New England Patriots (15/2) Record: 6-1. The Patriots have the best record in the NFL with impressive wins Baltimore, San Diego, Minnesota, and Miami. New England has won its past five games and should win again this week against Cleveland. Through seven games, Brady has 12 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. New England has a tough two week stretch approaching, traveling to Pittsburgh and then hosting Indianapolis. The defense is still young and inexperienced, but has shown significant improvement the past few weeks. This team is more like the early 2000 New England teams than the ones we’ve seen the past few years; they don’t have many stars but they sure know how to win.
Pittsburgh Steelers (15/2) Record: 5-2.The past two weeks the Steelers have proved to be a little vulnerable. But still, a loss to the defending Super Bowl champions is nothing to get worried about. The Steelers defense allows the fewest yards per game in the league while the offense ranks right in the middle. But expect the offense to pickup as Ben Roethlisberger continues to settle in. The Steelers have three tough matchups remaining on the schedule: Jets, Patriots, and Ravens. Even if they lose all three (which they probably won’t) the Steelers should finish 11-5, good enough to make the playoffs and have a run at the Super Bowl.
New York Jets (8/1) Record: 5-2.Even though they were a huge disappointment this past week against Green Bay, there is no doubting that this is one of the league’s best teams. What we did learn from that game was that if a defense focuses on stopping LaDanian Tomlinson and the rushing attack, the Jets have difficulty finding an offensive rhythm. After his hot start, Mark Sanchez has cooled down the past few weeks. Even though they are a game behind New England, the Jets are 3-0 in the division and have a pretty easy schedule the next few weeks. New York should get to the playoffs, and where they go from there depends on Sanchez.
New York Giants (8/1) Record: 5-2. The Giants are one of the few teams who have it going both on offense and defense. New York ranks third in yards per game and second in yards allowed per game. Ahmad Bradshaw is fourth in the league in rushing and has eclipsed 120 yards in three of the past four games. The Giants are first in the NFC East, but have only played one division game (a win against Dallas). That means New York still has a lot to prove within the division, with five divisions games remaining. Overall, the NFC is fairly weak, so pending a meltdown like last season, the Giants should walk into the playoffs, and perhaps even a first round bye.
Indianapolis Colts (8/1) Record: 5-2. That win on Monday helped the Colts avoid a 0-3 start in the division and jump into first place. Don’t be surprised if the stay there for the rest of the year. Peyton Manning is having another MVP season (15 TDs, 2INTs) and somehow finds ways to win with all the injuries this team has sustained. The defense can be shaky at times, but as long Manning is the quarterback, the Colts always have a chance to win it all.
Baltimore Ravens (8/1) Record: 5-2. The Ravens have some big wins to prove they are an elite team (at Jets and at the Steelers). But they also have some games that show that they have some weakness (loss to Cincinnati and an overtime win versus Buffalo). As per usual, the defense ranks in the top 10 in most categories, but is average at stopping the run, ranking 17th. Four of the next five games are against teams with winning records, so the ravens have little room for error. After struggling early, Joe Flacco has turned his season around the past few weeks. If Flacco is on, the Ravens are tough to beat.
Overall: Really there isn’t one favorite to win it all. Any one of these teams could win the Super Bowl. The Patriots, Colts, and Steelers are probably the safest bets because they each have an elite quarterback who has been to multiple Super Bowls.
You can view the super bowl odds for all teams and bet them at Bodog. Also if you are wagering on the NFL games this week be sure to check out Maddux’s NFL football picks. The handicappers have crushed the bookmakers this season and will have another solid week on Sunday.
