THE NFL AFC power rankings

1. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Last season’s record: 12-4

No doubt about it, the Chiefs flop in the playoffs every year, including last season when they lost to New England in the AFC Championship Game even though they had home-field advantage and were arguably superior. So why do they get the No. 1 nod? Because they’re simply too good on both sides of the ball to deny it. League MVP Patrick Mahomes was magical in his first season starting at quarterback and he has weapons galore: tight end Travis Kelce, standout receiver Tyreek Hill (who avoided NFL suspension), a stable of backs to replace Kareem Hunt that includes ex-Niner Carlos Hyde and a highly-touted rookie wideout Mecole Hardman from the University of Georgia. Defensively, they lost Dee Ford to the 49ers but acquired Frank Clark from the Seahawks, so they should be solid enough to support an offense that might average 35-40 points a game. Hard to see how Andy Reid screws this up, at least until January.

2. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Last season’s record: 11-5

The record for touchdown passes by a 42-year-old quarterback in a season is 11. It was set by Warren Moon in Seattle in 1998. So here comes Tom Brady, who turned 42 on Aug. 3, looking to demolish that mark as he did all previous key statistical records for 41-yearold quarterbacks last year while winning his sixth Super Bowl. So when will it all end for Brady and Bill Belichick, who also became the oldest NFL coach ever to win a championship last year at 66? Neither will have future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski to bail them out in the red zone anymore, Gronk having decided to retire after nine seasons at age 30. But look, just count on it: Belichick will figure out a way, and the Patriots’ defense that befuddled Jared Goff and the Rams in the big game last year will be formidable once again. Oh yeah, they still have six games against the Jets, Bills and Dolphins, a huge perennial built-in advantage.

BY CARL STEWARD

Last season’s record: 12-4

If it wasn’t for the Chiefs being in the same division, it might be easier to see how darned good and deep the well-rounded Chargers really are. Vet quarterback Philip Rivers is an eight-time Pro Bowler and had one of his best seasons in 2018 at age 36. He has perhaps the most underrated star receiver in the league in Keenan Allen, and Mike Williams is a solid enough No. 2 to replace Tyrell Williams, now a Raider. Melvin Gordon, who one would hope works through his contract dispute, rushed for 885 yards and 10 TDs despite playing in just 12 games and averaged 5.1 yards per carry. The defense is potent, with the eighthfewest points allowed overall in the league in 2018. The unit has five players voted to Pro Bowls the last two years, including two young standout secondary performers, Desmond King and Derwin James, as well as defensive end Joey Bosa, brother of the 49ers’ top draft pick Nick Bosa. A shaky offensive line may be the team’s Achilles’ heel, but for our money, this is the only other team that could unseat the Chiefs or Patriots at the AFC finish line.

Los Angeles wide receiver Keenan Allen is one of the most underrated receivers in the league.

5. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Last season’s record: 10-6

So if you’re not up for the Brown Kool-Aid, how about some Squirrel Oil? That was the trademark magic elixir of that magnificent Civil War Twitter creation, Capt. Andrew Luck, whose popularity was stimulated a great deal by the real Luck, the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year leading the league’s premier comeback team. The combo management duo of GM Chris Ballard and coach Frank Reich not only resurrected Luck, they’ve built strong units on both sides of the ball, fortified the entire roster with a ton of draft picks (nine in the 2019 Draft alone) and wise investments with their roughly $100 million in cap space, most in the NFL entering the off-season. In short, this franchise has it working with backs like Marlon Mack and Nyheim Hines, a tight end like Eric Ebron, a No. 1 receiver like T.Y. Hilton and an O-line that allowed the fewest sacks in the NFL (18). But it all depends on Capt. Luck continuing his career re-ascent with continued fresh supplies from Mother, the front office and his protective offensive line.

7. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Last season’s record: 5-11

The Jaguars made it to the AFC title game in 2017 and barely lost to the Patriots 24-20, but then tumbled back to their more familiar non-playoff form last year. So who are these guys, really? They’re a team with a more decorated quarterback in Nick Foles, who coaxed a four-year, incentive-laden $88 million deal from the Jags. It’s a big gamble for team president Tom Coughlin on a QB who may not be that much better than predecessor Blake Bortles. But Foles has won a Super Bowl (against Tom Brady, no less) and he doesn’t have to do it all. He has a workhorse back in Leonard Fournette at his side and a Jacksonville defense that stacks up as one of the best in the NFL.

