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AFC POWER RANKINGS!!! · Duval Daily: A Jacksonville Jaguars Podcast

0:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Jacksonville Jaguar's fans, welcome in to Duval, daily presented by jingyag.com and fueled by brass tax coffee.
0:05
[SPEAKER_00]: It's Sunday, September 6th, happy birthday to my stepdad.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Steven, right now we're talking Jags, we're talking AFC power rankings.
0:15
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, we have officially one week until the Jaguar is get their season kicked off against the Cleveland Browns.
0:21
[SPEAKER_00]: So we're gonna just go through my AFC power rankings here.
0:25
[SPEAKER_00]: We've done this once earlier, this spring slash summer, but I wanted to kind of get out a final big picture look at the AFC just to kind of, you know, as we approach this season, and football kicks off on Wednesday.
0:41
[SPEAKER_00]: Just, you know, have some fun.
0:43
[SPEAKER_00]: Talk AFC, talk where I expect things to kind of go, how things could go here in this 20, 26 season in the Jaguar's Conference.
0:51
[SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, it's pretty exciting
0:55
[SPEAKER_00]: Monday tomorrow, obviously Florida State's playing football.
0:58
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll be watching that Tuesday day off and then Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, NFL football, big college football Saturday and then NFL Sunday.
1:06
[SPEAKER_00]: So it is football season folks and that is a very good thing if you're a big fan like I am.
1:14
[SPEAKER_00]: So really appreciate y'all being here.
1:15
[SPEAKER_00]: If you enjoy the content, please like and subscribe.
1:17
[SPEAKER_00]: You can also hit that hype button.
1:19
[SPEAKER_00]: So when I'm looking at the AFC, we'll start at the bottom here.
1:24
[SPEAKER_00]: And I will kind of break it down into tears.
1:27
[SPEAKER_00]: I think, honestly, that the dolphins are in a tear by themselves at the bottom, number 16.
1:35
[SPEAKER_00]: I look at the dolphins, and I think that this is just a multi-year process of this building.
1:42
[SPEAKER_00]: There's just some real gaps in talent on the roster.
1:45
[SPEAKER_00]: I think you look at some of the areas of the defense.
1:48
[SPEAKER_00]: The receiving core has some young talent, but it is rookies and, you know, Chris Bell come off of a big knee injury and things of that nature.
1:56
[SPEAKER_00]: So the dolphins for me are at the bottom.
2:00
[SPEAKER_00]: I then have,
2:02
[SPEAKER_00]: The Browns, Raiders, and Titans in the tier of both of them, and look, the dolphins could be feisty.
2:08
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not a foregone conclusion that they're going to be last in the AFC.
2:12
[SPEAKER_00]: But just when I'm evaluating these rosters and the entire situation, I think that the Browns, Raiders, and Titans are just a little bit above the dolphins for me.
2:24
[SPEAKER_00]: And so I have them in a grouping.
2:26
[SPEAKER_00]: Browns, Raiders, Titans, 13, 14, 15.
2:32
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that there's reason to be optimistic about each of those teams and also a reasons to be pretty darn pessimistic as well, so that's kind of where I'm at.
2:41
[SPEAKER_00]: Then I have a tier with the Steelers Colts and Jets and Steelers at 10 Colts at 11, Jets at 12.
2:53
[SPEAKER_00]: Uh, it's the jets are such an interesting team because they were very poor last year, obviously very disappointing.
3:02
[SPEAKER_00]: I think people had some bigger expectations for them, but you'll look across the roster and there is talent.
3:08
[SPEAKER_00]: They're absolutely yes.
3:10
[SPEAKER_00]: Can the coaching
3:13
[SPEAKER_00]: do what it needs to do to get the most out of that talent.
3:15
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, the jets you could make the argument should be in the tier below this.
3:21
[SPEAKER_00]: I just look at the talent and I think that they're a better roster than what we're talking about with some of these other teams.
3:28
[SPEAKER_00]: Good offensive line.
3:30
[SPEAKER_00]: Good receiving talent.
3:33
[SPEAKER_00]: They have a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball.
