While we sit and wait for the NFL season to commence, we’ve had a lot of trades and changes to everyone’s roster. Let’s take a look at the AFC, who will win each division, and who our wildcards will be.
#1 – Buffalo Bills
Grabbing the first seed in the AFC, I’ve got the Buffalo Bills taking their division with ease. It seems like the Jets, Patriots, and Dolphins have all struggled to find their footing in the past few years, while the Bills have fully engrossed themselves in their Super Bowl window. Is this the year they finally make a run to the big game? I’m still not entirely convinced, but I think they’ll be able to grab the one seed and the first round bye in 2025.
#2 – Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a team that seems to have all the pieces, yet falls just a bit short in the playoffs every year. I’m not sure if this year will be any different, but I do still foresee them winning the AFC North as they have the past two years. The Bengals will likely be close behind them if they play to the same level they did in the ladder half of last year, but with Derrick Henry still running behind that Ravens O-Line, Baltimore should be just fine in securing a spot in the postseason.
#3 – Kansas City Chiefs
Here’s a shock – the Kansas City Chiefs are still a good football team. While I don’t think they’ll enjoy the same highs as previous years, they should still easily find themselves in the playoffs. I think this team has had great drafts, and if their defense can remain as good as it has in the past few seasons, the Chiefs will still find themselves being atop their division. I think they’ll have a bit more competition than they’d hope, but it’ll be the Red and Gold hoisting their banner at the end of it all.
#4 – Houston Texans
The Texans are having some issues in their wide receiver room – but they picked the right time to have some issues. With C.J. Stroud still performing well, the O-Line looking to improve this year, and a division full of teams having an identity crisis, the Texans should be able to secure the AFC South. I think they’ll run into a lot of competition in the postseason no matter who they play, so I don’t think they’ll have enough to make a deep run. That being said, this is still a great football team that just has a few wrinkles to iron out with the perfect opportunity to do so in a struggling division.
#5 – Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers are a team I was very high on last year that slightly underwhelmed due to a crucial injury to their run-first offense. Now that they have Najee Harris and a promising rookie in Omarion Hampton, and of course being lead by Justin Herbert, they’ll have the chance to make a bit of a splash in the postseason. I think they’ll be too close behind the Chiefs for them to feel entirely comfortable, and they have the potential to have a fantastic season. Watch out for the Chargers.
#6 – Denver Broncos
The third representative from the AFC West, the Denver Broncos will keep up their streak with their now sophomore quarterback and make it into the playoffs. Last year, it seemed they made it to the postseason almost by a fluke. I don’t think they had all too impressive of a roster, and they showed it by being completely outmatched by the Bills. I think in 2025, they have much more of a compelling argument to make some playoff noise. Bo Nix is impressive, and the defense is equally as impressive. They have the pieces, now let’s see if they can do something with them.
#7 – Cincinnati Bengals
Finally, I think the final representative in the AFC Playoffs is the Cincinnati Bengals. With how great of a season their offense had despite missing the playoffs last year, I don’t think this is a controversial take. I find this team to be in a really interesting situation despite how great they seem on paper. Constantly underperforming will lead this team to want to make a deep run, and they could be the most dangerous seven seed we’ve ever seen if this is how the pieces fall.
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