In the AFC, the Road to Super Bowl LIV Goes Through...

Before the season began, the only true contenders in the AFC were thought to be the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs. Sure, other teams could make some noise, but none of them were predicted as real threats to either Kansas City or New England. Now with Kansas City looking very vulnerable with Patrick Mahomes not at 100% and the Patriots losing their only real test thus far against the Baltimore Ravens, it has many people asking; who should be the favorite to win the AFC?

The answer to that question is no. The AFC is wide open, and any number of teams could be playing in Super Bowl LIV come February. Here are my picks, in order, to represent the AFC in the big game.

1. Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens have something no other team in the league does, Lamar Jackson. ‘Action’ Jackson has been incredible this season, leading Baltimore to the highest-scoring offense in football. Not only has Lamar shown the ability to be a great passer, but he has been even better than expected running the ball. There is no game plan to stop Jackson, especially not when he, Mark Ingram and Marquise Brown are all on the field together. If any team wants to beat the Ravens, they will have to play keep-away and control the time of possession.

What about the other side of the ball though? Well, early in the season it looked like Baltimore had lost its juice on defense, teams were moving the ball at will against them. It was the only thing holding them back from being a truly elite team. Now after making some roster changes, most notably bringing in cornerback Marcus Peters, the Ravens have gotten back to playing their brand of football. If the defense continues to play at this level, no team will be able to take down these Ravens, especially if they have to go into Baltimore.

2. New England Patriots

Despite all the talk about New England no longer being the dominant force we thought they were, they are still 8-1. You can talk about the Pats cupcake schedule all you want, but they still had to win, and they did just that. Maybe Tom Brady has not been as great as he has been in the past, but does anybody truly believe that he will not pick it up once the postseason rolls around? The Patriots still have Bill Belichick right? Okay, then they are still very real contenders in the AFC.

All that being said, we will find out a lot about the latest version of the New England Patriots in the coming weeks. Their next four games all come against quality opponents. Even if they somehow lose all four, they will still find themselves in the playoffs, but they will silence all talks of them being contenders. That is not going to happen though, the worst-case scenario is that they lose two out of the next four. In that case, they may concede home-field advantage to the Baltimore Ravens or even the next teams on this list, which could spell trouble.

3. Houston Texans

Deshaun Watson… must I continue? If it were not for Pat Mahomes, more people would be talking about this guy. He is an absolute stud, and as long as he is under center for the Houston Texans, they will always have a shot. The thing is, they do not have to solely rely on him to win games. With the addition of Carlos Hyde, who is underrated, the Texans now have a real run game. That is paramount when going against teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs, you want Mahomes and that offense on the field as little as possible. I have not even mentioned DeAndre Hopkins, he is pretty good too.

Houston, unlike the two teams ahead of them, is not without any glaring weaknesses. With J.J. Watt out for the year, Houstons' already suspect defense loses its’ best player. The Texans did make a move to acquire Gareon Conley from the Raiders, which has paid its’ dividends so far. Their defense is not the only thing that could end up hurting the Texans, as head coach Bill O’Brien is on the hot seat. I think he is a good, not great, coach; but many within league circles seem to believe that he is gone after the season unless Houston can make a deep playoff run. If the rumors are correct and O’Brien is hurting this team more than helping, it could be tough for them to go into Baltimore, Foxborough, or possibly Kansas City and win a playoff game.

Those are my top three contenders in the AFC based on what I have seen thus far into the season. One notable team that is missing is the Chiefs. I decided to place the Texans over them for the simple reason that Kansas City lives and dies by Mahomes. With him not at 100%, and a non-existent run game and defense, they will find it near-impossible to take down either of these three squads. The season is far from over, and there is a good chance I may be completely wrong. Only time will tell.

- Paul Hessing