Let's rank the AFC teams since we have nothing else to do.
 

Here's how I'd rank the teams right now.

1. Chiefs
2. Ravens
3. Bills
4. Texans
5. Bengals
6. Steelers
7. Jets
8. Broncos
9. Chargers
10. Colts
11. Raiders
12. Jaguars
13. Dolphins
14. Browns
15. Patriots
16. Titans

I'd say the Ravens/Chiefs are about even, but I'm giving to the Chiefs by a toe.

Thoughts?

The Chargers just blanked the Donks...it was 23-0 to start the 4th.

Raiders just shipped Adams...both AFCW teams are bottom 4.

Id say that's about right.

The Bengals are better than the Texans but the early losses may doom them.

1. Chiefs
2. Ravens
3. Texans
4. Bills
5. Steelers
6. Chargers
7. Jets
8. Bengals
9. Broncos
10. Colts
11. Dolphins
12. Raiders
13. Jags
14. Browns
15. Patriots
16. Titans

The bottom 6 are ALL ****ing awful. It's hard to choose. I give the Dolphins a slight bump up just because they COULD get Tua back. Browns could easily slip down one if Maye plays well.

And yeah, the Broncos aren't good.

That's fair on the Chargers/Broncos. I don't think the Broncos are bottom 4.

Raiders either -- not because they're not bad, but who the hell would you put over them?

The Browns and the Dolphins can't score. The Titans and the Patriots are basically dysfunctional.

Maybe the Jags? Maybe.

Putting Texans at #3 is slightly bolder than me.

I just ... haven't liked what the Texans have put out there as much as I have the Bills. I really like Stroud and the talent they've given him. The defense has upside. I feel like they aren't putting it together as thoroughly as the Bills are.

For the Chiefs I’m most worried about the Bengals. We own the Ravens and Bills but for some reason we struggle against the Bengals. That is one team we don’t have a clear mental edge over. It’s always a straight up dog fight and Mahomes doesn’t play that well vs Lou.

I want them eliminated

I think the gap between the Texans and Ravens is still pretty big.

They weren’t even all that close last year.

I think the Ravens, Bills, and Bengals are all clear threats.

The Bengals are the clearest threat. Mahomes + Spags is the best QB/DC combo in the league, but Burrow + Anarumo isn't far behind.

Lamar will regress in January as he always does, but I gotta be honest -- the NFL has never seen a running combination like him and Derrick Henry. I almost wonder if that run game is so good they don't even need Lamar to be Lamar in January.

The Bills are clearly inferior to the Chiefs but Josh Allen is the second best player in the National Football League, and if he goes God Mode on an off day for Mahomes, it wouldn't be super fun.

I think the Chiefs have more answers for these teams than these teams have for the Chiefs, however. But I think they're all pretty clearly the biggest threats.

I’d slot your mom in at number 8, ahead of the Donks

Looks good.

Um, we're supposed to be arguing in this thread. kthx

Now we're talking.

1. Chiefs

2-15. The rest of the AFC...

16. Raiders.

One or both of Lamar/Henry is/are likely to break down at some point.

The Ravens gave Henry a bunch of carries late against the Bills when they were up by 20.

I would be astonished if both stay this effective all year.

Henry is on pace for nearly 300 touches. Lamar is on pace for 150 carries again.

I'm sorry but no. Those bottom four teams are locked into their slots.

They are all so damn bad.

Man, I don't know.

Everything we know and have seen suggests you're right. But I think Lamar may have found a way to play like Lamar and stay healthy.

And Henry, man. I was bearish on the Ravens all preseason for the exact reason you mentioned. But he just seems like he's not slowing down.

Lamar didn’t finish either of the two seasons prior to last season.

It just takes one fluke play to slow him down. And all those carries increase the likelihood of it. He isn’t as foolish as Josh Allen with taking big hits, but that’s a lot of guys going for his legs on those runs.

If one goes down, expect the other to get even more work too.

Again, history strongly suggests you're right.

These Hall of Fame talents though are the types who buck it. That's the biggest reason I tend to be skeptical.

The bottom 5 are just....awful.

The Colts are fiesty but the rest are just bad.

1. Bills
2. Texans
3. Chiefs
4. Ravens
5. Cincinnat
6-16. What difference does it make?

1. Chiefs
2. Bills
3. Ravens
4. Texans

No one else matters.

