NFL Predictions Review, Part Two

Yesterday was the AFC East and AFC North, so let's follow that up with what happened in the other two AFC divisions.

AFC South

I think that most would agree that, top to bottom, this is the worst division in at least the AFC, and probably the entire NFL. None of the teams are strong in all facets of the game, and they all have multiple needs to address this offseason.

Houston Texans - I had them possibly making the playoffs but I did not have much faith in Brock Osweiler. I don't think I was the only one that felt that way, and that is exactly what happened. They finished 9-7, which was good enough to win the division, but they had no chance against the Patriots, and they were disposed of by Tom Brady & Co.

The obvious strength here is the defense, and it seems like it will only get better going forward. They played New England without former defensive MVP J.J. Watt and still rattled him, so when Watt returns from injury next year, they can only get better. Jadeveon Clowney was finally healthy and had a nice year, and names like Whitney Mercilus and Benardrick McKinney should be recognized. Going in to next season, this could potentially be a top defense.

The problem is on the other side of the ball. Houston paid Brock Osweiler a ton of money to be their quarterback based on a very limited sample size of production, and his first year was pretty much as bad as it could get for the money he was being paid. Lamar Miller had a nice year out of the backfield, and Will Fuller had a very good rookie season. Moving forward though, the glaring weakness is at the quarterback position. Either Osweiler improves, backup Tom Savage becomes a diamond in the rough, or the defense is going to have to be spectacular next year for Houston to have a chance to compete with the best teams in the league.

Tennessee Titans - I went out on a limb here picking Tennessee to win the division, but I am happy to say that my prediction actually looks pretty good as of today. The Titans had won a combined five games in the previous two seasons leading up to this year, but I thought they might have a chance to surprise people and compete for the division crown, and they did just that by going 9-7.

DeMarco Murray, while not the elite rusher he was in Dallas, still had a nice year, and with him and Derrick Henry in the backfield, Tennessee seems set at that spot. Marcus Mariota still has room to improve, but as long as he is aided by a good running game, I think he is good enough to get the job done. Jack Conklin was a great pick (who I wish would have fallen to the Giants), and with him and Taylor Lewan anchoring each side of the offensive line, I really like what Tennessee is doing.

The Titans have both the 7th and 13th overall picks in the upcoming draft, and Mike Williams could possibly be sitting there for them to take. Wide receiver is the weakest part of their offense, so if they were able to get him with one of those picks and then add some depth on defense with the other choice, I think Tennessee will absolutely be able to compete for a playoff spot in the upcoming season.

Indianapolis Colts - I had them finishing around 8-8, and that is exactly what happened. Andrew Luck is a franchise quarterback who will be entrenched under center for the Colts for at least the next decade, but management has done a terrible job of putting adequate talent around him thus far in his career. That is why general manager Ryan Grigson was fired this past week. Head coach Chuck Pagano will seemingly stick around, so Indianapolis will have to find a GM that wants to work with Pagano, but getting rid of Grigson was definitely something that the franchise needed to do.

Ryan Kelly seems like a good investment the team made in the first round last year, but overall the offensive line still needs work. T.Y. Hilton is a Pro Bowl caliber receiver, but aside from him, Luck needs more weapons to work with. The same is true on the defensive side of the ball, as they have a few nice pieces, but for the most part they are lacking. Installing a new general manager with a better plan than Grigson will be a nice start, but at this point, this team has a whole lot of holes to fill.

Jacksonville Jaguars - I thought that maybe Jacksonville could have a shot to win 7 or 8 games, but that it was probably going to be a long shot, and I think many people thought this team could be even better than that. Well, we all were expecting way too much here. As is the case for most teams, it all begins with the quarterback position, and I think we are almost at the breaking point with Blake Bortles. He was poor again this season, and I think he should get a shot next year, but if the team is out of playoff contention by Thanksgiving, I think they should already be thinking about finding another solution at the position.

On the other side of the ball, the Jaguars have a whole lot of potential, but not too many results to show for it. The fact that they are picking fourth overall should tell us all we need to know, but if they miss on that pick, they could be looking at another restart a year from now with another quarterback, and an already thin fan base possibly even getting thinner.

AFC West

From top to bottom, I think this is clearly the toughest division in the AFC. Both Oakland and Kansas City made the playoffs, and the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos also reside in the West as well. If the Chargers are the worst team in your division, then the three teams above them must be pretty good.

