2014 NFL Divisional Playoffs Picks: AFC Power Rankings

2014 NFL Divisional Playoffs Picks: AFC Power Rankings: The Wild-Card Round of the NFL playoffs is in the books, and the opening weekend was full of plenty of action and surprises. In the AFC, the Indianapolis Colts engineered the second-largest comeback in NFL history by rallying from a 38-10 deficit to beat the Kansas City Chiefs 45-44, and the sixth-seeded San Diego Chargers went into Cincinnati and dominated, extending the Bengals’ playoff win drought to 23 years. With the AFC playoff contenders trimmed from six to four, it is time to take a closer look at how the remaining teams stack up.

1.      New England Patriots

It isn’t hard to understand why the Patriots are my favorite to win the AFC. New England has one of the most proven playoff quarterbacks of all time in Tom Brady and one of the greatest coaches of his generation in Bill Belichick. In addition, their first round bye allowed the offense to get a couple of receivers back in the mix. Looking ahead to the Divisional Round, the Patriots are set to face an Indianapolis team that relies almost entirely on Andrew Luck, and Belichick is one of the best in the business at taking away a team’s strength. After that, New England will either face Peyton Manning, who they have owned in the Brady era, or have a home game against San Diego. The Patriots are sitting in good position to get back to the Super Bowl.

2.      Denver Broncos

In terms of offensive firepower, no team in the NFL can match what the Broncos bring to the table. However, Denver can be beat up physically, and Peyton Manning’s average numbers in the postseason and poor numbers in the cold weather are a big enough of a concern to keep the Broncos out of the top spot. It is also worth noting that the only three teams that beat Denver this season happen to be the three teams still alive in the AFC. The Broncos path to the Super Bowl is anything but an easy one.

3.      San Diego Chargers

It seems like every year there is a team that gets hot heading into the playoffs and makes a run. Well, the Chargers could be that team in the AFC. After all, they essentially won four straight must-win games at the end of the regular season just to make the playoffs and then went on the road to bounce Cincinnati in the Wild-Card Round. More importantly, San Diego’s offensive line has gotten healthy just in time for the stretch run, and the Chargers suddenly have a potent power running game. In fact, they used their ground attack to outmuscle the Broncos in a Week 15 victory and Denver so San Diego isn’t likely to be intimidated in a rematch with Peyton Manning and company in the Divisional Round. If you are looking for a dark horse to come out of the AFC, look no further than the Chargers.

4.      Indianapolis Colts

Plain and simple, the Colts are lucky to be alive in the playoffs after spotting Kansas City a 38-10 lead in the Wild-Card Round. Granted, Indianapolis deserves credit for fighting back against the injury-ravaged Chiefs, but it was very clear that the Colts are totally dependent on Andrew Luck. Yes, he is an excellent young QB, but asking Luck to outduel Tom Brady in Foxboro and then either Peyton Manning or Philip Rivers without a run game or solid defense behind him is asking a bit much.

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