A man’s sport? I kindly disagree.

I have been obsessed with football since I could catch a ball. Every hot summer day growing up, I’d be at my grandparents with my Uncle who would loft a football thirty to forty yards away and I would put all my might into catching it at age ten. My interest really started to peak in high school. Our football team was the “bomb.com” and I was interested in how everything worked, how dynamic it was and I NEVER missed a Varsity game. I left the stadium with no voice, ears ringing, and feeling every emotion our team did. I believe that being at the game is more exciting than watching it on television, but there are far too many High School and College teams to write about, so I chose the thirty-two teams of the NFL. I will focus on my personal top six teams in the AFC and NFC along with giving you my key players for each team.

A few things to remember throughout my article: I am a Michigan Native (with no love for the Lions) and I am the biggest New York Giants fan you’ll ever meet.

NFL: National Football League

Two Conferences: AFC (American Football Conference) and the NFC (National Football Conference)

Sixteen Teams in both, split into divisions: AFC North, AFC East, AFC South, AFC West, NFC North, NFC East, NFC South, NFC West

Teams in Each Division based on rank as of November 16^th, 2016

AFC North:

1. Baltimore Ravens
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Cincinnati Bengals
4. Cleveland Browns

AFC East:

1. New England Patriots
2. Miami Dolphins
3. Buffalo Bills
4. New York Jets

AFC South:

1. Houston Texans
2. Tennessee Titans
3. Indianapolis Colts
4. Jacksonville Jaguars

AFC West:

1. Kansas City Chiefs
2. Oakland Raiders
3. Denver Broncos
4. San Diego Chargers

NFC North:

1. Detroit Lions
2. Minnesota Vikings
3. Green Bay Packers
4. Chicago Bears

NFC East:

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. New York Giants
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. Washington Redskins

NFC South:

1. Atlanta Falcons
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. New Orleans Saints
4. Carolina Panthers

NFC West:

1. Seattle Seahawks
2. Arizona Cardinals
3. Los Angeles Rams (previously St. Louis Rams)
4. San Francisco 49ers

My MVPs of the AFC:

#6: Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans aren’t usually noted for their football team, typically being overshadowed by The University of Tennessee Volunteers exceptional football program. The record stands still at 5-5. This team has shown immense fight playing in all close games, only losing or winning by one or two scores. Well, at least until they rolled over the Green Bay Packers this week. Marcus Mariota and Derrick Henry have the “dynamic duo” nickname all to themselves. Both are very characteristic in the way they play football and how they act off the field.

Key Players: Demarco Murray: Running Back, Marcus Mariota: Quarterback and Delanie Walker: Tight End

#5: Houston Texans

J.J. Watt has been injured this year but the team continues to play hard fought games throughout the season. This team is on the up rise. The players are all young with great potential to bring the Texans to a championship.

Key Players: DeAndre Hopkins: Wide Receiver, Jadeveon Clowney: Linebacker, J.J. Watt: Defensive End

#4: Denver Broncos

Three of four AFC West teams are in my top four AFC Conference MVPs. It puzzles me how a 7-3 team can be number three in their division. The answer is that this division is just that talented. Without Peyton Manning, a lot of people were skeptical of their continued success, but they still show heavy competition.

Key Players: Von Miller: Outside Linebacker, Demaryius Thomas: Wide Receiver, Aqib Talib: Cornerback

#3: New England Patriots

A forbidden three words in my vocabulary. However, I’m not one to not recognize a good ball club. Besides the fact that they are known for their superior cheating skills, they still possess Rob “The Gronk” Gronkowski and Tom “Cheats A lot” Brady. I hate to say it, but they are one magnificent pair, on and off the field.

Key Players: Tom Brady: Quarterback, Rob Gronkowski: Tight End, Dont’a Hightower: Linebacker

#2: Kansas City Chiefs

This was a tough decision, but overall it is my opinion and I think they could be doing better. The Chiefs are number one in the AFC West, but number two on my list. Only just squeaking by Scam Newton and the Panthers really influenced my opinion. Alex Smith is showing incredible improvement from the past three years he’s played with this team. The Chiefs have also suffered a crazy amount of injuries this season.

