The NFL's 100th season is finally upon us after thousands of hours - and hundreds of thousands of minutes - without a competitive snap. After all the talk, the questions we over-thought during the off-season will finally get some answers. So let's kick things off by looking at the state of each team.
Denver Broncos
Way to go John Elway, going after new head coach, Vic Fangio. The defense clearly wasn't working under his predecessor Vance Joseph, but now has an opportunity to return to some kind of formidable form.
Fangio lead a devastating defense in Chicago last year by seemingly getting all his guys on the same page. With a similar plethora of talent, this defense should be extremely tough on opponents.
Big play defensive end Shelby Harris brings pressure off the edge and is a tough match up with generational talents Von Miller and Bradley Chubb coming off the outside, too. That latter pairing is exceptional, only made possible by Chubb's rookie contract. With fellow defensive end Akiem Hicks in there too, expect quarterbacks to be under intense pressure.
Rolling those guys out means Fangio can focus on steadying up the secondary that was uninspiring in 2018. Fangio brought cornerback Bryce Callahan with him from Chicago and the team added fellow - but soon to be safety? - Kareem Jackson from Houston. Cornerback Chris Harris is expected to have a big year as he proves his worth now that he's on an expiring contract.
It's important this defense plays well. The Broncos won a Super Bowl with a better defense and a legendary-but-declining quarterback in 2016. The same script could be used again three years on.
Quarterback Joe Flacco commands his position. There wasn't even a question about that in the off-season, which provides a message to players that 2019 is no rebuild. A look at quarterback and second round pick Drew Lock can wait.
Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders looked good in the off-season and wants to creep back to being dominant. Can he bring it back to his best even after his injury? Younger guy Courtland Sutton is big bodied and ready to take the spot as WR1 if not.
First round tight end selection Noah Fant hasn't sounded impactful since joining the team but could prove otherwise yet. His knock is that he's not great in one-on-one coverage, so offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak will need to give extra time to scripting plays for him.
The Broncos look like a menace in this division. It's tough to look passed Kansas City and Los Angeles, but beating Denver looks like it could be the separating factor when it comes to who will win this AFC North. (Bear in mind those two rivals had a 12-4 record last year, but tie breaks threw the Chargers into the wild card seeding while the Chiefs played at home.)
Kansas City Chiefs
The offense is unreal. The defense is far, far behind it in terms of production. It has to get better, but equally, Kansas City showed it can survive by being uncatchable on the scoreboard.
And that's not a bad strategy, considering no team could really keep pace with the Chiefs last year -- bar the high powered Rams stinging them on Monday Night Football and the Patriots keeping them in check for three quarters of the AFC Championship game.
But the defensive players got worse in the off-season. Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo went in a different direction than edge rusher Dee Ford -- who was phenomenal last year. Ford's replacement - Frank Clarke - is a more consistent player but has never had quite a year like Ford's 2018. So relying on Clarke to hit a higher ceiling is ballsy.
Last year's pass rush grade was ranked first by Pro Football Focus, but losing Ford and defensive end Justin Houston sees it drop to 15th ahead of the season. With a very average secondary - safety Tyrann Mathieu is elite, but Arizona letting him go a year ago tells you he's not playing amongst the league's best - Spagnuolo may opt to do what Indianapolis did last year: mask the secondary. If the defense can look good elsewhere, it limits the need for the secondary to step up.
And it's not like that's where games will be won and lost.
Head coach Andy Reid is a high end play caller. He had former starting quarterback Alex Smith playing with the highest passer rating in 2017 before letting Patrick Mahomes break out in 2018.
The explosiveness of Mahomes paired with talents like wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce was electrifying in 2018. And there's not much regression outside of centre Mitch Morse heading to Buffalo. Rookie Mecole Hardiman will find a role but it's unlikely he proves impactful in the first few weeks.
Running back Damien Williams isn't a big name so it will be interesting to see how Lesean McCoy works behind him. That situation really couldn't have worked much better, and Reid has time to plan his reps. The area could almost have been a concern, but thats not longer the case.
Kansas City is favoured to compete for a Super Bowl this year, but there's a lot of hype. And that could be the biggest factor heading into the year. If they can get through it, we're in for another treat from Patty and Co. over the next few months. Enjoy it.
Los Angeles Chargers
We're high on the Chargers at 1SBD. The team has talented play-makers and a stacked defense. But depth could be an issue. As is pressure on quarterback Phillip Rivers.
The Chargers looked great en route to a 12-4 record last year. But seemingly everything went their way, and that won't happen two years in a row. The offensive line looks like one of the worst in the league, and despite Rivers' ability to adjust at the line of scrimmage, an injury there could derail the team.
But around him are so many options. Wide receiver Kenaan Allen puts up numbers that rival anyone. Mike Williams looks set to break out as a big bodied receiver for Rivers. A healthy Hunter Henry has the ability to fill the gigantic shoes left by superstar tight end, Antonio Gates. And despite muddled plans at running back - the latest says Melvin Gordon will end his holdout if it reaches the season's midway point - Austin Ekeler isn't a terrible alternative.
the team has an incredible defense, as well. The defensive line proved terrifying with defensive ends Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa headlining a group that now includes first round pick Jerry Tillery. The condition? The line stays healthy. Because if they can cause some havoc up front, the secondary can cause hell.
Losing safety Derwin James is a huge blow, and it's unknown whether he will return this year. But cornerbacks Casey Hayward and Desmond King remain, while a second round draft pick was spent on safety Nasir Adderley. It's a tentative approach to build the defensive backs when you're going to be seeing so much of Patrick Mahomes.
It's a versatile defense overall that helps put the team in a position to win. Having so many guys is like Bill Belichick's New England, who changed players based on what opponents like to do. It's a luxury and the reason we fancy the Los Angeles Chargers. If the offensive line holds up.
Not an easy division all-in-all, but watching the Chargers and Chiefs battle for the division crown was fascinating last year. With the Broncos set to have a bit more of a say, we think it's wide open for the Chargers to send Kansas City through the wild card round this year.
Oakland Raiders
What a mess that was. With AB out of Oakland, the Raiders lost the spark that made some wins look possible. While the team was always likely bottom of the division, it seems certain now.
It's a shame. The team looked to get better throughout the off-season. We're not going to pick apart the Clelin Farrell pick because anything that can help them create pressure - and sacks - is a good thing.
Fifth round pick in 2018 Maurice Hurst was good in the preseason, and while not-dominant he was good last year. Year 2 could see the nose tackle improve and help out the historically bad pass rush.
In the secondary, general manager Mike Mayock threw so much at it hoping something would be bound to work out. First round safety selection Johnathan Abram looks most likely to work out, but cornerback Trayvon Mullen showed flashes in college and was worthy of a second round pick.
But the offense's ceiling looks drastically limited now. The buzz around wide receiver Hunter Renfrow's hands was evident throughout this year's Hard Knocks, and despite refusing to appear on the award-winning football show, running back and first round selection Josh Jacobs comes in expecting a sizeable workload.
And you know what? Head coach Jon Gruden suddenly has nothing to lose. His plans are out the window. Why not turn quarterback Derek Carr loose. It's not like this team is getting out of this division now, anyway.
