AFC DIVISIONAL PICKS
AFC NORTH
1. Pittsburgh Steelers: The defense should be solid as usual, look for WR Mike Wallace to have another big season. Will LB LaMarr Woodley live up to his big contract? In a word, YES. (11-5)
2. Baltimore Ravens: Will the free agency losses of WR Derrick Mason and TE Todd Heap come back to haunt QB Joe Flacco and the Blackbirds? RB Ray Rice should be a top fantasy pick this year as usual. (10-6)
3. Cleveland Browns: QB Colt McCoy looked better towards the end of last season, look for him to be a decent NFL starting quarterback, but the Browns are in too tough of a division. (7-9)
4. Cincinnati Bengals: Losing WR Chad Ochocinco is a textbook case of addition by subtraction. However, losing your franchise QB to "retirement" in what should be the prime of his career is a clear sign that your organization is screwed up. (4-12)
AFC SOUTH
1. Houston Texans: This is the year that the Texans finally take the division. Key additions to the defense (i.e. CB, S, DE) and a solid offense should finally put the Texans in the playoffs. (10-6)
2. Indianapolis Colts: How will QB Peyton Manning recover from his neck surgery? Is the D strong enough to keep them in games? Either way I think the Colts have taken a minor step backwards this year. (9-7)
3. Tennessee Titans: They better sign RB Chris Johnson soon if they want a chance at winning a game. Look for another rough year down in Tennessee. (6-10)
4. Jacksonville Jaguars: Rookie QB Blaine Gabbert will be playing no later than week 5... that means chalk this season up to "re-building for the future." Look for RB "Some People Call Me" Maurice Jones-Drew to get plenty of touches, especially with the young gun at QB. (5-11)
AFC EAST
1. New England Patriots: Coach Bill Belichick thinks he can do the impossible... tame the beast they call Ochocinco. If Ole' Cut-Off Sleeves can get Chad to play like a normal human being, the Pats could be incredibly good on offense, but that's a BIG IF. If not, they still have QB Tom Brady and many other weapons. (11-5)
2. New York Jets: QB Mark Sanchez has had a dominant defense to bail him out in the past. The D is still good, but he needs to have a better TD to INT ratio (17 TDs-13 INTs) if the J-E-T-S, Jets Jets, Jets want to make another serious Super Bowl run. (10-6)
3. Buffalo Bills: The Bills should surprise you this season. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is serviceable. RB C.J. Spiller should take a positive step forward and WR Stevie Johnson will continue to make plays. Buffalo hopes their 1st round draft pick DT Marcel Dareus from 'Bama can help bolster a defense that was dead last against the run in 2010. (7-9)
4. Miami Dolphins: RB Reggie Bush took his talents to South Beach, if only he took a quarterback down there with him. If Coach Tony Sparano can find someone to get WR Brandon Marshall the ball they could have a mediocre year, If not, they could be first in line to pick Stanford QB Andrew Luck in the 2012 Draft. (6-10)
AFC WEST
1. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS: S Bob Sanders should be a difference maker if he can stay on the field and DT/DE Corey Luiget looks to be very good on the defensive line. But mainly, the BOLTS have one thing the rest of the division doesn't... a solid QB. As long as they don't have the worst special teams unit in the history of the league again, they should run away with the division. (11-5)
2. Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs have a stud at RB in Jamaal Charles and a big play WR in Dwayne Bowe. Sack master DE Tamba Hali and S Eric Berry key a defense that was middle of the pack last season. (9-7)
3. Oakland Raiders: The field just doubled in size to opposing QBs now that CB Nnamdi Asomugha is in Philly. RB Darren McFadden is still a very good back but Oakland should have some major issues defensively this year. (7-9)
4. Denver Broncos: The big controversy in small D is over who will start at QB? Well it's pretty simple, if you want to complete a pass every once-in-awhile, put in Kyle Orton. If you want more completions to the chain gang than to WRs, put in fullback Tim Tebow and let him run wild. That said, it won't matter if John Elway himself is under center if the Broncos don't play considerably better on defense this season. (5-11)
North: Pittsburgh Steelers
South: Houston Texans
East: New England Patriots
West: SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
Wild Card: Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets
AFC Championship Game: CHARGERS vs. Patriots
AFC Champion: CHARGERS
---J
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