Last season’s record: 7-8-1

Let’s face it, after the top three teams and the bottom four (Dolphins, Bills, Jets, Bengals), ordering the middle nine of the AFC is a total crapshoot. So why not drink the Brown KoolAid (oh, that sounds horrible, doesn’t it?) and go with Cleveland here, two years removed from 0-16? If you judge strictly on talent, it’s logical. Baker Mayfield had a terrific rookie year at quarterback (3,725 yards, 27 TDs, 14 interceptions, 93.7 passer rating) and he now has Odell Beckham Jr. to throw to in addition to Beckham’s childhood buddy Jarvis Landry. Troubled-but-talented running back Kareem Hunt will join the offense after he serves an eight-game domestic violence suspension. The defense has some budding stars in defensive end Myles Garrett and cornerback Denzel Ward, and they added versatile vet lineman Olivier Vernon in free agency. At long last, the Dog Pound doesn’t have to cheer a bunch of dogs.

6. HOUSTON TEXANS

Last season’s record: 11-5

It’s hard to say what’s missing from the Texans. They have a bright, versatile young quarterback in DeShaun Watson, a phenomenal premier receiver in DeAndre Hopkins, a solid workhorse back in Lamar Miller and defensive stalwarts like J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney to anchor the best run defense in the league. But they have only reached the playoffs three times in their existence and have yet to win more than one game in a post season. Last year they were bounced out 21-7 in their postseason opener by Indianapolis, a huge disappointment following a sterling regular season. Maybe this is the year, but there needs to be a lot more evidence than the Texans have shown in spite of their top-end talent. Let’s start with that terrible offensive line, which allowed Watson to be sacked 62 times last year.

8. OAKLAND RAIDERS

Last season’s record: 4-12

The Raiders clearly had the most dramatic offseason in the entire league, They spent a lot of money on free agents, made a monumental trade for the league’s most productive but controversial receiver and were the busiest team at the top of the draft. They will be better. They can’t help but be, which could make for a memorable final year at the Coliseum. Derek Carr has an electric new receiving tandem in free spirit Antonio Brown and Tyrell Williams, a promising rookie running back in Josh Jacobs and a fortified line with the additions of Trent Brown, Richie Incognito and Rodney Hudson. Jon Gruden should be a little smoother with his play-calling after a year back in the league, but the real questions are on defense. This is a team that had just 13 sacks in 2018, the worst in the league by 17! Clemson rookie Clelin Ferrell should alleviate some of the void left from Khalil Mack’s shocking trade, but he can’t do it alone. The Raiders have the makings of a strong secondary with the addition of Lamarcus Joyner and rookie Johnathan Abram to go with improving corner Gareon Conley, but they need to get after quarterbacks, especially in a division that boasts Patrick Mahomes, Philip Rivers and Joe Flacco. If they can’t, they’ll be heading to Vegas on a bust.

9. DENVER BRONCOS

Last season’s record: 6-10

Isn’t it amazing after the stable, unchallenged career he had as a quarterback in Denver that John Elway has had so many different quarterbacks as the team’s chief architect? It wasn’t that long ago that the Broncos had Tim Tebow, who’s now playing minor league baseball, as their starter. They’ve had six guys since 2011, in fact, who have logged doubledigit starts, most notably Peyton Manning, who took them to a Super Bowl win. Now Elway will try to repeat that feat with Flacco, now 34, who like Manning comes to Denver with a Super Bowl victory on his resume. Denver has many of the other pieces that should spell a return to winning, most notably a defense still led by the dynamic, dangerous Von Miller. The big question is whether Flacco has enough offensive weapons around him because it’s a fairly nondescript crew of backs and receivers at the moment. Oh yeah, the new coach: It’s career assistant Vic Fangio, getting his first try at the head job at 60. One of Fangio’s first acts was to turn off the music at practice. Uh oh, that’s probably not going to fly. Quick, somebody get Vic a Spotify subscription.

10. TENNESSEE TITANS

Last season’s record: 9-7 last season before signing as a free agent with the Jets, and Brown was a productive but divisive presence. Things will be a lot calmer in Pittsburgh, but perhaps too calm. Ben Roethlisberger is coming off a season in which he threw for over 5,000 yards but he’s also now 37. With Brown out of town, he’ll be even more reliant on Juju Smith-Schuster, who exploded for 111 catches and 1,426 yards in just his second season. But Smith-Schuster might find the going a little tougher without Brown on the other side. The traditionally stout defense, meanwhile, wasn’t very good for a change — only 16th best overall, and while the Steelers could still handle the Browns and Bengals, they were swept by the four teams in the AFC West. That may portend even more troubling times for a franchise that hasn’t had a losing season since 2003.

