Coming off three straight trips to the AFC Championship Game to go along with a Super Bowl title and back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, the Kansas City Chiefs will look to build on this success during the 2021 NFL season.
Hoping to make it to the Super Bowl for a third straight season and win their second title in three years, the Chiefs still have some adjustments to make if they hope to accomplish this.
With Patrick Mahomes set to be back at full strength and a new and improved offensive line in place for the Chiefs, they'll look to rule the AFC once again next season.
Having said all this, let's take a look at three teams with the best chance to overtake the Chiefs as the team to beat in the AFC next season.
Chiefs AFC threats:
3. Cleveland Browns
After making serious strides under head coach Kevin Stefanski last season, the Cleveland Browns are poised for another deep playoff run in 2022. Especially after they overtook their AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers to win their first playoff game since 1994. With Odell Beckham Jr. expected to be back full healthy next season and Baker Mayfield ready to take his game to the next level, the Browns will be coming full force and ready to take control of the deep and talented AFC.
Currently boasting a star-studded line-up on both sides of the ball, the Chiefs definitely shouldn't take this up-and-coming Browns team lightly. The keys to the Browns success this season will be to continually build their team chemistry and check their egos at the door, which won't be easy for them, but they were able to click last season and power through to the second round of the playoffs. With a full offseason to continually improve their game plan, the Browns will definitely have a good shot at knocking off the Chiefs next season.
2. Tennessee Titans
With the addition of Julio Jones, the Titans will showcase one of the league's most explosive offensive units. Between Jones, Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry, and AJ Brown, the Titans are going to be wreaking havoc on opposing defenses all season long. Now that they've made some changes to their roster this offseason, they'll most definitely have their sights set on dethroning the Chiefs as AFC champions.
Just a few seasons removed from their surprise run to the AFC Championship game, the Titans gave the Chiefs a run for their money early into that game, but the Chiefs lockdown defense and up-tempo offense eventually became too much for them to handle. This time around though, the Titans will have the personnel to match their explosiveness and go toe-to-toe with them throughout the entire game.
With Tannehill and Henry looking to have a better postseason showing next year and Jones and Brown forming a top-10 receiving duo, the Titans are bound to make some noise in the playoffs next season. If Tennessee reaches the AFC Championship game in 2022, then Kansas City better be ready for a fight cause this Titans team is ready to put the entire league on notice.
1. Buffalo Bills
Hoping to return to the AFC Championship round in 2022, the Buffalo Bills already have a lot going for them with Josh Allen's rise to stardom and Stefon Diggs picking apart secondary's with his lightning speed and agility. Not to mention the always reliable Cole Beasley, the expanding game of Devin Singletary, and the addition of veteran wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders leading the way for this up-and-coming Bills team.
With a well-balanced offensive attack and an improved defense, the Bills will hope to return to the AFC title game and come out the other side a winner in the hopes of making their first Super Bowl appearance in almost 30 years. Despite being outplayed be the Chiefs throughout the entirety of the 2021 AFC title game, the Bills have made some major upgrades to their roster this offseason.
After showing a ton of promise last year, they'll definitely look to build on that success in 2021. If there's a team out there who can knock off the Chiefs, end their Super Bowl drought, and win a title in the process of doing so, then it's most certainly this young and dynamic Buffalo Bills squad.
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