2014 Oakland Predictions
The Oakland Raiders had a very tough year again. The fan base continues to support the players but the patience is beginning to run thin as expectations are for this team to no longer be at the bottom of the AFC.
The Oakland Raiders had a very tough year again. The fan base continues to support the players but the patience is beginning to run thin as expectations are for this team to no longer be at the bottom of the AFC.
The San Diego Chargers endured a season in which their success was on the arm of their Pro Bowl quarterback Phillip Rivers. Ranking 4th in total passing yards at 270.5 yards per game, the aerial attack of the Chargers was in full effect and their addition of first year head coach Mike McCoy paid off.
New England has been the model franchise in the NFL for consistency and success under head coach Bill Belichick after posting 13 winning seasons following a 5-11 record in his first year at the helm.
The Jets outperformed most of the experts’ expectations last season with a .500 record that kept them in the AFC playoff race well into December.
The Dolphins remained in the AFC playoff race deep into December last year, but back-to-back losses to Buffalo and the New York Jets in their final two games extended their current postseason drought to five seasons.
It has been nearly 15 years since the Buffalo Bills have made it into the playoffs and they have posted a grand total of one winning season during this drought.
If there ever was a NFL team that could be easily confused with a travelling circus it would be the New York Jets. Rex Ryan made his mark by leading this team to back-to-back AFC Championship Games in his first two seasons as head coach, but since then he has taken the Jets in the wrong direction with an 8-8 record in 2011 and a 6-10 mark in his fourth season at the helm.
The Bills have been trying to circle the wagons for quite a long time now with just one winning season since going 11-5 in 1999.
The last time the Dolphins made it to the playoffs was in 2008 when they went 11-5 and won the AFC East. What made that season so impressive was the fact that they only won one game the year before.
Ever since Bill Belichick assumed the head coaching position with the Patriots in 2000 and turned this franchise into the Gold Standard in the NFL, he has probably not faced as tumultuous of an offseason as he did this past winter and spring.
The New England Patriots cruised to the best regular season record in the NFL last season at 14-2, but once again came up short in the playoffs with another opening round loss at home.
If you sit back and listen to New York Head Coach Rex Ryan, your pick for this year’s Super Bowl Champion is in the bag if you wager on his Jets.
The Miami Dolphins’ breakout season in 2008 with an 11-5 record and AFC East division title is becoming a distant memory after back-to-back 7-9 seasons brought them back to reality.
When the early odds were released for this year’s Super Bowl, the Buffalo Bills had the highest number in the AFC to win at +10000.
When the betting public begins to pore over the projected win totals at the beginning of each season, Cleveland has a tendency to pop into the conversation as a team poised for a breakout year.
This is one franchise that loves getting in its own way when it comes to success. The 2009 season appeared to be a turning point for Cincinnati, after winning the AFC North with a 10-6 record, but the glory was short lived after falling back to earth with just four victories in 2011.