Around The AFC: Parity Rules As 10 Teams Sit At .500 Or Better
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Looks like most of the AFC is going to be worth talking about for a while.
Usually, the conference playoff race is about just a few teams that have a legitimate shot at making the Super Bowl. It could be something like the Patriots, Steelers, and Broncos. Sometimes it's the Patriots ... and then everyone else. Other times a surprise contender emerges, like the Raiders did last season.
But we're six weeks in to the 2017 NFL season, and right now the AFC is as wide open as it's been in years. There's no clear-cut Super Bowl favorite, the Patriots have yet to separate themselves (even in the AFC East) if they do at all, and the only team that felt like it could pull away from the pack (Chiefs) just lost at home to a struggling team (Steelers).
So far, there are 10 teams that are 3-3 or better, with a couple of 3-2 teams that have had their bye weeks already. Here's a look around the parity-filled AFC and how the Patriots' competition fared in Week 6:
The supposedly reeling Steelers handed the Chiefs their first loss. Congrats to Mercury Morris and the rest of the 1972 Dolphins, who got to celebrate their status as the NFL's last unbeaten team after the Chiefs (5-1) fell to the Steelers at home. The play of the game was a freakish Antonio Brown touchdown that he caught off the helmet of a Chiefs defender before dashing to the end zone.
The Steelers had been the subject of much scrutiny surrounding the diminished performance of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and possible internal problems with Brown. It didn't feel like they had much of a chance to upend the undefeated Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. The resulting game was about as "Any Given Sunday" as it gets.
Now, the 4-2 Steelers hold the tiebreaker over the Chiefs, who hold the tiebreaker over the Patriots. Things could get very interesting in the late-season battle for the byes and quests for home-field advantage.
Deshaun Watson continues to play well for the Texans. It's hard to gauge how good Houston really is right now based on a win over the Browns, who at 0-6 are apparently the conference's only parity-proof team. But it appears that Watson isn't going away any time soon and could legitimately be emerging as a top QB. He threw for three more touchdowns and posted a 103.2 passer rating in the Texans' 33-17 win on Sunday.
The real question for the Texans is whether their defense has enough to keep playing at a high level with both J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus out for the rest of the season. They'll get a real test when they head to Los Angeles to face the high-powered Rams (yes, the Rams) offense in Week 10. But after their Week 7 bye the Texans head to Seattle, which will be a significant test for Watson.
Jay Cutler and the Dolphins are 3-2 after upsetting the Falcons - in Atlanta. Miami hasn't exactly won on the strength of Cutler at QB (75.2 passer rating). But their opponents haven't been much better on offense, either. The Falcons, meanwhile, have now lost two straight home games to opponents from the AFC East as they head to Foxboro for Sunday's Super Bowl rematch against the Patriots. The Dolphins secured the 20-17 win after Reshad Jones intercepted Matt Ryan with less than a minute left.
If the AFC Playoffs began today, the 3-2 Dolphins would earn the No. 6 seed as they hold the "common games" tiebreaker over the 3-2 Broncos. That's basically because the Broncos lost to the Bills, who are also 3-2 and have the No. 5 seed due to holding the divisional tiebreaker over the Dolphins.
The Broncos had a good old-fashioned letdown at home against the Giants. Unfortunately, the Broncos were in the wrong place at the wrong time as they faced a Giants team in an absolute must-win situation with plenty of talent still left on their roster, especially on defense. The G-Men sacked Broncos QB Trevor Siemian four times and nabbed three turnovers, letting Denver into the end zone just once in their 23-10 win.
The difference in the game was a stunning potential 14-point swing at the end of the first half, as Janoris Jenkins intercepted Siemian and ran it back 43 yards for a touchdown. Instead of a 10-10 or 10-6 game, it was 17-3 Giants and the Broncos could never quite get back into the game after that. Between the turnovers and lack of explosive plays, it's clear that the Broncos' middling QB performance could ultimately be their downfall.
Even with Derek Carr back, the Raiders floundered on offense. Oakland is now 2-4 after dropping a 17-16 stunner to the Chargers (2-4) at home. The Raiders are in last place in the AFC West now that the Chargers have the head-to-head tiebreaker over them.
Carr did not look like himself (21-for-30, 171 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions), but claimed that his injured back did not factor into his subpar performance. The Raiders offense generally looked sloppy and out of sync at times. Clearly they will need to get back to an elite level on that side of the ball if they want to be a legitimate AFC contender like they were last year, because the emergence of Carr as a high-end NFL quarterback is what transformed them into a contender in the first place.
The Jaguars are in first place in the AFC South, and their schedule isn't getting any harder. If only the Jags (3-3) could have beaten the Rams at home on Sunday, they'd be in sole possession of first place in their division after six weeks. They currently hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Texans, whom they shellacked in Week 1. Believe it or not, talk of the Jags' playoff chances might not go away any time soon.
Here's the remainder of the Jags' opponents: Colts, Bengals, Chargers, Browns, Cardinals, Colts, Seahawks, Texans, 49ers, Titans. That's quite an easy schedule on paper. It should not be shocking if they find a way to go 6-4 the rest of the way. That's mainly due to what's been an elite pass defense (league-low 60.0 opposing passer rating) so far, and a unit that won't have many big tests for the rest of the regular season. Also, it appears that Leonard Fournette has avoided a major injury and is still a game-changing running back.
Matt Dolloff is a writer/producer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, CBS, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
