QBs (or close to great) in the AFC. I'm not counting Kenny Pickett and Mac Jones in that list. Buckle up and enjoy the ride - it's going to be complete insanity if all these QBs stay healthy.

Richardson and Stroud are busts. Yes, I'm already writing them off. Not that I think Levis is anything special but at least he could be one of those guys who hangs around the NFL for years as a backup option like Henne/Blaine Gabbert.

Relax Jmp, there won't be any scenario where 2/3 of the AFC has 10 wins or more. It'll be more like the last two seasons where a bunch of teams are in the 9-8/8-9 range because they all keep taking wins off each other.

Right now we need to make it through our division. That's a good news bad news situation. We were able to compete with the Bills last year. We should be able to split with them this year. The Jets got better in the off season. Saleh is a good defensive minded coach out of the 49er system. Their from 7 is going to be hard to play against. Now they have Rodgers and Cobb. They will be better. I could see a split or even two losses.

DolFan 316 wrote:
Relax Jmp, there won't be any scenario where 2/3 of the AFC has 10 wins or more. It'll be more like the last two seasons where a bunch of teams are in the 9-8/8-9 range because they all keep taking wins off each other.

That's exactly my point. Some of these teams are going to end up with lesser records because they will be battling so many tough teams.

CarsonChris wrote:Right now we need to make it through our division. That's a good news bad news situation. We were able to compete with the Bills last year. We should be able to split with them this year. The Jets got better in the off season. Saleh is a good defensive minded coach out of the 49er system. Their from 7 is going to be hard to play against. Now they have Rodgers and Cobb. They will be better. I could see a split or even two losses.

I think we have a real shot to win the East.

As far as the East, I think we can sweep the Bills if Tua is healthy and the defense is as good as advertised. I see the Bills taking a step back this year, after losing Frazier and still not finding an adequate #2 receiver. I am not scared of the Jets at all. They have a ton of holes on their team, and I think the Fangio defense will crush Rodgers. Randall Cobb stopped being relevant 3 or 4 years ago. The Pats are always a tough out, but nothing on that team worries me.

On May 4th Star Wars Day - I'm going with 11-6 before I even see the Schedule. AFC is the Tougher Conference at this Time.

finskev wrote:On May 4th Star Wars Day - I'm going with 11-6 before I even see the Schedule. AFC is the Tougher Conference at this Time.

Yeah, I think we end up with 11-12 wins as of right now.

What worries me the most isn't the other teams, it's the NFL deciding to double down on the obvious game-rigging and arbitrarily decide Tua needs to miss half a season because a defender touched him, or instruct the officials to make damn sure the Bills beat them twice this time, etc. Because you all know they want to...

Well, maybe there will not be back to back west coast games followed by a flex into an early Saturday Night game in Barfalo late in the season.

I would love it if idjit Ross would sell the team and the new owner is someone the NFL likes!!!

DolFan 316 wrote:What worries me the most isn't the other teams, it's the NFL deciding to double down on the obvious game-rigging and arbitrarily decide Tua needs to miss half a season because a defender touched him, or instruct the officials to make damn sure the Bills beat them twice this time, etc. Because you all know they want to...

That's always a concern with the Dolphins...not only do you have to beat your opponent, but you have to overcome the refs too.

I'm hoping the Bills and Josh Allen NFL and media fellatio fest is over...or at least not as disgustingly omnipresent as it was this past season. For a team and player that have exactly as many Lombardi Trophies as the neighborhood street team I played on with my friends in the 1980s, they sure do get a lot of undeserved praise. Oh, and Tony Romo should NEVER be allowed to broadcast a Bills game ever again - NEVER.

finfanatic wrote:Well, maybe there will not be back to back west coast games followed by a flex into an early Saturday Night game in Barfalo late in the season.    

I would love it if idjit Ross would sell the team and the new owner is someone the NFL likes!!!

Yes, I am really curious to see what the actual schedule looks like.

You can pretty much guarantee that we'll be playing in New Jersey, New England and upstate New York in the winter - as always.

finfanatic wrote:Well, maybe there will not be back to back west coast games followed by a flex into an early Saturday Night game in Barfalo late in the season.    

I would love it if idjit Ross would sell the team and the new owner is someone the NFL likes!!!

Be careful what you wish for, these days that means the new owner could be some uberwoke genderless person who thinks it's a good idea to have a Children's Drag Show Night

JMP wrote:For a team and player that have exactly as many Lombardi Trophies as the neighborhood street team I played on with my friends in the 1980s, they sure do get a lot of undeserved praise.

Oh MAN...those were the days!!! We'd always play the kids from the next street over and we always won because nobody could tackle me. I swear. I would pretend I was Larry Csonka and just bull right through them That was before I had the scoliosis surgery and basically stayed the same size from then on while the other kids rocketed past me.

I will say that (again, true story) the day of the Fins-Skins Super Bowl rematch, some random kid showed up out of nowhere and whipped us (and me) before I got to see Riggins do the exact same thing to the Fins D later. I was 9 at the time and yes, I cried that night I'd never seen that kid before and I never saw him again.

DF316 - Are you saying you got Diesel-ed? But not by Cecil Collins?

JMP - "fellatio fest"?

Classic.

I think Diggs must have been believing all that media hype last year after the way he showed his arse
when it became evident the Mighty Mighty Bills were gonna get whupped!

I sure hope that becomes a regular occurrence this season!