The wide open AFC

[PatsFan1283]

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The Ravens are decimated by injuries, they have guys off the street all over their secondary

The Steelers can’t get a 1st down with Ben and their run D sucks

Browns are decent but they’ve been up and down

They wouldn’t win any other division in the nfl, like I said their best win is legitimately probably @ Raiders, Vikings at home in OT maybe.

And I’m not trying to diss them or anything, but don’t know how for real they are.

 

[Avocado33]

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The Ravens are decimated by injuries, they have guys off the street all over their secondary

The Steelers can’t get a 1st down with Ben and their run D sucks

Browns are decent but they’ve been up and down

They wouldn’t win any other division in the nfl, like I said their best win is legitimately probably @ Raiders, Vikings at home in OT maybe.

And I’m not trying to diss them or anything, but don’t know how for real they are.

Ravens are 8-5 against everyone else, Steelers are 7-5-1 against everyone else. Yet the Bengals have outscored those teams 147-58 in the four games they played against them.

Browns are also a tough out for everyone despite the injuries

The AFC North has four legitimately formidable teams, which is hard to say exists in pretty much every other division (maybe the AFC West?)

Can't win any other division? I'd love to play the Jags and Texans twice a year. Although the Titans can attest to how tough a home game the Texans are lol

I'm sure the Giants and WFT twice a year would also be nice.

 

[PatsFan1283]

True, the AFC south is rough, certainly creates a nice floor when you get JVille/Hou 2x. Indy/Tenn got to play the Jets too. Then again the Jets beat the Bengals with their 3rd string QB.

But I think Pitt/BMore both have run good as well to have those records, they’re teams with good reputations and they’ve won some close ones this year but they’re not close to good teams. Ravens mostly because of injuries, Steelers because their QB shouldn’t be in the nfl anymore.

I dunno, they just haven’t proven much but they’re in the next tier after KC/Buff, just more at the bottom of it to me

 

[Avocado33]

True, the AFC south is rough, certainly creates a nice floor when you get JVille/Hou 2x. Indy/Tenn got to play the Jets too. Then again the Jets beat the Bengals with their 3rd string QB.

But I think Pitt/BMore both have run good as well to have those records, they’re teams with good reputations and they’ve won some close ones this year but they’re not close to good teams. Ravens mostly because of injuries, Steelers because their QB shouldn’t be in the nfl anymore.

I dunno, they just haven’t proven much but they’re in the next tier after KC/Buff, just more at the bottom of it to me

What has Buffalo done to prove they are in a tier with KC above everyone else?

Fail to score a TD against a college team in Jacksonville?
Get their ass blasted by the Colts?

Sure, Cincy has laid some eggs too (like you pointed out against the Jets)

Point is all the teams are flawed, but I give Cincy the edge because of how lethal their passing attack is. Burrow averages 8.7 yards per throw despite being a high-volume thrower (compare that to Allen at 7.0)

 

[Avocado33]

They wouldn’t win any other division in the nfl, like I said their best win is legitimately probably @ Raiders, Vikings at home in OT maybe.

I guess you can get away with a statement like this given we'll never truly know, but to act like they only would win the division because they are playing in the AFC North is just stupid.

I guess I could say that the Bengals could win literally every single division in the NFL. I don't think they would, but there isn't a single team this year who is head and shoulders above the pack.

 

[PatsFan1283]

Bills won @KC and @NE pretty impressively

They’ve had some tough losses but they’re 0-5 in 1 score games. Week 1 Pitt blocks a punt for TD, Tampa/NE/tenn (tenn was healthy) all won close 50-50 games vs them. 2 on the road, 1 in outlier weather.

And they also have the prior of being a top tier team last year which is obviously worth something.

Bills are like 3rd DVOA, cincy is like 18th last time I checked. No stat/metric is perfect but that’s quite the gulf.

 

[PatsFan1283]

I guess you can get away with a statement like this given we'll never truly know, but to act like they only would win the division because they are playing in the AFC North is just stupid.

I guess I could say that the Bengals could win literally every single division in the NFL. I don't think they would, but there isn't a single team this year who is head and shoulders above the pack.

