After one week in the National Football League season, most teams have revealed themselves. Teams like the Atlanta Falcons and the Oakland Raiders are staying with what they know, while other teams added multiple important pieces to make a push to the playoffs. Other than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Miami Dolphins, every team had a game to play. Most of the divisions this season look to stay the same, but a few could change. It’s the NFL, and they play the games for a reason.
Starting in the AFC, the AFC North has been ruled by the Pittsburgh Steelers for years. The Steelers have the most talented football team in the division, with an offense that is probably the best in the league. Ben Roethlisberger is playing the best football of his career, and with Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell, their offense is dominant. The Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns were decent in their first games. They will fight for second in the division. The Cincinnati Bengals looked absolutely atrocious, with the only bright spot being rookie running back Joe Mixon. The Bengals will be last in the division unless something changes.
The AFC South will be a mixed bag this season. The Indianapolis Colts are playing badly without Andrew Luck, and he doesn’t look healthy right now. The Tennessee Titans looked pretty good in their game against the Oakland Raiders, and the Jacksonville Jaguars looked dominant against the Texans, but that’s because they kept giving the ball to Leonard Fournette. The division winner will be one of these two teams, and I think the Titans have the talent to finally return to the playoffs. The Texans were terrible with Tom Savage playing quarterback, and were much better with Deshaun Watson at quarterback.
In the AFC East, the New England Patriots are the best team and are most likely to win the division again. Tom Brady is still playing great football, and the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets don’t have the talent to compete with the Bill Belichick-led Patriots. The Miami Dolphins could have been the team to end the Patriots divisional streak, but Ryan Tannehill’s injury ruined those chances.
The AFC West is a different story. Both the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders are teams that have the talent to win the division. The Chiefs looked amazing in their game against the Patriots, and rookie running back Kareem Hunt looked like a veteran. The Raiders looked great too. Derek Carr seemed to be fine after his injury, and Marshawn Lynch was a great addition to the team. The Denver Broncos were decent in their debut against the Los Angeles Chargers. Their running game was good, and the defense was also very good. The Chargers looked good as well, and are expected to compete in more games than previous years.
The NFC North will be a fun division to watch. The Minnesota Vikings were great against the New Orleans Saints. Sam Bradford and Dalvin Cook were standouts, and couldn’t be stopped. Mike Zimmer’s defense was great as well, and held Drew Brees to less than 300 yards. The Green Bay Packers will be the other team that could win the division. Aaron Rodgers is still considered one of the best player in the NFL, and with him, the Packers always have a chance. The Detroit Lions were good in their game as well, and Matt Stafford was already looked in mid-season shape. The Chicago Bears didn’t look awful, almost defeating the Atlanta Falcons.
The NFC South will be the opposite of the AFC South. This division has the best group of quarterbacks, with Drew Brees, Cam Newton, Matt Ryan and Jameis Winston. Each team has a shot to win the division this year. The Falcons are the favorite to repeat, with the defending NFL MVP-Matt Ryan, and one of the best receivers in the game, Julio Jones. The Saints still have Drew Brees, which gives them a chance any season. The Carolina Panthers have a couple new additions, Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel, who will breathe life into their offense. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a very young team, and this may be the year for them to finally break into the playoffs.
The NFC East looks like it could be similar to last year. Ezekiel Elliott is the lifeblood of the Dallas Cowboys offense, and with it likely that he will play in week two and beyond, they are my pick to win the division. Dak Prescott and Elliott are great together, and with Dez Bryant at the receiver position, their offense won’t be lacking in points. The New York Giants, when Odell Beckham Jr. is playing, could beat the Cowboys. The Philadelphia Eagles are shaping up to be good this year as well, with quarterback Carson Wentz utilizing the various assets the Eagles have, like LeGarrette Blount and Alshon Jeffery. The Washington Redskins looked bad in their game against the Eagles, and probably won’t perform very well this year without DeSean Jackson or Pierre Garçon.
Lastly, the NFC West looks to be a one-team race with the Seattle Seahawks taking the lead. The Seahawks looked all right in their game against the Packers, but the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals played badly in their games. The Los Angeles Rams looked great, but they played the Colts, who aren’t good. The Seahawks have the most talented team in the division, and should finish the year at the top.
The NFL season has a lot of surprises, and each game there is a chance for an upset, but at the end of the season, the best teams have the most wins. That will be the same this year, unless some catastrophic injuries occur. Now, thankfully, football is back.
