Fearful Forecast 2015: AFC

EAST

(2) New England: What's it like being the champions of one of the NFL's worst seasons ever? Their two biggest victories so far in 2015 (Super Bowl 49 and Deflategate) have come solely from their opponents' incompetence. Most of the gang is back, and they're still the class of this division, but a dramatically weakened defense could prevent a repeat... or they could channel their anger and cut a swath of destruction.

Miami: Ryan Tannehill's the best of the remaining quarterbacks, and Ndamukong Suh, earned reputation aside, simply makes defenses better. But I'm not sure I'm sold on Joe Philbin as a head coach, and I'm also not sure if Tannehill's quite good enough to take the next step in what's an important season for this franchise.

Buffalo: It seems odd that Rex Ryan would choose a situation so similar to the one he left with the Jets -- a strong defense in place, a reliable running game with new import LeSean McCoy, and about 500 questions at quarterback. Tyrod Taylor's the starter for now, but he's an unknown quantity, and what does he really have?

N.Y. Jets: I feel like only the Jets could have their starting quarterback get hurt in a locker room fight. Geno Smith's replacement, Ryan Fitzpatrick, is basically a McCown brother with a Harvard degree. Darrelle Revis is back to fill a desperate need in the secondary. Brandon Marshall has joined Eric Decker in a revamped receiving corps. So why are they still going to finish last? Because they're the Jets, that's why.

SOUTH

(1) Indianapolis: Both Andrew Luck and Chuck Pagano made The Leap last season, with Luck actually turning into one of the league's best quarterbacks and Pagano extracting maximum value out of what (still) isn't a great roster. Andre Johnson, now in full ring-chasing mode, replaces Reggie Wayne, but a pair of deficient lines may be the Colts' eventual undoing.

Houston: It's not going to be easy on offense, where the low-ceiling Brian Hoyer takes over at quarterback and no one's sure when running back Arian Foster will return from a preseason injury. But the Texans still have J.J. Watt, and if Jadaveon Clowney can get healthy and live up to expectations, this defense could be a terror.

Jacksonville: Last year I criticized the Jaguars for drafting another Blaine Gabbert in Blake Bortles. I'd like to apologize, as Bortles is already as good as Gabbert ever was. There's a lot of young potential on offense that's worth keeping an eye on down the road, but the future's pretty far away for these guys.

Tennessee: The Titans lost the coin flip, basically. Rookie Marcus Mariota isn't the type of quarterback coach Ken Whisenhunt prefers, and there'll be a lot of growing pains because of that (and because of a roster that's not very good at all) but he'll at least give this franchise something to identify itself by, which it hasn't had in a long time.

NORTH

(4) Cincinnati: I mean, why not? The Bengals have the best overall roster in this mediocre division, even if adjusting to two new coordinators hurt both side of the ball slightly. The question, as always, remains this: Can Andy Dalton get over his poor playoff performances and actually spark a run? Or is this the best he's capable of?

(6) Pittsburgh: The Steelers' defense is in the middle of a complete overhaul with the retirements of Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor and the dismissal of coordinator Dick LeBeau. Make no mistake; this team will now be driven by its offense, and it's an offense that can be as good as anybody's when they get all of their players back.

Baltimore: Somebody had to be the odd team out. To be honest, what I just said about the Steelers' defense could also apply to the Ravens' offense, as they'll be looking for new passing targets with Torrey Smith's departure and Steve Smith Sr. on his self-declared last legs. Still, this is a team that's proven it can steal some wins, sneak into the playoffs, and get dangerous once it gets there.

Cleveland: It's popular to say that the Browns may have a chance with how down this division is... but they really don't. Nothing about their offense is impressive -- Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline don't scare anyone, and Josh McCown continues to prove that his brief flash of greatness with the Bears was a supreme outlier. Even with a solid defense, there isn't enough here to make a real contender.

WEST

(3) Denver: Seventy-five percent of Peyton Manning is still better than what a lot of teams have at quarterback, which is good, because seventy-five percent of Peyton Manning may be all that's left. The Broncos will have to hope they can maintain a running game behind an all-new offensive line. An underrated secondary anchors a defense that also has a few holes.

(5) Kansas City: The Chiefs should break their "no touchdowns from a wide receiver" drought by Week... 3? I'm kidding, mostly. They probably should have made the playoffs last season, but some bad losses at bad times shut that down. Some more consistency on offense should help in that respect.

San Diego: Another team sitting in the middle of the AFC pack. The Chargers had a similar season to the Chiefs, where they were plagued by inconsistency at the worst possible times and also blew a shot at a playoff berth. Oh, and this may or may not be their last season in San Diego...

Oakland: Are... are the Raiders actually building something here? Rookie quarterback Derek Carr showed enough, if only in flashes, that they didn't worry about upgrading in the offseason, instead drafting receiver Amari Cooper and spending big money to fortify their lines. Oh, and this may or may not be their last season in Oakland.