NFL Divisional Power Rankings: AFC West is best through Week 7
Matt Williamson is a former scout for the Cleveland Browns and spent 10 years at ESPN as a scout and co-host of "The Football Today Podcast." Find him on Twitter @WilliamsonNFL.
With nearly half a season of football in the books, some divisions have shone - and others have stumbled. Here are my divisional power rankings through the first seven weeks:
1. AFC West
This division not only has one of the few true contenders in the AFC, but their perceived bottom-feeder, the Los Angeles Chargers, have won three in a row. In fact, if the Chargers had a trustworthy kicker to start the season, they might be sitting at 5-2 or even 6-1. They are playing like a playoff team. Meanwhile, the Oakland Raiders could be right back in the mix after a huge victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
It isn’t inconceivable to picture Oakland getting back on the path many expected from them before the year started.
As the season goes on, it is apparent the Denver Broncos are the AFC West’s most struggling squad, but compared to the weakest link in other division's, that isn’t too terrible.
2. NFC East
This is a strong group, even with the New York Giants at 1-6. New York played in a lot of close games and is a better team than their terrible record indicates. The top three teams should still have a lot of hope, although things are trending down for the Washington Redskins.
The Dallas Cowboys need to keep Ezekiel Elliott on the field. If the Cowboys can, they look like serious playoff contenders. The Philadelphia Eagles are one of the NFL's top teams and look strong both for right now, and the future.
3. NFC South
Going into the season, this looked like the NFL’s top division from top to bottom, but both the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been highly disappointing. The New Orleans Saints have made up for it with a revitalized defense, and currently are the class of the NFC South. It isn’t hard to envision the Falcons or Bucs rebounding in the second half of the season, though.
Meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers have a strong foundation and with a few improvements, could be back in the hunt in the NFC. It is rather shocking that the Saints are the only team in the division with a positive point differential, however.
4. AFC East
When analyzing this division before the regular season, it sure looked like it would be the New England Patriots, a huge gap, the Miami Dolphins, another gap, and the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets in the hunt for a high draft pick. After some struggles, the Patriots look to be close to all the way back. That shouldn’t shock anyone.
The Dolphins' offense has been a big problem, but the defense has played well. Still, it is rather amazing that Miami is currently over .500. As for Buffalo and the Jets, no one expected these two squads to be a combined 7-6 at this point of the season. Will that keep up? There is a better chance that the Bills stay competitive out of the two.
5. NFC North
This division took a huge hit when the Green Bay Packers lost Aaron Rodgers. The Packers will be swimming upstream without him. The Rodgers injury could be a gift for the Minnesota Vikings, who have dealt with more than their share of injuries on offense. The Vikings' defense is superb, though, and they are certainly the favorite in the North.
The Chicago Bears have zero passing game, but have still won three games on the back of an excellent defense and running game. But how sustainable is that? The Detroit Lions are a bit of a wild card and need to come back strong off their bye after losing two in a row. Detroit was winning early on when the defense took the ball away at an unsustainable rate; that has since returned to the mean.
6. NFC West
The San Francisco 49ers are in phase one of a massive rebuilding project, but have played most of their games competitively. Last week’s blowout loss to Dallas was concerning, nonetheless. Unfortunately, the Arizona Cardinals' season looks to be lost after first losing David Johnson, and then Carson Palmer.
The Los Angeles Rams are a legitimately good football team. The offense has been totally rebuilt and the defense keeps improving. Los Angeles is also well coached. As usual, the Seattle Seahawks remain right in the thick of things. The Seahawks have won three in a row. They will be just fine.
7. AFC North
The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a few hiccups, like every team in the league. But the defense looks vastly improved and there is loads of talent on both sides of the ball. This is their division. The Cincinnati Bengals started slow and just lost in Pittsburgh, but in a mediocre AFC, the Bengals' playoff hopes remain alive.
Certainly that can’t be said about the Cleveland Browns, as they are clearly the worst team in football. The Baltimore Ravens' offense is abysmal; even though the Ravens sit at 3-4, their season looks close to being over already.
8. AFC South
Is there a true contender in the AFC South? The Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Houston Texans are all .500 or better, but the answer to that question is most likely no. Jacksonville’s defense might be the best in the game and they have a distinct formula for winning, but the passing attack remains worrisome.
Deshaun Watson is a great story and has sparked the team, but injuries have really hurt the defense. The Titans are about the definition of a league-average team and are somewhat disappointing overall thus far. If you take Cleveland out of the conversation, the Indianapolis Colts have as strong of a case as just about anyone to be the worst team in the NFL.
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)