The Good

New England Patriots 6-2

Aside from two road losses to the Bengals and Jets the Patriots are sitting pretty atop the division.  It seems that the receivers are starting to get in line with Tom Brady and having Rob Gronkowski backs helps too.

Cincinnati Bengals 6-2

They have looked really good so far.  Winning close games and beating teams that they’re supposed to beat.  Four of their last eight games are against division opponents.  Two of those games are against the Baltimore Ravens who have given the Bengals fits the last couple seasons.

Indianapolis Colts 5-2

With big wins over the Seahawks, 49ers and Broncos already in their pocket the Colts look to be a sneaky contender for the Super Bowl this year.  They will need to get more from their running game and losing Reggie Wayne will hurt.

Kansas City Chiefs 8-0

They’re still undefeated and are ahead of the Broncos.  Two things that no one saw happening this season.  They still have to play Denver twice, but even if they lose those two games they are still a playoff team with that defense.

Denver Broncos 7-1

It’s turning into a record breaking year for the Broncos offense. They won’t be able to score at will for every game of the season though with the Chiefs looming for two games and the chance that they could fall flat toward the playoff run.

San Diego Chargers 4-3

Surprisingly the Chargers are in the mix for a Wild Card spot.  Philip Rivers has looked good and the offense has some balance with a good rushing attack.  The defense is still a work in progress, but the Chargers are headed in the right direction.

Green Bay Packers 5-2

After their bye week the Packers are on a four game winning streak and are starting to peak at the right time.  They have had a good amount of injuries on offense, but Aaron Rodgers continues to dominate with whomever can catch the ball.

Detroit Lions 5-3

They’ve been involved in some good games this year, but they’ll need to avoid a let down in the second half.  Green Bay and Chicago are still around and the Lions don’t have the greatest defense in the league to keep them at bay.

Chicago Bears 4-3

With Jay Cutler out for a while with a groin injury the Bears might be out of the playoff race.  If the Bears can win a few games until he returns then they should be in a good position to compete for either the division or a Wild Card spot.

New Orleans Saints 6-1

If Seattle wasn’t as dominant the Saints would be the best team in the NFC.  They have continued their offensive success without any hitch and the defense is playing great aside from one drive against the New England Patriots.

Carolina Panthers 4-3

Sometimes they’ve looked good and other times they’ve looked mediocre.  Regardless the Panthers are a solid team that relies on their defense and quarterback to win games for them.  Sometimes it doesn’t work out, but they are a sneaky good team.

Seattle Seahawks 7-1

Most have been talking about the Broncos and Chiefs, but Seattle is once again becoming a dominant team before our eyes.  One scary thought for them though is the lack of offensive punch with Russell Wilson this season.  His receivers are adequate at best and they’ll need Percy Harvin pretty soon.

San Francisco 49ers 6-2

They have bounced back nicely since their rough patch to start the season.  Time will tell if they can overcome the Seahawks surge in a rematch later this year, but the 49ers are proving that they still are contenders going forward.

The Bad

Arizona Cardinals 4-4

The Cardinals defense has played well, but they are still getting inconsistent play from their quarterback spot.  If Carson Palmer can improve with a pourous offensive line in front of him Arizona could be in contention for a Wild Card spot.

Dallas Cowboys 4-4

They are better than their record indicates, but the Cowboys have had the misfortune of playing in a shootout with the Broncos and giving up a late score to the Lions.  Their defense has played better, but they must avoid those lapses at key moments of the game.

Philadelphia Eagles 3-5

The Eagles stunned the Redskins Week 1, but everyone else has studied that film and learned how to contain the Eagles weapons.  It also doesn’t help that both Michael Vick and Nick Foles have missed time due to injury.  It’s Matt Barkley’s time to shine.

Oakland Raiders 3-4

With the lack of receiving options for Terrelle Pryor it’s amazing that the Raiders have won three games.  Pryor’s running ability has wowed opponents and the return of Darren McFadden as the feature back has put the Raiders above the cellar.

Tennessee Titans 3-4

If Jake Locker hadn’t missed a couple games maybe the Titans would have a winning record at this point, but they have had miscues on defense and no consistency in the running game to offset Locker’s absence.  Maybe a fresh start in the second half will help.

Baltimore Ravens 3-4

It’s been hit or miss with the Ravens this season.  If they run the ball consistently they will win or be close enough to win the game. If Joe Flacco throws the ball more than 50 times, the Ravens are losing or will lose big.  He’s a good quarterback, but something is wrong when he throws it that much.

New York Jets 4-4

No one expected them to win this many games so early in the season.  If Geno Smith continues to show improvement and win some more games he’ll be the favorite for offensive rookie of the year, but the Jets fans will get greedy and think the playoffs are possible.

Miami Dolphins 3-4

They got off to a great start, but have since lost four straight.  And the way they have lost games has been tough.  Ryan Tannehill is doing a great job with his new weapons, but the offensive line has let him down and there doesn’t appear to be a feature back to take pressure of the passing game.

The Ugly

Buffalo Bills 3-5

They have managed to surprise some opponents early in their games this season, but Buffalo manages to trail off and give the game right back to their opponent.  Their record is deceiving, but they’ve looked good on defense this season.

Cleveland Browns 3-5

With the shuffling at the quarterback position the Browns haven’t been able to play consistent football this year.  Trading away Trent Richardson has turned Cleveland into a pass happy offense, but that doesn’t stop them from nearly beating some good teams this year.

Pittsburgh Steelers 2-5

It could have been worse for the Steelers, but to their loyal fans this is as bad as it gets right now.  There is no rushing attack and the receivers have been inconsistent.  The defense has been good, but the lack of turnovers their causing is putting a lot of pressure on the offense to do more.

Houston Texans 2-5

Injuries are always a concern for a team like the Texans, but they didn’t expect their quarterback Matt Schaub to play the way he has this season.  Case Keenum is going to be the guy going forward and that could mean a big second half surge or time to start planning for the future.

Jacksonville Jaguars 0-8

Almost everything about them has been awful this year.  They do have some good players, but the atmosphere has been toxic for them and they are having terrible years.  If the Jaguars do win more than one game it will be a surprise.

Washington Redskins 2-5

Robert Griffin is starting to look better and the running game is picking up speed.  If only their defense would match that play.  Most were keying in on the Redskins offense, but their defense has been their achilles heel this year.

New York Giants 2-6

Their starting to win some games now, but it might be too little too late to start a miracle comeback this year.  The only thing keeping that alive is the fact that the Dallas Cowboys record is only 4-4. The Giants are amazingly still in contention.

Minnesota Vikings 1-6

They’ve had quarterback issues all year and they wish they had what the Cleveland Browns have at this point.  Adrian Peterson would be lucky to get 1,000 yards rushing let alone 2,000 this season and the defense has had a rough year.

Atlanta Falcons 2-5

Injuries on offense have destroyed their fire power and that has put a strain on the defense with them being on the field more than they want to be.  The only hope for them is that they keep their quarterback Matt Ryan upright for him to make plays.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0-7

The Jaguars are the worst team, but the Bucs are making a pretty good case why they should be.  Josh Freeman is gone and they have a rookie quarterback at the helm, but that hasn’t fixed any issues they have with the locker room and the coaching staff.

St. Louis Rams 3-5

They haven’t looked good when they try to run the ball this year and now without Sam Bradford for the rest of the year the Rams passing game is going to get a whole lot worse just when they were starting to be a cohesive unit.