1. Patriots
The reigning Super Bowl champs have Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and plenty of talent to overcome the loss of Julian Edelman en route to winning a sixth Lombardi Trophy on Feb. 4 in Minneapolis.
2. Steelers
The second-most talented team in the AFC, if not the NFL, has Ben Roethlisberger, an explosive offense and a defense that's solid, but does have question marks, particularly at linebacker.
3. Raiders
On paper, this is a top-three team that added Marshawn Lynch. But how will the never-ending distraction of moving to Las Vegas affect a talented team that hasn't won a single playoff game since 2002?
4. Chiefs
We'll begin finding out Thursday night in Foxborough whether the Chiefs should have been more active in the offseason or were wise to believe in a roster than went 12-4 and won the AFC West.
5. Titans
An easier schedule, another year of seasoning for young QB Marcus Mariota and a couple of exciting young wideouts should help Tennessee push toward improving on last year's 9-7 record.
6. Texans
Yeah, the QB situation is a major question mark. But J.J. Watt returns to a defense that was tops in the league without him. Houston did lose a standout cornerback in free agent A.J. Bouye.
7. Bengals
With talent that's now healthy, this is a bounce-back team to watch even with Vontaze Burfict's suspension. Cincinnati had five losses by fewer than six points last season.
8. Ravens
No one really stands out as a great playmaker. And with Joe Flacco just returning after missing the offseason because of a back injury, it's worth wondering if Baltimore can snap out of a four-year funk.