Kansas City Chiefs: 2016 NFL Preview And Predictions

AFC East

Buffalo Bills: 8-8 in 2015 (3rd in AFC East)

The Buffalo Bills handed Rex Ryan everything he could have asked for.  The team assembled in Buffalo was an almost exact replica (if not even more talented) than the team Ryan had in New York.  Yet the results have not come.  In fact, the Bill seem to be regressing.  That really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that has followed the career of Rex Ryan.  Simply put, the cat is out of the bag with Ryan, and opponents know how to beat him.  Adding brother Rob Ryan as assistant head coach…well, that’s really just nepotism because there is nothing else to justify it.  The Bills aren’t without talent.  There is a lot to like about quarterback Tyrod Taylor, and running back LeSean McCoy is still one of the best in the league.  The defense is loaded with playmakers across the board.  However, that doesn’t convince me that the head coach has things figured out.  I expect the Bill will continue to regress as Rex Ryan’s list of excuses and scapegoats continues to grow.

Prediction: 7-9 (3rd in AFC East)

Miami Dolphins: 6-10 in 2015 (4th in AFC East)

If there is a more poorly run franchise in the NFL than the Miami Dolphins, I would be amazed.  Here is a team that signed Ndamukong Suh and got worse at rushing the passer.  The Dolphins added multiple marquee name receivers and got worse throwing the ball.  All of this money being spent by the front office, and the team continues to get worse.  Will that change in 2016?  I don’t see any reason why it should.  Fans will blame Ryan Tannehill.  The front office will blame the coaching staff.  The coaching staff will blame injuries.  However, nobody will be getting to the heart of the issue.  This organization has no idea what kind of team they want to be.  Until the Dolphins can figure that out, they will just continue to be a bad football team.

Prediction: 5-11 (4th in AFC East)

New England Patriots: 12-4 in 2015 (1st in AFC East)

Running a complete 180 from Miami is the New England Patriots.  Where the Dolphins might be the worst run franchise, the Pats might be the best run team in the league.  The Patriots will face some early hurdles this season.  New England will be without starting quarterback Tom Brady and starting running back Dion Lewis for the first four games of the year.  However, even without Brady and Lewis, it is hard to see the Pats doing worse than 2-2 to start out.  Once Brady is back…watch out.  Few quarterbacks in NFL history are better than a motivated Tom Brady.  It would be foolish to expect the Patriots to just roll over and play dead after the Deflategate ruling.  Instead, I expect this team to really put it to their opponents.  Expect a lot of lopsided scores and a deep run into the postseason.

Prediction: 12-4 (1st in AFC East)

New York Jets: 10-6 in 2015 (2nd in AFC East)

Early on in the offseason, things looked to be lining up pretty nicely for the New York Jets.  Coming off of a 10-6 season, there were some high expectations.  However, things quickly fell apart due to untimely suspensions and injuries, plus a lengthy contract dispute with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.  There has also been a ton of confusion and disconnect with the defensive line.  The Jets have seemingly been unable to make any firm decisions on how to approach the best unit on the roster.  That has resulted in a lot of money spent and no clear direction for the team.  Now the Jets seem to be completely out of sync, as they did not look good in preseason action.  New York needs to get things straightened out quickly as they face a very tough first half of the season.

Prediction: 9-7 (2nd in AFC East)

Next: AFC North