SamBam39

I'm wondering what the general concensus is as to who's looking the toughest to beat right now atop the AFC? Here's my ranking:

1)Chargers - Look solid all around. Some one will have to shut down LaDanian and force Phillip Rivers to beat them, and also hold off that strong pass rush. Even Marty Ball seems to have been put to rest.

2)Ravens - That defense alone is what puts them here. I'm not afraid of McNair or Jamal Lewis, but that defense creates turnovers and doesn't give up many points. That alone can cause them to beat almost anybody - Plus they're hungry, confident and fired up. With McNair there, and Billick calling the plays, they are definately not gonna be an easy win for anybody.

3)Bengals - Explosive offense and very good all around team. They have gotten really focused and determined these past few weeks after being pushed around earlier in the season, and right now they are very hot. Someone can take them down, but they could easily beat anybody too. Still think they can play soft at times.

4)Colts - Yeah - I know - their defense 'stinks' and they can't stop the run. But they will be refocused and geared up for the playoffs, they have an offense that is very very tough to slow down and they've marched in foxboro the past two times and beaten us pretty good. Yes, they can be beaten, but they will not be easy for anybody either.

5)Broncos - Well, the switch to Cutler gives us all hope that they will struggle, but he's got a strong arm and a poise about him, and jake the snake wasn't exactly Johnny Unitas when the Broncos beat us the last two times they played us. They have a great head coach, a very strong running game, a very strong defense, and some explosiveness in their passing game. They aren't a team that can't be beat, but they could easily take down any team as well.

6)Patriots - I hate ranking them 6th, but honestly, they have had an inconsistant year, and they still have injuries and question marks that keep one from ranking them much higher. Can they beat the teams above them? Of course, we've all seen them pull that trick the past few years, but realistically, this year's playoffs are gonna be a real challenge, given all the difficulties they've encountered. I'm hoping they get really hot at just the right time, and have things break their way with playoff matchups as well.
I'm also hoping the get some secondary, linebacker, and wide receiver help in this off season.

7)Chiefs - Herm Edwards has done ok since taken over, but I get the feeling they will begin a slow decline under his watch. Trent Green is not that good and neither is their defense. They have Larry Johnson and Tony Gonzalez, but their offense was more explosive under Dick Vermeil and they've started to lose players like Willie Roaf and they're getting old. I think they're good, but not good enough to keep winning in the playoffs.

8)Jaguars - Tough nosed team with strong defense and strong running game. Their passing game is not strong enough, and they've yet to prove they can knock out the upper echelon teams when it counts.

9)Jets - Tremendous improvement under Mangini, and playing very disciplined and smart, but will still need to get better before they can hang with the big boys.

10)Steelers - Losing Bettis really hurt their confidence this year, and BigBen getting hurt riding his bike and then in an early game hurt as well. They've rebounded nicely recently, but having everyone gunning for them was just too much this year. They need an infusion of new talent to go with what they have and they could be back in the hunt next year.

and a tip of the hat to the titans for their tremendous and unlikely resurgence in the past several games. their defense is creating turnovers and vince young is playing heroic at times. with some improvement, they could climb the ladder quickly next year.

pats1

The Bengals and Broncos above the Patriots?!?!

(Does 38-13 sound familiar?)

mosi

1. San Diego

2. Baltimore

3. Indy

4. Pats

5. Cinci

6. Jets

7. Steelers

8. Jags

9. Buffalo

10. Miami

The rest.

Pujo

If you're going to use that argument, 7-17 should sound familiar too.

VJCPatriot

I can't see the Bengals or Indy being rated above the Pats. The Colts have been exposed. Bengals should beat up Indy on Monday night. That only helps our cause. And well we've beat Cinci so I wouldn't have a problem meeting them in the playoffs.

__________________

pats1

Here's how I would rank the AFC teams:

http://nfl.com/standings/conference

Fanfrom1960

Where's the "It is what it is"?

SamBam39

Well, after watching the monday night game, I do think we may be better than the bengals. The reason I had them higher was because we have been so inconsistant lately and the Bengals have come a long way and played much better. After losing Gabriel too, I have just become concerned as to what this team will be able to do in the passing game against playoff opponents. Again, perhaps not having Watson and Maroney the past couple of weeks may have made me a little skittish, but we as pats fans should also be careful not to be too full of ourselves as to how solid our offense will be going forward. Hopefully, it will be strong.
so I'd move the pats ahead of the bengals now, and yes, it's arguable that we could be better than the broncos, due to the QB switch - but I'll add this, the broncos have beaten us the last two times - so why the ****iness? We all thought plummer wasn't that good - so why aren't they capable of beating us now - after the QB change? I'd say the bengals and broncos are close with the pats and either team could win. Just because we pounded the bengals earlier in the season doesn't mean we can't lose to them down the road.