Nothing I have seen so far has convinced me that the inevitable hasn't happened. Except somehow this conference is even worse than I thought. The other teams appear to just be lying down for the Pats. Let's get this over with
Your 2019 AFC Champions (and probable Super Bowl champs)
Patriots (8-0): After practically offering the AFC Championship to anyone else and accepting it when no one else would take it the last 2 years, this year the Pats are destroying everyone in their wake. Brady is still Brady and the defense after a down 2 years is playing at historic levels. Yet another year where the Pats win it all
Favorites to choke in the AFC Championship
Ravens (5-2): Lamar Jackson is not a good passer (hyped up because he played the Dolphins in week 1 and because he is a fast QB) and the defense remains a question mark (though essentially being given Marcus Peters may give them a boost) but they seem to be playing better than anyone else in the AFC southwest of Boston and the running game will likely be able to help lift them up over most of the schedule. Baltimore vs New England AFC Championship game? (God I hope not)
Chiefs (5-3): Andy Reid is a choker, your defense is still a mess, and now Mahomes is injured. I put this here because Mahomes could be back before the end of the season.
Frauds:
Colts (5-2): The coaching of Frank Reich has allowed them to get to 5-2 despite the loss of Benefitting entirely off of close wins (including against mediocre teams) and you aren't going very far with Jacoby Brissett at QB. If only Luck didn't retire
Bills (5-2): These guys are frauds. They haven't beaten anybody. Their wins are mainly close wins against bottom of the barrel teams. They barely beat teams such as the Bengals and the Dolphins at home. And they just got exposed by the Eagles at home. Luckily their schedule is a joke so they may make the playoffs by default
Texans (5-3): As long as they continue to keep Bill O Brien, they will continue to waste the talent on their team. Oh and JJ Watt is out for the year
Gross wastes of talent
Chargers (3-5): 12-4 and lots of talent in multiple positions and yet this is all the Chargers can come up with. It's amazing how this team has mastered the art of choking and dysfunction
Browns (2-5): The Browns continue to be a factory of sadness. They have the talent to win the division and yet they decide to live up to their dysfunctional selves. 2-5 despite all that talent is a disgrace!
Mediocre
Jaguars (4-4): Outside of AB's self-destruction, the big story in the AFC this year is Gardner Minshew showing himself to be a functional QB. Of course the team as a whole is inconsistent, this defense is well removed from the dominant 2017 self and now Jalen Ramsey bitching his way onto L.A. hurts
Raiders (3-4): This has been a weird year for the Raiders. They survived AB causing major problems just to manipulate his way to New England and then they survived Vontaze Burfict's idiocy to play above their heads in hanging around .500. However, this team isn't good enough to be anything more than that and getting blown out by the better teams routinely is proof of that
Steelers (3-4): The Steelers added some pieces that have helped the defense and turnovers are increasing. Problem is they lost Ben to injury and AB to career suicide and are missing both right now. The recievers after Juju have not stepped up and Mason Rudolph while showing some ability is going through growing pains. Add some bad coaching and some tough losses and you got yourselves a 3-4 team
Titans (4-4): The Titans are actually one of the most consistent teams in the NFL. They are so consistent at being mediocre and setting offensive football back 20 years. And if they are looking good one week there is no other team that will turn around and look downright unwatchable again within the next 2 weeks than the Titans
Bad but not garbage
Broncos (2-6): They have kept numerous games close, but their offense is refuse and their defense has had a pattern of playing well enough for them to be leading only to blow that lead in the end. Joe Flacco is the latest example of Elway's inability to select QB talent
Bottom of the Barrel
Jets (1-6): Hey Le'Veon, how'd that holdout work out for you? Literally the only good part about this team is the opportunity to laugh at Le'Veon as his yearlong holdout continues to backfire on him unproductive game after unproductive game.
Bengals (0-8): Who knew hiring someone to be head coach for being Sean McVay's caddy wasn't going to work? Bungals gonna bungle. Howdy doody looks like he is looking for the first ticket out of here
Dolphins (0-7): There's tanking, there's really tanking, and then there is what the Dolphins are doing. The Dolphins are probably the worst team seen since the 76 Bucs, and that will likely remain true even if they manage to win a game (considering there have been 2 0-16 teams since then, that's saying a lot). They look like they belong in the ACC, they are that bad.
Overall: This conference is as diluted as my urine after chugging a gallon of water. I mean seriously, this isn't even a real conference. It's just a bunch of subjects bending the knee and paying tribute to the king year after year after year.