It’s never too early to wonder about your first-place team. As we embark on Week 10, we’re just past the halfway point with a few teams yet to enjoy their bye weeks, and that means it’s time to determine if your team is more pretender or contender.
We exist in a totally what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world, so let’s take a look at the eight division leaders and see where they stack up. But before we do that, let’s send out get well wishes to John Fox and Gary Kubiak. Hope to see you guys on the sidelines soon.
First up, the Cincinnati Bengals, who lead the AFC North at 6-3. Whenever I encounter conversations about the Bengals, the topic always swirls around Andy Dalton. Can Dalton deliver big in the postseason? Dalton’s only a third-year pro with A.J. Green and company at the other end of his throws. Dalton can seem too cautious at times, but I believe he gives Marvin Lewis’ cats a chance to contend.
New England Patriots: 7-2 AFC East; Plain and simple, it’s four words and no, not four-letter words. Bill Bilichick. Tom Brady. There’s something to be said about having a great track record. Contenders!
Indianapolis Colts: 6-2 AFC South; Funny things are happening in the AFC South. 26 games into his career Andrew Luck has engineered ten fourth-quarter or overtime comebacks. Two ways to look at that stat, bet the house that Luck will be down after three quarters and make the push he wins it in the fourth. Still, without Reggie Wayne, the Colts are more pretender than contender.
Dallas Cowboys: 5-4 NFC East; Like they say, everything is bigger in Texas and that includes expectations and hype. The Cowboys are a .500 team waiting to happen, but they exist in a world where a trip to the Super Bowl is expected. Cowboy fans want their team to be flawless every weekend, but the sad truth is they are more pretender than contender.
New Orleans Saints: 6-2 NFC South; Drew Brees is great in those commercials where he’s overcoming a cold and gets a great night’s sleep on the road. Last time I checked the road weary Saints were 2-2 away from home and dropping a ballgame to the Jets. Outside the Superdome the Saints are more pretender than contender – and we all know Super Bowl XLVIII isn’t back in New Orleans this year and isn’t even indoors.
The NFC North is a grab bag. Green Bay, Detroit and Chicago are all at 5-3. The Packers with a question mark about when Aaron Rodgers returns become pretenders. Ditto for the Bears without Jay Cutler, though we may see him on Sunday. The Lions – with Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush alongside Ndamukong Suh and his defensive mates – have the look of a contender.
At 8-1, the Seattle Seahawks have the inside track on home-field advantage in the NFC. If the Seahawks can get their two tackles (Russell Okung and Bremo Giacomini) healthy and the Legion of Boom continues to work its magic, the route to NY/NJ runs thru the Pacific Northwest. True Contenders!
I saved the best for last: the 9-0 Kansas City Chiefs. Could it be smoke and mirrors or the all-knowing and all-powerful OZ behind the curtain? No, it’s just Andy Ried working his magic. We get so used to fantasy football and pay so much attention to offensive numbers that we don’t give enough regard to the best defense on the planet. The Chiefs are allowing less than 14 points per game. If Reid can sprinkle some of his magic on the offensive side of the ball, we won’t worry so much about those guys dressed in orange from Denver. Contenders!
Hit me up on Twitter and let me know what you think about the NFL’s pretenders and contenders.
— James Lofton
James Lofton is the analyst for WestwoodOne’s coverage of Sunday Night Football. This week, James will see New Orleans face Dallas in the friendly confines of the Superdome. Coverage begins at 7:30 PM Eastern on Sunday.
