1. Baltimore Ravens– Last Sunday was a statement win. In a game where the headlines surrounded the quarterbacks, this was probably the most complete the Ravens have looked all season long. Lamar Jackson was on his a-game as usual, they ran the football, but the stars of the game were the defense. Ten quarterback hits on Deshaun Watson, seven sacks and held the Texans offense to seven points. They’re rolling right now with six straight wins. They also own the head to head tiebreaker over the New England Patriots. Let the Pats lose a game, the Ravens could be locked into the top seed in the AFC. The playoffs are a wonderful thing to discuss, aren’t they?
2. San Francisco 49ers– I was wondering how’d they bounce back after losing a tough game the week before to Seattle. The Cardinals gave them all they could handle a few weeks ago on Halloween and last Sunday, they played them tough once again. The good teams always find a way to prevail. With the win on Sunday, they still own the best record in the NFC at 9-1. These next few games will be tough for the 49ers. Green Bay comes to town tonight for a Sunday night showdown, next weekend, they travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens, then in two weeks, they have a date with the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome. These will all be challenging games for them.
3. New England Patriots– After the bye, I knew for a fact the Patriots would be as focused as they’ve been all year long. Especially after losing how they did in Baltimore. The defense did its part once again holding the Eagles to ten points. I think it’s safe to say there’s a cause for concern with their offense. Brady had 21 incompletions. Those are passes they usually connect on. They don’t have that big-play threat. Mohamed Sanu is still a work in progress and learning the offense. With a win today, the Patriots could become the first team in the NFL to reach the double-digit win plateau.
4. New Orleans Saints– They bounced back nicely after being embarrassed the week before at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons. Michael Thomas continues to amaze me. This is someone who just got a contract extension in the Summer who’s playing as if he needs to prove something. He’s become a top five wide receiver in the NFL. The Saints offense had a nice day at the office last weekend in Tampa Bay. Now, they welcome the Kyle Allen led Panthers to the Superdome for another divisional game.
5. Seattle Seahawks– They’re back after a week off. They handed the 49ers their first loss of the season. I like the shape they’re in right now. 8-2, owns the tiebreaker over San Francisco with one more game against them on the schedule. They could easily swoop in and win this division. Today, they’ll face the Philadelphia Eagles. In the Pete Carroll era, they’ve been known to do well on the East coast. A win today will give the Seahawks another winning season.
