1.Cleveland Browns (7-0): Another 50 point offensive performance for the Cleveland Browns. KMFO was battle tested by Kansas City last week, but he again proves this week that he is that guy. Deshaun Watson completed 88% of his passes this week and is looking like a potential MVP.
2.New Orleans Saints (5-1): They failed the first game of ‘Are-they-for-real?’ losing a close one to the Packers earlier in the year. They will play the ‘prove-it’ game again this week against the Chargers in a contest that will tell us a lot about both teams. Looking forward to this one
3.Green Bay Packers (5-1): Sources told me the Packers did their due diligence on Justin Herbert over the bye week. The asking price was too much so Jordan Love is here to stay. The Packers are one of the hottest teams in PML and will look to stay hot by taking down the Texans this week.
4.Kansas City Chiefs (6-1): Patrick Mahomes completed 92% of his passes this week and Kansas City is back in the win column. Kansas City has proven that they can compete with anyone in the league despite the caliber of their roster.
5.New England Patriots (6-1): New England forced the 49ers to pass the ball 47 times this week and that’s exactly what they want their opponents to do with their team. Riley Leonard has the highest QBR (133.7) of all the rookie quarterbacks, he has completely changed the ball the Patriots manage their offense.
6.Houston Texans (5-2): “Mad” Max Duggan was efficient enough against a statistically bottom of the league defense, but Pittsburgh has the players to make it tough for lower rated quarterbacks. This game was very high scoring, but Houston put up their second most points of the season this week and they needed every point to pick up the win.
7.Los Angeles Chargers (6-1): Los Angeles is on a five game winning streak and is one the hottest teams in the league. They are battle tested and will need all of their stored momentum next week against a very hot New Orleans team.
8.Buffalo Bills (4-2): Josh Allen started the season by throwing 8 interceptions in the first two games, but has only thrown three interceptions over the past four games and it has led to a 3-1 record for the Bills. It’s proven that Buffalo’s winning success rate is based on Allen protecting the football.
9.Minnesota Vikings (4-3): That’s now three in a row for Wimmy And the Vikes, and they could extend it to 4 and 5 with the Titans and Dolphins on deck. Let the good times roll.
10.Detroit Lions (5-1): With Jefe back in town, and the Vikings suddenly winning games, is there still room for the Lions? They got a nice head start, but they will need to muster out another 6 or 7 wins to keep themselves in the wildcard picture.
11.Los Angeles Rams (5-2): What the F happened? The Giants who earlier in the season lost 52-0 to the Browns, just took down the reigning Super Bowl champions 21-3? That’s now 2 straight losses for Cook, but I’ll give it another week before we start to raise an eyebrow.
12.Philadelphia Eagles (4-3): There is plenty of optimism in Philadelphia as they sit 4-3 and sole possession of first. Your guess is as good as mine as to where they will eventually finish come week 18. The schedule surely screams out 10+ wins if HD can keep his mind right.
13.Arizona Cardinals (4-2): Emari Demarcado is on pace for 45 touchdowns. I’m not sure how to feel about that one. Nevertheless, Que and the Cards could make a divisional statement this week as they look to take down the suddenly vulnerable Rams.
14.New York Jets (4-3): After starting the season 1-3, the Jets are on a three game winning streak with huge victories over the Rams and the Seahawks and the biggest difference maker over the last three games is Caleb Williams protecting the football. He hasn’t thrown an interception since week 4 where he threw 2 of them and New York has always leaned on the run game, so protecting the football, running it, and trusting their statistically top 10 defense will help them make the playoffs this season.
15.Seattle Seahawks (4-2): DK Metcalf’s 7 touchdowns on almost 500 yards are a major boost to a team rolling out an unproven rookie quarterback. With that said, will Bo Nix remain the starter all season?
16.Tampa Bay Buccaneers: (3-4): After all the excitement to start the season, there have been too many 1 score losses and it just may not be the Buccaneers year to make the leap.
17.New York Giants (3-4): Burn takes down the defending Super Bowl champions in what will propel him to soar to first place and represent the east in the playoffs. Hey, not far fetched.
18.Denver Broncos (3-4): Denver was expected to have a far better at this point in the season, but putting up 47 points this week against the Panthers is a great start. The Broncos have the Ravens and the Raiders on the schedule next, so there’s potential for them to go above .500 in the next two weeks.
19.Atlanta Falcons (3-4): Ouch, they’re saying the Falcons may not make the playoffs all cycle now. I mean it is a good possibility, not because of Nefs skillset, but because of the amount of contenders in the NFC.
