Let’s go back to, now forever ago, late-October. The Daniel Jones-led Colts were sitting at a shocking 6-1, AFC South title in their possession come January without question. Before the week 8 Halloween weekend the discourse surrounding them centered around one question, drenched in awe and wonder: “How far can they go?”
They swiftly shut up anyone questioning the decision to start Daniel Jones, but, by the end of their Halloweekend in Pittsburgh, Indy and Jones found themselves with five turnovers and their second loss on the season. A new question arose, this one steeped in skepticism: “Who are they, really?” Philly was on the opposite side of the shared coin, coming into week 8 5-2, defense humming, and, again, atop their division. The conversation surrounding Philly started at a similar question, minus the wonder and added, early skepticism: “How far can they go?”
And as the season moved on for both teams, and substantially different outcomes played out; Indy losing three of their next four games, and Philly winning two straight against the Packers and Lions, another recurring question arose again for both teams, this time with the same level of doubt and hesitancy: “Who are they, really?” Now, both teams’ carefully built card houses have collapsed on them, whether it’s due to detrimental injuries or stalling playcalling. Untimely injuries in the quarterback room and an inter-divisional fall have caused the Indianapolis organization to inquire and pursue 44-year-old Philip Rivers, which has to be the final nail in the coffin of the most entertaining NFL seasons in recent memory. Through dynasty collapses, Super Bowl-winner hangovers, and a revival of the top quarterbacks of 2011, we’d like to take you through our top-10 teams in the NFL and why we see it as such.
#1 – Los Angeles Rams (10-3)
(Week 14: #2)
Through 14 weeks, the Rams have continued to show us why they are one of the teams that has the best chance of winning the Lombardi in February. It showed last week in their dominant win over a division foe, the Arizona Cardinals, where the Rams controlled all three phases of the game, ending with a score of 45-17. This was huge for LA because of the game they had a week before, where they were upset by the Carolina Panthers in a crucial game. A bounce-back week is certainly what the Rams needed.
Stafford jumped back onto the MVP train this past week, tossing 3 touchdown passes and staying efficient the whole way through with no turnovers. This was a positive for Stafford, as the week before, he had 3 turnovers in their loss against Carolina. Puka Nacua was a big contributing factor to Stafford’s success in the box score last week, as Puka finished with 167 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Rams also saw almost a breakout game from rookie running back Blake Corum. He finished with 2 touchdowns on just over 10 yards per carry.
Now, Los Angeles will be staying at home for a pivotal game against a fellow contender in the NFC, the Detroit Lions. Gibbs and co will be coming in with a head of steam as the playoffs are around the corner, and with how the NFC has shaped out so far, anything can happen.
#2 – Denver Broncos (11-2)
(Week 14: #4)
The Broncos just don’t want to lose, and it seems like at this point every week Denver might finally lose because voices around the NFL have been calling them pretenders, fake, etc. Ever since their 1-2 start, the Broncos flipped things around and have won 10 straight behind one of the best defenses in football, and strange but clutch quarterback play from Bo Nix. After upsetting the struggling Kansas City Chiefs, the Broncos continued their momentum over the next two weeks against Washington and a divisional foe, the Raiders. Neither game was pretty as Washington took Denver to overtime and almost pulled off the upset, but the stiff Broncos Defense came through on the last play of the game, getting to Marcus Mariota on a two-point conversion, attempting to win the game.
The defense has been one of the sole reasons why they have won ten in a row, despite the injuries. Perennial edge rusher Nik Bonitto has been dominant, along with their secondary being one of the best in the business. Reigning defensive player of the year Patrick Surtain, out there with fellow cornerback Riley Moss, has been locking down things in the pass game all season.
With NFL fans scratching their heads, wondering what this team really is, the naysayers might get their answer in a top matchup against an NFC team coming off a clutch win, the Green Bay Packers.
#3 – Green Bay Packers (9-3-1)
(Week 14: #5)
Not only do the fans of Green Bay own the team itself, but the Chicago Bears might still be on the table after the Packers took on the red-hot team hailing from the windy city, and came out of Lambeau with a win to take back the lead in the NFC North. The defense played great almost the entire game and shut down what would’ve been a huge touchdown pass from Caleb Williams on Chicago’s final fourth-and-one play, inevitably snatching it out of the air and turning the ball back over to the Green Bay offense with a lead, almost no time to spare for a Bears miracle to take place.