The Titans have just one playoff appearance since 2008, and that was two seasons ago when they snuck in at 9-7, beat the Chiefs in a wild card, but then got flattened by New England in the divisional round. Last year’s 9-7 didn’t get it done, and now quarterback Marcus Mariota is in the fifth and final year of his rookie deal. How he performs could dictate not only his future but the Titans’. Mariota has thrown just 24 touchdowns over the last TWO seasons and tossed 23 picks over the same period. That didn’t get it done, either. But at least outwardly, coach Mike Vrabel sees Mariota as the long-term answer. Derek Henry is a decent running threat but there just isn’t enough offense. The Titans were third in scoring defense last season yet only outscored their opponents by seven points. Not exactly what was once such a high Steve McNair/ Eddie George standard in Nashville.

Denver GM John Elway is trying out yet another QB this year, hoping former Raven Joe Flacco, above, will lead the team to another Super Bowl.

ASSOCIATED PRESS buried teams on third down. It’s definitely a defense by committee, but one can’t help but notice the absence of longtime stalwart Terrell Suggs, who has moved to Arizona after a Hall of Fame-type career in Baltimore. Losing both Flacco and Suggs has to have some significant impact. Maybe the younger core deserves more credit, but they’ll have to prove it. As we said, the middle nine in the AFC is a crapshoot. The Ravens could just as easily be fourth as opposed to 12th.

14.

Last season’s record: 6-10

The Bills like to think they’re on a parallel path with the Browns and on the ascent after enduring some growing pains last year with their own rookie quarterback, Josh Allen. It’s tougher to see that they are ready to make a similar leap into contention, though, with a roster that’s still fairly anonymous compared to Cleveland’s. Oh, but there is one name you will know — ageless Frank Gore. This was Gore’s latest off-season landing spot after a very productive year with Miami. It’s never a bad thing to have a guy like Gore on your roster influencing young players. Buffalo also thinks they got the steal of the NFL Draft’s first round with defensive tackle Ed Oliver at No. 9. We’ll see. Still can’t see .500 from this bunch, though.

15.

Cincinnati Bengals

Last season’s record: 6-10

11. PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Last season’s record: 9-6-1

Who can make heads or tails of this team with Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell both gone for good? Of course, Bell sat out all of

Baltimore Ravens

Last season’s record: 10-6

This might be a bit unfair and a bit low for a franchise that has achieved 10 doubledigit win seasons and won two Super Bowls since 2000. John Harbaugh has six of those double-digit win seasons and one of the Super Bowl triumphs. The man’s a better coach than his brother. But with Joe Flacco off to Denver, Lamar Jackson has the job full-time now. Jackson definitely got his feet wet last year with seven starts (and he went 6-1 in those starts), but the Ravens’ success was definitely a function of their defensive play. They were first in the league in fewest yards allowed and second in fewest points surrendered. They

13. N.Y. JETS

Last season’s record: 4-12

Of the perennial AFC dregs, the Jets may be the best candidate for a breakout into some form of respectability. Todd Bowles is a fabulous defensive coach but was definitely in the wrong place as the head coach of this franchise. When you draft a guy like Sam Darnold, you want an offensive mind running the show, and that’s what the Jets have now after hiring Adam Gase, a guy who flirted with the 49ers a few years back before they hired Kyle Shanahan. The Jets added Le’Veon Bell in the off-season, and he should be plenty fresh after sitting out last season in Pittsburgh over his contract. Yikes, do the Jets actually know what they’re doing? Maybe. They added tackle Quinnen Williams in the draft to go with stout Leonard Williams, and signed linebacker C.J. Mosley from Baltimore as a free agent. As for Darnold, he showed some promise before the rest of the team caved in on him last year. Let’s see what Gase can do with him.

At long last, after an amazing 16 seasons in which he went 0-7 in the playoffs (when the Bengals actually did make the playoffs), Marvin Lewis was mercifully let go. He has moved on to the coaches’ old folks home at Arizona State with Herm Edwards. In Lewis’ place is 35-year-old Zac Taylor, previously the Rams’ quarterbacks coach. Taylor is definitely a head coaching prospect, but most observers think the hire may be a reach with someone so light on experience taking on a team this iffy. Quarterback Andy Dalton could benefit from Taylor’s tutelage, however, as might an offense that still has some potent weapons in back Joe Mixon, receiver A.J. Green and tight end Tyler Eifert. The defense? Anybody’s guess with Lewis now gone. Easier to guess it’ll all add up to a losing record.

16.

Miami Dolphins

Last season’s record: 7-9

Congrats to Josh Rosen, who went from the NFC’s worst team, the Arizona Cardinals, to the team that likely will be the worst in the AFC this year. The Dolphins will be much like their town’s baseball Marlins, stripping back the whole enterprise to build from scratch. The good news for Rosen is he figures heavily in the rebuild under new coach Brian Flores. But after losing defensive line stalwarts Cameron Wake and Robert Quinn, this team will have an easier time giving up points than scoring them. It’s going to be a long year in Miami. It’s a rough sports town all the way around, but hey, there’s the weather and South Beach.