20.Indianapolis Colts (3-4): CB has had some impressive wins this season and he is playing much better than last season. Anthony Richardson has thrown 12 interceptions, but that is much better than at this point last season. The Colts are rushing for more than 200 yards a game, but the passing offense is still struggling. Being one dimensional is going to haunt and stunt the performance of the Colts all season long.
21.Las Vegas Raiders (2-4): Sitting on a bye this week, the Raiders have to be wondering where it all went wrong, and why they are going on a four game losing streak. It really doesn’t get easier for the Raiders as the season goes along, but hopefully they used the bye week to improve the team’s morale.
22.Pittsburgh Seelers (2-4): Zach Wilson threw for 6 touchdowns this week and only threw two interceptions, but the Steelers allowed the Texans to put up over fifty points. The Steelers are struggling to stop a nosebleed this season and with no fix in place, this defense is going to let up record breaking numbers as the season progresses.
23.San Francisco 49ers (1-5): I called it last week, the 49ers are officially sellers as we approach the deadline. It’ll be interesting to see what this roster looks like next season.
24.Miami Dolphins (2-4): Tyreek Hill is sitting at a 45% reception rate and it is one of the most egregious numbers in the league. The Dolphins got back in the win column this week against the Ravens, but they need to be careful with who is getting the ball going forward.
25.Dallas Cowboys (1-5): Think Drama can pull the improbable and come back from 1-5 to make the playoffs? His skillset and roster say so over the rest of the division, but I just don’t see the dawg in him this season.
26.Washington Commanders (2-4): HD says there is no way Miles was playing his last game against the Eagles. The four interceptions tells me otherwise. Ya gotta admit though its good to see the Commanders play the ‘premier’ team in the NFC East so close.
27.Tennessee Titans (1-6): Will Levis has thrown the second most (18) interceptions in the league this season. The Titans are not playing good football. The season isn’t officially over in Tennessee, however, the sense of urgency has to be there every game moving forward.
28.Carolina Panthers (2-4): Hear me out. They’ve got the Falcons, Eagles, Bucs, and Giants on the schedule. If JT can sweep through them hes sitting at 6-4 two-thirds through the season. What a time to be alive!
29.Jacksonville Jaguars (1-6): Jacksonville is on a five game slid, I know some of those games have been CPU controlled, but Tbandit has played a few and hasn’t played very well in those games. I think he’s kinda checked out and sitting at 6 losses, there’s not much sense of urgency to stay competitive the rest of the season.
30.Baltimore Ravens (1-6): Lamar Jackson dislocating his kneecap is a huge blow to the offense of the Ravens. Marcus Mariota started this week and he threw 3 interceptions and didn’t look very good. Despite a win last week, the Ravens are headed towards another top five pick this season.
31.Chicago Bears (1-5): He’s back! And I quote ‘M’fers act like I forgot to play Madden. Ima come back and show them what time it is, they’ll find out real soon’. You heard it first.
32.Cincinnati Bengals (1-6): Goose had a huge win over the Cowboys last week and he kept the game close this week against Codes. The Bengals are competing, they actually are having closer games than most of the other losing teams this season. I like Cincinnati’s chances to pick up a few more wins this season.
Z’s Corner: Divisional Dissections
NFC West: Rams Drop Shocker to Giants, Cardinals lose to the Bills, 49ers Fire Sale, Seattle Bye
Rams: 5-2-0
Cardinals: 4-2-0
Seahawks: 4-2-0
49ers: 1-5-0
The Seahawks were able to enjoy their bye week this week as the other three divisional opponents had to play games. The 49ers were unable to defend home field, losing to the Patriots 45-28. There appears to be a fire sale going on in Santa Clara as the Niners have some marquee players available for trade. The Cardinals, flying high off strong performances in previous weeks, had a showdown with the Buffalo Bills, and for a good portion of this game, everything flowed as expected. An unfortunate strip of Xavier Worthy on the kick return would spell doom for the Cardinals. Lastly, the LA Rams dropped a tough one at home against the Giants. While I do not expect the Rams to continue to slide, they have to win these types of games as the schedule won’t get any easier. The Rams and Cardinals will play in week 8, while the Seahawks will host the 49ers.
