The AFC is in Flux

Let’s call it how it is: Kansas City is going to control this division for many years. As it stands right now, Denver is looking to grab one of two Wild Card spots, and the competition has a great deal of weaknesses to overcome. The Chargers figure to have a gap year under Tyrod Taylor as Justin Herbert develops. The AFC East is already up in the air with the departure of Tom Brady. Will Jarrett Stidham become the heir and continue New England’s dynasty? Will Josh Allen take the proverbial third-year leap? Both teams look to have question marks despite reason for optimism.

Pittsburgh is a likely candidate for major improvement after finishing 8-8 without once fielding a starting-caliber quarterback. But given Roethlisberger’s age and very recent major elbow injury, it is by no means a certainty that Pittsburgh will continue to bounce back following the losses of Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown in recent seasons. Houston, another perennial wild-card contender, now must suffer through the loss of top target DeAndre Hopkins in a trade with Arizona; even further, their return on the deal was David Johnson, who has not seen exceptional play in several years and was even benched last season. The Texans also did very little to improve their offensive line despite Deshaun Watson being sacked 125 times in the past three years, a mind-blowing number.

The AFC South has two other likely competitors as well. The acquisitions of Philip Rivers and DeForest Buckner by Indianapolis figure to bring substantial impact to both sides of the ball; however, Rivers suffered through one of his worst years in a decade last season, and one has to wonder if the 38-year-old is seeing the effects of Father Time. Tennessee also figures into the equation after making a run to the AFC Championship Game in 2019-2020, but questions remain about Ryan Tannehill even after his extension following the best season of his career. Likewise, the defense finished in the bottom half of the league in yards allowed; the loss of Jurrell Casey, a defensive stalwart for them for several seasons, will likely not be offset by the signing of Vic Beasley and Tennessee’s few defensive draft picks.

While the path may be hard and require some evolution from young players, Broncos fans have quite a few reasons to look at this season as the beginning of their future.