So I guess we are now just about halfway through the 2019 NFL regular season... What does the storyline look like?

Easy answer?  New England Versus Everybody.

Not that New England has played Jack Nor Shit on their schedule yet. 

Pittsburgh (2-5)
Miami (0-6)
The Jets (1-6) twice
Washington (1-7)
The Giants (2-6)
Cleveland (2-5)
and the one half-decent team took a big hit today, Buffalo (5-2)

So if you count the Jets twice, the eight teams they've beaten have 14 wins between them.

14-43.

That said, there's a lot of talk this is Brady's last year in New England.

So how does the AFC look, standings and storyline?

Standings:

New England is the 1.

Baltimore and Indy are 5-2 and won't play.    Indy is 4-2 in the AFC, Baltimore 3-2.  Indy is the 2, Baltimore the 3.

Kansas City is the 4 at 5-3.

Buffalo is the 5 at 5-2, Houston the 6 at 5-3.

Not really much to shout about at all in the AFC at this point, story-wise.  I mean, is there ONE compelling team in the AFC, especially now that Kansas City is 5-3 and all???

At least the Pats finally have to play Baltimore at Baltimore next week before their bye week -- the first real indication we may get as to how good they really are.

NFC, quite a bit more interesting, especially with Drew Brees back.

San Francisco is 7-0 and the #1.  Fuck all if I know HOW they got to 7-0, but 7-0 they are!   (Tampa 2 wins, Cincy none, Pittsburgh 2, Washington 1, Cleveland 2, but Carolina 4 and the Rams 5).

The Saints are the 2 and the Pack the 3 on the same basis that the AFC has the same situation.  But at 7-1 no less when no AFC team has one loss.

Dallas is the 4 because they had their bye week.

The Vikings and the Seahawks are 6-2 and the wildcard teams -- they play December 2 on MNF.

That's right.  The six current playoff teams in the NFC have nine losses between them, and one is to each other.

I'm still not sold on San Francisco being the pick.  I really am not.

I know Brian Tuohy picked New Orleans as a XXXVII-style makeup for the PI non-call, but those two lawsuits are not something the NFL tends to like.

Right now, if I had to do a reorder, though:

New Orleans a begrudging 1 and Green Bay 2, and both for the same reason -- if it's going to be Brady, he's going to need an opponent.  Seattle is the 3, same reason.  San Francisco/Seattle winner is the 4, Vikings the 5, and the NFC West wildcard the 6.