The "We're Just the Worst" Quatro
32.) Houston Texans (2-5 = 154-199)
31.) Detroit Lions (1-6 = 139-200)
30.) Tennessee Titans (1-5 = 119-139)
29.) Cleveland Browns (2-5 = 147-182)
The Texans ostensibly have a good defense, with the best player in the NFL in Watt and a few nice supporting pieces, but twice in four weeks they've been down 0-35 and 0-41 at halftime. The Lions also have a team with some talent, but apparently that talent comes with a stipulation: not being able to block the Lions. What was that? Again? For the Titans and Browns, in some ways they've been decent, but they keep finding ways to lose games, and with Mariota out a while the Titans are in disaster mode, really calling into question of Whisenhunt makes it past this year.
The "Frisky but Terrible" Quatro
28.) Chicago Bears (2-4 = 120-179)
27.) San Francisco 49ers (2-5 = 103-180)
26.) Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5 = 147-207)
25.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-4 = 140-179)
The Bears had a nice two-week renaissance, quickly forgotten after they threw away the Lions game. The team is really bereft of talent. The coaching staff is good all around but in a tough NFC that is far from good enough. The 49ers are able to be competent against some teams, but have now looked disastrous in four of their seven games so far. The Jaguars are actually putting together a decent offense, which makes the fact that their defense has returned to being one of the league's worst even more depressing. If only they had the 2014 Jaguars defense, you could argue they could win the division. Finally, Tampa Bay is blowing a few games, but that means that they've been in position to blow those games. That team is getting better, but closing out games is the last step.
The "Don't Injuries Suck" Trio
24.) Dallas Cowboys (2-4 = 121-158)
23.) Kansas City Chiefs (2-5 = 150-172)
22.) San Diego Chargers (2-5 = 165-198)
All three of these teams have seen somewhat promising seasons ruined by injury. All three won in Week 1 behind the type of games they usually win by. Dallas's offense was sharp, the Chiefs defense and running game were great, and the Chargers had a guy that every now and then would become superman. Of course, none of these things lasted. The Cowboys are in the worst shape because the guy that allows them to cover a lot of holes is out in Romo. The Chiefs are now without Jamaal Charles and a few defensive injuries. Finally, the Chargers o-line is basically starting D-III lineman right now. I don't think that any of these three teams are done being quite competitive, but it is hard to be competitive when you are missing key players that unable your team to play its game.
The "Ryan Brothers Hand-in-Hand" Trio
21.) Buffalo Bills (3-4 = 176-173)
20.) New Orleans Saints (3-4 = 161-185)
Rob Ryan's always been quite overrated - his defenses are rarely all that good apart from infrequent great performances. Rex Ryan is not overrated - but should we start talking about that team underachieving. His defensive personnel in Buffalo is about as good as he's had on all three levels since the 2006 Ravens - but where are the results. The Bills were a Top-5 defense in 2013-14 with noted coordinators Gregg Williams and Jim Schwartz. Somehow, it has not translated in Buffalo. The Bills just blew a 4th quarter lead to Blake Bortles of all people.
The "NFL's Enigma; v. 2015" Uno
19.) Baltimore Ravens (1-6 = 161-188)
The Ravens by almost any estimation are better than a 1-6 team. All of their losses by been by eight points or less. They led in the 4th quarter of five of them (all but last week); and done this against a tough schedule. They've had to play five of their first seven on the road (that said, they are 0-2 at home, both to division rivals). There is a chance they go on a run and finish close to 8-8 - setting up the Ravens for better things in 2016.
The "2012 was a long time ago" Duo
18.) Washington Redskins (3-4 = 148-168)
17.) Indianapolis Colts (3-4 = 147-174)
Maybe no one won the 2012 draft?
The "There will be team's that make the playoffs after a 1-3 start" Duo
16.) Philadelphia Eagles (3-4 = 160-137)
15.) Miami Dolphins (3-3 = 147-137)
The Eagles so far have three wins. One was against the Saints playing at their worst, the other against a Jets team that they nearly blew a 21-0 lead to, and a third game when the opposing team turned the ball over in plus territory three times. I still don't think they are any good, but they are still 2-1 after their start and just a game back in that awful division. The Eagles defense is for real. Is the Dolphins? Miami has now blown the doors off two straight teams following Philbin's firing. They get a great chance to show something this Thursday in Foxboro. On talent they can play New England close, but as the 1-3 start, talent is not the issue; execution and motivation are.
The "Good Bad Teams" Duo
14.) Minnesota Vikings (4-2 = 124-102)
13.) Oakland Raiders (3-3 = 144-153)
Both of these teams are good enough to beat bad teams. They are the best two bad teams. They both have the potential to be good teams, and will likely start being so in 2016, but the Vikings are living dangerously with an offense that can go long stretches without doing anything, and the Raiders still have holes and aging veterans. Things are headed up for both, and the best sign is that they are both winning the games they have to win in 2015.
