AFC PREVIEW

Miami wins the easy way, Oakland wins the inhumane way, Pittsburgh and Indianapolis and Denver survive the wild way. And all of them are headed the wrong way. Because the road to this Super Bowl runs through Cleveland, where freezing January opponents will stumble home to look for the hair of the dog.

WEST

OAKLAND RAIDERS

LAST SEASON: 9-7

THIS SEASON: 11-5, advance to first round of playoffs.

LOOKING GOOD: As long as the Raiders adhere to new Coach Mike White’s short-passing, spread-it-around offensive style, they will win. Jeff Hostetler is too good, Tim Brown and Rocket Ismail are too quick, and rookie running back Napoleon Kaufman is too sneaky.

Defensively, the Raiders are gambling that Pat Swilling can return to his once-great pass rushing form with his hand back on the ground as a defensive end. It’s a good bet.

DON’T LOOK: Al Davis claims Harvey Williams is the answer at running back despite one of the softest 983-yard seasons in league history. He is wrong, and as punishment, his team will be unable to survive Cleveland or Pittsburgh in January.

IT FIGURES: In the their third exhibition game, generally considered a team’s most meaningful preseason contest because starters play the longest, the “new-look’ Raiders had 13 penalties for 111 yards.

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DENVER BRONCOS

LAST SEASON: 7-9

THIS SEASON: 10-6, advance to AFC semifinals.

LOOKING GOOD: John Elway can barely walk, but he still runs and throws like the dickens. Perhaps he has been energized under new head coach and buddy Mike Shanahan.

This can only mean great things for receivers Mike Pritchard and Anthony Miller, and scatback Glyn Milburn.

The defense was worst in the league last year, but is much improved with addition of former Browns’ star linemen Michael Dean Perry and James Jones.

DON’T LOOK: A rebuilt offensive line featuring the aging and the unhappy must prove strong enough to protect Father Elway.

IT FIGURES: Al Davis may have been as helpful as a cold sore, but Shanahan still won just eight of 20 games as a Raiders head coach in 1988-89.

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KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

LAST SEASON: 9-7, advanced to first round of AFC playoffs.

THIS SEASON: 8-8

LOOKING GOOD: Who knows, maybe quarterback Steve Bono can run the offense without embarrassing the memory of Joe Montana.

Bono, who has looked decent, will have more help than Montana with the emergence of running back Greg Hill and wide receiver Lake Dawson.

There are worse ways to change a defense than to use the penetrating philosophy of former Raider coach Gunther Cunningham, who will have Derrick Thomas crunching quarterbacks like he was 21 again.

DON’T LOOK: Amid reports of disagreements with his bosses, this is Coach Marty Schottenheimer’s toughest test. He must convince a team that has just lost the game’s great quarterback ever -- and must survive with a reduced role from Marcus Allen -- that they can still win.

If the players don’t listen, then Schottenheimer isn’t allowed to keep coaching.

IT FIGURES: In the two years before the arrival of Joe Montana, the Chiefs won 20 games. In the two years with Montana, the Chiefs won 20 games.

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SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

LAST SEASON: 11-5, advanced to Super Bowl.

THIS SEASON: 8-8

LOOKING GOOD: Bobby Ross is still the best coach in the conference. Natrone Means, if his head is in the right place, is still the best power running back. Stan Humphries is still tougher than a Border Patrol cop on the last shift of a holiday weekend.

DON’T LOOK: The defense has suffered too many losses after the death of linebacker Dennis Griggs and the shoulder injury suffered by cornerback Darrien Gordon, who is out at least three months. The receiver position still contains too many questions after Tony Martin and Shawn Jefferson were not given reinforcements.

And oh, that league’s-toughest schedule. Our favorite part is the consecutive road games at Pittsburgh and Kansas City, followed six days later by a visit from the Dallas Cowboys.

IT FIGURES: One of the players voted most inspirational on the team last year didn’t even play. He was guard Eric Moton, whose return to the lineup this year will make the huddle hum.

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SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

LAST SEASON: 6-10

THIS SEASON: 7-9

LOOKING GOOD: Out of the Northwest fog this fall will come a swooping, darting creature known as Joey Galloway, a rookie wide receiver.

Brian Blades will be attracting attention on the other side. Running back Chris Warren will be ready to remind you that he -- not Marshall Faulk -- was the AFC’s leading rusher. Galloway will do everything but move to Oklahoma and run for Congress.

DON’T LOOK: They are simply not talented enough to overcome the distractions. Not under a new Dennis-Erickson led regime, anyway.

Blades is facing a long court battle in Florida over his involvement in the shooting death of his cousin. Erickson is still being reminded of an April drunk driving charge. And there is still a player on the team -- running back Lamar Smith -- who was allegedly drinking on the night he was driving a car last season that crashed and paralyzed teammate Mike Frier for life.

