Why Rich Eisen Can’t See Any Team Other Than Patriots Winning AFC In 2019
History quite often has repeated itself in the AFC over the past two decades.
The New England Patriots have claimed nine conference championships dating back to the 2001 NFL season, including each of the last three. And just when it seems like Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and Co. finally are in the midst of their demise, they somehow manage to pick themselves up and climb back to the mountaintop.
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Still, a number of pundits each year try to make a case for New England’s impending downfall. Rich Eisen, however, has learned not to pick against the Patriots, a notion that only was intensified after he spent time with Belichick while filming a special for NFL Network.
“When I walked out of NFL Films, I’m like, ‘Who’s going to beat that coach in the AFC?’ You tell me who,” Eisen said on a recent episode of “The Rich Eisen Show.” “You tell me who. I know (Mike) Tomlin is tenured, but the Patriots usually beat the Steelers when it all comes down to it. Nobody in the AFC East. I mean, John Harbaugh might be the only guy who’s tenured enough and has the experience and he has beaten New England before, but I don’t think with Lamar Jackson. He’s still too young. Who else? Maybe the Colts with Jacoby Brissett? Now with Brian Hoyer, having the entire quarterback list minus Jimmy Garoppolo, who’s backed up Brady the last several years. Now that’s their (Indianapolis’) quarterback group. And then obviously we’ve seen what happened with Philly Rivers and the Chargers last year, Kansas City. I had to take the Patriots.”
While the intrigue in the AFC, at least on paper, has been elevated, the list of legitimate contenders probably isn’t as long as it’s made out to be. The battle for conference supremacy seems like it will end up being a two-horse race between the Patriots and Chiefs, and New England already has proven it can take down Kansas City regardless of setting or time of year.
So while Eisen’s prediction isn’t going to make any waves, it’s probably the right one.
