Broncos
The Joe Flacco era is here. Now I am just going to ignore the reports out of Broncos camp that he just keeps tossing INT’s to the safeties and look more positively on Mr. Flacco. I have always been very forthcoming with my Broncos analysis. I am a Broncos fan. Now that said I feel I am a very pessimistic Broncos fan so bear with me. The stats show that before he was benched last year Flacco had a relatively good season. In only 9 games played he put up 2,465 yards. If he had started for the whole season he could have easily passed for 3.5 K. Now yes he only tossed 12 Touchdowns, which is why he was benched eventually, and put up 6 INT’s. Now in my opinion if the Denver Broncos can find a QB that limits turnovers, that’s a success. Both Trevor Siemian and Case Keenum threw way to many interceptions in their Denver careers. Now you could blame that on the offensive line but I would argue the Broncos did the most to improve there offensive line of anyone this off season. Adding Mike Munchak as a coach and top left tackle Ja’Wuan James plus arguably the second best O lineman in the draft Dalton Risner, who is getting rave reviews early in training camp. Joe Flacco will be protected, which is a necessity for the brittle QB that he is frankly. Will we see Drew Lock this year? Unless Flacco completely falls apart, I doubt he will, or he gets injured, more likely, I doubt it.
The receiving core has a lot more questions than it does answers. Will Emmanuel Sanders return to his dominant down the stretch form off an achilles injury? Will Courtland Sutton take the next step toward being a number one wide receiver? Will Desean Hamilton continue his late-season break out and become a big part of this offense? Will Tim Patrick produce like he did when he was needed last year (he had 19 catches in the final four games)? Will Juwann Winfree make an appearance? The Broncos have an incredibly high ceiling receiver room, will they take in 2019? It’s all questions and very few answers for this group.
The backfield is talented. This team needs to be a running team. Phillip Lindsay was phenomenal last year and looks to be healthy coming into 2019. He will share the load with Royce Freeman who showed moments of promise last year before an ankle injury. Devontae Booker, my guy go Utes, continues to hang around. If they perform well this could be one of the deepest backfields in the entire league.
The defense is really good. There’s no way around it. Bradley Chubb and Von Miller might be the most fierce pass rush combo in 2019 under defensive guru Vic Fangio. I think Miller is my number one candidate to win DPOY at this point. Shelby Harris was awesome down the stretch for this team and while Adam Gotsis is a very bad human being he’s showed progress each year he’s played and is a key part of the line. Oh and you can’t forget Derek Wolfe who can be an absolute game-changer. Tod Davis and Josey Jewell are two high upside young linebackers who could thrive in Fangio’s defense. The Secondary adds game changers as well in Kareem Jackson and Bryce Callahan. Justin Simmons is getting rave reviews at safety in camp. I love the defense because of all these names but mostly because of Fangio who I think is going to take the defense back to Super Bowl status. The one major concern, outside of those names the defense is very thin.
PLEASE STOP ME. I DO THIS EVERY YEAR. I FALL IN LOVE AND I GET MY HEART BROKEN. I do it again this year though. I think this team has playoff potential and anything under 9-7 would be a massive disappointment. Here’s to a fans constant un ending optimism in July and heart break in October.
Record prediction: 7-9 (I was less bullish on this team once I saw what the rest of the division had.)
Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes may just very well be the best QB in the entire league. The first year he had is going to be hard to replicate. I think he’ll throw for 5k yards again but I have a hard time seeing fifty touchdowns. I see a more forty touchdown season for the third year star. It’s hard to over praise Mahomes. He has a better arm than Rodgers, the pocket mobility and athleticism of Russell Wilson and the mentality of Tom Brady. He is currently the prototype of the perfect NFL signal caller. The counter argument is that almost every stud young QB who puts up a massive year almost always follows it up with a down year. I.e. Carson Wentz, I don’t see that happening with Mahomes. What we saw last year is only the beginning. He is going to light the league up for years to come.
The wide receiving core is stacked. I have made my feelings on Tyreek Hill clear. He’s a trash human being and it’s pretty much impossible to root for this team because he’s on it. That said, he’s the most important skill position player in the entire NFL. He carries what this offense does. It’s even scarier that they might have gotten his clone, minus the off field issues, in Georgia wide out Mecole Hardman. Imagine two players that could stretch the field like that on one offense. It could be absolutely deadly. Not to mention the Chiefs carry the best tight end in the league in Travis Kelce. Add Sammy Watkins and a myriad of other weapons and you have one of the best-receiving cores in the league on your hands.
I don’t get the dislike for Damien Williams. He was awesome down the stretch last year. I think he can be key to the backfield and he’ll need to be. All signs point towards the Chiefs cutting his backup Carlos Hyde. A side tangent. Carlos Hyde is a good running back. He puts up great tape every time he get’s playing time but just cannot stick with a team. I wonder why, no sarcasm there I am legitimately curious why he can’t hold down a job.
The defensive line remains the strongest part of the Chiefs D. Frank Clark along with Chris Jones and Alex Oakafor are going to be hard to run on and put pressure on the QB. The linebacking core has upside Anthon Hitchens will likely lead the team in tackles again. If he can stay healthy Reggie Ragland has the potential to be a super star in my opinion. Damien Wilson joins the team from Dallas and adds some depth. This linebacking core even though it lost Justin Houston is still a good group. Again though, for about the third straight year my biggest concern is the secondary. Yes they added Tyrann Mathieu but there’s no guarantee he doesn’t take a noticeable step back this year after years of injuries. Bashaud Breeland looked slow last year though at corner. Kendall Fuller was good in the slot but outside of him the Chiefs have little to know depth at the position. I want to see it before I buy into the fact this defense will be any good in pass protection.