3:36
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not like the most impressive defense ever, but you have a Demario Davis coming back and leading that unit.
3:41
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that's a big deal.
3:43
[SPEAKER_00]: They would barely coming in with the talent injection of past rush.
3:46
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you know, I look at them.
3:48
[SPEAKER_00]: I still don't think they're a good team, but I think they're competitive.
3:51
[SPEAKER_00]: And maybe the judge should just be in a tier of their own, the more I look at it.
3:56
[SPEAKER_00]: And then the Steelers and Colts, as these teams,
4:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I'm going to do that, I'm going to change change, you know, as I'm sitting here talking about it, I'm going to have the jets in a tier of their own at 12 and then have the Steelers and Colts in a two team tier.
4:13
[SPEAKER_00]: where there are teams that could potentially go nine and eight, 10 and seven, make the playoffs, but I could also see either of them missing the playoffs and being a disappointing team overall.
4:26
[SPEAKER_00]: So that's kind of where I'm at with Steelers and Colts.
4:29
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, I don't really believe in the quarterback situations.
4:32
[SPEAKER_00]: I do think the Colts have really good coaching.
4:36
[SPEAKER_00]: I think the Steelers have decent coaching, right?
4:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Like Mike McCarthy is, you know,
4:41
[SPEAKER_00]: Panned and a lot of people don't really like him and Aaron Rodgers of it all and all that stuff, but like, there's still a team that's going to be feisty, going to be competitive, I think, same thing with the cults.
4:52
[SPEAKER_00]: But, uh,
4:54
[SPEAKER_00]: They just, even if they sneak into the playoff, it just doesn't feel like either of those teams or teams that would really be able to make noise in the playoffs.
5:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, I pretty much lock them to be first-round exits.
5:08
[SPEAKER_00]: Quite honestly, if either of those teams made the playoffs in a game, it wouldn't even surprise me if either of those teams ended up picking in the top.
5:15
[SPEAKER_00]: Ten in the NFL draft.
5:17
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I think the Steelers are a little bit ahead of the cults just roster wise and and The defense on in Pittsburgh is still really really good But yeah, that that's a little too team tier, but Did one of our mind y'all the my booky lock of the season.
5:34
[SPEAKER_00]: It's almost here
5:35
[SPEAKER_00]: The first one of the year is an absolute no-brainer.
5:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Patriots in Seattle for NFL kickoff.
5:40
[SPEAKER_00]: My bookie is acting you one simple question.
5:42
[SPEAKER_00]: Will the Seahawks raise their championship banner that night?
5:45
[SPEAKER_00]: Of course they will.
5:46
[SPEAKER_00]: Defending champs home opener, raising the banner before kickoff is part of the celebration.
5:50
[SPEAKER_00]: You're getting that bed up plus money odds over at my book.
5:53
[SPEAKER_00]: You're getting paid to say yes.
5:55
[SPEAKER_00]: The CX will do the thing, the entire night is built around.
5:57
[SPEAKER_00]: That's the first my book you lock at the season, and there will be more coming all season long.
6:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Get in before kickoff, sign up at my book you with my promo code Duval, DUVAL, all caps, and start your season off where they win.
6:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Anytime, anywhere that's my book you code Duval, must be 21 plus 18 plus in select jurisdictions, terms and conditions apply, gambling problem, call Winning Undergamler, or visit 1-800gamler.net for free confidential support available 24-7.
6:18
[SPEAKER_00]: So, we've gone through these teams that I really don't expect to make the playoffs,
6:25
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, sealers and cults, it doesn't seem like outside of the realm of possibilities that they make the playoffs.
6:31
[SPEAKER_00]: The rest of this list, the top nine teams in the AFC, I think have a very strong chance to make the playoffs, each of them.
6:41
[SPEAKER_00]: I would probably tear it.
6:47
[SPEAKER_00]: Chiefs by themselves at nine, like it would not surprise me if they're able to get into the top two of the AFC West and ended up making a playoff spot.
6:57
[SPEAKER_00]: I do not think they're just going to, you know,
7:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Get back on the horse and be that team that everybody expected to go to the Super Bowl every single year from the AFC.
