AFC North and West Midseason Review

Time now for the final midseason review, this time with the AFC North and West. Along with my revised Super Bowl prediction.

Cincinnatti Bengals: (Prediction:5-11 with great offense, not so great defense, Lewis fired at the end of the year.)
The offense has been great, with Ochocinco again being a good receiver and Carson Palmer is a great leader of the team, he's not putting up spectacular numbers, but is managing the game well. The real surprise here is Cedric Benson is proving to Chicago that they were wrong in letting him go. Then, the defense is also playing really solid.
New Prediction: 11-5, wild card berth.

Baltimore Ravens: (Prediction: 6-10, with Flacco and defense slumping.)
So far, they have done ok, but the defene isn't the dominating force it was last year, when it was ranked in the top 4. Now, it's allowing 19 points a game. Flacco is doing ok in his second year, being in the top 10 in passing. But, they just seem like a shell of them old selves. They still got good bones, but it's not intimidating.
New Prediction: 8-8

Cleveland Browns: (Prediction: 9-7, with Quinn being awesome and Mangini proving he's the Man-genius.)
Ugly, that's the word so far for the Browns season. Mangini decided on his quarterback for the season opener a few days before the season started, and neither quarterback is any good it seems. Then, the defense is awful as well.
New Prediction: 3-13

Pittsburgh Steelers: (Prediction: 11-5, no ill-effect from Super Bowl and Mendenhall will take over starting RB)
So far, they have been a good team and have been turning it on as of late. Ever since Parker went down with an injury early in the year, Mendenhall has proven himself as a great starting back. Then, the defense is spectacular as well as usual. Finally, Ben Roethlisberger is a great quarterback not just managing the game, but making some very good throws as well.
New Prediction: 11-5, repeat as North division champs.

AFC West
Kansas City Chiefs: (Prediction: 3-13, Cassel horrible quarterback.)
has been a total disaster thus far in Todd Haley's first year as head coach. Larry Johnson, one of the very few stars left, was released for saying some gay slurs on twitter, and Cassel hasn't been living up to what he was in New England. The defense is just awful as well.
New Prediction: 3-13

Oakland Raiders: (Prediction: 4-12, Russell will make some waves and be an ok quarterback.)
The Raiders are a mess in every way, with the offense not producing more than double digits, average. Then, the defense is giving up 25 points per game. JaMarcus Russell has proven to be a awful quarterback, and not worth the number 1 pick. Finally, since ESPN did an investigation into his domestic cases, now they've done their own investigation. You'd think that the Raiders would try to figure that stuff out before hiring the guy, now right? But, that's the Raiuders for you.

Denver Broncos: (Prediction: 5-11 with the offesne stinking and Marshall being traded by the deadline.)
The Broncos are one of the biggest surprises in the league, along with the Bengals, and the glass slipper may be falling off after two straight losses, granted to good defenses, but they may have figured out a way to defend Marshall and Orton. But, the defense is still playing solid, but I don't think they have what it takes to make it to the playoffs.

Prediction: 10-6, losing a tiebreaker to the Texans for the playoffs.

San Diego Chargers: (Prediction: 12-4, clinching division by Thanksgiving.)
They got off to their traditionally slow start, but it looks as if they may be turning it around and everything seems to be clicking. After the fourth quarter comeback against the Giants, they deserve to win this division.
Prediction: 11-5, winning the AFC West.

New Super Bowl prediction: hopefully this will finally be the year of the all Pennsylvania Super Bowl, as that's my prediction, Steelers vs. Eagles.