1. Philadelphia Eagles
2. New England Patriots
The Eagles still haven’t played the competitive games that they need to win for credibility, but the utter dominance they displayed against the Bears was too much for me to keep them from the top. The crown jewels of their respective conferences, the Patriots and Eagles both appear poised to dominate the rest of the regular season. While we have grown accustomed to seeing the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, the Eagles have not won a playoff game since the McNabb era. Meanwhile, the Patriots have Brady and Belichick. What else is new?
3. Los Angeles Rams
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
5. New Orleans Saints
6. Minnesota Vikings
Although the Vikings dismantled the Rams on both sides of the ball two weeks ago, I still have trust in coaches Sean McVay and Wade Phillips. Both the Rams and Vikings have complete rosters, but where I am a skeptic of Case Keenum, I am a fan of Jared Goff. With the best quarterback of this bunch, the Saints remain a potent pick-your-poison offense that will easily adjust after losing to the Rams. While the most volatile of these teams, the Steelers are still 9-2 and possess three players on offense that are capable of taking over a game (although Antonio Brown has done the heavy lifting). With the exception of the Vikings and their outstanding defense, the three other teams are offensive powerhouses capable of dominating in the playoffs.
7. Seattle Seahawks
8. Atlanta Falcons
9. Las Angeles Chargers
10. Carolina Panthers
With Russell Wilson at quarterback, the Seahawks have the most dynamic and reliable quarterback play of these four teams, along with a dominant and experienced front seven. The recent narrow loss to the Falcons hurt, but they will rebound. Both the Falcons and Chargers finally saw their WR1’s emerge, with Julio Jones and Keenan Allen shredding opposing defenses. Finally unhindered by their typical bad luck, the Chargers are on a roll and have the potential to be the most dangerous team in the AFC. Although they own one of the league’s top defenses and a variety of skill players, the Panthers still ride or die with Cam Newton, who has been relatively streaky.
FOOTBALL TALK 