We are halfway through the NFL season with a lot of ups and downs for many teams along the way, but there are five teams that could make the case as being atop the NFL as of today. Here are the NFLs top 5 teams to date.
Kansas City Chiefs
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 27: Xavier
The Kansas City Chiefs are the best team until they are not. The Chiefs are undefeated heading into week 9 and are looking to win their third Superbowl in three years. Mahomes does not lose, even with a depleted group of playmakers due to injuries, Mahomes always finds a way to get it done. Their defense is really good, which allows the offense to be able to game manage, and then let Mahomes either win the game or put the game away late by running the clock out. The Chiefs seem to play every game close, but learning how to win those close games is much more meaningful come January when you are a battle tested team with experience.
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills entered the year with huge question marks at the receiver position, after trading star wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans in the offseason. We saw the lack of skill position players rear its ugly head early on in the season but since then things have changed. The Bills made a trade to acquire a high-level receiver, when they acquired Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns. The Bills sit at 6-2 on the year with a good defense and Josh Allen at Quarterback. There were a few teams that could have earned this spot but given the Bills dominance in recent weeks and the fact they have Josh Allen earns them the spot of being number three up until this point in the season.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers currently sit alone atop the AFC North division and have just started playing their best football on the offensive side of the ball. Coach Mike Tomlin went lone wolf in the decision to take 4-2 starter Justin Fields out of the lineup and replace him with Superbowl winning Quarterback Russell Wilson. Wilson had a shaky first quarter to start his Steelers career and it looked like he was about to be benched. Wilson was able to turn it around and look like prime Russell Wilson through the last 7 quarters he has played. Given the fact the Steelers offense has scored over 30 in two of the past three games, and a quarterback like Russell Wilson running the show, the Steelers can certainly be taken seriously at this point. Their defense has been elite at not allowing points, and they have the best special teams group in football. With that being said, they rank number four on this list.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens would have been third on this list had they not have just suffered a loss to the Jameis Winston led Cleveland Browns. Baltimore owns the NFLs best rushing attack spearheaded by Derrick Henry, and Lamar Jackson. The team just added wide receiver Dionte Johnson in a trade with the Carolina Panthers, giving them a guy who knows how to get open in short yardage situations, potentially helping Lamar and his accuracy problems down the field out. Baltimore’s offensive dominance can’t be denied, but where they struggle is on the defensive side of the ball. The Ravens have the league’s worst pass defense and struggle to beat bad teams. The Ravens have three losses, two of them being to two-win teams, the Las Vegas Raiders and the Cleveland Browns. Baltimore has to get there pass defense in line if they want to be able to take down Kansas City or Detroit. Knowing all of that, they sit at five as of right now.
