Adjustments each AFC team needs to make going into Week 3

Heading into Week three, much has been done well and much has to be fixed for each and every NFL team. This will be one part of a two part story, the second in which my good friend Alex McKeon will breakdown areas of improvement for the NFC teams.

Starting with the east…

AFC East

1. Buffalo Bills: Having History Repeat Itself

The Bills are off to a surprisingly excellent start, beating Miami and Chicago. Sound familiar? Probably because they got off to a 4-1 start to begin the 2011 season before going 2-9 to end the year.

EJ Manuel has looked more composed, CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson are a dynamic duo, and Sammy Watkins looks legit. The defense already has six sacks and everything looks up right now.

Its important for this team to show maturity and act like they have been there before. Their next four games are against San Diego, a possible 3-0 Houston, Detroit and New England. From there, it doesn’t get any easier.

2. Miami Dolphins: Offensive Line

Ever since the Richie Incognito/Jonathan Martin bullying fallout, the already average offensive line of the Dolphins became a huge weakness. This remains true to this day.

Ryan Tannehill has already been sacked five times and that number is sure to rise quickly. He has already thrown two interceptions as well, and has had some near misses which are all results of poor quarterback protection.

In order for Miami to contend, they will need to protect Tannehill or suffer another year on the sidelines for the postseason. Tannehill needs time to get the ball to his weapons like Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline, and needs more from his offensive line to do so.

3. New York Jets: Shaky Secondary

Had it not been for a ill-fated time out from Jets Offensive Coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, New York could be 2-0 on the season.

However, the football world isn’t about if’s. It’s about the reality and due to the injuries and losses that the Jets have suffered in the secondary, the reality is that opposing teams are looking to game plan heavily on a strong attack from the air due to the Jets shaky secondary.

The secondary is currently ranked 17th in the league with allowing an average of 221.5 yards per game through the first two weeks. Although not poor, the secondary must improve as they play teams like Denver, Chicago, and Detroit in the next four weeks, all of whom are pass first offenses, and have quarterbacks who can air it out with the best of them.

4. New England Patriots: Cutting down on the penalties

New England has looked decent through the the first two games, doing both good and bad things against their opponents. However, the one thing that has remained constant has been the Patriots issues with penalties.

Through just two games, New England has amounted a total of 24 yellow flags against them, totaling to 263 yards in the opposing teams favor.

Obviously, mistakes cannot be avoided absolutely. However at this rate, New England will yield 2,104 yards through the 2014 season, which is scary to this writer. The Patriots need to be more discipline and stop giving opponents so many second chances.

AFC North

1. Cincinnati Bengals: Beating the AFC super powers as a dress rehearsal for the postseason

When it comes to doubters of Andy Dalton, I have been one of the biggest. The guy has not shown up when his team has needed him to in the postseason, and has had absurd amounts of young talent around him to help him do so.

Thus far, Cincinnati has been one of the best teams in football. The defense and offense has been stellar, but this needs to happen against the teams that Cincy will face on the road to the Super Bowl come January.

Teams like the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots are sure opponents that the Bengals will face in both the regular season and more than likely the playoffs. If the Bengals hope to break their horrible dry streak of no playoff wins, they need to show the other big boys in the AFC that they came to play.

2. Baltimore Ravens: Replacing Ray Rice

Make no mistake, Ray Rice was an incredible running back. Also, don’t discount the impact of Bernard Pierce. But what Ray Rice did was inexcusable and the Ravens did the right thing by cutting him.

However, one of the reasons for the success of the Ravens was combining two running backs. Cutting Ray Rice creates a situation where they don’t have a true number one running back. Pierce can be effective, but Justin Forsett will have to step up as a replacement. So far, he looks capable of doing so.

One person the Ravens could consider is the recently released LaMichael James. He is a speed back who can compliment those two. It will be very important for the running game to take pressure off QB Joe Flacco.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers: TD’s… and a lot more of them!

The Pittsburgh Steelers are having a great year from their offense (yards, from both the passing and run game) thus far except for one glaring issue: Scoring touchdowns.

In fact, in the last six quarters of play, Pittsburgh has only three field goals and zero touchdowns. Pittsburgh offense has been good on the ground and through the air, just unable to punch it in for six.

In a unpredictable AFC North, Pittsburgh needs to know that if they have any hope of playing in January, they have to find a way to score touchdowns, because as we know, field goals just don’t cut it.

4. Cleveland Browns: Finding Their Identity

The issue with the Cleveland Browns isn’t about whether or not they are a pass or run first team, but who will be the face of the team.