NFC South: Saints Victorious Over Tampa Bay. Falcons, Panthers, drop games to AFC West Opponents
Saints: 6-1-0
Buccaneers: 3-4-0
Falcons: 3-4-0
Panthers: 2-5-0
The New Orleans Saints won a close one over their divisional rival: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs fought till the very end, recovering not one but TWO onside kicks. However, that would not be enough as they would ultimately lose 45-39. Baker Mayfield was atrocious, and it appears that after his 5 interception performance that he was pulled (or injured) for D.J. Uiagalelei. This will be something to watch moving forward. The Falcons dropped a tough one in Kansas City, losing by 19 points while the Panthers fell to the Broncos at home.
NFC East: Giants shock Rams in LA, Eagles Beat Commanders in a Close One, Cowboys On Bye
Eagles: 4-3-0
Giants: 3-4-0
Commanders: 2-5-0
Cowboys: 1-5-0
In an upset Burn himself probably wouldn’t have predicted, the New York Giants went into Sofi Stadium and defeated the defending Super Bowl champion LA Rams 20-3. The Giants defense was stout and they forced three Jaylen Henderson interceptions. They will look to keep up this momentum as they travel to Jacksonville in week 8. The Eagles were victorious over the Commanders in a close one. Washington had an opportunity to try and get back into the game but it was too little too late as the Eagles would go on to win 55-49. The Cowboys will look to bounce back from a week 6 loss to the Bengals in a must-win game versus the Eagles.
NFC North: Vikings Own Colts in Indy, Lions, Packers and Bears on Bye Week
Packers: 5-1-0
Lions: 5-1-0
Vikings: 4-3-0
Bears: 1-5-0
The Minnesota Vikings were the only team of this division to play this week. They cruised to victory over the Colts as they moved to 4-3 on the year. NFL headline rumors claim that superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson is no longer interested in resigning with the team. It will be interesting to see how this contract situation pans out over the course of the season.
AFC West: Chiefs Suffer First Loss of the Season. Chargers Continue to Win while the Broncos Get Back in the Win Column. Raiders on Bye
Chiefs: 6-1-0
Chargers: 6-1-0
Broncos: 3-4-0
Raiders: 2-4-0
Although they were not victorious, the Kansas City Chiefs played very well in a rainy game against the Cleveland Browns. They should head into their bye week feeling fairly good about where they stand. The Chargers were able to comeback from down 17 against the Bengals, scoring 24 unanswered in the 3rd quarter to be the catalyst for a 38-31 victory. The passing attack wasn’t prolific, but Herbert was efficient and stayed healthy the whole game, not much more you can ask for from coach Codes. Lastly, DK and the Broncos were able to defeat the Panthers 47-11.
AFC South: Texans Overcome Injuries to Defeat Pittsburgh. Titans, Colts, Lose Big. Jaguars A Shell of Themselves
Texans: 5-2-0
Colts: 3-4-0
Titans: 1-6-0
Jaguars: 1-6-0
The legend of 17 Dugg (Max Duggan) continues to grow in Houston. He threw for 296 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 71 yards on the ground against a tough Steelers defense. CJ Stroud might not need to rush back from injury after all. The Colts were unable to get off the field on 3rd downs against Minnesota, and it cost them as they gave up double digit points in every quarter except the 3rd. The Titans fell this week to the Browns while the CPU Jags fell to the New York Jets.
AFC East: Patriots Strong in Win Over Niners. Big Win From Buffalo in Glendale. Jets Continue to Elevate. Miami Gets Back in the Win Column
Patriots: 6-1-0
Bills: 4-2-0
Jets: 4-3-0
Dolphins: 2-4-0
In what might be a first for this column, all 4 teams from this division won a game this week. The Bills won a must-win in a playoff environment in Glendale, while the Jets were able to get it done against the CPU Jaguars and are looking to once again push for a spot in the playoffs as we near the midway point of the season. The Patriots handled business in Santa Clara and have a ton of momentum heading into their bye week. The Dolphins were able to knock off the Ravens, but a matchup with the Colts next week should be more than interesting.
AFC North: Early Makings of a Timeshare
Browns: 7-0-0
Steelers: 2-5-0
Bengals: 1-6-0
Ravens: 1-6-0
The Cleveland Browns might just be the first team in the league to secure a playoff spot. They currently sit at 7-0, following a big win over the Kansas City Chiefs. The KMFO train doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. Following big wins the week before, both the Bengals and Ravens were unable to get it done in week 7. They will look to bounce back next week as a wildcard spot may be out of reach. The Steelers lost a game in which Zach Wilson threw 6 touchdowns, that’s insane to think about.