Meh, bad way to phrase it I guess. Obviously what I meant was I’d take the 1st place teams in every other division over them. Tenn is debatable/close.

Yes, obviously if they switched places with those 1st place teams they would be favs in many of those divisions. That’s all I meant.

 

[Avocado33]

Bills are like 3rd DVOA, cincy is like 18th last time I checked. No stat/metric is perfect but that’s quite the gulf.

Burrow averages 1.7 more yards per throw than Allen (who people have absurdly thrown into the MVP conversation) over basically an entire season. That also is quite the gulf.

Could go in circles with this stuff. Both teams have had consistency issues all year. I just think the Bengals are a slightly better team. I like their personnel more, specifically on offense

 

[Dr.Love]

Not to long ago , some had the Ravens and AZ as the best teams in both conferences and the top seeds. Neither one belong in the playoffs imo..

That's a dumb comment.

In the current setup, the teams that have the best 7 records in each conference belong in the playoffs. The teams that don't, dont. Simple as that. To say anything else is stupid.

 

[Dr.Love]

What has Buffalo done to prove they are in a tier with KC above everyone else?

They blew the doors off KC. So that's part of it.

Buffalo had their slump midseason. KC had theirs to start. Both teams at full strength are the two best teams in the AFC.

And those are the two teams who will play to go to the Super Bowl.

 

[Dr.Love]

The Green Fruit tooting his Bengals horn now is funny shit. 6 weeks ago he jumped off the Burrow bandwagon, now he's Fano Numero Uno.

LOL

 

[Avocado33]

They blew the doors off KC. So that's part of it.

Buffalo had their slump midseason. KC had theirs to start. Both teams at full strength are the two best teams in the AFC.

And those are the two teams who will play to go to the Super Bowl.

We'll see.

You can play the "they beat them" game all day long. Didn't Indy beat Buffalo by four TD's in Buffalo? Why aren't they in the first tier?

Acting like there are two clear teams ahead of everyone else is absurd. They're all basically in the same tier. If you think Buffalo is a top 2 team in the AFC, then fine. But there's pretty clearly a group of 6-7 teams that are all pretty close to the same. I just think KC is best, and Cincinnati is 2nd-best (by a small margin)

There is no KC/Buffalo tier lol

 

[Dr.Love]

You can play the "they beat them" game all day long.

I agree. That's why I said it's part of it. And it is.

 

[Dr.Love]

Didn't Indy beat Buffalo by four TD's in Buffalo? Why aren't they in the first tier?

Yup. And that's partly why I said Indy was trending fast towards tier 1. If not already there.

 

[Dr.Love]

I just think KC is best, and Cincinnati is 2nd-best (by a small margin)

Ok.

 

[Avocado33]

Bills have been inconsistent all year long. Josh Allen has been inconsistent all year long.

They never looked like world-beaters, even at the very beginning. They beat the shit out of some awful teams.

9-6 is about right for them. They fortunately get two lay-ups to finish the year. Though maybe it's not a lay-up if you're not capable of scoring a touchdown against the Jags....

 

[Dr.Love]

Bills have been inconsistent all year long.

I've been on the Bills all year long. Never jumped off the bandwagon.

I see big picture and talent, you bail when ESPN tells you too.

Burrow has a great game, all the sudden you are touting Cinci as the 2nd best team in the AFC. Hahahaha! Funny shit.

 

[Avocado33]

The Green Fruit tooting his Bengals horn now is funny shit. 6 weeks ago he jumped off the Burrow bandwagon, now he's Fano Numero Uno.

LOL

The Bengals fan in me always has to be skeptical. It's in our DNA. I didn't jump off; we just needed to see more.

Burrow has proven to be legit. I'd take him over Allen this year

 

[Avocado33]

Burrow has a great game, all the sudden you are touting Cinci as the 2nd best team in the AFC. Hahahaha! Funny shit.

I think they are the second-best team based on their entire body of work.

Doesn't really matter anyway. It just matters whose best in January

 

[Dr.Love]

Man. You really constantly take a beating from me on a regular basis.

I don't know whether to pity you for it, or respect you for always taking it and not giving up. I guess I can do both.