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The AFC West is probably the toughest division in the NFL, just ask the Los Angeles Chargers. They snapped a 10-game losing streak to division foes last season by knocking off the Denver Broncos, then went on to lose three more games. Those came when the club was based in San Diego, so in their new home the Chargers have yet to lose to a rival. The Chargers have talent to compete but they’ve been ravaged by injuries more than any other club over the last few seasons. If they can stay relatively healthy, who knows?Don't miss any of the NFL Week 1 action on Monday, September 11, 2017 at 10:20 p.m. ET. This duel from Sports Authority Field at Mile High will be televised on ESPN.... 

It all came crashing down on the Cincinnati Bengals last season. For years they were one of the most consistent teams in the NFL, winning at least nine games in each of the previous five seasons and reaching double figures in the last four. They won two division titles and qualified for the postseason each time. But now the head of Marvin Lewis is on the chopping block if Cincy doesn’t regain that form. If Lewis gets the Bengals back to the postseason, fans just might forget that he has yet to win a playoff game.... 

The Tennessee Titans are looking to be a playoff contender this season. The Oakland Raiders are eyeing bigger things. Coming off their best season in 14 years, the Raiders were Super Bowl hopefuls until Derek Carr busted his leg near the end of last season. Without their leader the Raiders stumbled into and out of the playoffs without much of a fight. The Titans lost Marcus Mariota at the end of last season and the two quarterbacks are back to lead their respective teams in this Week 1 opener.Don't miss any of the NFL Week 1 action on Sunday, September 10, 2017 at 1 p.m. ET. This duel from Nissan Stadium will be televised on CBS.... 

The bigger opponent for the Houston Texans in Week 1 might be Hurricane Harvey, which is pounding the Houston area. The Texans have been forced to adjust their plans with less than two weeks to go before their opener with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the fallout could last several more weeks. Mother Nature is undefeated, and so are the Texans in their last six meetings with the Jags with the last two being decided by a total of four points. Houston won those games without J.J. Watt, who will be a matchup problem for the Jags offensive line.Don't miss any of the NFL Week 1 action on Sunday, September 10, 2017 at 1 p.m. ET. This duel from NRG Stadium will be televised on CBS.... 

The Tennessee Titans took a big step forward in 2016, finishing 9-7 for their first winning season in six years. Marcus Mariota is progressing nicely, becoming the franchise quarterback many thought he would be when he was drafted second overall a couple of years ago.... 

The Bengals will finish above .500 and in the playoff race this season if they go “over” the predicted win total, and it could very well happen. Cincinnati was one of the better teams in the AFC in 2015 and hopes to prove that last year was a blip. However, the Bengals have lost some key pieces on defense the last few years and need to show they are still on the same level as the NFL elite.... 

Getting off to a good start, especially against a division opponent, is critical, and the Philadelphia Eagles will get a chance to produce a road win against an NFC East foe in the opener. Both teams underwent changes on offense with new pass-catchers roaming the field for each team. The Washington Redskins had the second-ranked pass offense in the NFL last season, but they are without a pair of 1,000 yards receivers and Kirk Cousins will have to look elsewhere to keep the offense humming. He’ll try to pick the Eagles apart in a Week 1 confrontation.... 

Following a pair of 8-8 seasons without a playoff appearance, the Indianapolis Colts started to clean house. It started with the removal of GM Ryan Grigson and the signing of several free agents. But somehow Chuck Pagano was spared and returns to try and get the Colts back to the 11-win teams he had during his first three years on the job. Having Andrew Luck healthy will certainly make Pagano a better coach and he better hope Luck is ready once the season starts and that he stays that way if the Colts have any hope of winning a Super Bowl.... 

Both teams are flying under the radar but they each have high hopes for the 2017 season. The Arizona Cardinals are looking to get back to their 2015 form when they won 13 games and advanced to the NFC Championship. There was a huge dropoff last season that resulted in only seven wins, the fewest in the Bruce Arians era. The Cards are counting on David Johnson to put another MVP-type season together to lead the offense. He’ll be matched against a Detroit Lions defense that has already suffered significant injuries when the clubs battle in Week 1.Don't miss any of the NFL Week 1 action on Sunday, September 10, 2017 at 1 p.m. ET. This duel from Ford Field will be televised on FOX... 

After being discarded by the Bears this offseason, the Miami Dolphins turned to Jay Cutler as their quarterback when Ryan Tannehill was lost for the season with an injury. Cutler had one of his finest years statistically when Adam Gase was the offensive coordinator in Chicago a few seasons ago. Now, the two are reunited to try and keep the Dolphins afloat. Both teams enter Week 1 with lofty expectations after solid 2016 campaigns, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have their man in Jameis Winston.Don't miss any of the NFL Week 1 action on Sunday, September 10, 2017 at 1 p.m. ET. This duel from Hard Rock Stadium will be televised on FOX.... 

Since the NFL started the tradition of opening up the season with the defending Super Bowl champions playing in the kickoff game of the season, the defending champs have virtually never been beaten. The New England Patriots are tremendous favorites to continue that trend in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs. That doesn't mean they're slam dunks to get to 1-0, though. There are several matchups across the field that could end up deciding which one of these AFC behemoths will kick off the 2017 campaign on the right foot.Don't miss any of the NFL Week 1 action on Thursday, September 7, 2017 at 8:30 p.m. ET. This duel from Gillette Stadium will be televised on NBC.... 

The Atlanta Falcons are a favorite in the NFC and they should be after reaching the Super Bowl and coming within a sustained second half drive of being league champions. Instead they suffered the largest blown lead in Super Bowl history and must overcome that distinction. The only way they can is to return to the big game and get a win. They return all key performers from the league’s highest scoring offense, but will be without coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who took the head gig with the 49ers. St... 

