Buffalo Bills and the 5 Most Fraudulent Teams in the NFL

To quote my man Denny Green, the teams on this list are who we thought they were.

Or are they?

It's Week 10 in the topsy-turvy NFL, and it's still impossible to tell what's what.  The great leveling effects of parity have made sure that we really don't know anything. 

At the same time, that's what made the Buffalo Bills' 3-0 start so impressive.  Nobody expected these guys to contend, yet in Week 3 against the perennial Super Bowl-contending New England Patriots, upstarts Ryan Fitzpatrick and Fred Jackson carried Buffalo to a breathtaking come-from-behind victory that improved their record to 3-0.

It was official: These guys were the real deal.

Seven weeks later, the once-unbeatable darlings of the NFL are 5-4, and they can find no cobbler in the world who can repair their glass slipper. 

But they're not the only team in the league that's managed to pull the wool over our eyes in the early going.  

Who else in the NFL has hoodwinked us?  Let's identify some frauds. 

5. Tennessee Titans

The Titans destroyed the Carolina Panthers to improve their record to 5-4, riding the latest chapter in Matt Hasselbeck's return to relevance to victory.  

But let's face it.  The AFC South is down this year, CJ2K clearly isn't the back he used to be, and Kenny Britt's injury has crippled the Titans' ability to generate any kind of consistent offense.  

Their real chance to emerge as true contenders came in Week 7, when they played the upstart Texans at home and stared at a golden opportunity to take control of the division in the face.

Without Andre Johnson, Matt Schaub picked apart the Titans' secondary and Arian Foster wore down their front seven.  

The Titans have shown time and time again that they won't be able to hang with the big boys for the long haul.  It won't be long before Tennessee falls out of the playoff picture entirely. 

4. Philadelphia Eagles

Remember when the Eagles were the Miami Heat of the NFL or whatever?

That has become more than a distant memory after what qualifies as their worst loss of the season, a 21-17 defeat at the hands of the lowly Arizona Cardinals.  

Andy Reid benched DeSean Jackson to exert his authority in a way I'm sure not even he understands. And boy, that large seat of his is sure getting warm.  

In a mediocre NFC East, Philly has no excuse to be as bad as they are, and yet they're gawdawful.  So much for that "statement" win against the Jekyll-and-Hyde Cowboys last Monday night.  

The daunting pile of issues they have yet to sort through is indicative of a disordered mass of players that hasn't figured out how to get the job done together, not a "team" in any true sense of the word.    

I think it's safe to say the Eagles aren't going to turn the corner anytime soon.  

3. Cincinnati Bengals

Nobody expected much out of the Bengals before the season started, so the fact that they are still 6-3—following a hard-fought loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers—is an accomplishment in and of itself.

But it's time to suppress the growing wave of opinion that suggests this team is for real.  Honestly, who have they beaten?  The equally (if not more) overrated Buffalo Bills?  Please.

Today against the Steelers, the Bengals squandered their first real chance to make their presence felt. Dalton has enjoyed several memorable moments in his first season; to me, he's exhibited more signs of future success in his rookie season than his headline-grabbing counterpart Cam Newton. Unfortunately, his late interception which ended the potential game-tying drive probably won't make any personal highlight reels.  

Those are the throws that separate the contenders from the pretenders.  Cincinnati just entrenched itself in the latter category.

2. New York Giants

Well, well, well, Eli.  

Not only are you the creme de la creme of the Manning family with brother Peyton on the shelf, but you've managed to lead the New York Football Giants to a respectable 6-3 record, good enough for first place in the NFC East.  

However, with the Eagles and Cowboys struggling to find any semblance of consistency, and the Redskins in complete shambles, the division isn't exactly comprised of world-beaters in 2011.  

And after very poor early losses to the 'Skins and the Seahawks, nobody really knew who the Giants were either.  A last-minute victory over the Patriots in Foxboro gives them some credibility, but beating the Patriots this season is equivalent to beating Texas A&M in the college game—looks pretty because of New England's reputation and culture of winning, but the Pats can only lose so many times before beating them can be considered any real accomplishment.

I know what my opponents will say, too: "The G-Men have been absolutely ravaged with injuries, and they're still managing to beat people."

If New York had managed to prevail over San Francisco for their second quality win in as many weeks, I might have been ready to concede the point.  But they failed to accomplish that, and I just don't see these guys winning more than one playoff game.

So stop tooting their horn, New York. 

1. Buffalo Bills

Well, it was fun while it lasted, Buffalo.  

It's not that they've lost four of six since their torrid start.  Well, it is—but the most recent defeat at the hands of an uneven Cowboys squad turned the carriage back into a pumpkin and brought the flimsy facade of legitimacy crashing to the ground.  

A 5-4 record in a very competitive AFC just won't cut it this season.  

Don't get me wrong; this team is headed in the right direction.

But if you think that the Bills are playoff-bound after what we witnessed on Sunday, you're as deluded as...well, as the fans of the other teams on this list.