The quarter mark is here, and teams are showing us whether they can make a push for the playoffs or not.
ELITE
This group of undefeated teams looks noticeably ahead of the rest this year. The Cowboys and Patriots haven't played tough opponents but proved light years ahead of what they've had to contend with so far. Patrick Mahomes showed a gulf in class between his team's offense and the red hot Ravens over the weekend, while Matt LaFleur no-frills attack has the Packers looking formidable again.
1) New England Patriots
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2) Kansas City Chiefs
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3) Dallas Cowboys
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4) Green Bay Packers
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ON THE EDGE
The Ravens shuffle ahead of the Eagles after holding their own against Kansas City. But John Harbaugh's side never looked better than the Chiefs, preventing them from entering the Elite tier.
Unexplosive performances from the Rams and Texans mean they can't take advantage of a loss from the banged up Eagles. Both teams are showing they can win but it doesn't look like it'll be with ease too many times this year. And while we loved Teddy Bridgewater's return to the starting lineup, a greater sample size is needed before a big road win can catapult the Saints any higher.
5) Baltimore Ravens
(up 1)
6) Philadelphia Eagles
(down 1)
7) Los Angeles Rams
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8) Houston Texans
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9) New Orleans Saints
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PLAYOFF CALIBRE WITH PROBLEMS
The only team in this category that doesn't cause us to pull our hair out is Indianapolis. The Colts are proving that rosters - not quarterbacks - win games. Saying that, the Vikings offensive talent is being held hostage by Kirk Cousins, and the Falcons simply aren't performing to their capabilities. Minnesota and Atlanta can still be dangerous if they can find a groove.
Another loss this weekend will cause the Browns to be kicked from this tier. Frustrating how cold they look after all those off-season months of hype. (It doesn't help that Baker Mayfield is becoming toxic online.)
The Chargers' - and Phillip Rivers' - Super Bowl window looks to be shutting FAST.
10) Minnesota Vikings
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11) Atlanta Falcons
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12) Indianapolis Colts
(up 4)
13) Los Angeles Chargers
(down 1)
14) Cleveland Browns
(down 1)
SURPRISE TEAMS (THAT WE WERE HIGH ON!)
Alright, the title says we were always high on these teams but that wasn't the case for the Lions -- who we thought would be run heavy and competing with the Bears for last in the division. They debunked that after throwing 100 yards and a touchdown to four different receivers already this year.
Jimmy G moved to 9-2 as the 49ers starter and has his team off to its best start since 1998. And while undefeated Bills fans might cry foul that they rank so low, their schedule - the Jets, Giants and Bengals - is as much to blame for their record as anything else. They haven't blown out those calibre teams like the Patriots have -- and could be in for a rude awakening when the two face off this weekend.
15) Detroit Lions
(up 4)
16) San Francisco 49ers
(up 2)
17) Buffalo Bills
(down 2)
PROVE US WRONG
This grey area hangs teams between a "troublesome" and "hassle-free" opponent. Take the Jaguars and Bears and you have two of the most talented defences in the league. But their offences aren't intimidating so the team most likely won't compete until that's corrected. (Sorry Gardner fans.)
The Seahawks and Panthers were potential threats before Week 1 but have quickly sunk to being very average. The Seahawks don't have much talent around Wilson - Chris Carson has fumbled three times already this year - and the struggling Panthers will move forward without Newton long term. (Wasn't the team told to take it easy with him in the off-season?)
The Steelers, Cardinals and Raiders all look in limbo. Wins are there for the three teams but they can't seem to finish out games. In Pittsburgh, it's hard to justify which former Killer B is having a worse year, but the team is proving they should have kept their heart and soul and paid Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell. The winless Cardinals are performing better than expected but their rookie head coach is proving as problematic as their rookie quarterback. And the Raiders are going as far as a fiery head coach like Jon Gruden will take them.
18) Jacksonville Jaguars
(up 5)
19) Chicago Bears
(down 5)
20) Carolina Panthers
(up 1)
21) Seattle Seahawks
(down 4)
22) Tennessee Titans
(up 2)
23) Arizona Cardinals
(down 3)
24) Pittsburgh Steelers
(down 2)
25) Oakland Raiders
(unchanged)
JUST BETTER THAN THE WORST
The Bengals have performed better than we expected, so we'll save them from bottom of the pile for now. Unfortunately the same can't be said for the Broncos and Buccaneers, whose slow starts make it look like they took training camp off after some good coaching hires.
Daniel Jones could be the kickstart the Giants need to avoid a Top 5 Draft pick, but losing Saqoun Barkley means it'll still be hard to tune into the team.
26) New York Giants
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27) Denver Broncos
(down 3)
28) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(down 1)
29) Cincinnati Bengals
(down 1)
BOTTOM OF THE PILE
The Giants can thank Daniel Jones for getting them out of this one. The Dolphins, Jets and Redskins can't.
It's hard to point many fingers here. The rosters just aren't there. Even when Sam Darnold comes back the Jets look like they could struggle. A word on Josh Rosen though: he looked like someone wanting to a place in the NFL after this year. He just got no help from his team on Sunday. On offense, the Dolphins dropped the ball in the endzone, fumbled in the redzone, dropped a ball in the redzone for an almost interception, and missed an easy field goal before halftime. Yikes.
30) Washington Redskins
(down 1)
31) New York Jets
(unchanged)
32) Miami Dolphins
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