The "Bad Good Teams" Duo
12.) Seattle Seahawks (3-4 = 154-128)
11.) St. Louis Rams (3-3 = 108-119)
Both of these teams are good, but probably can't beat any other good team. Put aside the weird Rams loss to Washington, and we have two teams that are 6-0 against bad teams, and 0-6 against good teams. Both have defenses that just swallow up bad offenses - as both showed this week. The Seahawks held San Francisco to 3 and the Rams held Cleveland to 6. They are two of the five or six best defenses in the NFL, but more exactly they are the best defenses against bad teams, and just average against good offenses.
The "How far can a QB take you?" Trio
10.) Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3 = 158-131)
9.) New York Giants (4-3 = 166-156)
8.) Atlanta Falcons (6-1 = 193-150)
The Steelers, Giants and Falcons all have good elements aside from their QB (this is when Ben is back). The Steelers have their skill positions, the Giants the same, and the Falcons have Julio Jones, but all three teams need their QBs to be better to bump into that top group of teams. The Steelers need Roethlisberger to come back, but also need more consistency from that run game. The Giants need JPP to actually contribute with his 8.5 fingers. The Falcons need someone to step up aside from Julio Jones with Jones less than 100%. But really they need their three QBs to play like elite QBs - for teh Steelers that means Roethlisberger to come back, but for the Giants and Falcons that means consistency from two players that haven't been all that great the past two weeks.
The "Defense is Still a Thing in 2015" Trio
7.) New York Jets (4-2 = 152-105)
6.) Carolina Panthers (6-0 = 162-110)
5.) Denver Broncos (6-0 = 139-102)
I don't know if these are the league's best three defenses. I know the Jets and Broncos are likely the league's two best. Carolina's may be the best coached. What Ron Rivera has done with that team and spare parts around two all-world linebackers is amazing. They are just so competent all the time. The Jets and Broncos are more conventionally great, and have been each week. All three teams would have been far better thought of had this been 2005 and not 2015.
The "I Still Think this would be a good Super Bowl" Duo
4.) Arizona Cardinals (5-2 = 229-133)
3.) Cincinnati Bengals (6-0 = 182-122)
Seriously, I do. These are my two favorite teams to watch this year.
The "I guess this will just be the effing Super Bowl" Duo
2.) Green Bay Packers (6-0 = 164-101)
1.) New England Patriots (6-0 = 213-126)
But of course, we'll get this chalk-a-thon.
Project the Playoff Picks
AFC
1.) New England Patriots = 14-2
2.) Cincinnati Bengals = 13-3
3.) Denver Broncos = 12-4
4.) Indianapolis Colts = 8-8
5.) New York Jets = 11-5
6.) Pittburgh Steelers = 10-6
NFC
1.) Green Bay Packers = 13-3
2.) Carolina Panthers = 12-4
3.) Arizona Cardinals = 12-4
4.) New York Giants = 10-6
5.) Atlanta Falcons = 11-5
6.) St. Louis Rams = 10-6
Looking Forward to Next Week's Games
Byes: Buffalo Bills (3-4), Philadelphia Eagles (3-4), Washington Redskins (3-4), Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5)
14.) Detroit Lions (1-6) @ Kansas City Chiefs (2-5) (9:30 - FOX)
13.) Tennessee Titans (1-5) @ Houston Texans (2-5) (1:00 - CBS)
12.) Minnesota Vikings (4-2) @ Chicago Bears (2-4) (1:00 - FOX)
11.) Seattle Seahawks (3-4) @ Dallas Cowboys (2-4) (4:25 - FOX)
10.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-5) @ Atlanta Falcons (6-1) (1:00 - FOX)
9.) Arizona Cardinals (5-2) @ Cleveland Browns (2-5) (1:00 - FOX)
8.) San Diego Chargers (2-5) @ Baltimore Ravens (1-6) (1:00 - CBS)
7.) Indianapolis Colts (3-4) @ Carolina Panthers (6-0) (MNF - ESPN)
6.) San Francisco 49ers (2-5) @ St. Louis Rams (3-3) (1:00 - FOX)
5.) New York Giants (4-3) @ New Orleans Saints (3-4) (1:00 - FOX)
4.) Cincinnati Bengals (6-0) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) (1:00 - CBS)
3.) New York Jets (4-2) @ Oakland Raiders (3-3) (4:05 - CBS)
2.) Miami Dolphins (3-3) @ New England Patriots (6-0) (TNF - NFLN)
1.) Green Bay Packers (6-0) @ Denver Broncos (6-0) (SNF - NBC)
32.) Houston Texans (2-5 = 154-199)
31.) Detroit Lions (1-6 = 139-200)
30.) Tennessee Titans (1-5 = 119-139)
29.) Cleveland Browns (2-5 = 147-182)
The Texans ostensibly have a good defense, with the best player in the NFL in Watt and a few nice supporting pieces, but twice in four weeks they've been down 0-35 and 0-41 at halftime. The Lions also have a team with some talent, but apparently that talent comes with a stipulation: not being able to block the Lions. What was that? Again? For the Titans and Browns, in some ways they've been decent, but they keep finding ways to lose games, and with Mariota out a while the Titans are in disaster mode, really calling into question of Whisenhunt makes it past this year.
