Mitch Carney

1. Rams – I almost want to give this to Kansas City, but I’ll go ahead and give it to the only undefeated team in the NFL. Although they almost dropped a game to Aaron Rodgers and the Greenbay Packers thanks to a fumble on a kick return at the end of the game from Ty Montgomery. The Rams are my number one for right now, but they shouldn’t get comfortable. 

2. Chiefs – The Chiefs had another good win against the Broncos this week. They have continued to dominate on offense this year thanks to their explosive playmakers in Kareem Hunt, Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Sammy Watkins, and who can forget the man who would be the league MVP after eight weeks in Patrick Mahomes. I expect the Chiefs to maintain their record breaking offensive year, while their defense improves later down the road with a healthy Eric Berry and Justin Houston. 

3. Patriots – I was completely wrong about this team the first four weeks in the NFL. I bought into the garbage take that the Patriots are finally not going to be Super Bowl Contenders. They are the only team to beat the Chiefs and besides the Rams they’re probably the only team capable of doing that. If the road to the Super Bowl goes through Foxborough you can expect the Patriots to make it to the big game. 

4. Saints – Drew Brees is one of the best QB’s of all time and there is no reason why him and the Saints should not be in the top five in my power rankings. After losing their first game of the season to Fitzmagic and the Buccaneers the Saints haven’t looked back winning six in a row. I expect them to be playing in the NFC championship against the Rams at the end of the year.

5. Chargers – I went against every bone in my body and put the Chargers as my number five because they are good on offense, good on defense, good on special teams, and just a good team in general. They are currently 5-2 and if it wasn’t for the losses to the Chiefs and Rams who are considered the top two teams in the NFL, the Chargers would be undefeated.

6. Vikings – The Vikings had a really rough first quarter of the season and honestly the second quarter of the season hasn’t gotten much better. The Vikings are currently 4-3-1 which isn’t ideal for a team who was in the NFC championship last year, but I believe they will have a better second half of the season and win their Division. 

7. Panthers – The Panthers are currently second in the NFC south behind Drew Brees and the Saints, but I think this team can beat any team on any given Sunday. They have the quarterback in Cam Newton, they have some playmakers in Greg Olsen and Christian McCaffrey, and they have an above average defense. This team is scary and every team needs to be prepared when playing them. 

8. Packers – Aaron Rodgers is the only reason why this team is in my top ten. If it wasn’t for one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time the Green Bay Packers may be a bottom ten team in the NFL. I wouldn’t bet against Aaron Rodgers getting into the playoffs because Aaron Rodgers is Aaron Rodgers. The Division is already tight with the Bears and Vikings in the mix, it should make for an interesting second half of the season with those three teams. 

9. Steelers – It looks like the Steelers aren’t missing Le’Veon Bell too much with how much James Conner has been killing it this year. The Steelers are 4-2-1 and are leading their division and I expect them to finish out the season as a playoff team that has an explosive offense that anyone in the playoffs will have to carefully plan for. 

10. Bears – I know what your thinking, but I really have fallen in love with this Bears team. Mitchell Trubisky is slightly underrated and I really like their running backs in Tarik Cohen and Jordan Howard. The Bears also have one of the greatest defensive players in the NFL this year Khalil Mack. I believe this Bears team can win their division if they can keep the Vikings in check. In a couple years we may see the Bears in the Super Bowl and this year is only the beginning.

Trey Vaughan

1. Rams – Undefeated. Should I say anymore? Best running back in the NFL in Todd Gurley. Most complete team in the NFL. Their defense has struggled at times, but they have still been really good overall. 

2. Chiefs – Patrick Mahomes continues to excel in the NFL. A young quarterback competing in his first full NFL season and he looks like he has been doing it for years. The Chiefs’ defense still worries me, but they have even continued to improve all season. Their loss to the Patriots isn’t enough to drop them from the second spot.

3. Saints – The only team in the NFC that I truly think can beat the Rams right now. That is mostly due to Drew Brees. Brees has such a high-powered offense around him, with Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram is back and healthy, Michael Thomas, and he has utilized other young receivers this year as well like Tre’Quan Smith. This defense has some very talented athletes as well and are playing much better than they were to start the season. 

4. Patriots – Tom Brady. Guys, whether you like or dislike Brady, he is still great. He will lead this team to the playoffs and they have been really good since their first few games. Like I mentioned, I don’t think their win over Kansas City said enough drop KC or jump them very high after their slow start. I also think New Orleans has been very special this year, and they deserve the third spot over New England through the first 8 weeks. 

5. Panthers – Personally, I don’t care too much for the Panthers. I don’t even think they are the second best team in their division. The Saints are clearly number one in that NFC South, but once we get to week 17, I think we will see a different team behind the Saints at number two. That team being the Atlanta Falcons. Although, their only losses have come against quality teams in the Falcons, and Washington Redskins. They also have quality wins against the Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Cincinnati Bengals.

6. Steelers – They should change the ‘Steel City’ to the ‘Drama City’. With all of the issues they’ve had with Le’Veon Bell, and the rumors of Antonio Brown throwing furniture off his balcony during the offseason and getting sued. Despite those things, they are still one of the best and most dangerous offenses in the NFL. Even with James Conner playing instead of Le’Veon. When Le’Veon returns, if he does, this team might be better than the Chiefs. Defensively they aren’t any worse, offensively, they would be just as good. 

7. Texans – Five wins in a row. That’s good enough for a huge jump into the top 10 in my rankings. They haven’t been dominant by any means, but they have been good. Deshaun Watson had a rough start to this season but I think this team needed to find their identity again. After losing Watson last year they hadn’t played with him in a long time so I think they needed that 0-3 start to get to where they are now. 

8. Chargers – The Chargers aren’t that good. They get the job done. Their defense is solid but is really lacking right now without their best player in Joey Bosa. They have played good this season, and are winning games. Also, Rivers is having great success without much use of Keenan Allen, instead, Tyrell Williams has burst onto the scene. Their bye week kept them from jumping in my rankings this week. 

9. Vikings – Their loss to the Saints is the only reason they fell to nine this week. Minnesota is still a good team, and they have one of the best receivers in the NFL on their team in Adam Thielen. The Vikings have lacked in the running game all season, and that worries me. Kirk Cousins is no Tom Brady, he needs the support of a running game. Also, that Vikings defense hasn’t looked like it did all of last season. The loss to the Bills really hurts them. 

10. Packers – The Packers are staying afloat because of Aaron Rodgers. I truly think this team could be one of the worst in the NFL without him. A close loss to the Rams last week isn’t enough to knock them out of the top 10. Although, a loss to the Patriots this week may knock them out. The Packers have struggled this season to say the least, but Aaron Rodgers keeps them in the playoff hunt.