Every team must set goals, some loftier than others. So, in the spirit of the season, Yardbarker NFL writers offer a New Year’s resolution for every AFC team.
AFC East
BUFFALO BILLS (13-3) | Hang a Super Bowl banner at Highmark Stadium | Highmark Stadium has been home to the Bills for 51 years, but next season will be the last as construction on a new Highmark Stadium nears completion for 2026. Per ESPN BET (as of Tuesday), Buffalo owns the third-best odds (+500) to win Super Bowl LIX, so what better way to honor the old digs than with a banner to honor the team’s first NFL championship?
MIAMI DOLPHINS (8-8) | Get Tua Tagovailoa a better helmet | After suffering his third concussion as a Dolphin and watching the team go 1-3 without him, Miami’s QB firmly stated he would not wear a Guardian Cap for additional head protection, calling it a “personal choice.” Once used for training-camp practices only, the NFL authorized the regular-season use of Guardian Caps in 2024. With $167M guaranteed in Tagovailoa’s new contract, Miami should exercise its authority by making him wear the safest helmet available.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (3-13) | Add better wide receivers | QB Drake Maye will never be Tom Brady, but without better weapons, he could be the team’s next Mac Jones. With more cap space ($132M) projected for 2025 than any NFL team and pending free-agent receivers Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, Stefon Diggs and Tee Higgins available, New England must do better than Kendrick Bourne and Kayshon Boutte.
NEW YORK JETS (4-12) | Find another QB | The Aaron Rodgers experience is a disaster for New York, and the Jets can save $49M against next year’s cap with his release. The team signed Rodgers to a $112M contract ($75M guaranteed) in 2023, only to watch him miss all but four snaps with a torn Achilles tendon that season and lead the team to four wins with one game left to play in 2024. — Bruce Ewing
AFC West
DENVER BRONCOS (9-7) | Use second-year WR Marvin Mims Jr. more | In 16 games, Mims ranks third on the team in yards per reception (13.3) but only has 34 receptions for 452 yards and four touchdown catches. Broncos head coach Sean Payton should consider targeting Mims more to give Denver’s 22nd-ranked passing offense (205.6 YPG) the boost it needs.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (15-1) | Stop keeping it close | The Chiefs have 11 one-possession wins, tied with the 2022 Minnesota Vikings for the most in a season in league history, per the Associated Press’ Josh Dubow. However, K.C. can’t continue to rely on luck in the playoffs, or else it may fail to win a third straight Super Bowl.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (4-12) | Consider letting new minority owner Tom Brady run the show | Since Mark Davis became majority owner in 2011, the Raiders are 91-136 in the regular season and have no playoff wins. Brady — a seven-time Super Bowl champion — knows more about football than Davis and could help the club build a winning foundation.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (10-6) | Spend on a WR in free agency | Chargers QB Justin Herbert — who has averaged a career-low 220.3 passing yards per game in 16 starts this season — needs more dependable wideouts. L.A. should pursue Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins or Buffalo Bills WR Amari Cooper in free agency. — Clark Dalton
AFC North
BALTIMORE RAVENS (11-5) | Don’t repeat the mistakes of the past | The Ravens had the Chiefs right where they wanted them in the AFC Championship Game last season, but they foolishly attempted 37 passes and ran the ball only 16 times in the 17-10 loss. Baltimore has by far the best rushing offense in the AFC (185.6 yards per game), so first-year offensive coordinator Todd Monken must live and die by Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry in the playoffs.
CINCINNATI BENGALS (8-8) | Don’t waste Joe Burrow’s prime | Burrow leads the NFL this season in passing yards (4,641) and passing touchdowns (42), but the Bengals are .500 and on the outside looking in at a playoff spot because of their 29th-ranked scoring defense. Cincinnati’s Super Bowl window is open, but Burrow just turned 28 and won’t be in his prime forever, so this is a crucial offseason ahead.
CLEVELAND BROWNS (3-13) | Rethink the QB strategy | The Browns have the worst QB situation in the NFL, considering there are still two years remaining on Deshaun Watson’s $230M contract, and now Ian Rapoport of NFL Network is floating the idea that Cleveland could bring in Aaron Rodgers or Kirk Cousins in the offseason. Bleh. This team must draft a QB and use the next two years to develop him into a starter.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS (10-6) | Adjust your expectations | The Steelers go into every season expecting to compete for the Super Bowl because no other team in NFL history has more Super Bowl rings, but this team isn’t a championship contender and hasn’t been for a while. Pittsburgh hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season, and it has lost its past three games against legitimate title contenders (Eagles, Ravens, Chiefs) by a combined score of 90-40. — Jack Dougherty
AFC South
HOUSTON TEXANS (9-7) | Improve offensive line | QB C.J. Stroud has been sacked 52 times this season, 14 more than in 2023 in one extra start. Protecting the franchise’s most valuable asset — and returning him to his rookie form — should be Houston’s top priority this offseason.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (7-9) | Stop feuding with Pat McAfee | The former Colts punter laid waste to Indianapolis following its 45-33 Week 17 loss to the Giants, ripping the team’s culture under head coach Shane Steichen. Last month, linebacker Zaire Franklin kicked a hornet’s nest by blasting McAfee for being critical of the team in November, but this time, the Colts would be wise to keep their mouths shut.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (4-12) | Get a new head coach and GM | Head coach Doug Pederson and GM Trent Baalke could be approaching their last game with the Jaguars. Despite having multiple seasons, neither has turned Jacksonville into a perennial contender, something the next brain trust will seek to accomplish.
TENNESSEE TITANS (3-13) | End the Will Levis experiment | Whether by signing a free-agent QB or by selecting one in the draft, Tennessee must bid farewell to the Levis era. The second-year QB regressed this season, throwing as many touchdowns as interceptions (12) and posting a higher sack rate (12.35 percent to 9.89 percent) and lower passer rating (79.8 to 84.2) than he did as a rookie. — Eric Smithling
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