2021 AFC Preview
The New England Patriots are no longer the juggernauts of the AFC. After winning the AFC nine times and making it to the AFC Championship Game 13 times in an 18-year stretch from 2001 to 2018, the Patriots have retreated from their lofty pedestal. Now, it’s the Kansas City Chiefs that reign supreme in this conference, and they are once again the team to beat after winning the last two AFC Championships. Favorite As long as Patrick Mahomes is healthy, the Chiefs will be among the favorites to win the AFC. He has set the league ablaze in his first three seasons as the starter, leading Kansas City to a 37-8 record in the regular season over the last three years. Mahomes is in a league of his own with his gaudy stats at this stage of his career, and this offense figures to be the best in the conference once more in 2021. All of his favorite targets (Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and Mecole Hardman) are back, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire should progress in his second season. Kansas City has a solid defensive line with Chris Jones, Frank Clark, and Derrick Nnadi up front. However, there are concerns in the back seven aside from star safety Tyrann Mathieu. Linebacker Willie Gay is an X-Factor that could make this defense better than expected, but the cornerbacks could be a big issue. Contenders Buffalo was the most surprising team of the 2020 season. Josh Allen stunned everyone with a fantastic year that saw him complete 69.2% of his passes for 4,544 yards with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The acquisition of Stefon Diggs helped this offense reach new heights, and they made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game last year after beating Indianapolis and Baltimore in the playoffs. If Allen plays at that same level in 2021, Buffalo should cruise to the playoffs. Is this the year that the Cleveland Browns make their first Super Bowl appearance? Cleveland’s historic woes have been well-documented, but the Browns won their first playoff game in 26 years this January. They only lost by five points to the Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round, and they have reason to believe they will be even better in 2021. Odell Beckham Jr. is healthy once more, and this defense has continually improved over the past two years. Best Longshots The Miami Dolphins could be ready to contend after completely bottoming out two years ago. Miami made the most of its downturn in 2019, and the Dolphins surged back with a 10-6 record last season. Brian Flores is clearly a top tier NFL head coach, and this defense is solid with Xavien Howard coming to terms with the team. Everything depends on Tua Tagovailoa. This is his team now that Ryan Fitzpatrick is in Washington, and even above average play should lead to a double-digit win season given the talent on the roster. One of the biggest examples of addition by subtraction might be the Los Angeles Chargers replacing Anthony Lynn with another coach. Lynn was consistently harangued as one of the league’s worst coaches in his last two seasons at the helm of the Chargers. Brandon Staley is a first-time head coach, but he can’t do any worse than Lynn. There is a lot to like too after a promising rookie season from Justin Herbert, and this offense should be very good. The defense should be much better too if Derwin James stays healthy.
2021 NFC Preview
The Dallas Cowboys have won the NFC more times than any other team in the conference, but America’s Team has not been to the NFC Championship Game since 1995. That has allowed others to emerge and make the Super Bowl, including their long-term rival San Francisco. The 49ers are seen as one of the top contenders to win the conference in 2021, but it’s last year’s Super Bowl champions that are the favorites. Favorite Tom Brady continues to defy critics and conventional wisdom alike. Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to their second Super Bowl title in his first season with his new team, and they have a great chance of repeating as all 22 of their starters from last season are back. This is one of the best receiving corps with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, and Rob Gronkowski, and the offensive line did a good job of keeping Brady upright. This defense is extremely underrated. Tampa Bay’s defensive line dominated the line of scrimmage against Kansas City in the Super Bowl, and now Vita Vea is fully healthy once again. Devin White is one of the best young linebackers in the game, and the whole linebacking corps is fantastic. The secondary is the only real concern, but they don’t have to cover long given the pass rush. Contenders Green Bay is a favorite in the NFC for at least one more season. The Packers were able to come to an agreement with Aaron Rodgers that kept the future Hall of Fame quarterback in green and gold for this year, and he will likely leave the team next March. With Rodgers at the helm, the Packers do have an offense that can put up points. The defense has been better than we have seen in previous years, but this team has lost in the NFC Championship Game in back-to-back years. Kyle Shanahan has said that Jimmy Garoppolo is his quarterback, but we’ll see how long that lasts. Garoppolo’s poor playoff performance two years ago is still running through the minds of many 49ers’ fans, and Trey Lance has looked impressive in training camp. San Francisco suffered a myriad of injuries that submarined this team’s postseason hopes in 2020. However, there is a ton of talent on both sides of the ball, so this team could easily be the top seed in the NFC with good play from the QB position. Best Longshots Minnesota has alternated between being a playoff team and a .500 team since 2014. The Vikings are good enough on both sides of the ball to contend, and this power run game is one of the best in the league with Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison toting the rock. Justin Jefferson was the best rookie receiver in last year’s class and could be one of the top wide-outs in the NFL. The front seven has been rebuilt and bringing in Patrick Peterson and Bashaud Breeland at cornerback has shored up this secondary. The Atlanta Falcons might be an interesting pick too as a longshot. This offense is going to light up the scoreboard if Matt Ryan stays healthy, and they will pull off at least a few upsets behind their ability to put up points. If the defense shows any kind of stability and progression, the Falcons could be the second-best