Playoff predictions for American Football Conference

There are very few certainties thus far in either conference, other than the fact that the Cleveland Browns are their usual pitiful selves and that the Atlanta Falcons still know how to blow a huge second-half lead: It was one thing when it was at the hands of Tom Brady, but Jay Cutler, really?

Through six weeks, this is the most wide-open playoff race that the NFL has seen in years. And it is not because a lot of teams are playing an elite level of football but rather because nearly the whole League is caught in a sea of mediocrity.

Many teams have underperformed due to the injury epidemic that has ravaged the League, while others have simply not lived up to expectations. This week, let’s examine the American Football Conference (AFC) and discuss which teams have a chance to break free from the rest of the pack and make a deep playoff run.

We begin in the AFC East, which has been surprisingly competent this season from top to bottom. The division’s four teams are separated by only one game, and the New York Jets have the best record of any last-place team in football.

Of the four teams, though, the New England Patriots are the only team capable of reaching the Super Bowl, and they still have a lot of work to do. A 4-2 record is not impressive for a team that some believed could run the table heading into the season.

The team’s glaring weakness is its defense, which has been absolutely atrocious through six games. The unit is extremely talented, and it returns most of the starters from last year’s championship team.

However, for some reason, it has not been able to click. The Patriots — who have played in seven Super Bowls since 2002 — can never be counted out as long as Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are in the picture, but they will have to make some serious mid-season adjustments in order to have an opportunity to defend their title.

In the AFC North, the Pittsburgh Steelers lead the way in what has so far been the Division’s worst year in recent memory. The Browns are the Browns, and the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens have been incredibly inconsistent.

The Steelers boosted their resume with a win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, but losses to the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars have cast serious doubts about this team’s legitimacy as a contender. Additionally, Ben Roethlisberger’s sudden drop in performance has considerably hindered Pittsburgh’s highly-touted offense.

The Steelers’ win over Kansas was certainly a step in the right direction, but if Roethlisberger is unable to get back to the level that he has played at throughout his illustrious career, the Steelers will not make it very far come January.

The AFC South race is pretty muddled, with Jacksonville, along with the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans, all in the mix. Of the three teams, I see the Texans as the only team capable of making noise in the playoffs.

The Texans’ loss of J. J. Watt is devastating, and his presence is irreplaceable. However, even without Watt, the defense still has enough pieces to be considered one of the most complete units in the League.

On offense, Deshaun Watson has looked great and will only continue to improve as he gains experience and matures. Plenty of other players have contributed to the offense’s success, but it is Watson whose performance will take this team to the next level.

A quarterback is the one critical element that Houston has lacked for years, but with a proven winner in Watson at the helm, they finally have a chance to get over the hump and enter serious title conversation.

The AFC West may be the most interesting division in football right now. The Chiefs looked like the best team in football until the Steelers stopped them in their tracks last week. Now, the doubts begin to surface.

On offense, I still do not trust Alex Smith as a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback. Meanwhile on defense, the loss of Eric Berry to an Achilles injury is a major blow to an elite secondary.

Despite these concerns, the Chiefs show promise. Most notably, rookie Kareem Hunt is a difference-maker in this League and has been a major spark for the Kansas City offense. Alongside Hunt, Travis Kelce has been performing well all season and has been arguably the best tight end in the League.

There is no question that the Chiefs are equipped to play meaningful football come January. Despite their 5-1 record though, I am not quite ready to pronounce them the AFC’s best team.

Next up are the Denver Broncos, who already proved two seasons ago that a strong defensive unit could lead them to a Lombardi Trophy. While the Broncos still boast a formidable defense, this team’s question marks on offense may be too great to overcome.

These issues were especially prominent in Denver’s disconcerting loss to the lowly New York Giants on Sunday night. QB Trevor Siemian and the team’s running backs have shown flashes of brilliance but have not been consistent.

The current state of the offense has the Broncos hovering around the playoff threshold. However, due to the aptitude of the defense, even an incremental offensive improvement will put Denver in position to contend for a second championship in three seasons.

Last but not least are the Oakland Raiders, who were a popular pick to reach Super Bowl LII after their strong campaign last season. They started out 2-0 this year but have since lost four consecutive games.

The offense, which looked unstoppable early on, has been held below 20 points in each game during the losing streak. This offensive incompetence is in large part due to Derek Carr’s back injury, though. I expect the Raiders to pick things back up with a healthy Carr returning to the lineup.

Through last season, Carr was absolutely transcendent as the leader of the Oakland offense. If the fourth-year QB is able to play at the level that earned him a $125 million contract this summer, a trip to the Super Bowl will be much more feasible.

The AFC race is wide open, as no team has emerged as a clear-cut favorite. Whether this parity will continue into November and December remains to be seen, but suffice it to say that there will be plenty of intriguing storylines as the playoffs approach.