Marcus Mariota and the Titans kick off the second half of our power rankings.
(16) Tennessee Titans:
Why They’re Here: The Titans could make the playoffs but their team doesn’t stack up well compared to other AFC South teams. They don’t have the elite defense like Jacksonville does nor do they have Deshaun Watson. They still need a ton of help in their secondary especially playing in a division with Andrew Luck and Deshaun Watson.
(15) Oakland Raiders:
Why They’re Here: The Raiders have been a little disappointing this season and I thought they had the chance to be a super bowl contender. They still are in my opinion the second best team in the AFC West and with Derek Carr, there is always a chance to do big things but they may be another year away from being super bowl contenders.
(14) Detroit Lions:
Why They’re Here: Watch out for the Detroit Lions as a sleeper team heading into the second half of the season. They have a fairly easy schedule and a top quarterback with Matthew Stafford. If this team gets hot they could sneak into the playoffs.
(13) Atlanta Falcons:
Why They’re Here: Atlanta has been another disappointment this season and most of that blame lies on their offense right now. Matt Ryan, Devonta Freeman, and Julio Jones have been nowhere as good as I expected and it just shows you how good of an offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan was for them.
(12) Carolina Panthers:
Why They’re Here: The Panthers have been better than I expected this season but their offense has been a little sluggish. Cam Newton seems like a hit or miss quarterback every week and Christian McCaffrey has yet to live up to his billing. If this team can get their offense together they could be a scary team in the playoffs.
(11) Jacksonville Jaguars:
Why They’re Here: The Jaguars have probably the best overall defense in football this season and they have some future stars on that team. Leonard Fournette looks like the next Adrian Peterson, Jalen Ramsey is one of the best cornerbacks in football right now, and Myles Jack has been very impressive for them as well. The offseason acquisitions of Calais Campbell and A.J. Bouye have paid major dividends and that front deserves a pat on the back for putting together a winning team with Blake Bortles as their starting quarterback.
(10) Dallas Cowboys:
Why They’re Here: The Cowboys have been about what I expected this season. Dak is a stud quarterback and that offense looks the exact same that it did last year. The defense has been a little bit better but I still see the Eagles as the clear favorite in that division. This team should still contend for a playoff spot even if Zeke gets suspended.
(9) Minnesota Vikings:
Why They’re Here: The Vikings have overcome some major injuries this season and Mike Zimmer deserves a pat on the back for his coaching this season. They are in pretty much the same boat that Jacksonville is in where they have a great defense but a game manager quarterback at best. At this point, I would just stick with Case Keenum as Teddy Bridgewater is coming off a major injury and wasn’t even that good when he was a starter and Sam Bradford is just shot physically.
(8) New Orleans Saints:
Why They’re Here: The Saints high powered offense has been on full display this season and they had a home run draft with the selections of Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramsey, and Alvin Kamara. I see this team as the favorite right now in the NFC South and they have a chance to be a serious contender in the NFC South since they have the chance to outscore pretty much any opponent they play.
(7) Houston Texans:
Why They’re Here: Deshaun Watson is an MVP and offensive rookie of the year candidate and he has been one of the best quarterbacks in football this season. Their record doesn’t really reflect the talent on that team and they pose a major threat to the established teams in the AFC. *Note: This was written prior to Watson’s injury.
(6) Los Angeles Rams:
Why They’re Here: The Texans and Rams are fairly equal teams as they both have budding stars at the quarterback position and a great defense. I am putting Los Angeles ahead of Houston as I feel that they have a better head coach with Sean McVay.
(5) Pittsburgh Steelers:
Why They’re Here: Pittsburgh is loaded at the key skill positions and they now have two budding stars with JuJu Smith-Schuster and T.J. Watt. Big Ben may be nearing retirement but he may have enough left in him to pull out another super bowl victory, especially if that defense continues to step up.
(4) Kansas City Chiefs:
Why They’re Here: Kansas City isn’t quite as good as they were at the beginning of the season but they still have to be considered a top four team. Alex Smith has had one of the most surprising performances of any player this season and Kareem Hunt is an offensive rookie of the year candidate. The defense isn’t quite as good as it was last year but they still have been fairly good considering they have had to overcome the loss of Dontari Poe in free agency and the injury to Eric Berry.
(3) Seattle Seahawks:
Why They’re Here: The Seahawks have greatly improved their team with the addition of Duane Brown and I could easily see them winning the super bowl this year. They addressed their biggest need by adding a top left tackle which Russell Wilson has never really had before. The secondary is the main focus that people think of when they think of the Seahawks but Russell Wilson has frankly been underrated in recent years.
(2) New England Patriots:
Why They’re Here: I see the Patriots as the favorites in the AFC. They have a clear advantage at the quarterback position with their main challengers having Alex Smith and an aging Ben Roethlisberger and Brady is a prime candidate for the MVP award this year. Brady may reach the Michael Jordan title mark if that defense can just improve just a little bit.
(1) Philadelphia Eagles:
Why They’re Here: Philadelphia is the clear favorite in the NFC East right now with Dallas lagging behind a little bit, the Redskins being the Redskins, and the Giants having one of the most disappointing seasons in recent history. Carson Wentz could win MVP this year in only his second season and that team only got better over the trade deadline. The defense has been pretty good as well and it’s hard to think of reasons for why the Eagles couldn’t hoist their first Lombardi Trophy this winter.
