Four weeks of Premier Madden League football have come and gone. We are officially onto week 5 of the season and we are here to check who is leading each division and who is officially the bottom feeder of each division.
AFC East:
Leader: New England Patriots (4-0) – The Patriots coach came onto the team late last season and couldn’t quite muster enough games in order to make the playoffs after being put in a huge deficit by the previous coach. This season they have taken the league by storm as they already have 2 division wins and a win over a playoff team from last season. Coach Problem has won his games with a stifling defense that is first in the league averaging only 7 points given up per game. Will anyone in the AFC East be able to figure out this defense, or better yet be able to catch up to the Patriots. This is a question that we will be looking at all season.
Bottom: New York Jets (0-4) – The Jets had the most active offseason of any team in the league, making over 10 trades. Ironically they have one of the best overall teams on paper, however, so far this season it hasn’t helped them one bit. They haven’t been able to win any games and this includes a game versus the number one overall worst team last season. The overall offense and defense are good for worst in the league and if they want to compete they need to do something quickly in order to improve. It is early in the season, however, they are in a 4 game deficit in a hard division. They do have the easiest remaining schedule of their division which may help them win a few more games.
AFC West:
Leader: Los Angeles Chargers (4-0) – After going on a fantastic run to make the playoffs last season, the Chargers have kept that same regular season momentum going. So far they have rolled through their NFC opponents while defeating a divisional foe. This division came down to the end last season so the Chargers will need to keep up this momentum if they want to be crowned king at the end of the season.
Bottom: Los Vegas Raiders (1-3)- For the first three weeks of the season, the Raiders have found themselves at the mercy of their divisional opponents. They lost two games by a large margin against the Chief and Broncos, however they have played very well against the AFC South. They narrowly lost to the Texans, while beating the current leader in the Jaguars last week. If the Raiders play like they did in week 3 then they will be able to compete in this division. If they have more divisional games like their first two then the season may be over sooner than they think.
AFC North:
Leader: Baltimore Ravens (2-2) – The current coach of the Ravens took the AFC North by storm last season when he entered the league. He is currently taking this division by storm earlier on as well as he has two big division wins so far this season. For his two losses, he played both the Patriots and Colts very close. We look to see the Ravens once again win this division easily.
Bottom: Pittsburgh Steelers (1-3) – The Steelers got their first win of the season way earlier than last season, however, it seems their choice to take a run stopping defensive tackle over some of the other talent in the draft is hurting them this season. Goff hasn’t been the answer and his interceptions thrown is showing that, however, what’s more frightening is their defense has been one of the worst in the league. When you take a run stopping defensive tackle with a top 5 pick and your run defense is still in the bottom half of the league then that is an issue. The Steelers are only a game back from the lead, however, they will need to tighten up this defense if they want to avoid another top 5 pick.
AFC South:
Leader: Jacksonville Jaguars (3-1) – A Lot of controversy last season resulted in the Jaguars missing the playoffs. We can see that this season the Jaguars are playing like a team that wants to leave no chances when it comes to their playoff berth. They have two wins over playoff winning teams including one over the reigning Super Bowl champions. If the Jaguars continue their pace like the first three games then come season end they could be still at the top of this division.
Bottom: Houston Texans (2-2) – The Texans have been a mixed bag this season, being blown out of two games while winning two games close. The quarterback situation in Houston hasn’t been what coaches would have wanted when they drafted Sam Howell this past offseason. Howell and Tannehill both haven’t played well and have 10 interceptions combined which has resulted in the Texans current predicament. If Howell can turn it around this season we can see the Texans and the rest of the AFC South become the first division to send four teams to the playoffs.
The Patriots and Chargers are the only undefeated teams left in the AFC, however, they may not be for much longer. The AFC has a total of 7 teams with one loss or less and 11 teams at .500. It’s very early, however, the playoff picture is already a mess. The AFC South and AFC West currently dominate the AFC as a whole. When the dust settles, who will reign supreme? We will come back and find out where these teams stand at the halfway point.
