Stephen A. Smith's bold predictions: Buffalo Bills snubbed, Jets win battle for AFC East

In typical Stephen A. Smith fashion, the legendary sports analyst dropped a bombshell prediction for the 2024 playoffs. He snubbed the Buffalo Bills and favored the New York Jets, declaring the team a contender observe closely.

Smith believes Aaron Rodgers will lead the Jets to the AFC East title despite his past difficulties against the San Francisco 49ers His reason? Rodgers, who has a playoff record of 12-10 in his career, was traded to New York from the Packers with one mission – to bring the championship back to Green Bay.

He didn't have high hopes for the Bills in the AFC East and was skeptical about the Miami Dolphins' performance in cold weather games late in the season. He stated:

“I see a drop in performance from the Buffalo Bills and I don't believe in the Miami Dolphins outside of Miami when it's 32 degrees like it's supposed to be this Sunday. I believe in them when it's over 21 degrees… When it's below 4 degrees? Forget it, I'm giving up on them completely because they've been 0-11 the last few years.”

Therefore, in his eyes, the Jets have the edge.

Coming to the AFC North, Smith was optimistic about the Ravens with QB Lamar Jackson and other offensive forces. In The team How Rookie WR Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely. He said:

“They may have lost the game last night, but I'd be a fool to bet against the Baltimore Ravens. Lamar Jackson is that guy. Derrick Henry is a stud.”

Although the Ravens' offensive line still has room for improvement, Smith believes the team can take home the division title.

Smith turned his attention to the Browns and was concerned about Deshaun Watson's decline. He pulled up statistics and explained:

“He was awful… Watson ranks among the 45 quarterbacks in the NFL with over 300 passing attempts over the last two seasons. His completion percentage is 41st, his yards per attempt is 36th and his passer rating is 37th.”

He emphasized that the quarterback would have to “step on the gas like a damn thing” for the Browns to have any chance of making the playoffs. Nevertheless, it cannot be ruled out that Watson will experience another breakthrough towards the end of the season.

After AFC East and AFC North, Smith's picks for AFC South, AFC West and the wildcard races were perhaps a little less bold.

Smith relies on the Texans, Chiefs, has little faith in Deshaun Watson

For the AFC South, Smith’s surprise choice was Houston Texan as he showed his confidence in rookie QB CJ Stroud and head coach DeMeco Ryans. He said of the team's improved defense and offensive strength:

“You have Dell, you have Nico Collins, you got Mixon from Cincinnati, you have another running game and now you have Stefon Diggs from Buffalo, with CJ Stroud as that guy behind center. With DeMeco Ryans busting his ass like he does and that defense that elevates this game without question, it's the Texans.”

While he is aware Smith believes the Jacksonville Jaguars are a strong contender, and he believes the Texans stand out because of their stout defense and developing offense.

He moved to the AFC West and declared Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs the clear favorites and bluntly mentioned like the Broncos, Raiders and Chargers are not ready to challenge the reigning Super Bowl champions, Who are chasing a third consecutive victory in 2024.

For the wildcard placesSmith chose the Dolphins. He pointed to their explosive offense, all thanks to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and predicted the Bengals' resurgence under the leadership of Joe Burrow.

With three teams from the AFC North and two from the AFC East in Stephen A. Smith's wild card lineup, the analyst predicted a thrilling race for the playoffs in the 105th NFL season.