IT FIGURES: Less than a year after attempting to remove Mirer’s eyeballs in an horrendous gouging incident, former Raider Winston Moss is now one of Mirer’s beloved teammates.

AFC CENTRAL

CLEVELAND BROWNS

LAST SEASON: 11-5, advanced to AFC semifinals

THIS SEASON: 12-4, win Super Bowl

LOOKING GOOD: Start with the offensive line, which is where every great team starts. Led by left tackle Tony Jones, it led the league with fewest sacks allowed -- 14 -- and has only gotten stronger.

They also have what could be the league’s best receiving corps with the addition of free-agent Andre Rison. He won’t feel as much pressure to act like a big shot around underrated Michael Jackson and improving Derrick Alexander.

It’s almost not fair that they also have one of the league’s best defensive lines -- led by end Rob Burnett -- and an unmatched defensive backfield as soon as Eric Turner returns.

DON’T LOOK: We think this team is so loaded that even quarterback Vinny Testaverde can’t mess them up. We may be the only ones.

IT FIGURES: Nobody in the league has the potential to win games like Tom Tupa, the Browns extra-point holder. Three times last year he picked the ball up and carried it into the end zone for a two-point conversion. Guess who is now the league’s all-time career leader in that category?

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PITTSBURGH STEELERS

LAST SEASON: 12-4, advanced to AFC championship.

THIS SEASON: 11-5, advance to AFC semifinals.

LOOKING GOOD: He has the most appropriate moniker for a running back since that guy named Csonka. The name is Bam. Bam Morris. If Bam can keep a smile on his face, his weight below 400 pounds and his ankle out of ice, he will make people in town forget all about Barry Foster.

Some on the Steelers are already saying that wide receiver Charles Johnson, after a hard-working offseason, will one day make people forget about John Stallworth. And don’t forget the league’s best defense. Not that raving lunatic Kevin Greene will let you.

DON’T LOOK: Somehow, the offensive line looks naked without star guard Duval Love, who signed with Arizona. Tight end Mark Bruener may be less trouble than Eric Green, but can he kick as much butt?

And, mustering as much honesty as possible under the circumstances, does anybody else perceive Neil O’Donnell as a choking hound?

IT FIGURES: Their four-month season can be boiled down into one three-week period. On Monday night, Nov. 13, they play host to the Browns. Two weeks later, they visit the Browns.

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HOUSTON OILERS

LAST SEASON: 2-14

THIS SEASON: 4-12

LOOKING GOOD: If nothing else, the Oilers will have great field position this year after signing Mel Gray, simply the best kick and punt returner in NFL history. Under Jeff Fisher, a tackle-minded head coach, the league’s ninth-ranked defense should also do no worse.

DON’T LOOK: Chris Chandler is Mr. October, the guy who shows up in the lineup around Halloween after the starting quarterback is felled with a series of concussions. He is not supposed to be leading a team in September.

Wake us when Steve McNair steps into the huddle.

IT FIGURES: The Oilers won 10 fewer games last year than in 1993, when they won the division at 12-4. It was the biggest single-season tank in league history.

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JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

LAST SEASON: Did not exist

THIS SEASON: Will barely exist at 3-13

LOOKING GOOD: From a collection of worn, unwanted or unused NFL apparel, some dashing pieces will emerge.

Rookie running back James Stewart could be a star. A defensive line of Joel Smeenge, Don Davey, Kelvin Pritchett and Jeff Lageman will make noise.

And keep your eye on that lefthander from Santa Maria named Mark Brunell. When quarterback Steve Beuerlein stumbles, Brunell will be the ace.

DON’T LOOK: Players have already started revolting against Coach Tom Coughlin’s sometimes cruel and always unusual rules. Did you hear the one about no crossing your legs in team meetings?

By the end of the season, certainly nobody will be asking “Who’s the Boss?” But will Coughlin be viewed as football coach or Tony Danza caricature?

IT FIGURES: Mike Williams, a promising free-agent wide receiver from the Dolphins, recently became so upset with Coughlin’s rules that he asked to be released. Coughlin refused. What, was the request in violation of another rule?

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CINCINNATI BENGALS

LAST SEASON: 3-13

THIS SEASON: 3-13

LOOKING GOOD: Many personnel people in the league would love for this withering franchise to drop dead so they could pick their carcass clean of wide receiver Darnay Scott, linebacker Steve Tovar and safety Darryl Williams.

DON’T LOOK: This year’s number one overall draft pick, running back Ki-Jana Carter, is out for the season because of a knee injury.

Last year’s No. 1 pick, defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson, only played last season as if he were out for the season.

The offensive line is horrid, the defensive line gave up more rushing yards than all but five other teams, and sack specialist Alfred Williams bolted for San Francisco.

IT FIGURES: On Sept. 10 at Riverfront Stadium, a team that will have never won a game in its history visits a team that has not won a game in September in three years. Jacksonville 21, Bengals 17, Coach Dave Shula sayonara.

