Now that the draft has come and gone, it’s time to start the futile task of attempting to guess how the NFL’s 2010 season will turn out for each team. It’s something everyone does every year, right after things as useless as mock drafts and draft grades, but no one gets right — much like those mock drafts and draft grades I was talking about earlier.
Last season when I tried to do this, I had the Titans winning the AFC South, the Colts missing out on the playoffs, and I believe I also had the Chargers winning the whole thing. Of course, none of that happened and I was left looking foolish as the Colts marched their way all the way to the Super Bowl against a team I had going 9-7.
It shows just how unpredictable the NFL is, and apparently that I’m a masochist because I’m going to give this another whirl for the upcoming season. First up, the AFC.
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens (11-5)
The Ravens are clearly the class of the division and have done nothing but make themselves better during the offseason with the acquisition of Anquan Boldin via trade, and Terrence Cody and Sergio Kindle in the draft.
Cincinnati Bengals (10-6)
The Bengals aren’t too far behind the Ravens, but Baltimore’s stout defense will be the difference-maker. The Bengals’ offense will have to be as explosive as it was back in 2005 if the Bengals are to make a run at the Ravens.
Pittsburgh Steelers (8-8)
The trouble surrounding Ben Roethlisberger, the trade of Santonio Holmes, and a sub-par offensive line is going to make it difficult for Pittsburgh to compete in a suddenly very talented AFC North.
Cleveland Browns (5-11)
The Browns are certainly headed in the right direction after a decent offseason and draft, but they’re still a good two to three years away from even attempting to compete.
AFC East
New York Jets (12-4)
The Jets are riding a lot of momentum from the 2009 season and have gotten better in all the right places. A scary trio of corners will allow Rex Ryan to unleash the blitz even more often and the Santonio Holmes acquisition improves an underachieving receiving corps.
Miami Dolphins (10-6)
The Dolphins’ running attack, paired with the brand new Chad Henne-to-Brandon Marshall connection, will be too much for a division with average defenses.
New England Patriots (9-7)
The Patriots failed to address their need for a running back and will have to find a way to survive without Wes Welker for the first half of the season as he recovers. The defense should be improved, but not enough to overshadow the downfalls of the offense.
Buffalo Bills (6-10)
The Bills should have a great running game, but that’s about it. Their passing game will struggle, although it will be helped by the running game, and their defense will have a tough time stopping their division rivals.
AFC South
Indianapolis Colts (13-3)
The Colts are basically the same team they were last season, so it’s reasonable to expect about the same result. If they can get more out of Donald Brown and Joseph Addai, they could be headed to a repeat as AFC champions.
Houston Texans (10-6)
It’s only a matter of time before the Texans put it all together, and 2010 looks like the year. They’ve really focused on improving their defense and have kept together a fantastic offense. Their special teams must improve from 2009 if they want to take this next step, however.
Tennessee Titans (8-8)
Vince Young should have a breakout season in 2010 and CJ2K will get his, but the Titans’ defense is getting old and a few of them have even moved on. It’s going to be a retooling year for the defense and will lead to a mediocre record.
Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11)
The Jaguars are an incredibly perplexing team, to say the least. They are mediocre everywhere except running back, and seemed to reach on every one of their draft picks. They will remain in the basement until they can draft better.
AFC West
San Diego Chargers (12-4)
The Chargers took Ryan Matthews in the first round to help take the load off Darren Sproles, but the pick will also help Philip Rivers. The run game will open up this already-explosive passing attack and create a problem for the rest of the league.
Denver Broncos (8-8)
The Broncos replicate their record from 2009, but just barely. They’ve lost their franchise quarterback and an elite wide receiver in back-to-back years, along with their defensive coordinator. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Broncos do even worse than this.
Oakland Raiders (7-9)
Rolando McClain and Lamaar Houston will start immediately and help shore up an already-talented defense. If Tom Cable is smart, Jason Campbell will open up the season a starter and, at the very least, the offense will cut out the mistakes. If the running game and offensive line can hold up, Oakland could bump themselves to 9-7.
Kansas City Chiefs (6-10)
I’m not a believer in Matt Cassel or the Chiefs offense, and Eric Berry won’t be enough to shore up their defense. The Chiefs drafted Dexter McCluster in the second round, but are making the mistake of moving him to wide receiver rather than allow him to play running back.
Playoffs
- Indianapolis Colts – Z
- New York Jets – Y
- San Diego Chargers – Y
- Baltimore Ravens – Y
- Houston Texans
- Cincinnati Bengals
Wild Card Round
Cincinnati Bengals (6) @ San Diego Chargers (3)
The Bengals have never won a playoff game with Carson Palmer and Marvin Lewis running the show, and unfortunately for Bengals fans, that doesn’t appear to end this season. The Chargers are simply too good of a team and will expose the Bengals’ weak front seven.
Result: Chargers win, 31-23
Houston Texans (5) @ Baltimore Ravens (4)
For Houston, it’s always been about baby steps. They had their first winning season in 2009 with a 9-7 record, but just missed out on the playoffs. Now that they’ve finally made it to the playoffs, it’s going to be tough to go much further against a team like the Ravens. The Ravens have been here before and will take advantage of the Texans’ inexperience.
Result: Ravens win, 24-20
Divisional Round
Baltimore Ravens (4) @ Indianapolis Colts (1)
The Ravens enter on a hot streak against a Colts team that hasn’t had a lot to play for in three weeks. The Ravens are a much more physical team with some firepower on offense that could expose the Colts’ weak secondary. Drew Brees did it in the Super Bowl, and now Flacco and Boldin will do it in the divisional round.
Result: Ravens win, 26-16
San Diego Chargers (3) @ New York Jets (2)
This matchup pits a great offense versus a great defense and, as we’ve seen throughout the years, the great defense will usually win that battle. Rex Ryan has built this team to get back to the AFC Championship game and beyond, and a finesse offense like San Deigo won’t be able to put up points against the Jets’ “organized chaos” defense.
Result: Jets win, 27-14
AFC Championship
Baltimore Ravens (4) @ New York Jets (2)
Roger Goodell is hoping and praying this is the championship game. The hype of Ryan facing his old team for a chance to head to the Super Bowl will be all we hear about for the week leading up to this game, and the game itself surely will not disappoint. These teams are built in basically the same fashion, and the team with the better defense on this day will get the win and move on to Super Bowl XLV.
Results: Jets win, 23-21
Check back to find out who the Jets will be playing in the Super Bowl after the NFC is dissected and broken down.