1. Eagles

Offense seems unstoppable with Carson Wentz at the helm, and the defensive front 7 is the best in football. Trading for Jay Ajayi gives them somebody who can chew out the clock when they get out to an early lead. NFC Champions pick right here.

2.) Patriots

They were once counted out, but time and again they silence the doubters. Matt Patricia's defensive turnaround has been the story so far.

3.) Steelers

Defense looks great, T.J. Watt seems like a snag in hindsight and the DB's are putting together a no-fly-zone. Big Ben has one year left before the Steelers title window is closed, and I expect the team to rally around him and make a deep playoff run.

4.) Rams

Goff seriously looks like a new QB since the arrival of Sean McVay. Kudos to him for taking a perennial loser and making them an exciting team to watch. Goff is in my opinion a superior arm talent to Kirk Cousins, and McVay was able to make Kirk look like a top 10 QB so it is no surprise that Goff is ascending to a similar place. Still, I feel uncomfortable ranking the Rams ahead of proven contenders like the Patriots simply because I can't see them beating the Patriots in a high stakes game, and football is all about the games played in January.

5.) Chiefs

Andy Reid is doing it again. He has found success in creative offensive plays, and really maximizing his players unique talents and skills. Seems like trading up for a QB last draft really lit a fire under QB Alex Smith, as he has stepped up his game tremendously and been a huge reason why this team continues to win games and be a super bowl threat.

6.) Redskins

The Redskins offense looks significantly worse than it has in years prior. Injuries to the offensive line, losing Sean McVay as a coordinator and giving play calling duties to Jay Gruden are all compounding factors. Pierre Garcon and Desean Jackson are really missed this year, as this recieving core has been the liability of a low-powered offense. Terrelle Pryor has not lived up to hype or potential and has played inconsistent, and to perpetuate a bullying cycle that started with my football coaches in middle school, sometimes it seems like he couldn't catch a cold if he licked a f@#%ing toilet seat.

Nonetheless, coming off a win over Seattle where the defense looked insane, the Redskins are trending up.

7.) Seahawks

The offense looked great against the Texans two weeks ago, and the defense looked not great. Last week against the Redskins, the roles reversed as the Seahawks struggled to get anything going offensively, but the defense was prolific in sacks and limiting the Redskins to short-yardage plays. Russel Wilson has the clutch gene, and this team is always a super bowl contender with him under center.

8.) Saints

The defense is finally playing well enough for Drew Brees to have a shot at titletown again. When firing on all cylinders, this team will be tough to take down. Rookie RB Alvin Kamara is looking like a steal for a 4th round pick, and he has really given Sean Payton and this offense an extra dimension that they have been missing since Reggie Bush/Darren Sproles.


9.) Jaguars

Jags actually look good this year, despite Blake Bortles apparent lack of talent. The high draft picks and free agent acquisitions seem to finally be paying off, as this defense looks unstoppable and the offense isn't a liability.


10.) Vikings

Not super high on the Vikings, as I believe any top-tier team will be able to key in on their offense and win a war of attrition come playoffs time. Nonetheless, gotta give credit where its due so their defense looks awesome .

11.) Cowboys

Awful. Trash Team.

12.) Bills

Look good. I like the roster moves they are making, and they seem to be stocking up on draft picks for a serious rebuild. New HC has the teams demeanor looking a lot more determined than his predecessor Rex Ryan.

13.) Panthers

Cam Newton doesn't seem like he's gonna ever return to MVP form, but this new "shorter and faster" offense has yet to been fully debuted so I will give him a few more weeks. Defense looks good though. Luke Keuchley is a strong candidate for DPOY.

14.) Lions

Matt Stafford hasn't taken the Lions to the big game yet, but he has played so well these past two years its hard to imagine that the team won't get there soon. Like they say in urban dice games, "If she wink she f#@."


15.) Raiders

Raiders have regressed to a middle of the pack team. Their trajectory has been a roller coaster in the past 5 years, going from one of the worst teams in the league, to being a super bowl favorite last year sans Derek Carr's injury. Carr doesn't look as sharp as he was once praised as being, and the defense on paper should be nice but this team hasn't pulled off anything that convinced me that they will be anything other than mediocre. Marshawn Lynch = Bad locker room guy?


16.) Chargers

Phillip Rivers needs a ring! They showed in a close game with the Patriots a few weeks ago that they have the capacity to hang with any team in the NFL, its just a matter of consistency. Joey Bosa has paid off as a huge hit in the draft.

