The reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs reside in the AFC, making them the team to beat in the conference. Plus, with Tom Brady no longer with the New England Patriots, the conference feels a bit more competitive in 2020.
Of course, the new Collective Bargaining Agreement that the NFL and NFLPA agreed on alters the playoff picture in the league. Instead of six teams, there will now be seven teams that advance to the postseason in each conference.
As a result, the battle for Wild Card spots is going to be even more exhilarating. Some teams that could narrowly fall short of the postseason in the AFC next season include the New England Patriots, Houston Texans, Denver Broncos, and the Los Angeles Chargers. Taking that into consideration, here are early predictions for the AFC playoff picture in 2020.
7. Cleveland Browns
Yes, the Cleveland Browns failed to live up to expectations in 2019 and there's reason to be skeptical on them in 2020. However, the more and more time passes, the more the hiring of Kevin Stefanski seems to be a perfect fit for the Browns.
There's no doubt that Cleveland has an extremely talented roster, adding Austin Hooper, Jack Conklin, and rookie Jedrick Wills this offseason. If Baker Mayfield can put last season behind him, the Browns can finally make the AFC postseason for the first time since 2002.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers
Last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers fell short of making the AFC playoffs for the second consecutive season. The Steelers haven't failed to advance the postseason for three straight seasons since 1998-2000.
Seeing that Ben Roethlisberger is returning from injury, Pittsburgh could be playing in the AFC playoffs again. With that being said, it remains to be seen if the veteran signal-caller is healthy or can remain healthy. Nonetheless, Roethlisberger at 50-percent health is better than what the Steelers fielded at quarterback in 2019.
5. Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans were one of the most surprising AFC teams in 2019, going 9-7 after starting slowly with Marcus Mariota at quarterback. But once the Titans replaced him with Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee became a wild card team.
Then, led by Derrick Henry and Tannehill, Tennessee would claw their way to the AFC Championship game. Despite falling short of a Super Bowl a season ago, the Titans are poised to make some noise again in 2020.
4. Buffalo Bills
Once again, with Brady no longer reigning supreme on the Patriots, the AFC is more wide open.
More specifically, teams in the AFC East now have a newfound optimism in making the postseason.
While New England attempts to replace Brady, the Buffalo Bills have emerged as the favorites to win the AFC East. The addition of Stefon Diggs via trade from the Minnesota Vikings gives Buffalo much-needed help on offense. If Josh Allen can improve upon his 2019 campaign, the Bills should be an AFC playoff team in 2020.
3. Indianapolis Colts
It's nearly been a year since Andrew Luck decided to suddenly retire from the Indianapolis Colts. Upon Luck's retirement, the Colts chose Jacoby Brissett as their starting quarterback last season.
Following a fast start, Brissett faltered — partly due to injuries — and Indianapolis missed the playoffs. Due to Brissett's inconsistent play, the Colts inked a deal with Philip Rivers this offseason. The addition of Rivers gives Indianapolis a chance to have a high-octane offense in the AFC.
2. Baltimore Ravens
Entering the 2019 season, there was concern about whether Lamar Jackson could succeed as the starting quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens. Jackson would respond to his critics by posting an MVP season and securing the No. 1 seed for the Ravens in the AFC.
Similar to other contending teams, Baltimore improved even more this offseason, adding Calais Campbell along with rookies J.K. Dobbins and Patrick Queen. Since Jackson proved he can succeed in the NFL, there's no reason to believe that the Ravens won't be an AFC contender next season.
1. Kansas City Chiefs
The reigning Super Bowl champions are the odds-on favorite to defend their title. As long as they have Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs should win most games in the AFC.
However, Kansas City retained 20 of their 22 starters from last season. At the same time, they added Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the 2020 NFL Draft. Unless Mahomes has his right arm fall off, the Chiefs could easily be the No. 1 seed in the AFC in 2020.
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