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New England Patriots:
The Patriots do not, on paper. seem to have the most talented team in the division but they always find a way to get into the playoffs and compete for the divisonal title. QB Mac Jones led the team in every way imaginable last season throwing for 5266 yards, an unreal 45 touchdowns, and a stunning 118 QBR! HB Rhamondre Stevenson is underrated and can be flat out good. He rushed for 1345 yards while averaging a healthy 4.7 YPC. The club added some more firepower to the receiving corps with the signing of veteran Curtis Samuel who averaged 16.5 YPC while hauling in 61 balls last year for Washington. His elite speed could really prove problematic especially if fellow blazer Tyquan Thornton is also on the field. Ju-Ju Smith-Schuster and Devante Parker are also excellent targets for Jones. Mike Gesicki and Hunter Henry should see most of the time at tightend. The offensive line will feature two new comers at the tackle positions. Ex-Bengal Jonah Williams was signed in free agency and the team drafted Penn State Nittany Lion LT Olumuyiwa Fashanu in the first round.
The defense could be exciting. DE Christian Barmore will now be in tandem with rookie Laiutu Latu. Latu, a UCLA grad, might need to beef up his power moves to become a trule impactful pass rusher but he has the tools to be a good one. Davon Godchaux and super strong Matthew Ioannidis will be the mainstays inside but rookie McKinnley Jackson is sure to see time as well. The linebacking unit was upgraded when Baltimore Raven LB Patrick Queen signed up and the OLB spot was bolstered with K'Lavon Chaisson coming to New England from Jacksonville. The secondary also saw an infusion of talent as Atlanta Falcon CB Jeff Okudah came aboard. Okudah gives the Pats a deep and diverse secondary. Kyle Dugger and Jabril Peppers round out the third level.
Outlook: The Patriots open their season with three brutal matchups that could give them a gauge of where they stand. They will face the Rams, Ravens, and Texans in weeks 1-3 before meeting Miami. The Lions and Chiefs are also scheduled so repeating as champs in the AFC East is not a gimme. 10+ wins is reasonable.
New York Jets:
The Jets remain, as of now, without any leadership and that could upend their season yet again. QB Aaron Rodgers is still a good player, but could use some more help at wide receiver. Mecole Hardman is fast and Garrett Wilson is elite but the rest of the group is lacking one thing or another. Much of that, though, could be mitigated with the arrival of rookie TE sensation Brock Bowers! Quite frankly, the Georgia Bulldog enters the PFL already seen as an elite talent and he will be counted on to deliver the goods this year right away. The running game will have to be vastly improved upon from last season. HB Breece Hall did have 14 rushing touchdowns but only touched the ball 191 times and finished the season with just 951 yards. Bowers' teammate at Georgia, rookie LT Amarius Mims, is expected to start right away. A physically strong player (94 strength) the 6'7" 330 Lbs Mims could be a force immediately.
The defensive pass rush could be among the best in football. Defensive ends John Franklin-Myers and Carl Lawson got it done last year with 10.5 and 11 sacks respectively. The interior will have Quinnen Williams and Clemson product Ruke OrHarHoro along with ex-Dallas Cowboy Neville Gallimore. If there is a concern it could be the lack of size and power inside. Williams has decent strength (90) but weighs just 303 Lbs while OrHarHaro weighs just 289 Lbs and has less than inspiring strength (88). Gallimore is another under-sized DT at 302 Lbs and with only 80 strength. The Jets are a bit undersized at linenacker as well, although there is talent there. The MLB position has a trio of backers who can play. C.J. Mosley and Zaire Barnes return. A big addition, though, could be the signing of Minnesota Viking LB Jordan Hicks. Hicks was in on 124 tackles last season with 2 sacks and 11 TFLs and it is hoped he can help stop the run and make some plays in the backfield. Alabama rookie Delvin Jenkins could start opposite Quincy Williams. Both can cover but they weigh 223 and 225 Lbs respectively. Corners Sauce Gardner, D.J. Reed, and Michael Carter form one of the better secondaries in the league. Jordan Whitehead and Chuck Clark seem the likely starters at the safety spots.
Outlook: New York needs a steady coaching staff in place or another dismal season is likely. Assuming somebody takes the helm of this ship, the club has more than enough talent to make the playoffs. They have seven winnable games to start their season and need to get going right away. 10+ wins is within their grasp but only if leadership is in place.