The "Frisky but Terrible" Quatro
28.) Chicago Bears (2-4 = 120-179)
27.) San Francisco 49ers (2-5 = 103-180)
26.) Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5 = 147-207)
25.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-4 = 140-179)
The Bears had a nice two-week renaissance, quickly forgotten after they threw away the Lions game. The team is really bereft of talent. The coaching staff is good all around but in a tough NFC that is far from good enough. The 49ers are able to be competent against some teams, but have now looked disastrous in four of their seven games so far. The Jaguars are actually putting together a decent offense, which makes the fact that their defense has returned to being one of the league's worst even more depressing. If only they had the 2014 Jaguars defense, you could argue they could win the division. Finally, Tampa Bay is blowing a few games, but that means that they've been in position to blow those games. That team is getting better, but closing out games is the last step.
The "Don't Injuries Suck" Trio
24.) Dallas Cowboys (2-4 = 121-158)
23.) Kansas City Chiefs (2-5 = 150-172)
22.) San Diego Chargers (2-5 = 165-198)
All three of these teams have seen somewhat promising seasons ruined by injury. All three won in Week 1 behind the type of games they usually win by. Dallas's offense was sharp, the Chiefs defense and running game were great, and the Chargers had a guy that every now and then would become superman. Of course, none of these things lasted. The Cowboys are in the worst shape because the guy that allows them to cover a lot of holes is out in Romo. The Chiefs are now without Jamaal Charles and a few defensive injuries. Finally, the Chargers o-line is basically starting D-III lineman right now. I don't think that any of these three teams are done being quite competitive, but it is hard to be competitive when you are missing key players that unable your team to play its game.
The "Ryan Brothers Hand-in-Hand" Trio
21.) Buffalo Bills (3-4 = 176-173)
20.) New Orleans Saints (3-4 = 161-185)
Rob Ryan's always been quite overrated - his defenses are rarely all that good apart from infrequent great performances. Rex Ryan is not overrated - but should we start talking about that team underachieving. His defensive personnel in Buffalo is about as good as he's had on all three levels since the 2006 Ravens - but where are the results. The Bills were a Top-5 defense in 2013-14 with noted coordinators Gregg Williams and Jim Schwartz. Somehow, it has not translated in Buffalo. The Bills just blew a 4th quarter lead to Blake Bortles of all people.
The "NFL's Enigma; v. 2015" Uno
19.) Baltimore Ravens (1-6 = 161-188)
The Ravens by almost any estimation are better than a 1-6 team. All of their losses by been by eight points or less. They led in the 4th quarter of five of them (all but last week); and done this against a tough schedule. They've had to play five of their first seven on the road (that said, they are 0-2 at home, both to division rivals). There is a chance they go on a run and finish close to 8-8 - setting up the Ravens for better things in 2016.
The "2012 was a long time ago" Duo
18.) Washington Redskins (3-4 = 148-168)
17.) Indianapolis Colts (3-4 = 147-174)
Maybe no one won the 2012 draft?
The "There will be team's that make the playoffs after a 1-3 start" Duo
16.) Philadelphia Eagles (3-4 = 160-137)
15.) Miami Dolphins (3-3 = 147-137)
The Eagles so far have three wins. One was against the Saints playing at their worst, the other against a Jets team that they nearly blew a 21-0 lead to, and a third game when the opposing team turned the ball over in plus territory three times. I still don't think they are any good, but they are still 2-1 after their start and just a game back in that awful division. The Eagles defense is for real. Is the Dolphins? Miami has now blown the doors off two straight teams following Philbin's firing. They get a great chance to show something this Thursday in Foxboro. On talent they can play New England close, but as the 1-3 start, talent is not the issue; execution and motivation are.
The "Good Bad Teams" Duo
14.) Minnesota Vikings (4-2 = 124-102)
13.) Oakland Raiders (3-3 = 144-153)
Both of these teams are good enough to beat bad teams. They are the best two bad teams. They both have the potential to be good teams, and will likely start being so in 2016, but the Vikings are living dangerously with an offense that can go long stretches without doing anything, and the Raiders still have holes and aging veterans. Things are headed up for both, and the best sign is that they are both winning the games they have to win in 2015.
