NFL Season: What To Do With the 6-2s?

Ray Lewis and the Ravens are looking strong this year, photo courtesy of chicagosmma.com

Entering week 10 of the NFL season, there has been no real breakout team that anyone can say, “hey, they’re the best.” In fact, 6 teams share the best record in the league at 6-2. The New York Jets, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, and Atlanta Falcons are all competing with one another. So…who is the best?

1. Baltimore Ravens – I have to put the Ravens on the top because they have a 2-1 record against three of the other teams that have the same record. The Ravens were able to beat the Jets in the season opener and have also beaten the Steelers in Pittsburgh. Granted, the Steelers did not have Ben Roethlisberger for the game; a division win on the road is still a big win. The Ravens did suffer a heart-breaking loss in New England week 7 by the final score of 23-20, but the Ravens played them tough all game. The Ravens face another one of the top teams this week when they travel down to Atlanta, for what should be a great game.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers – If Big Ben had not been suspended, this team may have been sitting with the best record in the league at this time of the season. One of the losses came without Ben, as mentioned above, to the Ravens. The other loss came against the defending champs Saints. Surprisingly, the Steelers haven’t looked as sharp since Big Ben has made his return. They were barely able to squeak pass Miami, being the beneficiary of a controversial call. They loss to the Saints who have been struggling all season and have not looked like the Super Bowl team of last year. They also were able to hold off a charge from the Bengals on Monday night.
3. New York Jets – The Hardknocks so far have lived up to the hype that they created in the offseason. Ladanian Tomlinson looks like he dropped 3 years in the 3 hour time zone switch. The Jets have won all their division games so far, which will pay dividends at the end of the season. The two losses have come to Baltimore and Green Bay, both teams that are contenders. The Jets have to remain consistent, especially with New England breathing right down their necks. Sanchez needs to expand his offensive firepower if the Jets want to make a run in the playoffs. Sanchez has done well by not throwing the ball over with only 5 INTs, but he’s only thrown 10 TDs in 8 games.
4. New England Patriots – Tom Brady and the Patriots still look pretty good. They’ve remained competitive when many experts thought that they would lose their reign atop the AFC East. The AFC East is going to be a battle to the very end. The Patriots lost to the Jets but have had good wins against Miami, Baltimore, San Diego, and Minnesota. They have themselves a good matchup for week 10 in Pittsburgh, which should have a playoff atmosphere. The Pats have a difficult schedule remaining with games against the Steelers, Colts, Jets, and Packers. If the Pats could win 3 of those games, I believe they will win the division. Luckily for them, 3 of 4 of those games are at home, where they are undefeated. Last week’s loss against the Browns was alarming, so it should be interesting to see how they react.
5. Atlanta Falcons – With the Saints not playing like the Super Bowl team from last year, the Falcons can win the NFC South this year. The one win that stands out is also against those same Saints. The NFC South will have a great race that will lead up to the Week 16 rematch between the two teams. The Falcons win over the Bucs last week was impressive as well, as the Bucs have came out this year with a very successful season. The two losses have come against Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. The Falcons have also been lucky with getting somewhat of a weak schedule. The other four wins have come against underachieving Arizona, San Francisco, Cleveland, and Cincinnati.
6. New York Giants – The Giants have bounced back from a poor season last year to come out to start the season 6-2 to lead the NFC East. The two losses the Giants suffered were against the two real contenders they played, which lands them on the bottom of this list. The losses to Indianapolis and Tennessee show me that the Giants have been able to win a few games in a weak NFC. Wins against Carolina, Chicago, Detroit, and a horrible Dallas team are expected. The win against the Texans was impressive, but the Giants are not real threats in my opinion. They will have to battle with Philadelphia for the division. Keep in mind they still have 2 matchups with Philly.

This is just an opinion…so please, Pardon My Bias.