Through six head-scratching but entertaining weeks of NFL football, it’s never been harder to organize these teams. The volatility of this captivating season will hopefully continue tonight, as 41-year old Aaron Rodgers and the 4-1 Pittsburgh Steelers travel down the road to southern Ohio, to take on the doggy-paddling-in-the-pacific Cincinnati Bengals, who have 17-year, 40-year old veteran Joe Flacco starting for his second week in place of the injured Joe Burrow and struggling Jake Browning – in what Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward named “the icy-hot bowl.”
This Thursday Night matchup will be the first time in NFL history that a game has been played with two starting quarterbacks over 40 years of age. Before this landmark showdown, though, we’d like to take you through the top half of NFL teams and see where everyone else is at as we attempt to make sense of a disconcerting start to the season.
#1 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1)
Despite their close loss to the Eagles in Week 4, the Bucs have looked like one of the best teams for good reason — Their ability to win close games. Largely due to the play of QB Baker Mayfield down the stretch, being able to close out games in the NFL is a big recipe for success.
They have also been dealing with injuries to star wideouts Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, running back Bucky Irving, and, in their last game, breakout rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka suffered a hamstring injury, but despite all of that, the Bucs continue to have a lot of success.
I give a lot of credit to Baker Mayfield, who has been playing the best football of his career despite all of the injuries to the offense. He has 1500 yards, 12 tds, and only 1 int through the first 6 games. I think Baker is a real MVP candidate for the way he is leading this Bucs team.
#2 – Kansas City Chiefs (3-3)
The Chiefs had a rough start to the season, losing to the Chargers and Eagles to start the year, but now, as they’ve gotten healthier, this Chiefs team looks very good at this point in the season. Coming off a statement win against the Lions on Sunday Night Football last weekend, Patrick Mahomes is leading the charge, along with their stout defense led by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
I do believe they have more to prove, as the week before they lost a close battle against the Jaguars, but with Rashee Rice coming back into the offensive lineup, this Chiefs team could be looking to steal the AFC West and possibly the entire conference, as the AFC has been very inconsistent and unproven at this point in the season.
#3 – Green Bay Packers (3-1-1)
Earlier in the season, the Packers looked like the best team in the league after their pickup of Micah Parsons and Jordan Love commanding the offense. Though both have simmered down the last three games, losing to a game-winning field goal in a low-scoring game against the Browns, tying with the Cowboys after allowing 40 points defensively, and narrowly beating the Bengals, who have been one of the worst teams in the league so far without Joe Burrow.
They do have dominant wins against the Lions and Commanders, which can’t be ignored. The defense is top 5 in total defense, and outside of the Cowboys game, they haven’t allowed more than 20 points.
#4 – Detroit Lions (4-2)
Ever since week one, the Lions have been on a roll, winning their last 4 games, notably putting up 52 points against the Chicago Bears. That was due to their high-powered offense led by Jared Goff, Gibbs, and St. Brown.
Their offense ranks 11th in total offensive yards per game, and is averaging 31.8 ppg, which is the highest in the league. They also have the highest positive point differential in the league at +49. Their defense has also been solid, although they did struggle last week against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, giving up 30 points in Arrowhead.
#5 – Indianapolis Colts (5-1)
With the defense being rebuilt and bringing in Daniel Jones at quarterback, the Colts have dominated almost all of their opponents and solidified themselves as a top team in the AFC.
They are a young team that will face the challenges of winning close games later on. The lack of experience showed in their loss to the Rams, where they had a lead but gave up big plays to lose the game in the end.
They had a similar ending almost occur last week against the Cardinals, but they ended up holding on at the end of the game, adding much-needed experience against adversity for their team. Jonathan Taylor and the offensive line have been a huge part of their success, with Taylor leading the league in rushing yards and Daniel Jones being a solid distributor for receiver Michael Pittman and rookie tight end Tyler Warren.
#6 – Los Angeles Rams (4-2)
Despite losing to a banged-up 49ers team and choking a double-digit lead to the Eagles, the talent that the Rams have can’t be ignored. Wide receiver Puka Nacua has emerged as arguably a top 3 player at his position. A large part due to the Quarterback play of 37-year-old Matthew Stafford, who has 12 Touchdowns and nearly 1,700 yards in 5 games.
