Which team will come out of the AFC? | You Pod to Win the Game
Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson and 12-year NFL veteran Will Blackmon of the Upsets + Underdogs podcast, discuss the top teams in the American Football Conference, and tell you who they think will be the team to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. Hear the full conversation on the You Pod to Win the Game podcast. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
CHARLES ROBINSON: Titans 8 and 2. I like their schedule, you know. You play the Texans twice. I mean, it looks like there's a couple of decently tough games. I know the Titans are beat up, Julio is on IR. Obviously the Derrick Henry situation, we don't know how that's really going to resolve itself at the end of the season.
But schedule-wise, I feel like the Titans have an opportunity here. Defense is playing pretty well, especially the front end. Bills are 6 and 3, Ravens 6 and 3. Chiefs 6 and 4. Who do you-- I mean, looking at that group, let's say Titans, Bills, Ravens, and Chiefs.
WILL BLACKMON: Mm-hmm.
CHARLES ROBINSON: You've got a favorite out of those four? Is there a team that you're like, yeah, I really can see them really pulling it together down the stretch?
WILL BLACKMON: Yeah. I think for the Bills, that Jaguar loss really was like a smack in the face. Like a just wake up call. Like, all right, guys let's get it together, let's figure it out. I think they're going to peak at the right time coming into this latter half of the season. They do have several tough games coming up. You talk about the Colts and the Saints, the Patriots twice. They got the Buc. So they have-- they do have a tough slate.
I will say the Titans maybe out of any team, probably has the most impressive resume in terms of what they were able to do with Derrick Henry and without Derrick Henry. They're an actual-- they're an absolute definition of just a well-coached organization. They took-- they had taken on the personality of Coach Vrabel.
And again I love the fact that because I keep mentioning adversity, and the main people on that team are stepping up. They're figuring it out. You know, we got paid players too. This is the NFL. And I think and they're doing it the right way. They're just going out there and just they don't care who you are, and they're just forcing themselves to just beat you down like that.
So I'm a fan of those two for sure. And then, yeah, it gets interesting. The Patriots are trending upward. I actually heard New England beating Cleveland easily with no problem. And I think a lot of people picked Cleveland. I saw, I think it was NFL Network, I can't remember what network it was where they-- it was 4 and 0, you know, they picked the Browns.
And I think a lot of people get caught up in-- it's natural though, not to get caught up. It's natural to look at the rosters and you're like, OK, Cleveland probably has more notable players outstanding. But a lot of people do not look at coaching matchups, you know.
Like, Bill Belichick versus Stefanski. Stefanski has a system he runs. Bill Belichick is going to take away what you do well. They don't have Nick Chubb. They're not going to run the ball with the other guy. Like it's not going to happen. And they're going to force Baker to make plays, and they end up doing a handily.
Let's look at the-- I know we're not there yet-- but the NFC same thing with-- everyone picked the Rams, which makes so much sense, but who knows McVay and Raheem the best?
CHARLES ROBINSON: Right. Better than Kyle? Yeah.
WILL BLACKMON: It's Kyle, yeah. So yeah, it's interesting. And then I see the Patriots actually doing very well. Mac is in the zone. He's super comfortable. And the Chargers is an interesting team. They're almost like-- they're like the-- Minnesota of the AFC. It's like, what's going on here, you know I mean? You're talented. There are some games where you look outstanding.
That's why the game last week with between them two was like, OK, which am I going to give the go ahead to? So yeah, it's interesting. The AFC, man, it's so wide open, but Tennessee and Buffalo and New England, I think are going to-- obviously Kansas City are going to end up probably making it clear who the top teams are.