The "Bad Good Teams" Duo
12.) Seattle Seahawks (3-4 = 154-128)
11.) St. Louis Rams (3-3 = 108-119)
Both of these teams are good, but probably can't beat any other good team. Put aside the weird Rams loss to Washington, and we have two teams that are 6-0 against bad teams, and 0-6 against good teams. Both have defenses that just swallow up bad offenses - as both showed this week. The Seahawks held San Francisco to 3 and the Rams held Cleveland to 6. They are two of the five or six best defenses in the NFL, but more exactly they are the best defenses against bad teams, and just average against good offenses.
The "How far can a QB take you?" Trio
10.) Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3 = 158-131)
9.) New York Giants (4-3 = 166-156)
8.) Atlanta Falcons (6-1 = 193-150)
The Steelers, Giants and Falcons all have good elements aside from their QB (this is when Ben is back). The Steelers have their skill positions, the Giants the same, and the Falcons have Julio Jones, but all three teams need their QBs to be better to bump into that top group of teams. The Steelers need Roethlisberger to come back, but also need more consistency from that run game. The Giants need JPP to actually contribute with his 8.5 fingers. The Falcons need someone to step up aside from Julio Jones with Jones less than 100%. But really they need their three QBs to play like elite QBs - for teh Steelers that means Roethlisberger to come back, but for the Giants and Falcons that means consistency from two players that haven't been all that great the past two weeks.
The "Defense is Still a Thing in 2015" Trio
7.) New York Jets (4-2 = 152-105)
6.) Carolina Panthers (6-0 = 162-110)
5.) Denver Broncos (6-0 = 139-102)
I don't know if these are the league's best three defenses. I know the Jets and Broncos are likely the league's two best. Carolina's may be the best coached. What Ron Rivera has done with that team and spare parts around two all-world linebackers is amazing. They are just so competent all the time. The Jets and Broncos are more conventionally great, and have been each week. All three teams would have been far better thought of had this been 2005 and not 2015.
The "I Still Think this would be a good Super Bowl" Duo
4.) Arizona Cardinals (5-2 = 229-133)
3.) Cincinnati Bengals (6-0 = 182-122)
Seriously, I do. These are my two favorite teams to watch this year.
The "I guess this will just be the effing Super Bowl" Duo
2.) Green Bay Packers (6-0 = 164-101)
1.) New England Patriots (6-0 = 213-126)
But of course, we'll get this chalk-a-thon.
Project the Playoff Picks
AFC
1.) New England Patriots = 14-2
2.) Cincinnati Bengals = 13-3
3.) Denver Broncos = 12-4
4.) Indianapolis Colts = 8-8
5.) New York Jets = 11-5
6.) Pittburgh Steelers = 10-6
NFC
1.) Green Bay Packers = 13-3
2.) Carolina Panthers = 12-4
3.) Arizona Cardinals = 12-4
4.) New York Giants = 10-6
5.) Atlanta Falcons = 11-5
6.) St. Louis Rams = 10-6
Looking Forward to Next Week's Games
Byes: Buffalo Bills (3-4), Philadelphia Eagles (3-4), Washington Redskins (3-4), Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5)
14.) Detroit Lions (1-6) @ Kansas City Chiefs (2-5) (9:30 - FOX)
13.) Tennessee Titans (1-5) @ Houston Texans (2-5) (1:00 - CBS)
12.) Minnesota Vikings (4-2) @ Chicago Bears (2-4) (1:00 - FOX)
11.) Seattle Seahawks (3-4) @ Dallas Cowboys (2-4) (4:25 - FOX)
10.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-5) @ Atlanta Falcons (6-1) (1:00 - FOX)
9.) Arizona Cardinals (5-2) @ Cleveland Browns (2-5) (1:00 - FOX)
8.) San Diego Chargers (2-5) @ Baltimore Ravens (1-6) (1:00 - CBS)
7.) Indianapolis Colts (3-4) @ Carolina Panthers (6-0) (MNF - ESPN)
6.) San Francisco 49ers (2-5) @ St. Louis Rams (3-3) (1:00 - FOX)
5.) New York Giants (4-3) @ New Orleans Saints (3-4) (1:00 - FOX)
4.) Cincinnati Bengals (6-0) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) (1:00 - CBS)
3.) New York Jets (4-2) @ Oakland Raiders (3-3) (4:05 - CBS)
2.) Miami Dolphins (3-3) @ New England Patriots (6-0) (TNF - NFLN)
1.) Green Bay Packers (6-0) @ Denver Broncos (6-0) (SNF - NBC)