Miami Dolphins:
Coach Len Barnhart takes over in Florida after departing from Texas and the Dallas Cowboys. Miami was without a rudder much of last season and paid dearly for it. In truth, this team has one of the most feared offensive units in the league. Left-handed QB Tua Tagovailoa posted a solid 108.1 QBR despite the situation he played in and could be much better under Barnhart. Barnhart could be the prefect fit in Miami as he opened it up in Dallas last season with QB Dak Prescott throwing for over 5000 yards. The offense is, to put it mildly, explosive and blessed with incredible speed. HB De'Von Achane is among the fastest backs in football but found little room to roam last season. He was bottled up for a meager 664 yards rushing and a woeful 3.3 YPC. Those numbers, clearly, MUST be improved upon. WRs Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are near impossible to cover man-to-man. They will be joined by Kentucky rookie Malachi Corley forming an elite trio of receivers. The Dolphins chewed up some valuable draft capital when they tabbed tightends Brevyn Spann-Ford and Ben Sinnott in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. The Minnesota Golden Gopher, Spann-Ford, lacks any vertical speed (80) but is a solid player all-around otherwise. Sinnott, from Kansas State, is a bit quicker and should get the nod in the starting role. It is possible the Fish utilize more two-tightend sets this season with Hill and Waddle on the outside. The offensive line has some question marks. Rookie LG Jack Nelson comes out of Wisconsin as a 5th round selection and will be asked to take the role right away. Another rookie, highly regarded RT J.C. Latham was seen by many as the best in his class and could be a mainstay for years to come.
The defense will need to play well. Ends Christian Wilkens, Zach Sieler, and Emmanuel Ogbah will compete for playing time with Wilkens seeing time inside too. DTs Tim Settle and Austin Faoliu are more 3-tech types so Wilkens will need to take up the slack inside. The linebacking is interesting. The LOLB spots do not have a coverage backer in camp with Bradley Chubb and smallish Cameron Goode there. Goode, at 238 Lbs, does possess explosive acceleration (92) and could prove a valuable speed rusher. ROLB Jaelan Phillps has decent zone coverage ability but is really just another speed rusher. MLB David Long is solid and his 88 impact block number allows him to hold up vs interior Oline blockers and make run stops. Only 5'10" and 227 Lbs, Long still found his way to 10 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 2 pass deflections last season. CBs Jalen Ramsey and Xavien Howard can play but Howard's lack of top end speed is a concern. FS Jevon Holland is a top shelf talent while SS Deshon Elliott is a steady performer.
Outlook: If Barnhart can get the offense to play to its potential, then the rest should fall into place. The defense might not be good enough to hold up if the O cannot put up points on the scoreboard. Powering the football does not seem an option they can rely upon so red zone offense, particularly inside the 10, could prove problematic. If they can play above water ball in the first five weeks of the season, they have a shot. They have games versus Buffalo, Cleveland, the Rams, New England, and Jacksonville before a week 6 bye and if they can win the games they should and pull off an upset or two they could be on their way. 9 wins seems about right if all falls their way.
Buffalo Bills:
There is one simple answer to the woes the Bills have endured in recent years: Pass protection, Every year it seems QB Josh Allen spends as much time peeling his body off the turf as he does throwing the ball and that has got to stop pronto! However, if their first pre-season outing is any indication, then the trend may continue. The Bills dropped a close 19-15 game versus the Eagles but saw their QBs get sacked a combined 12 times! Obviously, if they can just figure out a way to avoid the sacks, the wins will follow. In their defense, rookie QB Jordan Travis took 11 of the dozen traps and his "oblivious to pressure" monicker all but doomed him to failure. Backs Nyheim Hines and James Cook are very capable runners. The club added a serious weapon to play along with Stefon Diggs with the selection of electrifying LSU receiver Malik Nabers with the 5th pick in the draft. Nabers speed is awesome and his presence should allow the diminutive Deonte Harty (5'6" 170 Lbs) to do some damage in the slot. Buffalo also has a trio of tightends who can play. Dawson Knox, Dalton Kincaid, and Zach Davidson should all find their way onto the field. The offensive line has to play better but does have some question marks at both C and RG and Notre Dame RT Blake Fisher, a 3rd round selection, will start.
The defensive edge rushers are questionable. Aged veteran Von Miller could be at the RE spot with Greg Rousseau and his 10.5 sacks on the other side. The Bills did shore up the interior of their D-line. They signed 3-tech DT Maurice Hurst from the Cleveland Browns and then drafted Michigan Wolverine Kris Jenkins with their 2nd round choice. Those two will play alongside Ed Oliver. 5th round pick, Ohio State Buckeye Michael Hall could also be in the mix. The downside is the undersized nature of this unit. Oliver (287 Lbs), Hurst (290 Lbs), and Hall (280 Lbs) are all smallish with Jenkins (304 Lbs) the heaviest. OLB Eric Johnson is a cover backer on the left side with Darrell Taylor more suited to edge run stopping and pass rush duties. Matt Milano, a bit small at 223 Lbs, can still play as a do-it-all Swiss army knife backer. Anthony Walker and Dorian Williams could be the starters inside. Tre-Davious White, Taron Johnson, and Kaiir Elam can all cover man-to-man at the corner spots. SS Jordan Poyer is a stud and FS Adrian Phillips is a solid player.
Outlook: Buffalo is an annual enigma. If they can protect Allen, get some offensive balance, and play some D, they can win a ton of games but the protection problem must be solved first. Their schedule has a mixed bag element to it but they have quite a few winnable games on their slate. 6-8 wins seems a very reachable goal and more than that is possible if...
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