We move from week 8 to 9, and with the league's expansion to 17 games a few years ago, this is now the symbolic halfway point of the season. It's hard to remember the last time in recent memory that we hit this point of the year where there wasn't a clear top 4-5 teams in football. Is that because there are a lot of good teams this year, or is it because there are no good teams this year? Yes to both, maybe?
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Who is the Super Bowl favorite in the AFC?
Here is an overview of the AFC: The Patriots lead the East, the Colts the South, the Steelers the North, and the Broncos the West. Is this 2025 or 2015? And what if I told you the best of these division leaders right now, far and away, is the Colts? With Daniel Jones at the helm? The Colts are the story of the NFL right now, but here's another one people aren't talking about: Jonathan Taylor has the best chance to be the first non-QB MVP winner since AP did it back in 2012.
The Bills, to their credit, still look elite, and if it wasn't for a soft Patriots schedule, I would lock them in as the East's winner. Don't let my belief in Buffalo be misconstrued as Patriots hate — New England has their successor to Tom Brady in Drake Maye, even if it took them seven years to find him.
The Chiefs and Mahomes are doing their own Brady and the Patriots impression right now. You might remember that almost every September from 2012 to 2019 it felt like New England would go 2-2, and the media would thank Tom Brady for coming out but acknowledge his time was done. Then in October, Brady would make talking heads eat their lunch as he rattled off an undefeated month. Mahomes might not be Brady, but the Chiefs end October with just one loss after a .500 September, and they still look as good as ever. This is all to say: I do not know who is winning the AFC.
NFC Talk:
The easiest argument for top dog in the NFC right now is Green Bay, but even then that feels shaky. Sure, Micah Parsons is probably going to win his first Defensive Player of the Year award if things hold up, but the defense has not been the "impenetrable beast" everyone thought it would be. The Packers' only impressive win came in week 1 against the Lions, but Detroit is significantly better now.
Speaking of Detroit, Dan Campbell deserves serious Coach of the Year buzz. He lost both coordinators to head coaching jobs this year, but the Lions still look prime for a playoff run through the halfway point, with their only other loss coming to the Chiefs.
As for the rest of the conference, there are seven teams in the NFC with at least five wins (or at least with a .62 winning percentage, in other words). Also of note is that seven teams make the playoffs, and all seven of those teams are within two games of each other. It sets up a year that could end with a wild card team making the Super Bowl for the first time since the Bucs did it in 2020.
Other Week 8 Headlines:
J-E-T-S WIN WIN WIN!
The Jets' win on Sunday in Cincinnati relieved the whole franchise — ownership, coaches, players, and fans alike. But perhaps no one felt it more than Justin Fields. "It's been a lot for me, emotionally (and) spiritually," he said while adding, "God is good, that's all I got to say." I am not one to judge players' spirituality, but you never really see guys on .500 teams praising God. It's either after a winning streak or when you are down in the dumps. But I am sure that Aaron Glenn is just as thankful, as it is never a comfortable feeling for first-year head coaches to be on the hot seat.
The Jets' victory secures one of my favorite yearly guarantees — the circle of suck. More eloquently known as the circle of parity, this graphic can be made (most of the time) when there is no longer a winless or undefeated team. I present it to you in all its glory:
Giant optimism soars away
The Giants have endured four consecutive years of unenjoyable football. Then they drafted a skinny QB from Ole Miss and a smaller, much thicker RB from Arizona State in the draft, and everything seemed to change. The Dart-Skattebo duo breathed life into Giants fans who only needed some type of proof that things were looking up to feel alive again. Those same fans now feel dead inside after Skattebo suffered a horrific leg injury in the second quarter against the Eagles. The Giants seem to have lost their spark as quickly as they got it.
On the contrary, the Eagles look like a threat again, even if they aren't at the level of domination they had last year. Who would have thought letting Hurts throw the ball would be a good thing? Philadelphia is now in prime position to be the first team to win the NFC East in back-to-back years since the early 21st century.
Pack up and Go-Pack-Go
From a lore perspective, Sunday night's matchup between the Steelers and the Packers was the most enticing game of week 8. Rodgers got a crack at his old team, and while he played well, Pittsburgh's inability to convert red zone opportunities into touchdowns rather than field goals was the main reason they lost this one. If just two of the Steelers' four FG's were touchdowns Pittsburgh wins this game handily. Still, both teams lead their respective divisions.
