AFC PREVIEW

(Listed in order of 1997 finish)

WEST

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Fans in Pittsburgh have their “terrible towels;” the poor saps in Kansas City, who are let down annually by the Chiefs, should have crying towels.

* Coach: Marty Schottenheimer (138-76-1 record)

* 1997 record: 13-3.

* Newcomer to make impact: Defensive lineman Chester McGlockton.

* Little-known fact: Free-agent defensive end Leslie O’Neal was one of the first players to wear a tinted shield with his facemask, but a new NFL rule prohibits all tinted shields this season.

* Stat that must change: Schottenheimer has lost seven playoff games during his reign in Kansas City with his team averaging 11 points a game in those contests.

DENVER BRONCOS

Farewell tour for retiring quarterback John Elway, but are the Broncos hungry enough to take him all the way to Miami for a Super Bowl send-off?

* Coach: Mike Shanahan (41-27).

* 1997 record: 12-4.

* Newcomer to make impact: Rookie safety Eric Brown.

* Little-known fact: When the Broncos play in Miami on Dec. 21, it will be only the second time in Elway and Dan Marino’s career that they have faced each other.

* Stat that must change: Amazingly enough, going against conventional thinking, the Broncos went on to win the Super Bowl despite giving up a league-high 4.7 yards a carry on the ground.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Warren Moon gets one last hurrah, and if it’s not something special, he’ll take Coach Dennis Erickson into retirement with him.

* Coach: Erickson (23-25).

* 1997 record: 8-8.

* Newcomer to make impact: Running back Ricky Watters.

* Little-known fact: Erickson is fighting to remain employed, but he’s 0-3 in opening games, 0-2 to start in 1997, 0-3 in 1996 and 0-2 in 1995.

* Stat that must change: The Seahawks ranked last in punting and had to punt a lot.

OAKLAND RAIDERS

Sound familiar? The Raiders are loaded with talent, have a new coach and a new system.

* Coach: Jon Gruden (0-0).

* 1997 record: 4-12.

* Newcomer to make impact: Rookie defensive back Charles Woodson.

* Little-known fact: The Raiders do not count the team’s results from 1960, 1961 and 1962 in their propaganda, because, as Senior Assistant Bruce Allen pointed out, “Al Davis took control of the Raiders in 1963.”

* Stat that must change: “The team of the decades” began last year by giving up more yards on the ground than other team in the ‘90s on opening day with Tennessee’s Eddie George running for 216 yards.

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

General Manager Bobby Beathard is banking on running back Natrone Means and rookies Ryan Leaf and Mikhael Ricks. He’d be better off buying a lottery ticket.

* Coach: Kevin Gilbride (4-12).

* 1997 record: 4-12.

* Newcomer to make impact: Ricks.

* Little-known fact: Ryan Leaf knows everything--just ask him.

* Stat that must change: Junior Seau apparently didn’t make enough tackles. The Chargers gave up a little more than 26 points a game last year.

CENTRAL

PITTSBURGH STEELEERS

Defections continue and take their toll. Kordell Stewart develops, but short of playing with the consistency to save the day.

* Coach: Bill Cowher (64-32).

* 1997 record: 11-5.

* Newcomer to make impact: Wide receiver Jahine Arnold, due back later this season from broken collarbone.

* Little-known fact: The Steelers rate the toughest schedule this season according to the NFL, and will be matched against teams with a combined mark of 140-114-2.

* Stat that must change: Yancey Thigpen led all receivers with 79 catches, but he’s gone, leaving undependable Charles Johnson (46 catches) and Courtney Hawkins (45).

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Best talent, maybe best quarterback in the conference, but lack of defense leaves them one win short of making the Super Bowl.

* Coach: Tom Coughlin (24-24).

* 1997 record: 11-5.

* Newcomer to make impact: Defensive lineman Bryce Paup.

* Little-known fact: Mike Hollis led the NFL in scoring with 134 points. He’s the Jaguars’ kicker.

* Stat that must change: Rookie running back Fred Taylor and holdover James Stewart must account for loss of Means, who led team in rushing.

