Seven teams in the AFC finished with double digit wins, while 3 teams that finished with 9
wins and missed the playoffs, could have made the postseason over in the NFC. When it
comes to top tier quarterbacks, the AFC is full of them. Mahomes, Allen, Burrow, Herbert,
Lamar all battling for another shot at Super Bowl glory.
Kansas City Chiefs to win AFC (+325)
Could the Chiefs become the first team in NFL history to three-peat? Well, with Patrick
Mahomes and Andy Reid, they have a darn good chance. As they showed in Super Bowl 58,
no lead is safe for the opposition as the Chiefs came from behind to secure back-to-back
championships. Mahomes has three Super Bowl rings now and in each of them, he led his
team back from a double digit deficit. No quarterback has ever done that in Super Bowl history.
He is the best quarterback in the league and has led the Chiefs to 4 Super Bowl appearances
in 5 seasons. Oh, and he’s only 28 years old. There are lots of questions for this team during
the offseason but as long as Mahomes is there Kansas City will be a threat. KC has played in 6
straight conference title games, and with Mahomes, the Chiefs are the favorites to make it lucky
number 7.
Buffalo Bills to win AFC (+650)
The Bills just can’t seem to get over that hump, and that hump being the Kansas City Chiefs -
who have eliminated Buffalo from the playoffs in three straight seasons. There is no question
this is talented but that championship window continues to get smaller as they continue to fail
year after year. Despite losing Gabe Davis to the Jaguars the Bills signed wideout Curtis
Samuel to a three-year, $30M contract. They also added WR Mack Hollins. While this team is
talented on both sides of the ball an ominous cloud continues to hang around with rumors of
Stefon Diggs possibly wanting out. Time will only tell, but as of right now, the Bills are still one
of the true contenders in the very competitive AFC.
Cincinnati Bengals to win AFC (+800)
After missing the playoffs the Bengals should be motivated to return not only to the playoffs, but
the Super Bowl, 2 years removed from a loss to the Rams. Despite losing star quarterback Joe
Burrow, Cincinnati still finished 9-8 in a very competitive division. We’ve already seen big
changes with the trade of running back Joe Mixon to Houston and a trade demand from Tee
Higgins, who was given the franchise tag. Cincinnati still has about $49 million in cap room and
have already signed running back Zack Moss and tight end Mike Gesicki. The Bengals will
have to revamp a defense that gave up the second most yards last season, and had 4 players
in their secondary who were in their rookie, or second year in the NFL. While they remain the
toughest division in football, the return of a healthy Joe Burrow will once again make Cincinnati
in the AFC.
Los Angeles Chargers to win AFC (+2200)
The Chargers had the biggest off season already hiring Jim Harbaugh fresh off a national
championship with Michigan. Can he take this team to the promiseland and turn Justin Herbert
into a superstar? Well, within a couple of days this team lost their 3 best offensive weapons as
after Austin Ekeler signed with the Commanders, Keenan Allen was traded to the Bears and
Mike WIlliams was released. But L.A. brought in running back Gus Edwards, who had a career
high 810 rushing yards, and 13 touchdowns last season. Over the past few years, talent was
really never the issue, but poor coaching seemed to be the achilles of this squad. How quickly
can Harbaugh turn things around? There’s no doubt he’ll improve this team through the draft
and the free agency, and with a bit of good fortune, LA’s other team could finally make a real run
for a championship.
Odds to win AFC Championship
Kansas City Chiefs +325
Baltimore Ravens +550
Buffalo Bills +650
Cincinnati Bengals +800
Houston Texans +800
New York Jets +1000
Miami Dolphins +1200
Los Angeles Chargers +2200
Cleveland Browns +2200
Jacksonville Jaguars +2500
Pittsburgh Steelers +2500
Indianapolis Colts +3300
Las Vegas Raiders +5000
Tennessee Titans +8000
Denver Broncos +8000
New England Patriots +10000