Who will be our biggest AFC challenge?

[RunKC]

Originally Posted by kccrow

Short response:

1. Miami
2. Cincinnati
3. Houston
4. Baltimore
5. Buffalo
6. New York
7. Jacksonville

Long Response:

Miami is my pick to win the division over Buffalo and they improved. Adding Jonnu Smith as a receiving TE improves that group and their already good WR corps got better with Beckham, Malik Washington, and Tahj Washington. Their dangerous RB room got more dangerous with Jaylen Wright added to Mostert and Achane. I think they'll mitigate the loss of Wilkins fine with Tart and Jones. Adding Chop Robinson and Shaq Barrett to Phillips and Chubb gives them depth at ER. Adding Kendall Fuller gives them a reliable #2 CB and Jordan Poyer gives them an experienced SS. Their best signing on defense though could be LB Jordan Brooks who should be a huge improvement over Baker. Despite Tua, they could be the #1 threat to KC.

Cincinnati remains a significant threat until proven otherwise, hinging on Burrow remaining healthy. Adding Sheldon Rankins and then Kris Jenkins and McKinnley Jackson in the draft significantly improves their interior DL with BJ Hill. So long as Trey Hendrickson remains in town, they have a really good defensive line and great LBs. Geno Stone was a great get at FS and Vonn Bell is a solid SS. They did almost nothing though at CB adding only Josh Newton in the 5th and Daijahn Anthony in the 7th, so that means DJ Turner is still a likely starter and weak spot for them. Overall, their defense is better in my opinion. Adding Trent Brown and Amarius Mims certainly will help their offensive line. Both are mammoths that should help keep Burrow a little cleaner. We'll have to see what they do with Mims and who they'll groom him to replace. I feel like they lost a really reliable target in Tyler Boyd on offense and I'm not sure they have a direct replacement though I'd guess Charlie Jones gets a solid shot at being the starting slot. Jermain Burton feels like the heir to Higgins and how Higgins plays given his unhappiness could be huge for them. Adding Mike Gesicki also helps them at TE and Zack Moss should offset the loss of Mixon to some extent. Overall, I think their offense got better in protection but a little less potent. Burrow's health is their golden ticket and their are some big questions with two of their biggest stars. That said, they are the one team that has proven they can stick with us to the finish line and even beat us.

Houston is going to be a threat to the entire AFC for a while if Stroud continues to ascend. Diggs adds a reliable veteran possession guy and Dell is back healthy. Metchie will be in the offense this year as well. Blake Fisher should be an instant upgrade at RT for them. Cade Stover being added at TE gives them a dual threat and another guy who can block. Mixon and Pierce are going to be a dangerous combination at RB. Defensively is where Houston made their biggest mark though. Adding Danielle Hunter at DE, Denico Autry at DT, and Azeez Al-Shaair at LB are enormous gets for them as all three are top playmakers at their positions. Jeff Okudah should at least be stable at CB opposite Stingley and the addition of Kamari Lassiter at NB in the draft could be their best draft pick. They also got better by stealing Tommy from us at P on STs. Houston has the potential to make serious noise this season.

Baltimore did much to remain competitive but I don't feel like they made significant steps forward. Losing Beckham will have its impact and I don't know if Devontez Walker will make up for that right away. Roger Rosengarten feels like a significant drop-off at RT from Moses for them. Henry and Rasheen Ali bolster the RB room as will the return of Keaton Mitchell. Defensively, adding Nate Wiggins at CB is huge and I feel like Adisa Isaac adds some juice to the ER room. They shouldn't miss a beat with an already good defense. That said, it always feels like they just don't have enough firepower to get past KC and I think the gap got bigger with what KC did.

Buffalo will continue to be a good football team but the division is far harder now than ever. Samuel is a reliable target and Shakir and MVS will still be threats. Coleman is the lynchpin though as he has to really take that WR corps back to par. They didn't really step backward defensively in my opinion. Cole Bishop was an excellent pick at FS in the 2nd round and should add more athleticism and pop than Poyer was at the end. Them snagging Mike Edwards from us helps give competition for Rapp and a playmaker on the back end. Overall, not much gain but not much loss either. I don't think they did enough to keep Miami and New York from breaking through. They are an outside threat but not a strong one in my opinion.

New York is easily better offensively with their OLine additions in Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses at tackle. Olu Fashanu should back up Smith at LT and likely start at LG in place of Simpson. Adding Williams and Corley at WR is huge as they now have a big threat on the outside and a dangerous slot. Their defense is already nails but Reddick should only improve their pass rush. Of course, all of this hinges on Rodgers being Rodgers. If Rodgers balls out in MVP-like form, they could significantly upset the apple cart in the East. If they can overcome Miami and Buffalo, I could see them being a legitimate threat with that defense.

Jacksonville is a playoff-caliber team and fully capable if the chips fall right for them. I feel like Gabe Davis and Brian Thomas is a significant play-making upgrade to Zay Jones and Calvin Ridley who are both more of the safety-net types. They now have splash play potential in spades with two guys who can go up and get it. Thomas has the look and feel of a legitimate star. Duvernay is another WR addition flying under the radar for them and he adds a major STs boost. Morse really helps improve them at Center. I don't feel like they made major strides defensively, though they did pour some early resources into DT depth. It all comes down to that defense and whether or not they can do enough to stop KC. They also have a lot to contend with in their division with the Texans.

I think Houston is by far our biggest competition and the points you laid out explain that. I think Stroud is for real, they kept their OC and Stroud already beat Burrow’s ass in Cincy last year.

I liked their draft and think they got 3 or so guys who will make an immediate impact.

Gonna be really fun playing them