Week 6 of the NFL season is mostly in the books with the Monday Night Football matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers still the only game left on the slate. With a third of the season now complete, we want to take a step back and look at the handful of teams who have emerged as early threats to make a run all the way to Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas this February.
Below, we’ll rank early contenders coming out of the AFC.
NFL Power Rankings, Week 7: AFC Contenders
1. Kansas City Chiefs (5-1)
The kings stay the kings and the reigning Super Bowl champions will remain at the top of the AFC food chain until someone can directly rip that mantle away from them. Kansas City has ripped off five straight victories following its opening night loss to the Lions, and has gotten the job done even though the team isn’t putting up as explosive numbers as it has in year’s past. That was the case last Thursday when it put down the lowly Broncos with a simple 19-8 victory. The offense still needs other skill position players other than Travis Kelce and Isiah Pacheco to step up, but they should continue to cruise into the midway point of the campaign.
2. Miami Dolphins (5-1)
Speed kills and Miami is proving that on a weekly basis with the top offense in the NFL at the moment. Tua Tagovailoa currently leads the league in passing stats and it helps when you have a barrage of weapons like Tyreek Hill, Raheem Mostert, De’Von Achane, and Jaylen Waddle that can just break off explosive plays at any given time. The Dolphins’ 42-21 victory over the Panthers proved that when once of those weapons goes down with an injury, one of the others will step up in a huge way. If Miami stays healthy, it will remain a serious threat moving forward.
3. Buffalo Bills (4-2)
Buffalo has looked shaky in certain spots, but is a juggernaut when things are clicking. Concerns over friction between Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs are being put to bed as the two are still one of the more lethal 1-2 combos in the entire league. Meanwhile, the defense is stepping up by yielding just 14.8 ppg and has gotten stops in key situations like in the closing moments of Sunday’s game against the Giants. Buffalo has the goods to stay neck and neck with Miami in the AFC East hunt throughout the fall and winter.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2)
Jacksonville stumbled a little bit early, but its 37-20 thumping over the Colts on Sunday marked its third straight win and the Duval boys are starting to roll. Trevor Lawrence has been extremely efficient through the air these past few weeks while Travis Etienne is making his mark as one of the more dangerous running backs in the league. Meanwhile, the defense has created havoc with the most takeaways in the league and that ability to create turnovers will be a useful tool when going up against other good offense in the AFC.
5. Baltimore Ravens (4-2)
Baltimore improved to 4-2 with a victory over Tennessee in London on Sunday and remains as one of the contenders in the AFC. As expected, Lamar Jackson is the engine that is powering the offense and he is completing a career-high 69.9% of his passes. On defense, the unit has been stout and is holding opponents to just 4.0 yards per play. The Ravens would be higher on this list if not repeatedly shooting itself in the foot in losses to both the Colts and Steelers earlier in the year. Injuries have once again creeped their ugly head so far this year, but the team can definitely make some noise if they can stay healthy.
6. Cincinnati Bengals (3-3)
Cincinnati looked broken through the first month of the season, but its performance these last two weeks has elevated the team back into contender status. The team goes as Joe Burrow goes and after dealing with a calf injury to start the year, he’s looking like he’s getting back to his old self. That means Ja’Marr “Always Open” Chase is also getting back to his explosive play and he has combined for 21 catches, 272 yards, and three touchdowns in their victories over the Cardinals and Steelers these past two weeks. The Bengals will be a dangerous team if they can maintain the groove that they’re in.