By Mike Ferris
1. New England is the best team the league has to o6er right now. The Patriots are 8-0 and winning by an average of almost 17 points. Tom Brady leads the league in touchdown passes with 22 and passer rating with a 113.5. This team looks like a lock to win the AFC East. The loss of running back Dion Lewis, however, won’t help this team.
2. Carolina is the best team in the NFC. Despite the highly touted Green Bay Packers being in the same conference as Carolina, the Panthers are trending up, while the Packers aren’t. Carolina’s biggest margin of victory this year is just 14. Cam Newton is winning the close ones and that’s a positive attribute to have come playo6 time.
3. Don’t sleep on Denver. The Broncos may have lost a close game to Indianapolis Sunday, but that was just their first loss of the year. Denver made Rodgers’ Packers look awful a couple weeks ago, and, despite having Peyton Manning, this team relies on its defense. Denver has everything it needs to beat New England, a stellar secondary and terrific pass rush. Remember, defense wins championships.
4. Philadelphia will win the atrocious but highly-contested NFC East. Newcomer DeMarco Murray appears to be settling in, running for 343 yards and three touchdowns in his last four games. Without Romo, Dallas can’t compete, and New York plays New England, Carolina and the Jets in the next five weeks, all potential losses. In the next three weeks, the Eagles play three teams with seven total wins.
5. Todd Gurley will win O6ensive Rookie of the Year. The 21-year old, who tore his ACL in his senior year at Georgia, has rushed for 664 yards and four touchdowns so far this year. After being held out until Week 3 due to recovery, Gurley has done all his work in just six games, giving him an average of almost 111 yards per game.