It's early in the season, but there are some surprising unbeaten teams, including Miami and Chicago. Chicago has been relying on their defense to keep them close, and then having Jay Culter pull off fourth quarter comebacks. That formula might work, so long as their aging defense stays healthy.
Top Ten teams [Last week's position]
1. Denver Broncos (2-0) [1] : They have the top offense by far, and Peyton is having one of his best years as a pro. This team looks like the New Orleans Saints the year they won the Super Bowl.
2. Seattle Seahawks (2-0) [8] : They manhandled San Francisco to show that they have the best defense in the league.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) [2] : Dallas slowed down their offense, but the team still tied their total win count from all of last season.
4. Miami Dolphins (2-0) [6] : They beat Indianapolis, for heaven's sake! Ryan Tannehill is turning into a true leader, and the defense is reminiscent of the "No Name Defense" days.
5. New Orleans Saints (2-0) [5] : Their offense sputtered a bit against Tampa Bay, but the true gem spurring this team's recovery is a tough defense.
6. Houston Texans (2-0) [10] : They won in overtime, but they let Tennessee do too much. This team may be ripe for faltering.
7. New England Patriots (2-0) [16] : Their offense doesn't look good, but they still find ways to win. Ultimately, that's what matters.
8. Green Bay Packers (1-1) [22] : They beat up Washington in a HUGELY one-sided game. It was actually not as close as the 18-point final margin shows, as the Pack slacked off in the fourth.
9. Chicago Beats (2-0) [11] : Their defense is the more consistent performer, but that's not surprising for Chicago. At least the offensive line is protecting Cutler better.
10. Cincinnati Bengals (1-1) [20] : Nice game against a struggling Steelers offense.
Divisional ranks
1. AFC West [1] : Two top ten teams and no teams with a negative point differential - that's a recipe for success. Oakland doesn't suck and San Diego can be dangerous, so there is no weak team in this division.
2. AFC East [3] : It's surprising to me that the division is so high, but EJ Manuel has the Bills looking good and Miami has started strong.
3. NFC North [4] : Two top ten teams and Detroit knocking on the door of the Top Ten makes this a tough division. Minnesota is the worst, and you still have to watch out for Adrian Peterson. If they can get a passing attack to spell him, the Vikings will come back.
4. NFC West [2] : Seattle looks great, but a poor performance by San Fran knocked them down. The 49ers will bounce back, and so will the division. Arizona looks like they can compete, so only the Rams may drag them down.
5. NFC South [6] : The Saints and Falcons are strong teams, especially with the revitalization of the Saints' defense. The Bucs defense slows teams, but they need an offense to go with it.
6. AFC South [4] : The Colts faltered this week. The Titans are actually the second best team in this division, but we don't know if that will last. The Jags are hopeless again, so this division is counting on the Colts improving.
7. NFC East [7] : Philly's offense is working, but their defense has holes. The Redskins defense is even worse, and RGIII still looks injured. The Giants have no running game, and so teams are keying on Eli Manning and his receivers, leading to the worst two-game stretch for interceptions in Manning's career. It seems strange to realize that the Cowboys are the most consistent team in this division.
8. AFC North [8] : Cleveland nearly beat the Ravens and the Steelers offense stinks! This has frequently been a strong division, but only the Bengals are showing any real potential so far this season.