The defense has been very solid as well for L.A., but can they win you a game when the offense is struggling, especially with the recent injury to Puka Nacua? They will be tested next week against the Jaguars, who have been very good so far this season.
#7 – Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2)
Liam Cohen. One of the main reasons why this Jags team is where they are, coming off huge wins against the 49ers and Chiefs two of the last three weeks, Cohen and his squad have proven they can compete with the best. They’ve shown adversity and grit offensively and defensively in all their games.
Their defense has mainly come up huge for them, forcing the most turnovers in the League, largely because of the breakout of Linebacker Devin Lloyd. The Jaguars certainly are a sleeper team to look out for at the top of the AFC despite their loss last week to a very improved Seattle Seahawks squad.
#8 – Atlanta Falcons (3-2)
Coming off their bye week, the Falcons got their statement win on Monday Night Football against the Bills, winning 24-14, and it shot them up as contenders in the NFC. Despite the massive loss to the Carolina Panthers earlier in the season, the Falcons statistically have been one of the top teams in the NFL, ranking second in total yards per game offensively (378.8) and first in defensive yards allowed per game (253.4).
They have arguably the best player in the league with breakout running back Bijan Robinson, who leads the NFL in total yards, and star wideout Drake London, who had 10 receptions for 158 yards and a touchdown in the game on Monday night.
They have big wins against the Commanders and Vikings, who are fellow NFC contenders, and they just narrowly lost to the Buccaneers in week 1, who have been playing some of the best football out of anyone in the league. It all comes down to whether young QB Michael Penix Jr. can lead this star-studded offense for the rest of the season.
#9 – Buffalo Bills (4-2)
Watching the Bills and QB Josh Allen get manhandled in the A by a quick Falcons’ pass rush and forcing two turnovers codifies the bizarro, anybody’s-game nature of this season through six weeks. Buffalo had it made 17 days ago, moving to 4-0 — but maybe we should have been more skeptical.
Although they were undefeated through four weeks, the teams they’ve beaten have a combined record of 3-21 as of right now in the NFL. The defense remains a problem in Western New York despite having a defensive-minded head coach, giving up 325 yards per game, 5.8 yards per carry, and a 17th-ranked scoring defense by PFF.
#10 – Philadelphia Eagles (4-2)
Philly is in a unique situation – unique everywhere else but Philadelphia — where they’re in an early-season free fall, after being embarrassed by the young New York Giants in East Rutherford Thursday night, all while still being 4-2 and atop their proven-tough division.
After being handed a loss in MetLife Stadium, Philly wideout A.J. Brown couldn’t remember being a part of a player meeting between quarterback Jalen Hurts, running back Saquon Barkley, and himself, which was reported on last week.
These post-game oddball comments by A.J. Brown do not help Philly’s case to not turn this into a repeat of the tragedy of the ‘23 Eagles, especially before being put to the test again offensively in week 7 against a Brian Flores-led defense that’s been playing with their hair on fire to start the year.
#11 – New England Patriots (4-2)
As we check back in with God’s favorite NFL fanbase, the New England Patriots, their second-year quarterback Drake is playing like he got touched by the Man himself. Maye has been whittling his name into and high atop the trunk of the top-QB tree in the NFL, throwing for 5 touchdowns and no picks in his last three games, while his lowest passer rating through those three weeks was 101.1.
This same game was Maye’s only performance without a touchdown pass all season, but good thing this was the Monday night in which they slayed the AFC East dragon, Josh Allen and the Bills, in a revenge game for Stefon Diggs.
After a shaky start to his first-year as the coach of the club he previously played for – losing to the drowning Raiders and giving the ball to Pittsburgh five times in a loss at home – Mike Vrabel has the Patriots rolling, looking to further the first place-second place distance for the division between them and Buffalo, with his previous team, the Titans next on the docket. The same Titans who just fired their head coach, Brian Callahan, after losing week 6 – the guy who replaced Vrabel.
#12 – Seattle Seahawks (4-2)
The Seahawks have now joined the trend of flipping the pre-conceived notions of the 2018 quarterback draft class completely on their heads, as Sam Darnold is currently third in the league in passing yards, sixth in touchdown passes, and looks to be an early MVP candidate. Their third-year receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is also on his way to an offensive player of the year caliber season and looks like a top-3 wideout in the League.
