Through seven weeks of the regular season, the Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots compose a record-setting collection of undefeated NFL teams.
Each team is 6-0 and has finished its bye, so the NFL’s current elite will take the field for the final 10 weeks of the season. After factoring in performance and the remaining schedule, which one is the premier team?
5. Denver Broncos
Though the Broncos will remain near the top of the AFC because of its elite defense, there’s trouble brewing in the Mile High City. First off, good luck scoring against this defense. Excluding the pick-sixes Peyton Manning has thrown, Denver has only surrendered 13.5 points per game. The pass rush is outstanding, and the secondary is lethal.
However, behind consistently poor quarterback play from Manning, the Broncos have the No. 30 offense in the NFL. If it wasn’t likely already, this is clearly his final season. Denver’s offensive line has struggled, and its running game is nonexistent. The offensive shortcomings will eventually doom Denver, which faces three of the remaining undefeated squads.
4. Carolina Panthers
A 4-0 start wasn’t convincing because of the schedule, but the Panthers are a true contender. The black and blue knocked off the Seattle Seahawks and despite a few mistakes from Cam Newton toppled the Philadelphia Eagles relatively convincingly. Though the Carolina quarterback threw a total of five interceptions in those two games, Newton has assembled a season worth MVP consideration.
Star linebacker Luke Kuechly leads the league’s No. 6 scoring defense, which also offers a stellar pass rush and stout secondary. While the remaining schedule is weak overall, the Panthers will face their toughest task of the season and have a chance to further prove their merit when the Green Bay Packers come to town on Nov. 8.
3. Green Bay Packers
Green Bay is probably the second-best team, but their upcoming slate is pretty brutal. Luckily for the Packers, this guy named Aaron Rodgers—who is playing the quarterback position at arguably the highest level in NFL history—is under center. Even without elite wide receiver Jordy Nelson, Rodgers has completed 68.1 percent of his passes for 15 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
Although Green Bay currently boasts the league’s No. 1 scoring defense, it’s tough to buy into the unit. With that being said, consecutive games against the Broncos and Panthers will provide a relatively clear answer. If the Packers can overcome Denver and Carolina squads that will likely limit Rodgers to 24 points or less, the Green Bay defense will have passed the “bend-don’t-break, good-enough-to-win” test.
2. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals have broken out as surprise team of the 2015 season, and quarterback Andy Dalton deserves a ton of credit for the team’s emergence. He’s tallied 288.2 yards per game and tossed 14 touchdowns, connecting with each of Tyler Eifert, A.J. Green and Marvin Jones for at least three scores. Dalton, Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill have combined for nine rushing touchdowns.
Cincinnati doesn’t have a particularly dynamic defense, but it does enough. While that’s admittedly not a glamorous description, the Bengals don’t need a Broncos-like unit to excel as long as the offense produces at this level. The remaining schedule includes the Arizona Cardinals and Broncos, but Cincinnati also gets the Cleveland Browns twice as well as the Houston Texans and San Francisco 49ers.
1. New England Patriots
Revenge tour or not, New England is on a tear. No team has scored more points than the Patriots—not even the franchises who have played seven games—and New England’s plus-87 differential is tops in the league. Tom Brady has picked apart opponents with a near-70 percent completion mark with 16 touchdowns and a single interception.
The Patriots are definitely giving up too many points to be comfortable, since the Buffalo Bills recorded 32, the lackluster Indianapolis Colts managed 27 and the New York Jets came up just short with 23. Should New England topple the upstart Miami Dolphins on Thursday night, though, Brady and Co. are destined for the top seed in the AFC.