NFL top 10 teams heading into week nine
It is crazy to believe that the NFL season is about to enter week nine and it is about to be the month of November. Certain teams are going to be making a playoff push and some teams have no hope to make the playoffs in 2017. Here are my top 10 teams entering week nine:
10. Buffalo Bills (5-2): Doug McDermott has turned the culture around in Buffalo. They are playing hard and they are very disciplined. LeSean McCoy is one of the most underrated running backs in the NFL. Tyrod Taylor has done well enough to have the Bills off to a 5-2 start.
9. Carolina Panthers (5-3): For some strange reason, the Panthers play better on the road than they do at home. Cam Newton has been inconsistent at times, but he is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL when he is on. The defence has played a lot better. Christian McCaffrey and Devin Funchess have helped Cam Newton out big time this season.
8. Los Angeles Rams (5-2): Jared Goff and Todd Gurley have been the heartbeat of this Rams offence so far this season. If one of them were to get hurt, the offence would lose its mojo. The defence is up and down, but it has top-five talent.
7. Seattle Seahawks (5-2): The Seahawks have escaped with wins somehow in its last three games. They could have easily gone 0-3 in games against the Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants, and the Houston Texans. Russell Wilson is putting the team on his back right now. The defence isn't exactly perfect.
6. New Orleans Saints (5-2): The Saints have a solid running back tandem in Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram. Their defence is getting more physical and they are forcing turnovers. Drew Brees has help and his connection with Mike Thomas is one of the best in the NFL.
5. Minnesota Vikings (6-2): Case Keenum has played exceptionally well for the Vikings. He hasn't turned the ball over much and that is the key. They have a good running game despite losing Dalvin Cook earlier in the season. Their defence is one of the best in the league.
4. New England Patriots (6-2): Whenever Tom Brady is healthy, the Patriots will always be a top-10 team in the league. They haven't been flashy in their six wins this season, but they are simply getting the job done. Their defence has been fundamentally better, but the Patriots still lack a pass rush.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (6-2): The Chiefs just had one bad week when they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders in a span of five days. Otherwise, the Chiefs have played very good football so far this season. Kareem Hunt has been quiet as of late, but he is still a major part of this Chiefs offence. The Alex Smith and Travis Kelce connection is something else.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2): It looks like the Steelers have another legit offensive weapon in JuJu Smith-Schuster. He has seven receptions for 193 yards receiving and a touchdown in the Steelers 20-15 win over the Detroit Lions. If Smith-Schuster gets rolling, the offence might become impossible to stop. They already have Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell, and Antiono Brown. The defence has played exceptionally well. Joe Haden has been a shutdown corner in the Steelers secondary and they have a legit pass rush.
1.Philadelphia Eagles (7-1): Carson Wentz is a magician for the Eagles and he might be the favourite to win MVP right now. Philadelphia also run the ball well, but they might have just messed up their chemistry in acquiring Jay Ajayi from the Miami Dolphins. The defence has been underrated all year long.