This Mike McDonald-coached defense is plugging gaps and stone-walling running backs like very few teams in the league, while the RBs they’ve faced are not any to turn your nose at either – Christian McCaffery in week 1, Alvin Kamara in week 3, Rachaad White in week 5, and Travis Ettienne this past week.
Despite facing this gauntlet of running backs early in the season, the Seahawks are only allowing 79 rushing yards per game along with a measly 3.3 yards per rush, which both rank top three in the league.
#13 – Chicago Bears (3-2)
A last-minute fumble on Washington’s final drive, combined with a game-winning field goal by recently cut kicker Jake Moody, oozes the equivalent amount of magic the Hail Mary win by the Commanders last season against the did. With another W and a well-coached game under first-year head coach Ben Johnson’s belt, the momentum is building in the Windy City.
The offensive line has been extremely improved, only allowing 10 sacks through six weeks of the season, which ranks 21st for sacks allowed by a team. This Kevlar-type protection is showing its fruits through Bears’ quarterback Caleb Williams’ improved on-field play alongside Ben Johnson’s playcalling. If they can improve their horrid run defense, which ranks second-to-last in rushing yards allowed per game at 156.4, Johnson could be sticking it to his former team in Detroit for a higher seeding in the NFC North come December.
#14 – Denver Broncos (4-12)
Although the Broncos were able to add to the win column across the Atlantic in the Big Smoke against a woeful, winless Jets team, the offensive struggles continued. A holding penalty on veteran left tackle Garrett Bolles in the end zone – which results in a safety – gave New York the lead 11-10 late in the third quarter, but the Jets couldn’t manage to retain the lead.
If it wasn’t for complete ineptitude on behalf of the Jets organization, this team could be leaving London with an L, with most of the credit going to this sluggish offense. Denver ranks 21st in points per game and is sitting dead in the middle at 16th for passing yards per game at 206.8.
The lone bright spot, outside of being tied for first place in the AFC West, is their extremely physical defense. The Broncos lead the league in sacks by 10, with 30. Second-year quarterback Bo Nix is quickly becoming the worst quarterback out of his draft class and this offense needs to start putting more points on the board to lessen the strain on the outstanding defense.
#15 – San Francisco 49ers (4-2)
The grocery list of injuries for San Francisco is starting to run out the door and two blocks down, with multiple all-pro players out for the season – players like defensive end Nick Bosa and the most recent addition, linebacker Fred Warner, will be sidelined for the remainder of the Niners’ season.
Although tight end George Kittle is expected to return Sunday night against Atlanta, key offensive players like second-year receiver Ricky Pearsall and quarterback Brock Purdy remain limited in practice.
All of these obstacles will soon be used as evidence for Shanahan’s Coach of the Year case. Despite Purdy being out, the Niners lead the league in passing yards per game at 291.5, with backup Mac Jones keeping the ship steady. The reunification of Robert Saleh with this coaching staff has proved to be a great hire, as he does everything he can to keep this injury-riddled defense at league average.
Even if the injury bug is making its way through the Bay, San Francisco has built themselves such a comfortable cushion for themselves to heal up, as much as they can this season, to defend their first-place spot in the NFC West.
#16 – Los Angeles Chargers (4-2)
The Charger-Niner parallels don’t stop, since L.A. is also dealing with an index of lesser serious injuries to key starters, while being coached by Jim Harbaugh. Players such as both of their starting offensive tackles, Rashawn Slater – who’s been ruled out for the entire season since August – and the more recently injured Joe Alt, along with defensive end Khalil Mack, who’s been on the sideline in a cast for the past 4 weeks after a gruesome elbow injury during week 2.
The Chargers rank 9th in the league in total penalties against, and lead the league in penalties per game in their last three weeks, averaging 10.3. Star quarterback Justin Herbert has been playing at an MVP-level to start the season, but it has started to prove tough to remain at that level without your best players on the field. Without expelling the self-inflicted wounds from their inventory, the Chargers will not be able to survive a legit and red-hot Colts club instead of scathing past bottom-feeding NFL teams like Miami.
