NFL-Three teams that should be watched in the AFC

To start off the list of course has to be the defending superbowl champions, the Pittsburg Steelers. The Steelers didn’t win the Superbowl for nothing. They have a threat to the defense at every position. Ben Roethlisberger for instance, he started this past season off at an average pace, some good passes, and some bad ones nothing spectacular, but from week 10 on, he was racking up the stats. He had a significantly more amount of pass yards; he threw half as many interceptions as before, he was really stepping it up. And he continued his hot streak in the playoffs, having a total of 692 yards in three games. He is someone that needs defenses have to be worried about. Another huge threat are the WRs Roethlisberger throws to, Hines ward is an amazing receiver who needs can easily get open and make plays, while on the other side of the field there is another elusive wide receiver that is fast, quick and can get many YACs (yards after catch). Not only is the Steelers passing game incredible, they have an amazing running back, Willie Parker, known as “fast Willie Parker” he uses a combination of incredible speed with unstoppable quickness to make his way past the defense into the endzone making yet another threat. This is just their offense; the Steelers are known for their brick wall defense, with Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor covering the WRs, James Farrior and Larry Foote at linebacker and a dominant D-line, the Steelers D is not a team I would want to play against.
Another team to watch next season is the Baltimore Ravens; in the same division as the Steelers it’s going to be interesting watching these two fight over the AFC North. The Ravens now have a new Quarterback that in his rookie year took them to the AFC championship. At 6-6, a crushing 230 pounds and throwing for almost 3000 yards last season Joe Flacco is a good leader that will help lead the Ravens to a season that could go just as far as they did this year if not farther. Joe Flacco’s receiving squad is a good one as well. Gaining over 1600 yards combined Mark Clayton and Derrick Mason are two receivers that Flacco can throw to in confidence. Derrick Mason at only 5-10 is a small receiver but he is fast and can move well when he gets the ball in his hands. Behind Flacco at RB Willis Mcgahee and Le’Ron McClain are able to use their huge bodies and power running to pound their way through anybody standing in their paths. The two of them are a Runningback core that will be able to pound their way through the defense for first downs. On the defense, the ravens have a Linebacker core that can and will destroy anyone who comes near them. With Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs leading them, the Ravens linebackers are four men that can stuff the run at the line, or drop back into coverage and defend the pass. Also with Fabian Washington and Ed Reed defending the pass and a D-Line that penetrates with expertise the Ravens Defense is a team that will be tough to score against.
The last team that is a threat in the AFC is the New England Patriots; the Patriots are one of those teams that are so good it’s pretty much at a point where it isn’t fair anymore. They have a pretty good Runningback, Sammy Morris, who can run with some speed but at the same time can lower his shoulder and truck defenders. Also they have an O-line that can hold off defenders for a good amount of time, enough for the quarterback to throw the ball comfortably. With all of this the Patriots also have Tom Brady, one of the best Quarterbacks to ever play the game of football throwing the ball. Although he is coming back from a season ending knee injury I believe he will still play just as well as his last season maybe he lost some of his mobility in the pocket but nothing to ruin the rest of his career. Accompanying Brady is one of the best WR packages in the league, Randy Moss and Wes Welker. With Randy Moss’s extreme speed and amazing hands he must always be double covered, this leaves Wes Welker at a short 5-9 to run the short underneath patterns using his speed and quickness to avoid tacklers and rack up YACs. Randy Moss’s long Patterns and Wes Welker’s ability to gain yards when in open space along with an amazing QB is enough to leave a defense help and speechless as the Patriots offense goes up and down the field against them. People tend to see the Patriots as a team defined by their offense, but their defense should not be overlooked. With Adalius Thomas, Tedi Bruschi, Jerod Mayo and Mike Vrabel playing linebacker and Ellis Hobbes at CB and Vince Wilfork and Richard Seymour at DT, the Patriots defense can stuff the run and prevent the pass with ease.

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