Jordan Love might be one of the biggest stories for this Packers team, as it seems like every decade Green Bay will have someone under center who can execute and take over games when needed. Despite his early interception, Love played efficiently with 3 touchdown passes and over 230 yards. I believe Love has been loving the play from his buddy Christian Watson, as he returned from injury a few weeks ago, but has turned it up a notch these last couple of weeks. Watson has almost 170 total yards and 3 touchdowns over the last two weeks, stapling himself back into the WR1 role that Green Bay has been hoping for.
With the offense starting to click on all cylinders, and a game wrecker on the other side of the ball, Micah Parsons and the Packers are eyeing the Lombardi and hoping to bring it back to Lambeau Field. But with the offense starting to find some consistency, it will be tough to sustain that against the Broncos.
#4 – Seattle Seahawks (10-3)
(Week 14: #3)
Coming into Week 15, the Seahawks have one of the best records in football at 10-3, but will be facing a couple of teams who might be able to shake up things for the Seahawks in the NFC, as Seattle will have to face off against the Colts, Rams, Panthers, and 49ers to finish the season. All games will not be easy, despite the Colts looking like their season is over after Daniel Jones was ruled out for the remainder of the season with an Achilles’ injury, they still have to worry about one of the best running backs in football, and possibly a 44 year-old, potential Hall of Fame quarterback coming off the couch to try and keep Indy in the mix.
Even though they are facing Jonathan Taylor this week, I believe this Seattle team shouldn’t have a problem shutting him down. The run defense has arguably been the best in the NFL this season and has been a huge reason why Seattle has been so successful. Not only that, but they also have arguably the best receiver in the NFL on the other side of the ball. Jaxon Smith-Njigba certainly has a case to win the Offensive Player of the Year award. Week in and week out, he dominates secondaries and creates so many problems for defenses. Sam Darnold has found a way almost every week to get JSN the ball and help him lead the NFL in receiving yards (1,428).
The NFC West will be a close finish, with 3 of the 4 teams being within one game of each other for the top spot. The Seahawks will have to come out on top in these next few weeks, facing the Rams in week 16 and the 49ers in week 18. Seattle is young, has a really good head coach leading the way, a stifling defense, and an offensive attack that could sneak them into Levi’s Stadium in February.
#5 – Chicago Bears (9-4)
(Week 14: #6)
It looks like the Windy City might have to wait a couple more weeks for Ben Johnson to get that first win against the Packers, after Chicago fell short last week against Green Bay. It was a struggle early, but the offense came alive in the second half and almost went down to score and tie the game with a minute to go, but Caleb Williams was just a little late on the throw to Cole Kmet in the endzone, turning it back over to the Packers and ending the game. The Bears and Caleb Williams will be putting this behind them as they’ll be facing a feisty Browns team this week.
“It kind of goes to the MJ quote where he missed how[ever] many game-winners…. you’re going to take those shots. That’s the type of mindset I have — that I’ll take those shots and I’ll roll with the punches if I do miss. That’s what happened. You move on from it”, is what Caleb Williams stated on Wednesday when asked about the late interception. This shows how much Caleb has grown in just one year. After struggling in his rookie season, Williams has arguably been a top-10 quarterback this season and has shown up when it matters most, but that wasn’t the case on Sunday. Williams did acknowledge that, saying, “And when that moment comes up again, I think nine times out of 10 that I’ll hit. That’s my mentality. That’s how I feel about it.”
Chicago might have finally found their answer at head coach with Ben Johnson, who is a leading candidate for coach of the year, and young franchise quarterback with Caleb Williams. But if you’re a Chicago Bears fan, rejoice, but also stay pessimistic because anything can happen with this team.
#6 – Houston Texans (8-5)
(Week 14: UNRANKED)
Through the smoke and soot of the warzone on Sunday night against Kansas City, spotlighted with hard hits and physical defenses, DeMeco Ryans and the Texans left Arrowhead with a win and second place in the finally competitive AFC South. In between being beaten and battered by Chris Jones throughout the night, C.J. Stroud made crucial throws and decisions to seal the game, proving why he still needs to be considered a top-tier NFL quarterback. He was able to take advantage of a key defensive injury to corner Trent McDuffie and feed his number one guy, Nico Collins, who finished with four receptions and 121 yards.
It wasn’t all highs offensively due to the physical nature of Kansas City’s defense, which did hold Stroud to a sub-40% completion percentage, but Houston’s defense was just relentless and better than the Chiefs’, forcing multiple interceptions against one of the best talents in the game of football currently. With Indiana losing to the Jags, this win helped shoot the Texans to second in the division, only a game behind Jacksonville, who they’ve beaten already (with their backup quarterback). With a primetime win on the road against the previous AFC champs, Houston is looking to use this momentum to sneak in and snatch the division away from both Indy and Jacksonville.