17.) Broncos

Have a huge soft spot for the Broncos. Love the "7th round pick QB, sits in a QB room with Peyton Manning for a few years, becomes him" story behind Trevor Simiean but if we are honest he has looked bad, and Brock Osweiler is now the starter for the Broncos in a weird, roundabout full circle of irony. Von Miller continues to be a stud, but considering the current state of the team, his efforts seem to be for naught.

18.) Falcons

Not a fan. Thought last years success was a fluke, and not to pat myself on the back but I totally seem to be right. I like their emerging young defense, but i habitually root against Matt Ryan. One of the few players I hate, and think are just losers, with no real solid evidence or reasoning other than a vibe. Nonetheless I pride myself as an excellent vibe-reader and feel confident branding Matt Ryan a loser. Vic Beasly is a favorite player of mine though, and it will be exciting to see how Dann Quinn will continue to mold this young, athletic, 4-3 defense.



19.) Texans

I loved the Texans as a dark horse candidate, until about 2 weeks ago when they lost their star rookie QB. Missing Watson, the Texans are too defunct to win in the playoffs (as we have seen in the past). J.J. Watt's absence doesn't help.

20.) Packers

Coach Mike McCarthy keeps insisting that Brett Hundley isn't the teams problem, but one of my superpowers is that I can smell insecurity from a mile away. Packers got routed by the Lions on MNF and it was not as close as the score would indicate. Packers look pretty bad without Rodgers, and a new regime of coaches could do this team well. I've heard an old saying in football, that if you have the same coach for too long, eventually their mantras and philosophies become redundant and they fall on deaf ears of veteran players. Let's get a 40 year old offensive guru in here and shake things up.

21.) Titans

Mariota's injury limits him as a runner, and therefor limits an entire dimension of the "exotic smashmouth" offense that the Titans famously like to execute. They are a but of a liability on defense, and not a real playoff contender, but there are worse teams.

22.) Cardinals

Title window seems officially closed, if there was ever one. Carson Palmer looked very old prior to his injury, and without a solid insurance policy in place, the Cards aren't going anywhere with backup Drew Stanton.

23.) Bears

Trubisky is exciting to watch. The talent is there, the poise is a work in progress, but unfortunately for him and the Bears there is not a real supporting cast in place this year that is conducive to winning games.

24.) Buccaneers

Losing Jameis Winston for any significant amount of time puts an already floundering team deeper in jeopardy of being bad. Defense can't win games, although stud center piece Lavonte David is putting together a great individual season.


25.) Ravens

Watching the Ravens and Titans Week 9 game this weekend made me realize a few things, one of which being that the Ravens are a boring team to watch this season. Their defense looked awesome in the preseason, but they are a far ways away from their AFC Championship days. Flacco and Harbaugh aren't on the hot seat this year, but look for them to be next year.

26.) Dolphins

Cutler rox

27.) Bengals

Marvin Lewis is getting fired this year

28.) Colts

Colts have half-deserved their new title as "3rd worst team in football" but I have higher hopes for this team than that. New GM Chris Ballard seems to know what he's doing, and if Andrew Luck ever comes back he will return to a much more talented roster than when he left. Jacoby Brisset has been picked on (and off) a lot, but I think he has done a great job, given his circumstance. He's a young guy who got traded in the beginning of the season and thrown into the fire of a starting role before he even knew the playbook or his teammates.


29.) Jets

Nobody wants to admit that Josh McCown looks pretty good, but he does. A few years ago when he was in Chicago with Jay Cutler, and Cutler got hurt, he showed a lot of potential filling in as a starter. He and Alshon Jeffery were a fun combo to watch. He looks good in NY too, only this time with Robbie Anderson as his most talented weapon. I don't think many people thought the Jets would win many games this year, and i'm sure many people are waiting for them to regress to the mean as "one of the worst teams in football," but simply going by the eye-test with no pre-conceived notions



30.) Giants

Bad team

31.) 49ers

Potential. Love the Jimmy G trade and all of the young talent along the defense front 7, but at this point they are losing too many games to be considered anywhere buy the bottom of the league.

32.) Browns

"Browns are gonna finally turn it around this year" - every optimistic NFL Draft fan.

This organization is cursed, seemingly, and I have no idea how to fix it or what to say other than they are just really bad. They show flashes of competitive competence, but it never translates to wins. At this point, its hard to image how they can turn things around. Maybe bring in a priest, at least three swords, A license to ill from the Beastie Boys, Three Ouija boards, a squeegee, and please be warned, don't ask what the squeegee's for. Or former GM Scot McCloughan. Don't be surprised if he signs on with this team or the Jets in the offseason.