Now that we are ten weeks through the year, things have, by no means, clearly coalesced.
But I do think there are at least SOME things we can try to discern. Here's my view, right now, on the NFL and where it might be going:
AFC:
1) New England
1A) Baltimore
I'm not quite prepared to write off Brady and the Pats yet, though the loss to Baltimore takes away one of the biggest storylines the NFL could have throughout all this season, not just the AFC. There has also been a significant amount of talk that, at minimum, this is Brady's last NE year, which might force the issue if that becomes public before the Super Bowl in Miami.
That said, the NFL is now clearly saying the best team in the AFC is the Baltimore Ravens. They would make a far more interesting choice regarding the Super Bowl than New England, at least in my opinion, but booger if I could find a reason why. (A common thread.)
Of course, all bets are off if we do find out (without a catastrophic injury to Brady) that Brady will retire in February. It just won't be as obvious as some of us thought for the first half of the season.
3) Las Vegas (Raiders)
Don't look now, but they're 5-4 and KC is 6-4, and it appears as if the sophomore slump has taken the bloom off of the Patrick Mahomes rose which appeared to be in absolute full effect with a lot of NFL advertising at the start of this season.
4) Pittsburgh
Don't tell Urinating Tree, but that Yinzer may have at least some false hope here. After a bad start, it's four in a row for Pittsburgh, and the next three look promising too.
5) Houston
6) Indianapolis
7) Buffalo
Basically three peas in a pod here. All basically placeholders with no real shot (nor do the Raiders, nor probably Pittsburgh -- it really is shaping a two-horse race in the AFC at this point!)...
NFC:
1) Seattle
Tonight's win pulls them to the top spot.
And for the same reason I always talk about with the 12th Man Cult: This is a fanbase the Goodell "Give EVERYTHING To Football!" mentality wants. And people have been talking about Russell Wilson for the MVP most of the season -- and who makes the key running play as everybody vacates the middle late in the OT?
2) Green Bay
I'm reluctant to put them here, but I do for their opponent in a hypothetical NFC title game, rather than that I think they're choice #2 in the NFC, basically because of a lot of what else happened this weekend. (Really, New Orleans? Doubly so, Dallas??? What the fuck, San Francisco????)
3) San Francisco
Could well be a nice legacy game for somebody in the NFL's 100th season in the playoffs, but things took a big hit tonight. Might well again in 2 weeks when they face Green Bay.
4) Minnesota
Did you know they were 7-3? I didn't til I looked. A nice dark-horse candidate, not that anyone is really noticing!
5) New Orleans
And I thought last week's Green Bay loss to the Chargers was a question mark! Atlanta and Miami became only the third pair of teams Pro Football Reference can find who won games in the same week in which both were at least 11-point underdogs. I'm not sold at all, unlike Brian on the Super Bowl XXXVII apology angle, that New Orleans is the choice.
6) Dallas
Still pulls in the ratings, still in the league doghouse.
Yes, oscillations can be wild, and overreactions are to be expected.
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