Buffalo Bills (4-12)

No matter what this team does to improve their team moving forward, they just can’t seem to get over the hump and contend with any of the other three teams in the AFC East division. A few years ago, the Bills were on a run and starting to threat Jets, Dolphins and the Patriots in the division, but then Buffalo got back to their losing ways and haven’t been able to rebound since.

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Personally, I see no change in the Buffalo Bills this season as they will have the same team back on the gridiron and have just traded arguably their best offensive threat in wide receiver Lee Evans to the Baltimore Ravens.

The Bills defense might get a bit of a boost with linebacker Shawne Merriman in the mix, but I believe it should be more of the same this season as Buffalo will be the worst team in the AFC East yet again.

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New York Jets (11-5)

Over the last two seasons, the New York Jets has made tremendous strides to become one the elite teams in the NFL with a dominant defense and vastly improved offense. With head coach Rex Ryan leading the way on the sidelines, the Jets are only moving up the ranks in the league and this season might be the year that they finally get to the Super Bowl.

The only problem the New York Jets face these days is the fact that they share the same division wi

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th the New England Patriots. Now that the Patriots are back on top in the AFC East, the Jets will have their work cut out for them just to win the division title in order to get into the playoffs, but this season New York has made some upgrades on offense that might put them over the top.

With veteran wide receivers Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason playing alongside former Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes, quarterback Mark Sanchez might have the pieces he needs in the passing game to turn the Jets into one of the best offensive teams in the league.

The New York Jets will definitely be playoff bound this season, but they might have to do it through the AFC Wildcard if they can get past the New England Patriots in the AFC East.

New England Patriots (14-2, Division title)

A lot of people doubted the New England Patriots’ ability to contend with the best of the best in the NFL at the beginning of last season, but once reigning NFL MVP quarterback Tom Brady and company got going there was no stopping them as they were arguably the best team in the league in the regular season last year.

Not only were the Patriots near unstoppable offensively last season, but this year they have brought in another Pro Bowl wide receiver in Chad Ochocinco to give Tom Brady that downfield threat he has been missing s

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ince the departure of Randy Moss.

The one question that remains for the New England Patriots is whether or not they can keep their big leads with some solid play on defense. If they can, the sky is the limit for the Patriots as I believe they will win the AFC East division and might be Super Bowl bound.

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Miami Dolphins (7-9)

The Miami Dolphins might not be a great team on offense, but they have definitely improved on defense over the years and could slip into the playoffs this season if they can become one of the best defenses in the NFL.

Division Winner Prediction: New England Patriots

Super Bowl Sunday is still 4 days and as the big game gets closer and closer, the hype and injury reports will be all that we hear about concerning the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The one injury that has already gotten in the headlines for the Pittsburgh Steelers has been All-Pro center Maurkice Pouncey’s ankle injury. During the AFC championship game, Pouncey injured his ankle and couldn’t even walk off the field as he was helped to the sideline.

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This was honestly not a good sign for the Pittsburgh Steelers as Pouncey is a key piece to the offensive line and a large part of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s success under center. Obviously, losing the center is not like losing a star quarterback, running back or linebacker, but it can have an effect on the offensive line that is seldom seen and the Green Bay Packers defense might look to take advantage of that.

As for the Green Bay Packers, their biggest injury concern is at the quarterback position. When Aaron Rodgers rushed for his only touchdown against the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship game, he injured his shoulder and might not be 100% percent when he takes the field on Super Bowl Sunday.

There is no question that the Green Bay Packers live and die with Aaron Rodgers right now as he’s basically the entire offense, but with two weeks to recuperate Green Bay’s gunslinger might be able to get back to form.

This will without a doubt be what the Pittsburgh Steelers concentrate on heading into this showdown with the Green Bay Packers as a banged up and Rodgers may be all they need to win their second Super Bowl title in three years.

Personally, the fact that Aaron Rodgers probably cherishes every second on the football field after playing behind the ultimate ironman in Brett Favre, I guarantee that he will be under center on February 6 and ready to win his first Super Bowl for the Packers.

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More news about this sore shoulder of Aaron Rodgers is bound to come out between now and February 6, but I believe he will be fine and playing at a high level once again in Arlington, Texas.

Along with Aaron Rodgers, the defensive beast Clay Matthews will also come into this game a bit banged up as he has a shin injury. Funny enough though, Matthews has said that he would play even if he didn’t have a shin and that won’t stop him from suiting up for this game.

Lockdown corner Charles Woodson also has an injury as he’s dealing with toe problems, but much like Matthews is no way this guy is missing this game.

Just like Socrates, who was blamed for the falling glory of Athens, Jay Cutler is being blamed for the debacle in Chicago. Social media sites, bloggers and even Yahoo! Sports all came together and dog piled on Cutler until we had to feel sorry for a guy who’s generally unlikeable. Yahoo! in particular took a swipe at Cutler with such remarks as “He didn’t look hurt and that’s all that mattered.” Of course the article was written before the report that Cutler suffered a MCL tear against the Packers.

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The Chicago Bears have defended Cutler’s injury better than the protection Cutler received from his offensive line all season.