EAST

MIAMI DOLPHINS

LAST SEASON: 10-6, advanced to AFC semifinals.

THIS SEASON: 12-4, advance to conference finals.

Looking Good: This defense does not need Deion Sanders to improve its 19th overall ranking of last season. Adding Trace Armstrong and Steve Emtman to the line and Terrell Buckley and Louis Oliver as secondary depth should be enough.

This team is so loaded on offense that new tight end Eric Green will have to fight with Irving Fryer and O.J. McDuffie for quarterback Dan Marino’s attentions. If Terry Kirby and Keith Byars remain sound after last year’s knee injuries, they join Bernie Parmalee in the league’s deepest backfield.

DON’T LOOK: The Dolphins have first-time starters at center (Tim Ruddy) and right guard (Chris Gray) while right tackle Ron Heller, 33, is on his last legs. Heads up, Dan.

IT FIGURES: It only seems as though everybody wants Don Shula to experience one last Super Bowl. The schedule maker has allowed the Dolphins to play three of their biggest games at home on Monday night -- against the Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs.

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INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

LAST SEASON: 8-8

THIS SEASON: 10-6, advance to first round of playoffs.

LOOKING GOOD: Only a couple of stupid plays separated this team from the playoffs last season. This time, quarterback Craig Erickson and receiver Flipper Anderson make up that difference. Erickson was among the league’s top 10 quarterbacks last year, and, when motivated, Flipper can give southern California fans some nice memories.

Oh, and did we mention Marshall Faulk?

DON’T LOOK: The words Ted Marchibroda and playoff still look odd in the same sentence. The Colts defense, ranked 20th last year, also needs a breakthrough season from converted defensive end Trev Alberts to sustain expected improvement.

IT FIGURES: Not that the Colts secondary has become a force, but the last three teams to visit the RCA Dome last year did not score a touchdown . . .and those teams were led by Drew Bledsoe, Dan Marino and Frank Reich.

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NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

LAST SEASON: 10-6, advanced to first round of playoffs.

THIS SEASON: 8-8

LOOKING GOOD: In his third season, quarterback Drew Bledsoe’s arm will be stronger, his decisions smarter and his luck better. Who knows, for the first time in his career, he might even throw more touchdowns than inteceptions. Ben Coates, Bledsoe’s favorite partner, took a giant step last season toward becoming not only the best tight end in the league today, but the best tight end ever .

DON’T LOOK: Does the name Curtis Martin ring a bell? This University of Pittsburgh draft pick, who only competed in two collegiate games last year, could be the Patriots’ featured running back. What in the name of O.J. Anderson was Coach Bill Parcells thinking by getting rid of Marion Butts and Leroy Thompson?

The Patriots are also hurting defensively, with a line led by Charger reject Reggie White (i.e. the wrong Reggie White) and a secondary that will miss departed safety Harlon Barnett.

IT FIGURES: Last year’s playoff darlings, with the league’s second toughest schedule, could lose their first six games. Check it out.

BUFFALO BILLS

Last Year: 7-9

This Year: 6-10

Looking Good: Let’s see, is aging quarterback Jim Kelly a bright spot? Nope. Distracted running back Thurman Thomas? Nope. Andre Reed? He’s only as effective as Kelly.

Wait a minute, didn’t the Bills spend $7.6 million to sign Packers’ lineabacker Bryce Paup? Yeah, and the Packers are still chuckling about that one. If Paup stays in Green Bay, he may not even start.

Don’t Look: Everywhere there are signs of Super Bowl road rash. One of the greatest teams in NFL history has been held together for five years at the expense of the future. Now when the stars are fading, there is nobody to take their place.

It Figures: One day during training camp, young receiver Russell Copeland was accidently given Andre Reed’s No. 83 jersey. Hoping to supplant Reed as a primary target, Copeland refused to take it off.

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NEW YORK JETS

LAST SEASON: 6-10

THIS SEASON: 5-11

LOOKING GOOD: Remember the names. Mo Lewis and Bobby Houston. The two linebackers led the AFC in knockouts last year, not to mention the sort of hits that sent the league’s rulemakers running for more paper. Togther in green, they will provide the only interesting foliage in a deadly dull Jets landscape.

DON’T LOOK: Many believe Boomer Esiasion should be in the “Monday Night Football” booth, not on the field as a quarterback. Neither the Jets quarterbacks nor their announcers have any idea who is going to catch Boomer’s sloppy passes. Ryan Yaborough is the only receiver with any experience, and he has caught a total of six passes.

Of course, they can always run the ball with . . . Ron Moore?

IT FIGURES: Rich Kotite was maligned throughout his four seasons as a head coach in Philadelphia. But when Kotite was fired this winter, it only took Jets owner Leon Hess three hours to hire him.