Handicapping the AFC from a Steelers' Perspective

(Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Realistically, let’s throw out the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos as well. The Chiefs have added quarterback Matt Cassel, but one gets the feeling it’s going to take more than him for the Chiefs to go from 2-14 to their first conference/league championship in 40 years, and few would argue Kyle Orton or Chris Simms are improvements from Jay Cutler at quarterback for the Broncos, losers of their final three games in 2008.

Cleveland doesn’t have the look of a champion, either. They lost their last six games in 2008, all by scoring 10 points or less. Running back Jamal Lewis enters his 10th year in the NFL; he failed to rush for 100 yards in any game last season.

Their defense ranked just 13th in the conference, and to repair this, new head coach Eric Mangini brought five players from the Jets with him. The Jets finished ninth in the conference in defense.

Even if quarterback Brady Quinn beats out Derek Anderson and becomes an All-Pro, how much can Cleveland realistically expect to improve from 4-12?

The New York Jets will have a new quarterback. First-round draft choice Mark Sanchez may be a future star, but no rookie quarterback has ever taken his team to the Super Bowl, and the other signal caller, Kellen Clemens, doesn’t seem to be a likely candidate to go there, either.

The Jets drafted well, have a solid offensive line, feature two Pro Bowlers on defense in cornerback Darrelle Revis and nose tackle Kris Jenkins, and they would seem to be a dark horse contender, if they just didn’t have to go against history and a brutal schedule to win the AFC title. Wait until 2010.

The three most likely candidates to “rise from the ashes” of the AFC are the Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, and Oakland Raiders, who finished their 2008 seasons with 3-0, 5-1, and 2-0 records, respectively. Ironically, the Texans’ sole loss during this time was to the Raiders.

For all the talk of Al Davis going against the grain, Oakland has a promising quarterback-running back duo with JaMarcus Russell and Darren McFadden. They have quality reserves with newcomer Jeff Garcia and Justin Fargas.

The Raiders even signed three new offensive linemen to protect their quarterback, as the Raiders were 1-7 when allowing more than one sack last season.

While Oakland is a budding power on offense, Houston IS a power, finishing third in the NFL in total yards. Quarterback Matt Schaub threw for more than 3,000 yards despite playing in just 11 games, and though the knee injury he suffered mid-season spoke of the Texans’ historical failures to protect the passer, Houston allowed only 32 sacks in 2008.

Schaub has weapons. Andre Johnson was the leading receiver in the NFL. Kevin Walter and Owen Daniels both finished with just less than 900 receiving yards. Steve Slaton finished 30 yards short of the conference rushing lead in his rookie season.

The problem is both of these teams struggled defensively. The Raiders have passable talent, with cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha leading a pass defense that allowed fewer yards through the air than any other non-playoff team in the AFC.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?