Former players have hypothetically placed themselves in the shoes of Cutler by bragging that they would have to be dragged off the field to prevent them from getting back in a game as important as the NFC championship. Elite players like Drew Brees even claimed to have played an entire season with an MCL tear. We don’t really know what Cutler was feeling at the time. The Bears organization claims that they decided to keep Cutler out of the game. In my opinion, it was the right decision. With the Packers defense knocking him to the ground every two plays, Cutler could’ve suffered a long-term injury. Why risk it with your franchise quarterback? He probably gave up against the Packers, but Cutler knows that the Bears are in position to compete at a high level for the next three years. Sitting it out will allow him to fight another day. That’s if he watches his back and doesn’t make the mistake of walking around in downtown Chicago.

The consensus in the sports world is Cutler’s not a leader. He couldn’t impact the game physically, so he should’ve been cheering on his teammates from the sideline and offering tips to Caleb Hanie. Thing is Cutler is not that type of player. He is not the emotional, fire up his teammates type of player. We just have to accept that fact.

On ESPN, they mentioned that Cutler needed to move out of his way to help his teammates. You know, he needed to cut the sulking demeanor and be a vocal leader. They added that Cutler needed to do the right thing. Right thing? What exactly is that? Walk on a gimp knee and jump around like a cheerleader? Give advice to the third-string QB after doing so badly himself against the Packers? Even Cutler couldn’t figure Green Bay out. He was as helpless, from a strategic stand point, as Hanie.

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The only evidence we need to believe that Cutler is a leader is how the whole Bears organization has rallied to defend him. If he was a complete a-hole, we’d probably already hear a swipe from one of his teammates. The Bears owner would’ve thrown him under the bus and shopped him actively after their loss to the Packers.

Cutler probably brought all this on himself. It started when he mopped around in Denver and left with his tail between his legs. But that shouldn’t be the reason why we still hate him to this day because if it was Peyton Manning, Tom Brady or Drew Brees who decided not to play, the NFL wouldn’t have anything to talk about before the Super Bowl.

Then there were four. And none of them include Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Tom Brady. Who needs ‘em anyway when the four remaining quarterbacks have combined for three Pro Bowls and two Super Bowl rings? Of course, two of those rings belong to one person – Big Ben Roethlisberger – the best QB in the playoffs.

On a numbers basis there is no doubt that the best quarterback right now is Aaron Rodgers. His stats don’t lie; two games, 134.5 QB rating, six touchdowns and no interceptions. He has a knack for scrambling around to keep plays alive, which reminds me of a young Steve Young. Still, he has to prove he can win on the biggest stage of his career next week.

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On a quarterback match-up basis, Mark Sanchez has been very successful lately. How successful? How about the fact that he has outdueled top of the food chain QBs Peyton Manning and Tom Brady? Against Manning, Sanchez set-up Nick Folk for the game winning field goal. Against Brady, he did not turn the ball over and threw three touchdowns. But the Jets’ success doesn’t rely on Sanchez throwing touchdowns every game. He had no touchdowns and one interception in Indianapolis and New York still won.

Jay Cutler showed great improvement in his first playoff game. He limited his fondness for throwing into quadruple coverage, read defenses well and made the right decisions. This is the Cutler we expect him to be. He tries so much to replicate his idol, Brett Favre, that he doesn’t realize how negatively it has affected his playing style.

But the quarterback heavyweight championship of the universe belt belongs to Ben Roethlisberger. Numbers don’t show it, but what many fail to realize is Roethlisberger is as efficient as Brady. The Steelers don’t need him to throw a bunch. But when the game is on the line, Roethlisberger’s passing wins ballgames.

He survived a tenacious Baltimore defense and managed to throw two touchdowns in the second half — and that’s with Baltimore knowing that the Steelers were gonna air the football after falling behind in the first half. None of the other three QBs have faced a defense as tough as Baltimore’s.

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I’d even argue that Roethlisberger is better than Manning and Brady. Yes, I said it. When the defense collapses the pocket Manning and Brady take the sack or throw the ball away to avoid turning the ball over. They’re classic pocket passers. Defenses can prepare for them. Big Ben’s a scrambling QB that extends plays. He plays with unpredictability that can confuse defenses. It’s not easy preparing for a QB when you don’t his tendencies in the pocket.

Try and imagine Roethlisberger and Brady switching teams. Do you think Brady would have time, let alone survive, to make an accurate throw with Pittsburgh’s awful offensive line? And with no ability to slip out of the grasps of 600-pound linemen and extend plays, Brady would take a beating and would get sacked an average of 20 times a game.

Now picture Roethlisberger in a Patriots uniform. Great protection, time to throw and great offensive play calling. He’s just as accurate and clutch as Brady. He’d flourish. Against high pressure defenses like the Jets, Big Ben will keep plays alive and will shrug off defenders. He thrives in broken plays. He’s like Manny Pacquiao — thrives with the chaos brought by his thousand strong entourage. The more chaotic the mess the better their focus is.

There is no doubt in my mind that Roethlisberger is the best QB in the playoffs — and possibly in the league right now.