Chiefs #1, every other team can DIE!!!!!

:rolleyes:

Why are people ranking Cincinnati so high? They're unlikely to make the playoffs. Yeah, they give the Chiefs fits, but that doesn't make the Colts or Titans a threat to us.

elite QBs + elite DCs are very hard to beat

Once Brown & Pacheco come back and/or we sign a #1 WR I will move the Chiefs back to #1.

dont really understand that bc the bills look like dogshit against any competent team and had no weapons before cooper whereas the texans have high end talent all over their lineup and have not looked like dogshit in any game

For me I have to put the Bengals very high because how they play us. Their offense has been humming and Burrow has played amazing. As much as it hurts to type that.

If their defense could figure it out they are right back in playoff contention

Terrible. Chargers just eviscerated Denver in pile high

This year everyone seems to be beating Cincinnati. They didn't look great against the NYG either during their last win. Yeah they might turn it on but their defense is even worse than I remember. Too much pressure on that offense to score. Plus, a difficult division.

I would put LAC over DEN, mostly because of the massive difference in QB quality, but otherwise looks like a good list.

Reasonable. It's depressing how bad the Raiders are, but the teams listed below us are arguably even worse.

1 Chiefs
2 Ravens
3 Bills
4 Texans
5 Jets
6 Steelers
7 Bengals
8 Chargers
9 Colts
10 Broncos
11 Dolphins
12 Jaguars
13 Raiders
14 Patriots
15 Titans
16 Browns

I see what you did there.

about right for the top teams. Debate to be had about the bottom teams. Chargers are better than the Broncos. Raiders are more of a dumpster fire than the patriots but maybe not as bad as the browns. I'd probably put the Jags above the dolphins too.

I don't understand how anyone ranks the cheating Donks higher than bottom 5. They have the worst starting quarterback in the AFC. The guy threw for -7 yards in a half, 22 in another half. He gets garbage time yards in the 4th quarter, but that doesn't mean much. And I'm not convinced that the defense is as good as advertised. They haven't played any decent offenses yet.

Chiefs
Ravens
Texans/Bills
Bengals
All the rest are just equal steaming piles of shit

Chiefs/Ravens/Texans/Bills is what you hope for in the divisional round.

It's gonna be big to get the 1 seed and the bye, you don't really wanna mess with that 2 seed if the Bengals sneak in as the 7 IMO>

Nah I want to be the ones to knock them out again. They had some early success against us but lets keep beating them from here out to prove we're dominant against all opposition.

May be the doomer in me but I think the Bills just got better by the addition of Amari Cooper. Depends on the Chiefs adding a receiver.

I think you have the top 5, in which ever order you like… Ravens, Chiefs, Bills, Texans and Bengals. You have the bottom 5, which would be the Titans, Browns, Patriots, Jaguars and Raiders.

The rest are a gaggle of ‘we don’t really know yet’ because if inconsistency or injuries.

You really need to include the cheating Donks in that bottom 5. Drake Maye and Trevor Lawrence alone would be enough to rank those teams above Denver. Not much higher. They would still be in the bottom 6. Just not worse than Denver.

1. Chiefs
2. Ravens
3. Texans
4. Bills
5a. Steelers
5b. Bengals
5c. Chargers
5d. Jets
9. Broncos
10. Colts
11. Dolphins
12. Jags
13. Raiders
14. Browns
15. Pats
16. Titans

Honestly the teams 5-8 could be coin flips right now for rank. Still a lot of season left to play.

- Bengals defense is not good at all at this point. But it seems the team also has a level of competition issue going on. They can play really tough and take the top teams to the brink at the end of games,, but then they look like straight up ass against the dregs.
Bengals are capable of going on a strong run, but also capable of falling flat on their face. Who knows what team is going to show up week to week for them.

- Steelers have the defense and kicking game but QB sux.
- Chargers depending on health of their tackles and DLine can be tough down the road I could see it.
- Jets have the defense and skill players, but their organization is a circus and A-ARon you never know about him (great or straight up ass).
- Donks could be a tough out if Nix gets consistent. But for now,, nope

The rest of them are puke.
I'll admit I was so wrong about the Jags I thought they would be much better.

CIN figures out how to play defense they’ll finish the next quarter 5-4.


LAC might also start trending upwards if they figure out how to play more efficiently on offense. At least more likely than DEN getting to the playoffs.