Bob Haynie: The AFC Is Up For Grabs
Who is the best team in the National Football Conference? It's the Green Bay Packers, of course. As a matter of fact, the defending Super Bowl champs are the only undefeated team left in the NFL.
Who is the best team in the American Football Conference? That's a good question. One that can't be answered right now.
The best team in the AFC changes every week.
On Monday, the best team, in my opinion, was the Houston Texans. Well, the Texans, who have won four in a row, may have lost QB Matt Schaub for the season with a foot injury.
Last week, the Baltimore Ravens were the class of the conference. Baltimore has beaten Houston, the Jets and have swept the Steelers. The problem with the Ravens is their inability to beat teams with sub-.500 records.
The Steelers are always dangerous. But they are not the perfect club either as they have lost to the Texans and the Ravens twice.
Do we start looking at the New England Patriots as the kings of the AFC? QB Tom Brady is outstanding but the Pats are bad on defense and can be exposed.
The Cincinnati Bengals have been a pleasant surprise, so far. However, in Andy Dalton, they have a rookie QB. Can he lead them past more established squads in November and December?
The Bills are fading and the Jets are flawed. The AFC West is mediocre.
Who is the best team?
If the Ravens could handle bad teams, they would be the team to beat. But they can't seem to able to do that enough.
The best team in the AFC has yet to reveal themselves.
The next seven weeks of the NFL season of 2011 should be very interesting.
BH