Key Players: Alex Smith: Quarterback, Jamaal Charles: Running Back, Justin Houston: Outside Linebacker

#1: Oakland Raiders

Same record as the Chiefs, but I feel the Raiders have an overall better roster and team unification. Derek Carr, Amari Cooper, and Khalil Mack, to name a few. The Raiders haven’t been in a championship since the seventies, but I believe that if they make it to the end, they will prevail victorious. Carr is personally one of the best quarterbacks the NFL has seen in recent years. Let’s not forget about Michael Crabtree. People think he is a thing of the past, while I believe he is still an asset to the Raiders. Extra Bonus- Best uniforms in the NFL.

Key Players: Derek Carr: Quarterback, Amari Cooper: Wide Receiver, Khalil Mack: Linebacker

Dishonorable Mention: Cleveland Browns

No question here, this team is 0-10 and are showing no strides to win any further games. This team may actually go 0-16, which would be the biggest failure since the Detroit Lions 0-16 season in 2008.

My MVPs of the NFC:

#6: Philadelphia Eagles

Their record is 5-4. This spot was a toss up between them and the Minnesota Vikings, but all together (which hurts) the Eagles are showing so much talent and improvement week by week, they deserve the number six spot.

Key Players: Carson Wentz: Quarterback, Darren Sproles: Running Back, Mychal Kendricks: Linebacker

#5: Detroit Lions

Nobody has been more of a laughing matter since the Lion’s 0-16 season. This year could be the year of the comeback kids which only took eight years. I think a lot of people and other teams underestimate the Lions but I don’t think they are such a joke. I can’t stand the Lions, but there is always a feel-good moment when the home team brings home a win.

Key Players: Matthew Stafford: Quarterback, Golden Tate: Wide Receiver, Ezekiel Ansah: Defensive End

#4: New York Giants

Otherwise known as the Big Blue Wrecking Crew. I tend to get a lot of hate about my teams (they stem from New York and also include the Yankees, judge all you want) but they are on a hot four game win streak. Their games tend to be thrilling until the last play. I would have to admit that they give up A LOT of points easily after having a distinctive lead, but no team shows better heart and determination until the last second.

Key Players- Odell Beckham Jr.: Wide Receiver, Landon Collins: Safety, Jason Pierre-Paul: Defensive End, Jonathan Casillas: Linebacker, Victor Cruz: Wide Receiver. The man with incredible strength, length and grip on the ball. I can’t even begin to list off how many one-handed, crucial catches Beckham Jr. has made. Somehow this man can hang in the air for what feels like a minute to make sure he secured the touchdown. Twisting, manipulating and contorting his body to catch the ball, even by tips of fingers, he is one of the best wide receivers the entire league has.

#3: Seattle Seahawks

I had trouble choosing the number two and three spots on this list. The Seahawks are a powerhouse in the NFL, bringing home a recent championship (2014). I think Russell Wilson (#3, QB) is the reason for such success. He is incredibly dynamic with a cannon for a right arm. Pete Carroll is also a very valuable coach. The Seahawks just beat the Patriots and to me, that is one great accomplishment, which should send them with high morals for upcoming weeks.

Key Players: Russell Wilson: Quarterback, Kam Chancellor: Safety, Richard Sherman: Cornerback

#2: Atlanta Falcons

Suffering a tough loss to my number six this week, I believe this will give them the edge over the Arizona Cardinals for next week’s game. Sometimes someone just needs to light the fire. They still have the Chiefs to get through. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones make this team what they are. Dan Quinn is talented coach with many aspirations for this team.

Key Players: Matt Ryan: Quarterback, Julio Jones: Wide Receiver, Vic Beasley: Defensive End

#1: Dallas Cowboys

This one hurts, physically. This year Dallas is steam-rolling (almost) every opponent put in their way. Their only loss this season was to the Giants in week one but only by one score. They meet again in a couple weeks and I predict a very different outcome. Dak Prescott. Tony Romo is old news and just old. Dallas hasn’t seen such a great quarterback since Troy Aikman. Prescott is in his rookie season, fresh from college, stands over six feet tall, and eats up any defense put in front of him. As long as the Cowboys have Prescott, they won’t be pressed for wins.

Key Players: Dak Prescott: Quarterback, Ezekiel Elliot: Running Back, Dez Bryant: Wide Receiver

Dishonorable Mention: San Francisco 49ers

Close, but really no cigar. Standing at 1-8, there is slim to no chances for this team in the upcoming years.

*** All scores and rankings come from Wednesday, November 16^th, 2016***