If Tyreek Hill were not on this team. I might actually root for them, they are going to be a ton of fun in 2019.
Record prediction: 11-5
Chargers
Phillip Rivers is getting up there in age. That said he is coming off one of his best seasons. He limited turnovers and moved the offense. That’s all you can ask from him. That said I think Rivers takes a step back this year. *Record scratch* I started writing down why I thought he might take a step back and it made absolutely no sense to me. So guess what baby I’m all in on the Chargers again. Rivers can absolutely replicate what he did last season and maybe even go above it.
Part of that stems from the fact he’ll have ascending star Hunter Henry back. The big question is if Henry can stay healthy but last offseason this guy was getting Rob Gronkowski Travis Kelce level rave reviews from critics. If he can be even half of that this Chargers offense will soar even higher than they did last year. Keenan Allen is still very much in his prime. Mike Williams is about to be recognized as one of the best deep threat targets in the league. Travis Benjamin I stand by this year in and year out is one of the top 3 slot receivers in the entire league. The way he can stretch the field is un real. He is a massive part of the passing game. Outside of the top four the Chargers don’t have much depth but they have as talented a starting receiving core as any team in the league.
The running back room is deep in Los Angeles. Even though Melvin Gordon has requested a contract extension the team probably wouldn’t be hurt that much if he sat our a few games. Austin Ekeler proved last year he was an excellent running back that could absolutely get the job done. Now of course if Melvin Gordon sat out the whole season that would hurt. I doubt that happens though as on today July 24th the Chargers have made an offer to Gordon according to GM Tom Telesco. Gordon had a career year last year but I think he might take a slight step back in 2019.
The defense on this Chargers team might just be the best in the league. They have a shot to be at least. From top to bottom they are stacked with talent. Defensive Line: Joey Bosa (Pro bowler) Melvin Ingram (Pro Bowler) Brandon Mebane (Pro Bowler) plus they add depth by drafting Jerry Tillery a first round steal to come in and play third down situations. The linebacking core is a bit of a concern. Denzel Perryman needs to stay healthy but when he does he’s a great inside linebacker. Thomas Davis looked bad at points in Carolina last year but as a depth piece behind Jatavis Brown and Uchenna Nwosu he could have an impact. The secondary though is just loaded. Casey Hayward is going to break out and have an all pro type season this year mark my words. Trevor Williams has incredibly high upside. The safety tandem might be the best in the league for years to come though. I truly believe after this year we will be talking about Derwin James as the best safety in the entire NFL. Nassir Adderley is heavily hyped up, and I buy it. The defense needs to be feared and respected as one of the best in the league.
I say this every year but I’m sorry, how can you not view this team as a Super Bowl contender? They have a great QB an elite WR core and one of the best defenses in the entire league.
Record prediction: 12-4
Raiders
Derek Carr is weird. I don’t think I have ever seen a QB crowned as a franchise passer and then had that title yanked away so quickly. I have always liked Carr, perhaps the 2016 season is just seared into my brain forever but I think he is a decent QB. Do I think he alone could will a team to a Super Bowl? No. I put him in the Matthew Stafford tier of QB’s (it is that time of year where we tier QB’s right?) not good enough to drag you to the playoffs or a championship on his own but not bad enough to move on from. Carr is stuck. It would not shock me if Antonio Brown helps take him to the next level but until I see it I view Carr as a 6-8 win QB which is pretty much how I view this team in general right now.
The receiving core can’t be an excuse for Carr this year. They add arguably the best wide out in the game in Antonio Brown. Do I think Brown can carry an offense though? No. He didn’t last year in Pittsburgh in fact in many ways I think he was second fiddle to Ju Ju last year in Pittsburgh. That said he is a tremendously talented wide out who could drag this team to some success. Outside of Brown though the core is thin. Tyrell Williams was great last year but was he just a one year flash in the pan? Ryan Grant is a decent fourth option but rookie Hunter Renfrow is most likely going to be your slot guy. I just don’t buy any of the wide outs on this roster outside of Brown.
The running back room also has it’s fair share of question marks. Josh Jacobs needs to emerge as a great running back or this backfield stocked with veterans won’t have any chance. I like Jalen Richard as the number two back. Doug Martin might be a camp cut, it’s either him or Isaiah Crowell I don’t see both of them making the roster.
The defensive line has some nice upside. Maurice Hurst had flashes last year. I like Arden Key, he didn’t have a sack last year but got good pressures on the QB. Adding Clelin Ferell might help with that for Key. I tend to think the Ferell pick was a good one even though it was a bit of a reach. The linebacking core isn’t terrible. Vontaze Burfict needs to stay out of trouble though, he probably won’t probably suspended by week 4. Brandon Marshall will always have a special place in my heart from the Broncos Super Bowl 50 win. He looked good last year with the Bears and could make an impact on this defense. Outside of LaMarcus Joyner I am worried about the secondary. Gareon Conley and Johnathan Abram have solid upsides but I need to see it before I buy in. It’s just a young group and they might struggle early on.
Listen. I am probably wrong on this one. Doesn’t feel right in my gut. The schedule is just so hard for this team though to start and I don’t know if they ever recover. They don’t have a game on the schedule that I think they’ll be favored in. I see bad things ahead for this club.
Record prediction: 2-14