Entering week four of the 2015-2016 NFL season it is clear that one thing is for certain: the majority of analysts' predictions are irrelevant and horribly incorrect up to this point.
Remember this summer when Tom Brady was supposed to be suspended for the first four games of the season and the Patriots would struggle? When the Seahawks traded for Jimmy Graham and were expected to be an offensive powerhouse and run away with the NFC West? When the Steelers were going to struggle on offense without Le'Veon Bell? When the Colts signed Frank Gore and Andre Johnson and were to rival the best teams in the AFC? When the Raiders were expected to be a cellar dweller for another year? When the Eagles flipped their franchise upside down and were darkhorses to win it all? When the Lions were hoping to compete in their Division? When Carolina was supposed to be the worst team in their division? Well, four weeks deep and it's safe to say all of these expectations need to be trashed.
We will begin with what, in my opinion, is the most interesting division so far, the AFC East. For as long as we can remember, the Patriots have owned this division. And hey, who is to say they aren't going to do it again? The Patriots have absolutely dominated their first three games of the season and look unstoppable. Expectations for the Patriots are always high. "It's the Patriot Way" is Coach Bill Belichick's famous phrase. Until Tom Brady got his suspension reversed in court, experts were picking the Patriots to go 1-3 or 2-2 in their first four games. Even with his suspension reversed it's safe to say nobody thought the Patriots would be this dominant. Patriots have outscored their opponents 119-70 in the first three weeks of the season and are 3-0. This Tom Brady and Patriots team looks hungry for another ring, although I still believe the Patriots will win the division I do believe the Bills and Jets both will both fight and will compete in this division.
Moving on to the NFC West. Who here thought the Arizona Cardinals would have the highest point differential in the NFL and be easily leading the division after three games? Nobody? I figured so. The most frequently heard conversation over the summer was that this division was the Seahawk's to lose and that the Cardinals would compete with them, but it's beginning to look reversed. The Cardinals offense looks better than it ever has, and the defense has steadily improved over three games. This Cardinals team is slowly trending to being a Super Bowl pick. The Seahawks offense looks stagnant, Marshawn Lynch looks like a shadow of himself (just ask my fantasy team), Jimmy Graham seems to be a non factor, and Russell Wilson has been contained greatly compared to his numbers over the first few years of his career. Seattle's LOB (Legion of Boom) defense looks just as scary as it has the past three or four years, and with the late addition of Kam Chancellor it appears that Seattle's defense will be able to always keep them in games. As for the Rams, sorry guys, there is always next year.
Heading over to what is normally the tightest division race in the AFC North, we have some confusion. The Ravens look dead in the water, the Steelers just lost an MVP candidate in Ben Roethlisberger for six weeks, the Browns look confusing like always, and the Bengals are the clear favorite to win this division. Wait, what? The Bengals are a clear favorite to win this division, you read that correctly. The Steelers, Ravens, and Bengals were expected to compete while the Browns were the Browns. The Steelers looked incredible in their first three games, although they lost to the Patriots to open the season the offense has looked dynamic behind Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown, with the addition of Le'Veon Bell this Steelers team was looking to peak. This was all until Roethlisberger was injured and expected to miss at least six weeks. This is the Bengals' race to lose now. As for the Browns, you are 1-0 with Johnny Manziel starting, and that's all I have to say about that.
Wow, how bad do the Colts look? The offense looks awful, and the defense at times just looks confused. The additions of two great players in Frank Gore and Andre Johnson were supposed to help the team right? At 1-2 and holding a -24 point differential, that theory, so far, has been proved wrong. Being bailed out by a young, struggling Tennessee team is about the only thing that has gone right for the Colts so far. Don't fear quite yet though Indianapolis fans, the rest of your division has sucked just as much as the Colts have so far. The possibility of an eight or nine win team making the playoffs is looking fairly likely in the AFC South. Unfortunately besides JJ Watt, there really isn't much else to talk about here.
Looking over in Oakland it seems like things might actually be going right for once. For the first time in twenty-seven games the Oakland Raiders are favored to win a game. Although this still looks like the Broncos' division to lose, the big news in the AFC West is that the Raiders are up and coming. The offense looks young and rejuvenated with Amari Cooper and Derek Carr and the pass rush with Khalil Mack and Aldon Smith looks vicious. Expect the Broncos to easily win the division this year, but not for years to come. This can soon be the division that belongs to the Raiders. Again.
The NFC East was determined to be a two way race between the Cowboys and Eagles. After three weeks the Cowboys are decimated by injuries and the Eagles look out of ideas. The Cowboys still are a clear favorite to win this division but don't sleep on the Giants or Eagles quite yet. I'm still a very big believer in Eli Manning and Sam Bradford to lead their teams to playoff runs. Ground must be made up in the division while Tony Romo and Dez Bryant are out, and if the Cowboys maintain a lead before Tony and Dez return, they will easily return to the playoffs.
Packers. Packers. Packers. That's about all you need to know about the NFC North. The Vikings don't look awful but don't expect them to compete for a whole year. Aaron Rodgers looks bound for another MVP season, and this is the best the Packer defense has looked in the Rodgers era. If this Green Bay team stays healthy they will be one of the favorites to win the NFC and head to the Super Bowl. Don't bother keeping track of the Bears or Lions, both of which are in for a long, painful season.
The NFC South is an interesting division. This looked like the Saints' bounce-back year, and most experts expected them to win the division. It has become blatantly obvious this is not the case. The Saints are beyond awful and the Buccaneers have a rookie quarterback. This leaves two teams left in the division to even compete for it, and compete they will. The Panthers and Falcons both look very respectable with explosive offenses and aggressive defenses. These two teams both have just found ways to win in the first three weeks and don't expect it to end anytime soon.
It is a very long NFL season and many things can change. Expect the unexpected this season. Times appear to be a'changing in the NFL and it's a good thing. Only one thing remains certain during this NFL season: it will be filled with a lot of excitement for the chance at a new year and Super Bowl 50.