Kansas City Chiefs - I do not think that I was the only person expecting this team to make the playoffs, and they did not disappoint. They went 12-4 and were downed in the playoffs by the Steelers by what some said was a questionable late game call, although I think that it was a correct one.

As has been the case in recent years with this team, the offense was efficient, and the defense was excellent. Outside of New England, I think that Travis Kelce has developed into the best tight end in the NFL. The only difference between Kelce and Rob Gronkowski is that Kelce is always on the field and Gronkowski is injury-prone. And speaking of injury-prone, Jamaal Charles once again missed a ton of time, but Spencer Ware did a pretty nice job filling in for him, and as of right now, it seems like the Chiefs were the team that found the late-round gem in the draft in the form of Tyreek Hill. Hill looks like he has the potential to be someone like Darren Sproles or Reggie Bush that can be effective running the ball, catching passes, and also returning kicks, but he could possibly be better than both of those guys. He is going to be a unique and explosive weapon for Kansas City going forward.

Eric Berry and Dontari Poe are great on defense, and they are not alone. Alex Smith and Andy Reid have yet to capture Super Bowl titles, but if the Chiefs make a few nice offseason moves, I think that 2017 could be the best chance they both have to attain that goal.

Oakland Raiders - I thought people were a year early on this team, but I was wrong there. The Oakland (maybe soon to be Las Vegas) Raiders are a force to be reckoned with, and I think they have pieces in place that will be around for a long time. Derek Carr was having a spectacular season under center until a really unfortunate injury late in the year that by all means ended the team's season. The Raiders looked like a legitimate contender in the AFC, but losing their star quarterback so late in the season pretty much killed their chances, as would be the case for any contending team. With that aside though, I really like this team going forward.

On the offensive side of the ball, I think this team is becoming one of the best in the NFL. Derek Carr looks like a surefire franchise quarterback who still has a lot of potential to get even better, the offensive line is one of the best in the entire NFL, they have some nice running backs, and Amari Cooper is a star in the making at wide receiver. Get ready to hear about these names now, because it looks like the Raiders offense is only scratching the surface of how good it could possibly become.

There are still some questions on the defense, but there are also some guys who seem to be (or already are) upcoming stars. Khalil Mack is already in the conversation of best defensive players in the entire NFL, and you should learn the names of guys like David Amerson and Karl Joseph. The first priority for Oakland in the draft should be strengthening the rest of the defense, but if they were able to do that and add another weapon or two on the offensive side of the ball, this team is going to be very good.

Denver Broncos - Obviously, as the defending Super Bowl champions, the Broncos could not be overlooked going into this season, but with Peyton Manning retiring and multiple key members of the defense defecting via free agency, I think most expected somewhat of a drop off here, and that is exactly what happened. Despite losing guys like Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan, Denver still had enough talent on defense to be very good, and they still were. The true weakness of the team was on the other side of the ball though, and it was a glaring weakness for most of this past season.

Losing one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of football is obviously something that no team would be able to overcome, and that was just the case for the Broncos this season. Trevor Siemian played almost all of the year under center, and while he was serviceable, his talent by no means jumped off the page. They used a first round pick last season on Paxton Lynch, and he got only a very small amount of playing time, so we never really got to see how he looked. I have heard people mention Denver as a destination for veteran free agent quarterbacks who might be available, but in my opinion, I think that Lynch should at least get a legitimate shot to play going into next season. He may not be the second coming of Peyton Manning, but should they really try to go after guys like Jay Cutler or Tony Romo or Colin Kaepernick? I don't think so.

San Diego Chargers - I had them finishing 5-11 and in last place in the AFC West, and that is exactly what happened. San Diego does have some talent, but unless they make some big moves this offseason, I don't see them being able to compete for a playoff spot next year. Philip Rivers is an underappreciated player because he has pretty much never gotten close to winning a Super Bowl, and he is still a very good quarterback. Melvin Gordon had a good year at running back, but they just do not have a ton of game breakers on offense. Joey Bosa looks like he will be a force, so that was a good choice at the top of the draft this past year, but the defense still needs help.

San Diego will be picking ninth overall in the draft this year, so I think they go for the best player available, and if they hit on the pick, it could possibly move the improvement process along a bit quicker, but with Philip Rivers entering his 13th season in the league, they probably need to use more than the draft to get better or else they could finish at the bottom of the division again next year and he could be one year closer to the end of the line.