7:08
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think that they're just going to be able to be that immediately this year.
7:11
[SPEAKER_00]: But I do think that they've taken some steps in the right direction on the defensive side of the ball.
7:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Obviously Patrick Mahomes returning to health is huge.
7:21
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think it's interesting having be an enemy back there.
7:24
[SPEAKER_00]: But yeah, overall, that they're a team that if they do make the playoffs,
7:32
[SPEAKER_00]: Patrick Moms, he is in Andy Reed, like, that's just Steve Spagnolo.
7:38
[SPEAKER_00]: These are just winners.
7:39
[SPEAKER_00]: They win big football games.
7:41
[SPEAKER_00]: And so, yeah, if they sneak into the playoffs, that's gonna be a team a lot of people who are worried about for sure.
7:46
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think on paper, their roster looks like the best in the world.
7:50
[SPEAKER_00]: They do have a good offensive line.
7:51
[SPEAKER_00]: They do have my homes.
7:52
[SPEAKER_00]: I think getting Kenneth Walker there is huge.
7:54
[SPEAKER_00]: And so, I have them at nine right now.
7:57
[SPEAKER_00]: but would not surprise me at all if they make the playoffs.
8:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Bingo's I have at eight, which obviously the top seven teams are who's going to end up making the playoffs, but the rankings aren't quite like that because I have two teams in the AFCEs in the top four.
8:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Obviously, two of those teams, they're not both going to finish in the top four, because you're going to have another division champion, right?
8:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, I have the bingles at a, I still think that they're like a little bit of a flawed team.
8:25
[SPEAKER_00]: I've never really been a big fan of what Zack Taylor does from an offensive standpoint.
8:30
[SPEAKER_00]: Uh, you do have like an incredible trio on offense, Chase Brown is a good running back as well.
8:36
[SPEAKER_00]: The offensive line's gotten better, but.
8:39
[SPEAKER_00]: They are trying to do more under-center stuff, which that's just never been what Joe Burrow is comfortable with.
8:46
[SPEAKER_00]: It's never been what he excels at.
8:47
[SPEAKER_00]: It's never been what he wants to do really.
8:50
[SPEAKER_00]: So that's going to be interesting kind of how does that work out.
8:54
[SPEAKER_00]: He likes to be in the gun spread it out.
8:56
[SPEAKER_00]: And it makes sense when you have Jamar Chase and T-Hig and then company.
8:58
[SPEAKER_00]: But it's going to be interesting to see how that plays out.
9:02
[SPEAKER_00]: And then they do add a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball.
9:07
[SPEAKER_00]: with Dexter Lawrence, obviously Jonathan Allen up there in age now at this point.
9:12
[SPEAKER_00]: Boy, I'm off a good young player, but I still am just not super sold on the whole picture of it all, like I, and they're also a team that feels like they suffer through injuries quite a bit, so there's just a lot there that I think they have to overcome on top of being in a division that features a team that I think is just a little bit better than them ahead of them at this point.
9:35
[SPEAKER_00]: But at seven, we have the chargers here.
9:39
[SPEAKER_00]: And I would, I guess I would say, maybe I have the Bengals and Chiefs in a tier, where it's like, they feel like playoff teams, but are they actually going to do the thing?
9:51
[SPEAKER_00]: And then Ravens and chargers probably are in a tier here at six and seven together.
10:03
[SPEAKER_00]: both of these teams kind of get snake bit like the Ravens are a team that consistently feels like they just have horrible injury luck and I think you could say the same thing about the chargers.
10:11
[SPEAKER_00]: I think they both have great quarterbacks.
10:12
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that they both have clearly upgraded some certain areas of their roster or their areas of their coaching staff heading into 2026.
10:22
[SPEAKER_00]: Like obviously adding Mike McDaniel is huge.
10:25
[SPEAKER_00]: for the chargers.
10:26
[SPEAKER_00]: The chargers lose Jesse Mentor, but I think that they kind of have some institutional knowledge in bringing in somebody that is familiar with that system, so I don't think it's like a complete loss there.
10:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Still have to prove that the new DC can play, you know, call plays the same way Mentor did, but I think you look at the Ravens in bringing in Jesse Mentor, and obviously they're very high on Declan Doyle as the offensive coordinator, new play
10:55
[SPEAKER_00]: I think the Ravens and Chargers for me, for them to not make the playoffs, injuries have to strike.
11:05
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel confident about those teams being very good, I really do.
11:09
[SPEAKER_00]: And then we get into the top five.
11:12
[SPEAKER_00]: I have the Broncos and the Texans and a tier together.
11:16
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that,
11:18
[SPEAKER_00]: both have great defenses.
11:19
[SPEAKER_00]: I would take the Texans defense over the Broncos defense, but I would probably, I would definitely take the Broncos offense over the Texans offense.
11:27
[SPEAKER_00]: So that's kind of the Yen and Yang there with those two teams.
11:31
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think either of them has a quarterback that is playing at a level that's like championship caliber right now.
11:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Bonix obviously coached by Sean Payton.
11:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Coming off the ankle injury has a lot of talent to work with.
11:43
[SPEAKER_00]: And CJ Stroud, you know, the question is, is the offensive line upgraded enough?
11:48
[SPEAKER_00]: Is the offensive ecosystem good enough?
11:50
[SPEAKER_00]: Is CJ Stroud good enough?
11:52
[SPEAKER_00]: People are asking the question.
11:53
[SPEAKER_00]: I think he is.
11:56
[SPEAKER_00]: So I have the Broncos and Texans in the same tier and really write at the same spot.
12:02
[SPEAKER_00]: I could put the Texans out four bronchers at five vice versa.
12:05
[SPEAKER_00]: I think they're both in the same area there.
12:07
[SPEAKER_00]: And then I have the Patriots as the number three team in the AFC.
12:12
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that the Patriots are just, I think that they're loaded up.
12:16
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, you go get an AJ Brown level receiver for Drake May.
12:22
[SPEAKER_00]: You also go get Romeo Dobbs.
12:23
[SPEAKER_00]: I think the offensive line is a lot better than it showed down the stretch.
12:26
[SPEAKER_00]: Obviously, if you can get a healthy Elijah Vera Tucker, that's huge.
12:30
[SPEAKER_00]: You add Caleb Lomo.
12:31
[SPEAKER_00]: I think Will Campbell was playing better football than people really realized.
12:35
[SPEAKER_00]: He was playing through an MCL injury, I believe, at the end of the year.
12:39
[SPEAKER_00]: I like Jared Wilson at Center.
12:40
[SPEAKER_00]: I've been a big fan of his since he was at Georgia.
12:43
[SPEAKER_00]: So I like that a lot.
12:44
[SPEAKER_00]: And then I think the defense is going to be super sound.
12:47
[SPEAKER_00]: Hopefully they can get there.
12:49
[SPEAKER_00]: I say hopefully, I don't really care about the Patriots.
12:50
[SPEAKER_00]: But, you know, Christian Gonzalez deserves to get paid.
12:53
[SPEAKER_00]: It feels like that's a little bit of a sticky situation right now.
12:56
[SPEAKER_00]: It seems like they need to get that done.
12:57
[SPEAKER_00]: But they're defensive front, like Dramat Jones, Christian Barmore, Milton Williams.
13:02
[SPEAKER_00]: These are good, good football players, and they're secondary with Carlton Davis.
13:08
[SPEAKER_00]: Craig Woodson, Kevin Byrd coming over, Christian Gonzalez, obviously Marcus Jones.
13:13
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that's a really, really good secondary.
13:15
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think they're a well-coached team on both sides of the ball.
13:18
[SPEAKER_00]: I think Drake may as a superstar.
13:19
[SPEAKER_00]: So I have the Patriots.
13:22
[SPEAKER_00]: at three, I have the Jaguars at two, and I would probably put the Bill's Jaguars and Patriots in the same tier, and then the top three, Broncos and Texans in the next tier, Ravens charges in the next tier, Bill's, I will excuse me, Bingo's chiefs in the next tier.
13:37
[SPEAKER_00]: those are the teams I'm really kind of bullish on this year.
