NFL Top 5 — Quarter Mark
The 2017 NFL season is officially a quarter of the way through. There have been some surprises to start the season — Patriots and Raiders struggling, rookies dominating, and the winless New York Giants. The Bills are in first place of the AFC East while the Rams sit atop the NFC West. There have been some major season-ending injuries (Dalvin Cook and Eric Berry to name a few) while the Colts keep awaiting the return of Andrew Luck. Overall, it’s been an exciting start to the season and I’m sure it will continue to entertain! Here is my NFL Top 5 of this season’s quarter mark:
- Kansas City Chiefs
It’s no surprise that the NFL’s lone undefeated team sits atop these power rankings. Led by rookie sensation Kareem Hunt (how about that rookie debut game vs. the Patriots — WOW!), the Chiefs are the league’s 2nd best offense. Alex Smith is having a career year and proving all his haters wrong while his top 2 targets — Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce — are displaying their usual supreme talent. Their defense has taken a significant step back thus far this season but it’s somewhat expected with the injuries they’ve sustained. Losing their leader, Eric Berry, in the first game was unfortunate but this team looks resilient. They’ve had some close games but at the quarter mark of the season, they remain undefeated and that’s all that counts.
2. Atlanta Falcons
Tough loss this past weekend against the Carolina Panthers dropped the Falcons to 3–1. Their offense hasn’t fully clicked yet but it’s coming along as they’ve shown a commitment to utilizing both of their running back talents. They head into their bye week at a good time since their top 2 WR’s — Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu — are banged up. They should be able to bounce back as the seasons progresses and prove that last year was no fluke.
3. Green Bay Packers
Sitting at 3–1 tied for first place in the NFC North with the Detroit Lions, things could be worse for the Packers. They are extremely thin at running back but fortunately for the Packers, that’s no new problem. Aaron Rodgers is first in touchdown passes and third in passing yards while putting on his usual incredible shows. WR Davante Adams is questionable for this week’s game versus the Cowboys after suffering a brutal hit to the head in last week’s game. Jordy Nelson leads the league in touchdown receptions (5) but his counterparts, including new TE Martellus Bennett, need to show more.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
It hasn’t been pretty but they’re 3–1 after a big win over division rival Baltimore. The offense has been performing well like Atlanta, they have yet to reach their full potential. Le’Veon Bell got off to a slow start but is getting closer and closer to his usual self while AB continues to dominate each week. Rookie T.J. Watt has been playing well as he already has 2 sacks and an interception. I expect them to rise in the next edition of these NFL power rankings.
5. Denver Broncos
How about their run defense? They’ve held their opponents to 50.8 rushing yards per game and they’ve done it against some of the league’s best — Zeke Elliott, LeSean McCoy, and Melvin Gordon. That’s good enough to place them as the league’s best defense in terms of total yards allowed per game. As for their offense, the passing game has had its ups and downs as expected with QB Trevor Siemian. However, they’ve gotten a huge boost from their potent run game which is currently third best in the league. C.J. Anderson has looked phenomenal averaging 4.5 yards per carry with the fourth most yards among runningbacks. Their schedule is about to get a bit more challenging with the Chiefs, Eagles and Patriots in the near future.
