Ranking the Current AFC Division Leaders
Now that we are past the mid-way point of the season, it is a good time to evaluate the current AFC division leaders. This season has not gone the way anyone has expected. However, there are a few things that have remained the same. The teams with franchise-altering quarterbacks continue to dominate the league, and this trend is seen powerfully when we look at the top teams in the AFC. However, it still takes a great team and coach to win consistently in the NFL. With all these things in consideration, who are the strongest current AFC division leaders?
1. Kansas City Chiefs - AFC West
The Chiefs continue their winning ways from a year ago as they are remarkably still undefeated. However, they have been in a lot of close games, and their offense is a far cry from where it was last year. Therefore, why are they ranked as the strongest division leader? Patrick Mahomes has been awful to start the season, throwing seven touchdowns to eight interceptions, and yet they still haven’t lost a game yet. I do expect Mahomes to slowly start turning this season around, but it isn’t Mahomes who deserves the credit for the Chiefs’ success, it is the defense. This defense is young, fast, and powerful. This unit, led by their defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, can really step up when this offense struggles to suffocate opposing offenses. Once this offense gets going, the Chiefs will be a hard team to stop as long as their defense continues to show out.
2. Buffalo Bills - AFC East
The Bills are, without a doubt, a top contender in the AFC, as they have been every year with Josh Allen as their established franchise quarterback. Behind his heroic efforts each week, the Bills have a commanding lead in the AFC, and Josh Allen is set up to potentially win the MVP award at the end of the season. However, the Bills may actually be too dependent on their quarterback to perform tremendously every week. In the two weeks in which Josh Allen had a completion percentage under 60% this season, the Bills lost. I expect the Bills to continue to be dominant for the rest of the regular season, but their ceiling is more limited than the Chiefs because the overall team is worse.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers - AFC North
The Steelers are not the team that people expected to be leading the division at this point in the season. The Ravens, with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, are on a roll, and Joe Burrow and the Bengals are just now getting their footing, but for the moment, the Steelers are the division leaders. This division is extremely competitive. However, the Steelers still have a good chance of making the playoffs because of how stout this defensive unit is. I came into the season praising the Steelers for their offseason moves, and now, the acquisitions at quarterback with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields seems to be working for this squad.
4. Houston Texans - AFC South
The Texans have been very hot and cold this season. In the sophomore campaign of C.J. Stroud, the team is leading the AFC South, but now they are facing more injuries than last year. With Stefon Diggs out for the year and Nico Collins just now looking to return to the squad soon off of injury reserve, this team has struggled to find consistency on the offensive side of the ball. This team will likely continue to crush their division as all their other teams in the AFC South are regressing, but that doesn’t mean that this team will thrive once the playoffs arrive. However, if they can get healthy and show a bit more consistency, then they should be taken as a serious threat in the AFC.