13:40
[SPEAKER_00]: But the jags for me, they just got to prove that they can get past the bills.
13:45
[SPEAKER_00]: Like the bills I think are going, they've gotten a defensive play collar that is more creative on that side of the ball.
13:51
[SPEAKER_00]: I think in Jim Leonard, offensively, they keep obviously Joe Brady as their head coach.
13:58
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that they have just a really good offensive line, really good skill position talent.
14:02
[SPEAKER_00]: Josh Allen is the best quarterback right now, I think, in the league.
14:07
[SPEAKER_00]: It's him and Patrick Mahomes at the top by themselves, like that is such a good, good couple quarterbacks to be leading the NFL right now.
14:16
[SPEAKER_00]: DJ Moore, that edition, I think, has gone super underrated for the bills.
14:20
[SPEAKER_00]: I also think the addition of Bradley Chub and TJ Parker at Edge, super underrated for the bills.
14:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Johnson Gardner Johnson, how long can he stick around him Buffalo, he seems to,
14:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Overstate has welcomed pretty quickly everywhere, but then you also add in the fact that Ed Oliver was not healthy at the end of the season.
14:37
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that he is a difference maker for sure, especially in this new defense that they have going on over there.
14:43
[SPEAKER_00]: I think he's going to be allowed to get weaponized.
14:45
[SPEAKER_00]: I think Dion Walker can be weaponized in this defense as well.
14:48
[SPEAKER_00]: So I just think the Jaguars would have to prove to me that they can take care of the bills.
14:53
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that the bills actually
14:57
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I think they got better than the Jaguars over the Alps, you know, like I think they did more to actually get better than the Jaguars did.
15:06
[SPEAKER_00]: So I do have the bills ahead of the Jags, but I do have the Jags at two.
15:11
[SPEAKER_00]: This is a team that is very complete well rounded.
15:14
[SPEAKER_00]: They do not have on.
15:15
[SPEAKER_00]: either side of the ball, a real weakness from a talent standpoint, from a coaching standpoint.
15:21
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think they have any weaknesses.
15:23
[SPEAKER_00]: They have one of the best special teams units in all of football.
15:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Offensively, they've finished the season playing as a top five or six offense in the NFL defensively.
15:32
[SPEAKER_00]: They've finished the year playing as a top 10 unit.
15:34
[SPEAKER_00]: They have the best run defense in the game.
15:36
[SPEAKER_00]: One of the most dangerous passing offence is great coaching.
15:39
[SPEAKER_00]: I think the Jaguars are just more complete than some of the other teams on the list and that's why I have the Jaguars so high.
15:45
[SPEAKER_00]: And they're also team that won 13 games last year and dominated down the stretch and they didn't just dominate bad opponents.
15:51
[SPEAKER_00]: They also dominated against the chargers and
15:54
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, they beat the Broncos pretty handily too.
15:56
[SPEAKER_00]: So yeah, I've got the Jaguars and a good spot.
15:58
[SPEAKER_00]: I just think the bills and part of it is like Josh Allen the Josh Allen of it all Contraver Lawrence of all himself into the top tier of quarterback play in the NFL.
16:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I think he can but Josh Allen has been doing that year over year over year.
16:12
[SPEAKER_00]: He has a, you know, offensive mind it had coach now and he has DJ Moore who
16:19
[SPEAKER_00]: For everything the Jaguar has had, I think DJ Moore is honestly just a better number one than the Jaguar's have.
16:26
[SPEAKER_00]: So yeah, I've got the bills at number one, Jags at two Patriots at three.
16:33
[SPEAKER_00]: Broncos, Texans, Ravens, Chargers, Bengals, Chiefs, those are the teams I think have a real shot this year to do something.
16:39
[SPEAKER_00]: The Steelers and Colts could make the playoffs, and then I think the Jets, Browns, Raiders, Titans, Dolphins are not going to be in the playoffs.
16:45
[SPEAKER_00]: Really appreciate y'all tuning in.
16:46
[SPEAKER_00]: If you enjoy the content here, please like and subscribe, y'all have a great one.