On one hand, the team still has many of the key cogs remaining from that impressive 2015 team, including quarterback Carson Palmer, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, running back David Johnson, cornerback Patrick Peterson and safety Tyrann Mathieu.On the other, many of those players were healthy last season and they couldn’t do enough to help the team muster a serious run at the postseason. Fitzgerald and Palmer both considered retirement this offseason and the Cardinals’ coach, Bruce Arians, is also nearing the end of the road, so this has the feel of a possible final stand for this core.... 

The 49ers were one of the worst teams in the NFL a season ago and seem likely to finish near the cellar once again. While the season win total projections forecast a slight uptick after 2016’s 2-14 showing, it’s not a huge jump.The 49ers have a lot of new pieces but any thought of a .500 season or the playoffs is a pipe dream. This is a long-term rebuilding plan and San Francisco will be judging itself more on progress than wins and losses in 2017.... 

It’s a good bet to say the Cleveland Browns will be an improved team in 2017. Heck, after winning one game last season, they can’t be much worse. But calling this team worthy of a Super Bowl is ludicrous. The Browns nailed the draft with No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett a stud on the defensive line and Jabril Peppers adding talent to the secondary and excitement to the return game. But until this team settles on a quarterback and he can stay healthy, just getting a few more victories will make this a winning year.... 

It was only two seasons ago that the Denver Broncos ended up with a Super Bowl championship, so the team and its fans believes a return to that type of flory is eminently possible in 2017. However, there are some legitimate issues facing Denver as it makes its trek.... 

The Rex Ryan regime is done in the birth place of one of my favorite guilty pleasure foods, wings. The Buffalo Bills haven’t been a force to be reckoned with in the AFC East since Jim Kelly and Andre Reed lost four straight Super Bowls. The Bills haven’t won 10 games in over a decade or been to the playoffs in 17 years. Their season win total currently resides at 6.5 and their odds to win the Super Bowl check in at +10,000. The New England Patriots have owned this division throughout the Belichick/Brady era, so it hardly comes as a shock to see them installed 16-1 underdogs to pull the trick this season.... 

The Rams move to Los Angeles was hardly memorable. Jeff Fisher was fired. Jared Goff looked like an enormous bust. Todd Gurley regressed terribly in his sophomore campaign. The only bright side was the defense, but it also flamed out at the tail end of the year due to overuse. The franchise enters the 2017-18 season refreshed and ready to go with the youngest coach in NFL history, Sean McVay, at the helm. With so many problem areas needing to be addressed, the Rams will step onto the field in Week 1 as the third biggest underdog to win the NFC ( +6600 ).... 

A few generations of NFL fans have never seen the Buffalo Bills compete in a playoff game. It’s been 17 seasons since their last postseason trip, the longest drought in the league, and oddsmakers aren’t high on their chances of ending the streak in 2017 with a win total projected at 6.5. Buffalo’s offense took a hit with the trade of Sammy Watkins and the retirement of Anquan Boldin, so it’s a good thing they have the best rushing attack returning. But will it be enough?... 

It was so difficult to watch the Los Angeles Rams play last season, management even had enough. The team relieved Jeff Fisher of his duties late in the season and turned to Sean McVay to help mold franchise quarterback Jared Goff. McVay, the youngest head coach in NFL history, coordinated the Redskins prolific offense and helped Kirk Cousins develop into a star. The Rams need more scoring if they are to contend for anything, but a Super Bowl title isn’t in the cards this year and that’s why they are ahead of only the Niners, Jets and Browns as a Super Bowl favorite.... 

The city of San Diego is still nauseated about their beloved Chargers picking up and moving north to Los Angeles. While the exit strategy certainly burned some bridges, I got a feeling Bolts’ fans will get over it quickly when they see the product that takes the field in 2017-18. A team that only won five games a short season ago finds itself with the third longest odds to win the division ( +298 ), but those odds have been getting closer to the Chiefs and Raiders as we near the regular season.... 

Its three straight years and counting since the New Orleans Saints last went to the playoffs. During that stretch, they’ve seen two divisional opponents go to the Super Bowl and lose. Of the four teams in the NFC South, the Saints have the longest odds to win the NFC and are lined as the biggest dog for divisional bragging rights ( +420 ). The division winner has won at least 11 games the last two seasons, and it’s only gotten better as a whole. Should the Saints come out as the unlikely winners, they’d easily go over their season win total of 8.... 

This is a matchup of competing strengths when the Saints have the ball and similar weaknesses when the Texans are driving. Houston recently named Tom Savage its starting quarterback but he is a less-than-inspiring choice. Savage hopes to have a good showing in this one so the team will believe in him after a few seasons of poor quarterback play.It’s a good situation for the starting Texans offense as the Saints are a poor defensive team. This is an intriguing matchup and it will be interesting to see which team emerges victorious as both sides ramp up for the regular season.... 

This is typically the game in which each side really game-plans and plays its starters for about a half, so it should be an interesting clash between the two powers. The Cowboys are at home and will aim to win this game and hit the ground running heading into the regular season.This game in Week 3 of the preseason will go down Saturday, August 26, 2017, at 8 p.m. ET at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.... 

The team is coming off a 1-15 season, and while there is some young talent coming on board, there is still a long road to hoe ahead. The Browns have to face off with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals in their division, each of whom have all made the playoffs in recent years.The Browns will again have extremely long odds to win the division, and it’s nearly impossible to see it happening unless they find a quarterback and all three other teams are racked by injuries....