A Look Around the NFL

First I have to give my associate Verb his due.

He actually went 14-2 this past week.

And he is up in the confidence pool 34-28.

How did I do?

Let's just skip that and take a look around the league.

• AFC East: Who would have picked Miami destroying the Patriots? Not me obviously and yes that was 1 of the 2 that Verb missed. Cassell didn't play well and the Pats D couldn't stop the Dolphins. Elsewhere the Jets look lost and the Bills pulled out another victory. The Bills scare me though because while they are 3-0 they could just as easily be 1-2. And I have heard that Trent Edwards is a top 10 quarterback right now and I am not convinced yet. The 3 teams Buffalo has beaten....Seattle, Jacksonville, and Oakland......a combined 3-6 after 3 weeks. Not impressive.
• AFC North: The Steelers need an offensive line apparently. That was the first real test for the Steelers after playing Houston and Cleveland and they failed miserably. Fortunately for the Steelers they have a good defense and it helped them save face Sunday afternoon. Baltimore is technically winning the division right now but that is only temporary. Cincinnati looked much better this past weekend and if they can get anything out of their defense the offense surely has potential.
• AFC South: Tennessee is being considered as one of the best teams in the league right now and I don't know yet. They have played Jacksonville, Cincinnati, and Houston......combined record of 2-6. Just like the Bills...show me something against a good team. Indianapolis is hurting right now. If they can get healthy for the second half they could make a run. They are in every game with that offense though. Jacksonville is still a decent team but they aren't operating on all cylinders right now. They ran successfully against the Colts but Syracuse could run on the Colts. Houston is bad......somewhere between last season and this season they lost all their confidence.
• AFC West: I think the Chargers are the best team in the division but the Broncos control their own destiny as of now. The Raiders are an after thought and the Chiefs are one of the worst teams in the league. When LT gets healthy the Chargers are going to go on a nice roll. I would be surprised if they finish worse than 11-5 and wouldn't be surprised at all if they go 13-3. Denver is going to have to outscore their opponents since their defense can't stop anyone right now.

• NFC East: How strong is this division? Philly is in last right now! And some people think Philly is the 2nd best team in the NFC. Dallas is probably the most complete team in the league. The Giants are a team to keep an eye on, I don't think they can beat the Cowboys and the Eagles would be tough for Eli but watch em. The Redskins are the weakest link in the division but could probably win a few other divisions around the league.
• NFC North: The Packers took a hit this weekend in two ways. One they got handled by the Cowboys which builds the Boys confidence and hurts the Packers confidence and two they lost Al Harris for the season. That is a huge loss because their nickelback, Williams, has looked lost at times on the field. The Packers D is going to change alot. The Vikings under Gus Frerotte won their first of the year and look better. The Bears lost at home to the Bucs but remain a solid team. And because this is an NFL post we won't mention the Lions who aren't really an NFL team this year.
• NFC South: This is really a 3 team race right now with the Saints barely holding on. If the Saints don't get some defense soon than it will be a 2 team race between Tampa and Carolina who both have good defenses and solid offenses. Atlanta is surprising some people but they aren't going to do much better than 6-10. I really don't know who I like out of this division right now. If the Saints can hold on until they get healthy on offense I think they could take the title, but I don't know if they can hang on for a few more weeks.
• NFC West: There really isn't much to talk about here. The Seahawks are kind of like the Saints, if they can hang on and get healthy they should win the division. But the 49ers are improved and the Cardinals are playing good right now. I definitely think the Cards are the best team right now but they better keep winning while Seattle is struggling because once the Hawks are healthy they will resume winning. And the Rams......well they are the same as the Lions....see above.

It has been a great season so far and there are always good games to come. Injuries are starting to take a toll around the league though. Westbrook and McNabb are both banged up in Philly, Willie Parker is hurt in Pittsburgh, Harris in Green Bay, and Shockey in New Orleans. As well as all the players that were already injured going into the week.

Who would have thought that the division leaders in the AFC would be Buffalo, Baltimore, Tennessee, and Denver 3 weeks into the season??

Verb's Thoughts:

14-2, really? God, I knew I was smart but I didn't think I was that smart. Oh and no one in the world (even Miami) picked them to beat New England.

I think GM is spot on with his review of the league. I am a lot higher on the Titans and Bills then him and I understand the schedule arguement but they can only beat who they play and they have and its just building their confidence and I think it will continue all season long!