Thursday's game
Kansas City Chiefs at Philadelphia Eagles : Andy Reid returns to Philadelphia will a revitalized Chiefs team. This KC team looks nothing like last year's, as they have revamped both sides of the ball. The Eagles' offense works, but they rely on LeSean McCoy, and Reid knows how McCoy plays. You know he'll have his defense ready to slow him down. Slow down McCoy, and you slow down Chip Kelly's offense. The Chiefs offense will tear apart the Eagles defense, too. CHIEFS, 31-20
Sunday early games
Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints : The Cards have played well, but the Saints have a strong offense and a good defense. The Cards are tricky, so this might be a closer game than the Saints will expect, but I like the Saints chances to win. Tyrann Mathieu is coming along quickly, and Carson Palmer might engineer some fourth quarter magic, but I think the Saints defense will prevent the comeback. SAINTS, 24-20
Cleveland Browns at Minnesota Vikings : The Browns are sitting Brandon Wheeden, supposedly due to a thumb injury, and giving former Spartan Brian Hoyer a chance. Hoyer was decent in preseason, but he hasn't really faced first team NFL defenses. This will prove to be a bit of a challenge. The Browns defense will help by frustrating Christian Ponder, forcing the offense to rely on Adrian Peterson. That should be good enough to win. VIKINGS, 23-16
Detroit Lions at Washington Redskins : RGIII clearly is still affected by his injury, as he cannot scramble well. That makes him a target for a good pass rushing defense. The Redskins defense has been allowing lots of yards, which is exactly what the Lions can produce. LIONS, 34-20
Green Bay Packers at Cincinnati Bengals : Cincy beat Pittsburgh, but there were times when they seemed out of sync. The Pack showed their power against Washington, shaking off the struggles from playing San Francisco in Week 1. I think Aaron Rodgers will win the quarterback battle, but the Bengals will score, especially if the Pack slacks off in the fourth quarter like they did last week. PACK, 31-27
Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens : Neither team has shown up brilliantly. The Texans let the Titans tie the game to send it into overtime, and the Ravens struggled against the Browns. Baltimore is susceptible to a tough defense, and that's what the Texans have. I like Houston's ability to control this game, even as the defending Super Bowl champs gain strength from the home crowd. TEXANS, 24-16
New York Giants at Carolina Panthers : The Panthers struggle in close games, but the offensive woes of the Giants makes me feel this will not be a close game. The Giants might start engineering a fourth quarter push, but they'll fall short. PANTHERS, 26-20
San Diego Chargers at Tennessee Titans : The Titans showed up nicely against Houston last week, but the Chargers are buzzing from a great offensive battle against Philly. That game taught them some things, which they will apply to this game. The Chargers will move quickly for the Titans to counter. CHARGERS, 30-20
St Louis Rams at Dallas Cowboys : The Rams are actually not bad, they just have trouble closing games. That's been a complaint of the Cowboys, too, but they proved in Week 1 that they are gaining that skill. Their defense fought hard against KC last week, so like them to stand against Sam Bradford and the Rams, too. COWBOYS, 27-20
Tampa Bay Bucs at New England Patriots : New England's offense is suffering, but they still find ways to win. They have had a favorable schedule to give their new offensive players time to get used to working with Tom Brady, and this is another one. The Bucs defense is strong, but their offense is equally suffering. PATS, 17-13
Sunday late games
Atlanta Falcons at Miami Dolphins : Can the Dolphins continue their amazing 2013 and win a third game in a row? I'm not sure, but I think Ryan Tannehill will produce more yards than the Falcons would expect. The key will be whether the Dolphins defense can slow down Matt Ryan and his slate of quick receivers. They may start off well, but I fear the Dolphins defense will tire, allowing Ryan to engineer a second half comeback. FALCONS, 24-23
Buffalo Bills at New York Jets : The only two rookie starting quarterbacks face off. Geno Smith hasn't been bad, but EJ Manuel has breathed live back into the Bills. With the Jets defense suffering, I think the Bills will triumph over the Jets. BILLS, 23-13
Indianapolis Colts at San Francisco 49ers : Miami's defense has shown the league how to hassle Andrew Luck. The 49ers is one of the few teams that probably didn't need that lesson, as their defense is good at harrassing most quarterbacks; only Russell Wilson and Joe Flacco seem to succeed. 49ERS, 27-23
Jacksonville Jaguars at Seattle Seahawks : One of the top offenses in the league goes up against one of the worst. This result won't be tough to call. SEAHAWKS, 24-6
Sunday night
Chicago Bears at Pittsburgh Steelers : Without a running game, the Steelers are setting up for the Bears secondary to cause turnovers, which they do very well. BEARS, 23-10
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos : Terrell Pryor is leading a feisty bunch of Raiders, but feisty won't be enough to overcome the productive offensive behemoth that is the Denver Broncos this season. BRONCOS, 31-23
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