The race to represent the AFC in Super Bowl 50 is wide open. There isn’t a team without a blemish – a weakness that could prevent them from advancing to the big show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.
Arguably the “Big 3” in the quest for the Lamar Hunt Trophy includes the Colts, Patriots and Broncos.
The Colts run defense was exposed in 2014 and their hopes will rest heavily upon their ability to hold home field advantage in the playoffs, much like the Peyton Manning-led Colts prior to 2012. The Chuck Pagano Colts failed to adequately address the weakness this offseason and they’ll employ the Bill Polian strategy of jumping out to a big lead on offense and then removing the threat of the running game from opponents.
The Broncos are relying heavily upon the 39-year old arm of Manning that showed dramatic signs of wear and tear in December of 2014. His fastball morphed into a change up. To make matters worse the Broncos offensive line appears to be in tatters and that could shatter the Mile High hopes.
It will also be interesting to see how Manning adapts to Gary Kubiak’s offense. It may play out as a battle of wills – one that may have already begun.
#Broncos attempted to trade Peyton Manning this off-season to the Houston #Texans per more than one source in position to know. (1/2)
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) June 23, 2015
2/2 Certain elements of Broncos organization wanted Osweiler era to begin this season. — Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) June 23, 2015
Various reports have corroborated Allbright’s Tweets but qualify them by saying that the discussions took place during the period when the Broncos re-structured Manning’s contract, presumably to capture some leverage.
And then there are the Patriots…
The high drama around Tom Brady and Deflate Gate continues and following the marathon 11-hour hearing in New York on Tuesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Brady put on a great show.
It’s interesting how when one lies repeatedly, they begin to believe their own lies and come across as ingenuous.
@RussellStReport @AlbertBreer If Tom Brady’s appeal is under oath and they did nothing wrong, why didn’t the equipment guys testify?
— AlexL (@FD2403) June 24, 2015
Regardless of what happens, the Patriots took some big hits in personnel this offseason and given all of the scrutiny they are likely to receive in the coming season, the team will more than likely buckle.
And that brings us to the rest of the AFC contenders…
The Chargers, Dolphins, Bengals and Steelers will all be competitive in 2015.
San Diego has stadium issues and if they get off to a slow start, TiqIQ will be offering tickets to Qualcomm Stadium for $5 because no one in SoCal will care…The Dolphins lack the experience to make a deep post season run, particularly if they are forced to play in a cold climate…the Bengals, well there’s Andy Dalton. Need we say more? … The Steelers struggled on defense in 2014 and they’ve done little (on paper) to stop the bleeding. Gone are Dick LeBeau and the NFL’s 11th best OLB (per Pro Football Focus) Jason Worilds (retirement). And they’ll be heavily relying upon a 37-year old James Harrison. And let’s not forget that Le’Veon Bell is on the shelf for the season’s first 3 games.
And then there are the Ravens…
The Ravens are loaded. If the secondary improves they could be the most balanced team in the AFC – one that is built for cold weather and playoff battle tested. They also field a nice balance of youth and veteran grittiness.
It’s a long season and the Ravens clearly have a slippery slope to climb to start the season with 5 of their first 7 games on the road, four of which are west coast games.
If the Ravens start out 4-3 or better, watch out!
