It is still way too early to separate the pretenders
from the contenders in the NFL this season. However, with five weeks gone, this seems like a good time to evaluate how the teams are doing and how my predictions
are doing so far this NFL season. In the early going,
it looks like the Giants, Texans, and Chargers are on their way to
outplaying my predictions. Meanwhile, the Raiders, Titans, and Jets
have been playing a little below my expectations. It is hard to
believe that after five weeks, the Raiders are already
playing
worse than I expected. I mean, I only predicted they would win five
games...
Anyways, here is what
has been going on in the NFL (in case you missed the first five
weeks).
AFC
West:
The
Broncos are still the top team in the AFC West. The Chargers have
looked impressive, grabbing a particularly impressive win against the Seahawks; however, I
would still be surprised to see anyone other than Denver win the
West. The Chiefs have shown signs that they can be playoff
contenders again, especially after an impressive Monday Night win
against the Patriots in Week 4. However, I am incredibly stubborn
and refuse to believe that the Chiefs are any good this season. And
finally, if you want to know how I feel about the Raiders, follow
this link (spoiler: I think they suck): Brosh Knows Football: I am a Raider Fan
AFC
North:
The
AFC North is going pretty much as expected. The Bengals appear to be
in their impressive regular season form (as opposed to their
unfortunate post-season form). The Ravens and Steelers have looked
good, both playing like playoff-caliber squads. The only question is
whether or not one of them will be able to challenge Cincinnati for
the AFC North title. And finally, the Browns have been a tough team
to beat in the early going this season. Unfortunately, Cleveland
plays in one of the top divisions in the NFL. It looks like the
gauntlet that is the AFC North may be too tough a task to overcome
for the Browns this season.
AFC
South:
The AFC South belongs to the Colts. I expect the Colts
to be the first team to clinch a playoff spot this year. The Colts
only sit at 3-2, but their two losses have come from tight games
against the Eagles and Broncos. The Texans are making a case for themselves as a playoff contender, but, in my
opinion, I expect them to fall short of one of the two AFC wild card
spots. This week's Thursday Night Football game between
Indianapolis and Houston will be an important matchup for both teams.
Meanwhile, the Titans have been quite unimpressive since their Week 1
win against the Chiefs. And, at the bottom of the NFL, the Jaguars
have been exactly what we all expected: awful.
AFC
East:
I think we all fell for the “Patriots dynasty is over”
hoax. After their Week 4 Monday Night drubbing at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs, it
finally seemed like the Patriots may no longer be the clear dominant
force in the AFC East. However, they came back one week later,
playing at the top of their game, and were able to easily take down
the last unbeaten team in the NFL, the Bengals. Meanwhile, none of
the other teams in the AFC East have looked good enough to threaten
the Patriots' crown. The Bills have played well, earning an
impressive comeback win against the Lions in Week 5. However, the
Dolphins, and especially the Jets have looked unimpressive early in
the season. It looks like the AFC East is heading towards its usual,
predictable finish.
NFC
West:
The NFC West has been just as exciting as advertised.
The 49ers, Seahawks, and Cardinals will all be serious playoff
contenders this season. The Seahawks look like the top team in the
NFC West, while the 49ers have seen lots of ups and downs already
this season. The Cardinals have played well, despite have injury
troubles at their quarterback position. Unfortunately, one team must
suffer as the weakling of the strongest division in the NFL, and
that's the Rams. The Rams have shown signs of hope, but there is
no way that they will contend in the NFC West, at least not this
season.
NFC
North:
The NFC North look wide open. After five games, all four teams should believe that they have a chance to win the
division. However, based on the performances so far, I expect the
Packers and Lions to be the only two true contenders to win the NFC
North. The Packers and Lions are the most complete teams, showing
effectiveness on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.
Meanwhile, the Bears and Vikings have looked good in spurts, but have
not shown that consistent form that it generally takes to win a
division crown. Unfortunately for Chicago and Minnesota, I think Green Bay and Detroit are just a step ahead of them.
NFC
South:
Does anyone want to win the NFC South? The Panthers
currently sit in first place, but they have not been convincing. The
lack of talent at wide receiver is clearly affecting the offense.
Cam Newton can only take this team so far, and I don't see him being
able to lead Carolina to the division title. The Saints have been
disappointing, but they are still in a great position to contend for
the NFC South crown. The Falcons are tied with the Saints at 2-3,
but I think the rest of the season may get rough for Atlanta.
Although they have looked good at times, their losses have been
somewhat unsettling, falling to the Bengals, Giants, and Vikings.
And finally, even though they are at the bottom of the division, the
Bucs are not out of the NFC South race yet. However, I would be
surprised if they were serious contenders in the division by season's
end.
NFC
East:
Surprise, surprise! Is the NFC East the top division in
the NFL? The Eagles and Cowboys both sit at 4-1, but I don't expect
their good runs to hold for the entire season. The Cowboys have
looked beatable in a lot of their games this season, and with a
matchup against the Seahawks looming, their fortunes may take a turn
for the worst soon. Similarly, the Eagles have been finding all
kinds of ways to win this year. However, they are eventually going
to have to rely on their offense to put up points, once their defense
and special teams stops scoring touchdowns. The Giants have quietly
(as quietly as something can be done in New York) put together three
straight wins, after losing to two tough teams – the Cardinals and
Lions – to start the season. Are the Giants serious contenders
this season? And finally, Washington has had lots of trouble
avoiding embarrassing defeats. They looked good against the Seahawks
and Jaguars, but the team has seemed in disarray for most of the
season. Is Kirk Cousins the answer in Washington? Maybe it's time
to change the name of the team and make a fresh start in the NFL.
With 12 weeks left to go, still nothing is clear. Well,
almost nothing is clear. The one thing that I can say with some
confidence is that either the Raiders or Jaguars will be drafting
first overall in 2015. Go Raiders. I'll be at O.co Coliseum on
Sunday.
