Division Champions:
1) Denver Broncos: (13-3)
2) Houston Texans: (12-4)
3) New England Patriots: (11-5)
4) Cincinnati Bengals: (11-5)
Wild Card:
5) Baltimore Ravens: (11-5)
6) Pittsburgh Steelers: (10-6)
The Broncos are the class of the conference, don't even try and say otherwise. They also have the easiest schedule, and should be favored in every game. It's foolish to predict a realistic 16-0, and Manning always has his hiccups. 13-3 seems fair, barring injury.
The Texans are returning intact and with upgrades at WR and S. If not for an unexpected fallout at the end of the season, and teams realizing that Andre Johnson was their only real weapon, they could have easily beaten out the Broncos for the 1 seed, in my opinion.
The Patriots have Tom Brady, so you can never count them out, especially in the AFC East. The Dolphins have improved, but their schedule is brutal and I don't know if they can sustain anything for long stretches. No Gronk, Hernandez, Welker, Lloyd, or Woodhead, but in their stead remains a still respectable stable of Tight Ends, a dynamic 1-2 punch at Running Back, and Wide Receivers that may be young but arguably have more potential than any Wide Receiver they've had since Randy Moss. Brady has worked with less and won more, I think 11-5 is fair.
For the first time in a long time, the Bengals have the most talent in the AFC North. The question is, can they be the best team? I think they can. Dalton has all he needs at his disposal, it's time for him to step up. That defense is a vicious as it gets. They'll win out over the Ravens in a tie breaker.