The Divisional Races

The Buffalo Bills and Houston Oilers, two of the AFC’s three divisional champions last year, were unchallenged in the regular season, when there was a contest only in the West. The 1992 races could be closer:

AFC West: In a division that put three 1991 teams in the playoffs, the Raiders have more talent than most of the others. The Denver Broncos are always a threat with the mile-high momentum they build at home. The San Diego Chargers can make a move if they have a passer who can move them. No rival exceeds the Kansas City Chiefs as a running team or defensive team. Only one AFC West entry appears to be out of it: the Seattle Seahawks. The top four could finish in any order from first to fourth.

AFC Central: The Oilers have made the playoffs five straight years--more consistently than any other pro club since the mid-’80s. Not one of their AFC Central rivals was over .500 last year. The Cleveland Browns think they can make a run at Houston this season, but the other two are quietly rebuilding under new coaches, Bill Cowher of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dave Shula of the Cincinnati Bengals. In Cincinnati, there is a quarterback, Boomer Esiason; in Pittsburgh there is a quarterback controversy: Bubby Brister or Neil O’Donnell? This week’s winner: O’Donnell.

AFC East: The Bills play three California teams--the Rams in Buffalo, the 49ers in San Francisco, the Raiders in Los Angeles--in the first six weeks, along with three teams they can beat: the New England Patriots, and, in Buffalo, Indianapolis Colts and the Miami Dolphins. If, in the same stretch, the New York Jets and Miami hang close, it will be a race as the Jets mature and as the Dolphins gain confidence. The Patriots, a surprising 6-10 under rookie Coach Dick MacPherson in 1991, could catch Miami this time. The undermanned fifth-place Colts under new Coach Ted Marchibroda and injured quarterback Jeff George seem out of it.