Is Brian Hoyer that face? He has looked very capable, picking up right where he left off before his injury last year. Is Johnny Manziel that face? The Browns have tried hard to include the dynamic young quarterback in packages already and while he has thrown just one pass, he figures to be a part of the immediate future there.

Does Terrence West become the face? He is the most impressive of the rookies in the highly touted draft class and has been excellent in relief of Ben Tate. Only time will tell what the Browns become, but you can be sure that if they start losing, you will hear the fans.

AFC South

1. Houston Texans: Playing to their strength

Houston has yet to suffer a loss on the year, although the two teams they faced (Washington and Oakland) are not exactly the creme de la crop of the NFL.

Even with the loss of first overall draft pick defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, Houston is much better on defense than on offense. This team needs to continue to force turnovers and early three and outs in order to set up the offense with a short field to work with.

The Texans could surprise some people and be the team in 2014 that goes from worst from first if they can give their offense opportunities to score by reeking havoc on defense and special teams.

2. Tennessee Titans: Locker Staying Protected and Healthy

Former Washington Huskies quarterback Jake Locker hasn’t been able to start a full 16 games since his rookie season. Locker has had issues staying healthy, and the Titans have had a poor record partially as a result.

Although, there are plenty of questions, including at running back and on the offensive line, Locker needs to prove that he can stay healthy and be the face of this franchise.

Locker has sneaky wheels underneath him, sheds tackles with the best of them and can throw the ball pretty well. He needs to finally show the league what he can do in 16 games.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Power on the Ground

The Jaguars are not expected to make any noise this year, and so far the biggest news to come out of there is Allen Hurns’ surprising debut.

The biggest issue with the Jags is the running game. Toby Gerhart was given the chance to start but already has been banged up. The sad thing is that the next leading rusher for the Jaguars is Chad Henne.

In order to contend in the future, they have to be able to run the ball. Whether that be under Chad Henne or Blake Bortles, they will have to split the offense or their quarterback could be in for a long game against experienced secondaries.

4. Indianapolis Colts: Being Too One Dimensional

The Colts are led by the best young quarterback in the game in Andrew Luck who shows incredible poise for someone his age. In order to take pressure off Luck, they need an effective running game.

Running back Trent Richardson was brought in to jump start the running game but has been largely uninspiring. Ahmad Bradshaw has also not provided the spark they had hoped for.

If either one can get going, the Colts have the ability to make it to the Super Bowl. If not, look for them to lose to a multi-dimensional team like the Broncos or Patriots.

AFC West

1. Denver Broncos: Can Montee Ball take over games?

There is no doubt that Peyton Manning can take over games. He has numerous targets and essentially can pick and choose who gets touchdowns whenever he desires.

The real question is whether or not Montee Ball has the ability to take over games if Manning is ever off. Ball has been a nice running back in relief of Knowshon Moreno who left in the offseason. There are some questions on how dynamic he really is.

If Ball can be above average, the Broncos should be one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl once again.

2. San Diego Chargers: Replacing Ryan Matthews

Running back Ryan Matthews has been an effective rusher for the Chargers since he was drafted but has also been injured often. Once again, Matthews is hurt and will be out for four to five weeks.

In order to pass the Chiefs and Broncos, the Chargers need to be able to get production from Danny Woodhead, Donald Brown and company.

Having said that, the Chargers looked excellent against the Super Bowl champion Seahawks. If they can be productive in both aspects, the Chargers are definitely a sleeper in the AFC and beyond.

3. Oakland Raiders: Stop giving up absurd amount of yards on the ground

According to Oakland Raiders safety Charles Woodson, the Raiders currently “Suck.” One way that the Raiders can stop “sucking” is stopping other teams from running all over them.

With an above average offense seen so far, the problem has been the defense.The Raiders through just two games have already given up 400 yards on the ground to opposing running backs.

When teams are able to run this much, it means they can control the clock, the pace of the game, and ultimately can win. Oakland will need to fix this massive issue if they have any hope any of improving from their currently ‘suck’-y state.

4. Kansas City Chiefs: Consistency

After shocking the world last year by starting 9-0, and then once again shocking the world by giving up a 28 point lead to the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Wild Card game, the Chiefs have shown they have knack to surprise us all.

The Chiefs do things like get beat by the Titans, and then go and almost defeat one of the best teams in the AFC, even with a slew of injuries. This team needs to do a better job of playing four quarters of football.