I usually wait until Thanksgiving to make my division winners and Super Bowl predictions, but we're midway through the season and there have been a lot of shocking teams, both good and bad.
Let's break it down division-by-division.
AFC North - this might be the most interesting division, in my opinion. Who would've thought that the Browns would be tied for first place? Not me, that's for sure. It's still too early for me to declare who I think takes the AFC North, but Pittsburgh looks pretty tough to beat right now.
Steelers: after a shaky start to the season, the Steelers have really found themselves the past 2 weeks. Big Ben (as much as I dislike him) has been playing some wicked good football. 6 touchdowns in the past 2 games, and 0 interceptions. As much as I hate to admit it, he's playing better than ever.
Browns: Johnny Football, who? No disrespect but why fix what isn't broken? Brian Hoyer continues to prove that he can in fact be a starter in the NFL. Love how he continues to give credit to his days in New England for his success. Once Josh Gordon comes back, watch out. If they continue to improve, they just might make the playoffs.
Bengals: going into week 5, the Bengals were the only undefeated team remaining in the NFL. Then, they got their butts handed to them by the Pats (!!) and it's kind of all been downhill since. Andy Dalton is already assuming his playoff form, and it's just November (if you're unclear on the joke: Andy Dalton has never won a playoff game in his career). Biggest issue? Inconsistency.
Ravens: in what world do the Ravens take last place in their division? They're record isn't bad by any means, but still. Maybe it's karma for all the off-season/Ray Rice drama. Who knows.
AFC South - aside from the Colts, there's not too much to talk about here.
Colts: Andrew Luck has been on fire lately. His NFL skill-set is something else. Definitely one that reminds you of the greats. Combine that with talents like TY Hilton and Reggie Wayne and you have something pretty darn special. Luck still throws too many careless interceptions, but aside from that, he's good! A few question marks still surround the Colts defense, though, Especially their secondary.
Texans: You have JJ Watt one of the best defensive players in the game, right now. You have Bill O'Brien, an offensive genius. So what's not working? Well it'd be easier to tell you what is working, haha. The quarterback position is definitely one of their most blatant issues. I don't know that either Ryan, Mallett or Fitzpatrick, is the answer for them.
Titans: Oh Titans. I so wanted you guys to have a good season. The constant revolving door at the QB position is one the biggest problems here, as well. Granted, the Titans really had planned on Jake Locker being the starter this year, but the kid can't stay healthy. Which is a bummer because I've always thought he had good potential. The defense is another issue. It's like they could be a pretty good unit, but they're just missing that key piece.
Jags: they finally got a win!! Can you believe that the Jags actually have the same number of playoff wins as the Bengals? Yeah, me neither. There's so many problems with this team that I have no idea where to start. Coaching is one. Defense is another. They finally answered the quarterback question and even drafted some guys for him to throw to (this is a step in the right direction)! But there's the thing...did you catch it? "Drafted." Meaning they're rookies. Meaning they're adjusting. Give them a couple years and I honestly see Jacksonville being playoff contenders.
AFC East - I'm honestly just too superstitious to write much about this division right now.
Pats:*knocks on wood the entire time I'm writing this* The past month, the Pats have played near perfect football. They've been on a mission since the week 4 embarrassment in Kansas City to prove everyone wrong. And that they have. Hopefully they continue to improve a little bit each week.
Bills: The Bills kind of shocked everybody when they were atop of the AFC East for a couple weeks. They're stout defensive line and shockingly stellar offense (at times) had them looking like they could be legitimate playoff contenders. Now, due to key injuries, many people have dialed back the "Bills are winning the AFC East this season", talk.
Dolphins: inconsistency is their biggest issue. One week they're impressive and the next they're impressively bad. Ryan Tannehill isn't the same quarterback week in and week out, and you never know which Tannehill is going to show up. I'm also not sold on Joe Philbin as a head coach, especially in Miami; but that's another post. They have the talent, it's just getting the talents to work together as a unit.
Jets: Oy. I'm trying to write this post with the most unbiased opinions, but it's hard. The Jets are honestly just a train wreck. And though you don't hear this often from me, I do feel bad for Rex Ryan. He is a better coach than their record shows. In my personal-strictly football-opinion, I don't think Geno Smith is an NFL starting quarterback. And definitely not for the Jets. I think that ship has sailed, far far away. Do I believe that Jets have a legit starting QB on their roster? No. Also, the Jets signed Eric Decker during free agency to give Geno someone to throw to. Which is great and all, but I have one problem with that: Eric Decker was never meant to be a number 1 receiver. He does best as the 2 or 3 receiver. At 1-7, it's amazing how hard these guys still play.
AFC West - I did think this was going to be a competitive division, until San Diego crushed my dreams.
Broncos: While many people had Denver pinned as the best team in the league up until very recently, I always disagreed. Sure, Peyton and the Broncos won some good games and played some really good football, but who were their opponents? Were they at home or on the road? This second half of the season is where it really matters. Can Manning continue to put up the numbers and stats and make (enough) plays in December when it's below freezing temperatures and snowing?
Chiefs: Up and down has pretty much been the story for Kansas City this season. After starting 0-2, Kansas City now finds themselves at 5-3, and second in their division. During the first 8 games, they've played one of the toughest schedules and lost 5 of their starters to injuries. They have played pretty well on defense, despite releasing one of the best corners in the game, Brandon Flowers, in the offseason. KC's offense is one of the biggest question marks, in my opinion. I think that finding a balance is key. Don't over pass and neglect the run game, but don't overrun the ball, either. No matter the outcome of their season, I still think Andy Reid is one of the best coaches in the NFL. He's done a great job in Kansas City over the past 2 seasons.
Chargers: Okay, so I can't even lie, I honestly thought that San Diego had a chance to win the AFC West this season. Phillip Rivers played phenomenal football during the first 6 games. I even had Rivers as a potential MVP front-runner. So what happened? The Chargers defense has also been pretty banged up for the majority of this season. Even Brandon Flowers, who's in his first season with San Diego, isn't 100%. When healthy, San Diego could have a top 10, highly underrated, defense. Unfortunately, I no longer see the Chargers taking the AFC West from Denver. Maybe next season.
Raiders: There's not much to say about the winless Raiders, really. Disappointing season all around for Oakland fans. Derek Carr has NFL potential, but the Raiders have so many things they need to fix before they'll fully be able to showcase his talent. If you hadn't been following the NFL for the past decade, would you believe that the Raiders actually used to be good? That they used to have a top 10 defense..? Things sure have changed for the black and silver.
Division winners at this point (final predictions coming Thanksgiving week):
North - Steelers South - Colts
East - too superstitious to type my pick...hint, hint. West - Broncos
*This post was written before the week 10 games were played, so keep that in mind. Because clearly, the Steelers did not look tough beat on Sunday vs the Jets.
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