#7 – Buffalo Bills (9-4)
(Week 14: #10)
In the annual heavy-snow, heavy-action NFL game of the season between the Bengals and the Bills, we were given the golden opportunity to watch the two best quarterbacks, when healthy, in the league go blow-for-blow. An opportunity ultimately seized by Josh Allen, who finished the contest with four total touchdowns, and the 39-34 close-victory.
No real defense was played in this matchup – outside of an incomprehensible pick-six play by Bills corner Christian Benford – but it didn’t matter, because we got to witness a three-touchdown fourth quarter by the reigning MVP. The Bengals had no answer for him, all the way until the game-ending 17-yard scramble on third and 15. The Josh Allen Carry Job is obviously not the most stable mode of transportation to the postseason, as we see it dip to the level of despair of losing by multiple scores to the Dolphins.
Nevertheless, scenes like the one in Buffalo this weekend prove that Allen can be dominant when it matters most, like in what is going to be the biggest game of the season this weekend, when Buffalo and he travel into Gillette Stadium looking to make the competition for the crown of the East a lot closer. If the commanding Buffalo offensive line can keep Allen upright and clean, which they have mostly been doing well, having two offensive linemen with over 95% pass block win rates, they’ll give the quarterback the best chance to win the game for them and possibly the division despite a lackluster pass rush and the lack of a number one receiving option.
#8 – Jacksonville Jaguars (9-4)
(Week 14: UNRANKED)
Although we love to talk about and examine the turnarounds in New England and Chicago, both constructed by first-year head coaches, we don’t give the same amount of love to Liam Cohen and the Jaguars. Yet, despite the lack of recognition, Cohen has his Jacksonville team first in the division late in the season, with a tricky and cerebral offense and greedy defense, headed by Anthony Campanile; a Liam Cohen hire. They controlled all of the game against the Colts, even though a brutal Daniel Jones Achilles’ injury gave them a significant advantage. Despite the middle-of-the-pack offensive statistics, the defense has given up the fewest rushing yards in the NFL.
Jakobi Meyers is easily the best trade deadline addition this season, having a touchdown in each of the last three games, and the passing offense isn’t at its highest yet. Now that key playmakers like Brian Thomas Jr. are fully healthy again, they’re looking to add him back to the arsenal, as he finished the game against the Colts with 87 yards from three grabs. If they can get his wheels turning to how they once were last season, Cohen has the team in the prime position to steal the AFC first seed at the last minute or at least spoil a team’s deep playoff dreams come postseason time.
#9 – Philadelphia Eagles (8-5)
(Week 14: #7)
The detonation counting down to the Eagles’ 2025 season implosion finally went off in Inglewood on Monday night, as the ticking has grown louder and louder these past few weeks. The same story of a stalling offense with four Jalen Hurts interceptions displayed on national TV in front of millions is rock bottom for this season’s club. Hurts came into the game with only two interceptions thrown, but doubled that in one game while achieving his worst passer rating this season (31.3).
When one offensive weapon, Saquon Barkley, finally has over 100 yards rushing, and A.J. Brown puts up another 100-yard receiving game, the Eagles can’t get the much-needed high-level execution out of their franchise quarterback, which is the story of the season: imbalance. Philly does have a potential get-right game on their schedule in Las Vegas against their former backup, Kenny Pickett, who’s most likely getting his first start in the Silver and Black. If offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo and the Eagles’ offense can’t find a way to back their pass defense, which has allowed the fourth-fewest touchdowns this season, this team is destined to blow a home playoff wildcard game.
#10 – Los Angeles Chargers (9-4)
(Week 14: UNRANKED)
Through the myriad of injuries to his starting big uglies, Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, and overall bad offensive line play, and even a broken left hand, Justin Herbert prevails. Not only is he prevailing, but he’s also putting his literal broken hand on the line to gain a few more yards on a scramble. In the game against Philly, Herbert was pressured on a historic 68.3% of his dropbacks, per Next Gen Stats. The high level of composure and resilience Herbert carries with him influences his teammates and their play greatly.
“We’ll ride or die for #10,” are the words of corner Tony Jefferson in a postgame interview, the player who ended the game for Los Angeles with a ridiculous sliding trip-drill interception. The strong-willed nature of not only their quarterback, but Jim Harbaugh and future NFL head coach Jesse Minters, has the defense playing with unmatched effort, which has culminated in a top-5 passing defense statistically. Although competing for the division is out of the question more likely than not, these gritty, blue-collar wins will prime this team for deep postseason contention, possibly an AFC championship appearance.
