1. Philadelphia Eagles– Was there any reason why they wouldn’t be up here at the top of the rankings once again? At 8-1, this team continues to have people talking. I remember when the running game was a big-time concern for them in the preseason, my how things have changed since then. They have a nice tandem out the backfield in Jay Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount and their defense will be receiving a boost with Ronald Darby returning to the secondary healthy. The offensive line has even played well since losing Jason Peters for the year with tears to his ACL and MCL. It’s Cowboys week for the Eagles and they will look to clinch their first winning season since 2013 with the win.
2. New England Patriots– Five wins in a row and counting, that is exactly where they stand right now. I truly felt their win in Denver last Sunday was one of the more impressive ones because they started quickly and never looked back. No football team is better at scheming and attacking than the New England Patriots. They stayed away from that Broncos secondary and attacked the middle of the field along with creating mismatches. The greatest coach I’ve come to know in Bill Belichick is a single win away from surpassing another coaching legend in Tom Landry, what an unbelievable accomplishment. Since we’re talking about history, the greatest quarterback ever won his 86th career road coming last week surpassing Peyton Manning for the most in NFL history. It’s onto Oakland now (Belichick’s voice)
3. Los Angeles Rams– They continue to wow me by the week. Age means nothing because Sean McVay is the youngest coach in the league and has the Rams in a prime position to win their division, something they haven’t done since they were in St. Louis. This offense can strike at any moment. Jared Goff has been looking like the guy that was selected first overall in the 2016 draft. They can run the ball, they throw it well and spread it around to the open guy and Wade Phillips has them playing great defense. This is the biggest game for the Rams in many years against the 7-2 and division- leading Minnesota Vikings.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers– They didn’t look all that great in Indy last week, but they made up for it when they handled their business against the Tennessee Titans on Thursday. Antonio Brown is still the best wide receiver in the NFL today and he had a big game where he scored three touchdowns. Every game here on out is important for the Steelers especially with the Patriots right on their tails.
5. New Orleans Saints– Last week in Orchard Park against the Buffalo Bills, they showed that they are more than just a dome team and how they’re able to make adjustments as an offense. When they’re home, the football is flying all over the place and when they’re on the road, they will establish the running game and last week, their offense accounted for six touchdowns but here’s the interesting thing: Brees didn’t throw any of them. I truly feel that this is the second-best team in the NFC behind the Eagles.
