Top Teams in the NFL Right Now
By Brooke Brottman
It is Week 7 and it’s a fun time of the year where we see some teams starting to separate themselves from the pack, while others fall to the bottom. There are also those teams who move from good to bad and back again on a week-to-week basis. At this point in the season, every game matters. This is the time where teams and players can have a breakthrough season and we will find out which teams have the ability to win it all and take home the trophy. There were four undefeated NFL teams heading into Week 6: Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, Tennessee Titans, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now, with the Packers’ loss on Sunday, only three remain.
The Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are one of the best teams in the NFL right now, if not the best. This year, the Steelers are allowing only an average of 18.8 points per game while scoring 31.2. This is a team that managed to go 8-8 last season with Ben Roethlisberger hurt. With Roethlisberger back, the Steelers came into this season with the highest of hopes and expectations, and it is fair to say that so far they've looked as good as anyone. It’s rare for the Steelers to fly under the radar, but they have not gained much attention for their undefeated start. They have stars on offense and a defense that was one of the best in the NFL this season. The Steelers crushed the Browns 38-7 on Sunday. They sacked Baker Mayfield four times and intercepted him twice. They had three rushing touchdowns and more than 34 minutes of possession. They held one of the best running teams in the league to 75 yards on 22 carries. The Steelers are now 5-0, a half-game clear of the Baltimore Ravens for first place in a very strong AFC North division. However, now they face a tough road game against the Tennessee Titans next week.
The Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs, despite being 4-1 this season have remained as one of the best, if not the best team in the NFL, and are favorites to make a Super Bowl appearance yet again. Kansas City got back on track Week 6 against the Buffalo Bills on Monday. Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire put up 161 yards on the ground. Also, Kansas City’s defense limited Josh Allen to 122 passing yards, which helped Kansas City pound its way to a 26-17 win. If these two components continue to step up for Head Coach Andy Reid’s squad, opposing teams are going to have a hard time defeating Kansas City.
The Seattle Seahawks
Another team that everyone should watch out for is the Seattle Seahawks. Every year it seems that they are among the favorites for the Super Bowl entering the season, and 2020 is no different. With an average of 33.8 points per game, Seattle possesses the highest-scoring offense in the league, just ahead of the Titans, Packers, and Steelers. The Seahawks are 5-0 despite having a weak defense. They allowed a combined 1,292 passing yards over their first three games, easily the most to begin a season in NFL history. They had been fine against the running game until Sunday night versus Minnesota when they gave up 201 yards on the ground. The 2,356 yards Seattle gave up are the most by any team through five games since the 1950 Colts. However, the main reason why the Seahawks remain undefeated is their ability to force turnovers. They’re tied for second in the NFL, forcing 10 turnovers, and it is helping them get stops in critical moments.
One of the strangest things about the NFL is that the relatively small sample size of a 16-game season still gives plenty of time for variation. Sometimes a very good team has a very bad game, and sometimes vice versa. Oftentimes, things go back to normal seven days later. However, one thing is for certain, each team is competing each week in hopes of being crowned World Champs in the end.
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