HOUSTON OILERS

Oilers couldn’t handle distractions and lacked the quarterback to bail them out. They move to Vanderbilt, still lack the quarterback.

* Coach: Jeff Fisher (24-30).

* 1997 record: 8-8.

* Newcomer to make impact: Wide receiver Yancey Thigpen.

* Little-known fact: Of the seven teams that ran the ball more than they passed last season, the Oilers were the only one that didn’t make the playoffs.

* Stat that must change: Quarterback Steve McNair led the league with 16 fumbles.

CINCINNATI BENGALS

Who can figure these guys out? They loved Jeff Blake at quarterback, hated Blake at quarterback, and now have gone to Neil O’Donnell.

* Coach: Bruce Coslet (40-49).

* 1997 record: 7-9.

* Newcomer to make impact: Rookie linebackers Takeo Spikes and Brian Simmons.

* Little-known fact: Monday night TV games will start at 5:20 (Pacific) instead of 6 this season; this will not affect the Bengals, who remain off Monday nights for the sixth consecutive year.

* Stat that must change: Only the Bears and Chargers gave up more touchdowns than the Bengals, who allowed an average of three a game.

BALTIMORE RAVENS

New stadium, new quarterback, new running back and same old results.

* Coach: Ted Marchibroda (81-88-1).

* 1997 record: 6-9-1.

* Newcomer to make impact: Running back Errict Rhett.

* Little-known fact: Quarterback Jim Harbaugh had the lowest interception rate (1.3%) in the NFL last year.

* Stat that must change: Marchibroda is 10-21-1 since moving from Indianapolis to Baltimore.

EAST

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

The Patriots will be stocking talent for years to come with draft picks acquired from former Coach Bill Parcells.

* Coach: Pete Carroll (16-16).

* 1997 record: 10-6.

* Newcomer to make impact: Anyone who can play running back.

* Little-known fact: Opponents gained 10 more yards a game on the ground than the Patriots, even though New England had Curtis Martin running the ball.

* Stat that must change: Quarterback Drew Bledsoe completed 60.2% of his passes, but was intercepted 15 times.

MIAMI DOLPHINS

Jimmy Johnson’s quest to run the ball has made the Dolphins look like another also-ran for the past two years.

* Coach: Johnson (61-51).

* 1997 record: 9-7.

* Newcomer to make impact: Free safety Brock Marion.

* Little-known fact: The Dolphins have opened the season with a win six years in a row.

* Stat that must change: The Dolphins averaged a league-low 3.1 yards running the ball.

NEW YORK JETS

Bill Parcells gave up a bundle for running back Curtis Martin, who better be able to throw the ball too, because no one here can pass.

* Coach: Parcells (118-88-1).

* 1997 record: 9-7.

* Newcomer to make impact: Martin.

* Little-known fact: Only Tampa Bay and Washington had fewer penalties than Parcells’ disciplined charges.

* Stat that must change: The Jets were outscored 100-64 in the fourth quarter.

BUFFALO BILLS

Gone are the horrific days when everyone worried the Bills would lose another Super Bowl. Now the snow-bound fans will be happy if they can win a game.

* Coach: Wade Phillips (16-16).

* 1997 record: 6-10.

* Newcomer to make impact: Quarterback Rob Johnson.

* Little-known fact: Thurman Thomas, eighth on the all-time rushing list, needs 908 yards to move into fifth, but he might fall short if Antowain Smith takes over.

* Stat that must change: Buffalo finished last in the AFC in turnover ratio, claiming only 22 while giving it back to the opposition 42 times.

BALTIMORE COLTS

The Colts should improve immediately with Jim Mora as coach, but who cares? Once Mora gets to the playoffs, he loses.

* Coach: Mora (93-74).

* 1997 record: 3-13.

* Newcomer to make impact: Quarterback Peyton Manning.

* Little-known fact: Archie Manning watched his son practice once during his four years at Tennessee and after viewing one training camp workout said he probably would not be back. “He’s got good coaches here and he gets good advice. He doesn’t need anything from me,” he said.

* Stat that must change: The Colts ranked last in average field position last year--not the sort of thing a team breaking in a rookie quarterback wants to overcome.