The AFC was supposed to be a wild race to take down the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024.
There was the retooled Baltimore Ravens with Derrick Henry aiming to take another step, the fast rising Houston Texans, and several talented teams like the Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, and Jacksonville Jaguars all looking to get back on track after injuries derailed their 2023 seasons.
But three weeks into the season, the Texans and Jets are the only teams in that group that are above .500. The Jaguars and Bengals are two of three NFL teams that haven’t won a game, and the Dolphins are in a tail-spin with Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve.
Instead, it’s a Buffalo Bills team that parted with several players in the offseason, including Jordan Poyer, Mitch Morse, and Stefon Diggs, that looks more unstoppable than ever. And aside from the Chiefs, Bills, Texans, and Jets, the only other winning records in the AFC belong to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Chargers — a pair of teams winning despite subpar offensive outings.
What once looked like a deep conference suddenly seems like a top heavy one early in the season. With three weeks of NFL action in the books, here’s how all 32 teams stack up entering Week 4:
The contenders
Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
1. Buffalo Bills (3-0) [Last week: 4]
2. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) [Last week: 1]
3. Minnesota Vikings (3-0) [Last week: 5]
4. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) [Last week: 8]
5. New Orleans Saints (2-1) [Last week: 2]
6. Seattle Seahawks (3-0) [Last week: 13]
7. Houston Texans (2-1) [Last week: 3]
8. Detroit Lions (2-1) [Last week: 9]
It’s tough to move the back-to-back Super Bowl champs down when they’re undefeated, but while the Chiefs are squeaking past opponents, the Bills have outscored theirs by 64 points.
The maybe contenders
Brad Penner-Imagn Images
9. New York Jets (2-1) [Last week: 12]
10. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0) [Last week: 11]
11. Los Angeles Chargers (2-1) [Last week: 7]
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) [Last week: 6]
13. Green Bay Packers (2-1) [Last week: 16]
14. Baltimore Ravens (1-2) [Last week: 15]
15. Atlanta Falcons (1-2) [Last week: 14]
It seems like the mediocre Steelers and Chargers offenses will only take the team so far, even if their defenses will keep them in games. The Jets will be in the top tier soon if Aaron Rodgers keeps playing like he did Thursday, and the Packers will join them if Jordan…
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