Quote:The surprise risers and fallers are one of the funnest parts of the NFL season for me. Impossible to predict and exciting to watch. I love it.
I left the Steelers off the list because I watched their "ones" struggle mightily in week three of the preseason on both sides of the ball. They certainly have the talent to make a run though.
You have a good point on KC.
Unless age caught up to the Steelers with some of their key veteran players, my gut feeling is the 3rd pre-season game won't be reflective of how their season will go. The Patriots come to mind as a team that looked horrible in a couple of game # 3 pre-season games in Detroit in recent years and they went on to having their usual type of regular seasons in 2011 and 2013. Like the Patriots, the Steelers have the type of seasoned coaching and veteran leadership/ talent that gives me confidence that the pre-season game in Philadelphia was the exception, not the norm.
Quote:Yep. Thompkins is the most likely of the 4 I listed to be Brady's "other go-to guy."
If the Patriots have a deep threat that other teams truly have to respect on practically every down, that could easily be the difference in Tom Brady getting to his 6th Super Bowl.
It's impressive to say the least that the Patriots got to the AFC Championship game last season with injuries, especially on Defense, that would have wiped out the vast majority of teams.
Quote:Cincy is loaded with talent. But, I gotta agree with you D6 in thinking the Ravens probably get back on top.
Geno Atkins is an unanswered question right now. I hope he returns to form. That guy was a monster before the injury.
Marvin Lewis has definitely changed the culture there from the old "Bungles" era. But, I'm not so sold on him during postseason play. After all, he did lose 2 home playoff games before Andy Dalton was even in the league. Those teams, led by Carson Palmer, we're very talented also across the board. Lewis seems to make a lot of questionable decisions in playoff games.
For 2014, it wouldn't shock me a bit to see a "repeat" of 2011 when 3 AFCN teams made the playoffs (Ravens, Steelers WC, Bengals WC). Neither the Steelers or Ravens made it last year. Prior to that, I can't remember the last time neither of those teams were not in the postseason?
jagherd, I could be wrong but I can't recall a season in this century until 2013 that both the Steelers and Ravens missed the playoffs. I don't think either team made the playoffs in the 1999 season, the season the Jaguars had the # 1 seed in the AFC. It's certainly the exception, not the norm at least one of these teams is in the playoffs.
The AFC North looks like it has the best trio of teams in the AFC for the 2014 season, compared to the top 3 teams in the other 3 divisions. My guess is the division will be decided by 1 game, with 2 games the maximum, and a tiebreaker a very realistic possibility. The Bengals- Ravens game in week # 1 looks like a toss up. The Ravens are at home but Ray Rice is suspended and they have injury concerns at CB.
Geno Atkins was indeed a special player before the torn ACL. Barring a setback, there's a good chance he will regain the vast majority of his skills by the 2015 season. Atkins made a great decision signing a long term contract last year around this time. The same regarding Texans DE-DT J.J. Watt a few days ago.
In large part, I'm going to give Marvin Lewis a pass on the two playoff losses before the Andy Dalton era. The one at home to Pittsburgh in the 2005 season largely occurred because of the knee injury to Carson Palmer that day. As much as I respect Jon Kitna, Palmer was a special player before that knee injury.
The loss at home to the Jets in 2009 occurred in large part because Palmer looked like a shell of the player he was early in his career. The wind seemed to have adversely affected him. Also, the Bengals missed a couple of FG's that a team must convert in a playoff setting.
Hendershot, no year is :"black and white on paper." Some people think the Jaguars can make the playoffs as a wild card if Blake Bortles becomes the starter.
The 49ers may be headed toward a bad season, bu trainwreck could be overstating it. I don't think they will be as bad as the Texans were last year.
I agree with Tony Dungy, who said Carolina is the most likely team to go from division title to missing the playoffs.
My pick for a surprise winner: the Jaguars, who get the benefit of an easy schedule and definitely have more talented players on both sides of the ball.