NFL Preview: Most Overrated Team in Each AFC Division

The AFC is going to be a bloodbath. Roughly a dozen teams believe they can make the playoffs, and not all can, so these are the most overrated teams in each AFC division.

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The Buffalo Bills‘ status as the top team in the AFC East will be threatened this season, and I’ll even go as far as to say that I believe they aren’t even a lock to make the playoffs, given how demanding their schedule will be. Josh Allen hasn’t sold me that he belongs in the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks, and the offense around him doesn’t have much to get excited about besides Stefon Diggs, whose relationship with the organization appears strained. Defensively, they don’t have anyone elite to pair with Von Miller when he returns from injury, and they have to deal with losing Leslie Frazier as defensive coordinator. Buffalo could still appear great in the regular season, but I’m confident they aren’t the Super Bowl contender many make them out to be.

The rhetoric around the Baltimore Ravens is interesting now that Lamar Jackson has his money. The assumption is that everything is fixed in Baltimore. But is it? I don’t see it. Lamar can still be sensational with his legs, but I question if Odell Beckham Jr. and Zay Flowers can revitalize the passing game. Who knows how rusty OBJ may be after missing all of 2022, and Flowers is still a rookie. They could also use a proven running back as JK Dobbins‘s training camp has fluctuated, and he’s dealt with many injuries in recent years. Defensively, they should be excellent, but it can’t be ignored that they lost multiple starters this offseason. The Ravens will potentially be missing Marlon Humphrey for several weeks. Let’s pump the brakes on the Ravens in a crowded AFC North.

The AFC South could end up as the worst division in football this season, and the Tennessee Titans might be the biggest mystery in the AFC. After starting last season 7-3, they lost their final seven games, and now some expect them to bounce back in a weak division. I can’t see it. They have a brutal quarterback situation with Ryan Tannehill expected to start despite a poor 2022, while Malik Willis and Will Levis wait in the wings. It will be tough for them to consistently get the ball to DeAndre Hopkins for him to make a difference. Derrick Henry should be able to cover up a lot of flaws, but we saw that he couldn’t do everything last year. Defensively, they have a strong run defense, but their secondary will be brutal. For the Titans’ sake, hopefully, they are bad enough so they can draft a real quarterback in the 2024 draft.

Looking at the AFC West, we can never call the Chiefs overrated, the Chargers should take a leap with their highly talented offense, and the Broncos can’t be any worse than they were in 2022. That leaves the Las Vegas Raiders. No one expects the Raiders to be a good team, but I expect them to be worse than that. If Josh McDaniels can’t do wonders with Derek Carr as his quarterback, he will struggle with Jimmy Garoppolo. Their division will be so challenging for the foreseeable future that the Raiders should hit rock bottom and regroup with a new direction this offseason. What they currently have isn’t and can’t work.

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