The 2014 NFL season will begin tonight with two teams from the NFC, the Packers and the Seahawks, battling in Seattle. The AFC teams will sit back and wait till Sunday to make their season debut.
AFC East
The AFC starts off with the highly rivaled AFC East, which houses the New England Patriots, the New York Jets, the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills.
While head coach Bill Billicheck will focus on taping Jet’s practices, Tom Brady and company will look to start where they left off last year. The Patriots won the AFC East by a large margin and look to do so again this year.
The troubled New York Jets have to choose from Michael Vick or Geno Smith for the primary quarterback position. They added depth in the running back position by signing veteran Chris Johnson to accompany Chris Ivory in the back field, though Johnson looks to get the bulk of the carries. The look to go above .500 this year and compete with their big rivals, the Patriots.
The Miami Dolphins fell one game short of a playoff berth last year. Miami gained veteran cornerback Cortland Finnegan via free agency, though he had a horrible year in 2013. Miami’s defense will look to be commanding like last year, and the offense looks to be a little more threatening. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill will try to lead the team to the postseason. Tannehill just needs his brand new offensive line to keep him upright.
In the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills selected Sammy Watkins, the most talented wide receiver in the draft. Sophomore quarterback E.J. Manuel lost his favorite target last year in Stevie Johnson to free agency, but perhaps acquired a new one with Watkins. The kid can catch everything that is thrown at him. Buffalo’s defense will look to be a force to be reckoned with, led by Mario Williams. Though they lost Pro Bowl safety Jarius Bryd and young linebacker Kiko Alonso, the big boys up front will look to cause havoc to opposing offenses.
AFC North
The AFC North holds one of the oldest and most rivaled of all of the NFL. The division starts in Ohio, home the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns. Moving East, the division ends with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens.
The Cincinnati Bengals look to be a sort of a sleeper team this year. Meaning that no one expects them to go far, but they have the talent to. Defensive tackle Geno Atkins was missed last year, but will return this year. That’s a big “watch out!” for opposing quarterbacks. Incoming sophomore running back Giovani Bernard will run the ball hard, forcing defenses to pay less attention on elite receiver A.J. Green. The Bengals have a high chance of running off with this division.
The Cleveland Browns have decided to start Brian Hoyer for their opener this Sunday, leaving Johnny Manziel fans in disgust. While Manziel looks to lead the offense in the future, for now the lead is led by the defense. Offensively, the Browns might have a disaster season. Josh Gordon, an elite receiver last year, will not be with the team this year because he got caught smoking too much marijuana and was suspended. That’s a heavy blow that the team can’t replace. Tight end Jordan Cameron will look to eat up the targets. Joe Haden, Donte Whitner, and rookie Justin Gilbert look to make up a ballhawking secondary that will make quarterbacks think twice about throwing over the middle. Though Cleveland will presumably end up dead last, the Browns are looking to the future, not to the now.
The black and yellow colors of the Steelers will be running through Pittsburgh on Sunday. The fans love them, and why shouldn’t they? Quarterback Big Ben Roethlisberger and wide out Antonio Brown look to hook up for touchdowns in bunches this year. Incoming sophomore running back Le’veon Bell will be tough to bring down as he looks to run over 1,000 yards this season. The historically mighty Pittsburgh defense won’t be as mighty as people are used to. The Steelers look to put up a fight this year.
The Baltimore Ravens and their throw-heavy offense will return to their usual point of attack this year. Torrey Smith will be lined up with newly acquired wide out Steve Smith. Joe Flacco will look for the deep threat a lot this year. Running back Ray Rice won’t be there for the first two games because of a suspension. Instead of hitting the weight room this offseason, Rice was busy hitting his wife.
AFC South
While the AFC South was NFL’s worst division from a statistical standpoint, they look primed for a bounce back season.
The Indianapolis Colts won the division last year, but that’s not really saying much. The Colts look to be the top dogs this year as well. A healthy Reggie Wayne gives Andrew Luck his favorite target back. Trent Richardson is look for a bounce back year to prove he was worth a first round pick. The Colts defense surprised people last year, and will look to be as dominant this year.
The Tennessee Titans aren’t anywhere near a winning season. Jake Locker is a less than average quarterback, and their defensive and offensive line are both brutal. Oh, and they lost All-Pro running back Chris Johnson. The only thing they have going for them is their talented young receivers Kendall Wright and Kendall Hunter, and a better than average secondary. It’s going to be another long season for the Titans.
The Houston Texans had the worst season in the NFL last year though they were predicted to have a winning season. They lost franchise quarterback Matt Schaub, but acquired veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick. They upgraded on defense by spending their first overall pick on defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. Also, a healthy Brian Cushing will help their defense win some games. The thing is, the Texans are very unpredictable.
The Jacksonville Jaguars fans keep waiting for their team to have a winning season. Though this year is an unlikely winning season, the Jaguars are a team of the future. The team spent their third overall pick on quarterback Blake Bortles. Though Chad Henne will start the opener, Bortles will presumably take hold of the reins later on. The Jaguars upgraded their defense this offseason, by acquired Red Bryant and Chris Clemons from the Seahawks. They let go of their franchise player Maurice Jones-Drew, but added Stanford product Toby Gerhart to be their starter. Jacksonville’s talented wide receiver corps will be led by Cecil Shorts III as they look to do some damage through the air this year.
AFC West
The AFC West consists of four teams that are all tough. The Oakland Raiders aren’t tough on the field, but I wouldn’t mess with them. Their fans and their players are scary. The Denver Broncos are talented through the roof, the San Diego Chargers are an up and coming team and the Kansas City Chiefs have a stacked defense.
The Raiders acquired Jones-Drew from the Jaguars this offseason, Justin Tuck from the Giants and James Jones from the Packers. They’re adding to their team, but still have ways to go. Their offense is pitiful because they have a terrible quarterback situation. Oakland’s receiving corps is talented, but it doesn’t matter because no one can throw.
The Kansas City Chiefs lost Brandon Flowers, their star cornerback. Their defense is still very threatening, as they were last year. Alex Smith is solid and Jamal Charles is elite. Kansas City is going to be good… again.
The Denver Broncos were the best offense in the league last year. They lost Eric Decker, but Peyton Manning has several other targets to choose from. Wes Welker got suspended for the first four games, so Peyton will have to throw to Emmanuel Sanders more than predicted. Their defense was stacked in the offseason with the additions of Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward and Demarcus Ware. The Broncos have a good chance to make it back to the Super Bowl again.
The San Diego Chargers have talented young players that look to make a big impact this year. Incoming sophomore Keenan Allen looks to gather up a bunch of targets from Philip Rivers, as does Ladarius Green, the tight end that will one day replace the coveted Antonio Gates. The Chargers defense needs to be better, though. Their secondary is led by Eric Weddle, but their linebackers are weak. Until the defense picks it up, the Chargers will be nothing more than a first round playoff team at best.
