From Struggling to Imperfect – Are There Any Contenders Want to Claim Victory in the NFL Championship During This Campaign?

No professional sports organization markets competitive balance like the NFL: it's their core marketing message. But through 10 weeks during the current schedule, this doesn't represent a landscape that is equally balanced between the good, the bad and the mediocre. Instead, it's a scenario where most of the league are merely adequate.

Clear Picture in NFC

Looking at the NFC side, for the most part, the picture becomes more distinct. Los Angeles and Seattle (both at 7-2) seem like the most well-rounded squads in football, and delivered blowout wins on Sunday. The 6-2 Eagles despite their struggles continue to possess among the most gifted lineups in the league, likewise with the Packers franchise (five wins, two losses, one tie). Detroit as well (6-3), despite their uneven performances along both lines of scrimmage and have been dealing with tension on their coaching staff, have demonstrated they can hammer good teams. For each of these squads, one can readily construct a championship trajectory.

AFC Playoff Chaos

Turning to the American Football Conference, the playoff picture is a jumbled mess. The four teams leading their divisions through ten weeks: the Colts, Patriots, Broncos (all standing at eight wins) and the Steelers (five wins, four losses). Read that again. Not the Chiefs. No Bills inclusion. Neither Ravens nor Bengals. The usual contenders, backed by the league’s best quarterbacks, have either obvious team deficiencies or have suffered medical setbacks.

Parity Mechanics

From certain perspectives, it’s the league’s ideal. Yet observing the current division frontrunners in the American Football Conference remains somewhat odd. Areas of each team meet championship standards, but not in their entirety. If you were asked to commit to your conference championship predictions today, would you comfortably select any one of the current division frontrunners?

Squad Examinations

Colts Situation

Beginning with the Colts, Daniel Jones hasn’t quite reached pumpkin status. But the last two weeks have caused alarm. He's reverting to turning over the ball and failing against blitzes. He took seven sacks facing Atlanta in the weekend game, and endured a short sequence in which he threw an intercepted pass and coughed up the ball thrice. This comes after he turned the ball over on five occasions versus Pittsburgh.

Indianapolis' offensive unit performed well initially since Jones evaded game-changing errors. The running back and protection unit ensure Indianapolis remains good enough to survive periodic mistakes, as demonstrated overseas. However, if Jones reverts to his historically mistake-heavy play would finish championship hopes.

Patriots Examination

New England appears fairly alike. A year ago, they were league laughingstocks. Now, they’re the league’s happiest surprise and the most successful franchise across the league after seven straight wins. If not for committing turnover errors a contest they should have won facing Pittsburgh, they would currently hold nine wins, one loss as the league's best. In the prior year, they were old and slow. Today they appear young, fast and unafraid. Nevertheless, one cannot overlook the weakness of New England's opponents. They've played against the most manageable schedule throughout football, and there have still been cracks. Drake Maye has taken sacks on 35 occasions – ranking second league-wide – and some of the shots he suffered last weekend were vicious. Over time, that punishment compounds.

Broncos Situation

The Broncos hold eight wins similarly, and it still feels that they're barely surviving. The Denver signal-caller has shown inconsistency, and the offensive unit laboring, while the defensive unit provides all the heavy lifting. Lacking competent QB performance, the Broncos won't frighten anyone in the postseason. The Chargers are also contending within their division holding a 7-2 record, yet medical problems along their offensive line will present challenges to achieve championship contention.

Pittsburgh Situation

And then there’s Pittsburgh, surprisingly atop the AFC North notwithstanding receiving a decisive loss to Los Angeles on Sunday night. They've been outscored overall, their defense regularly vanishes, and the QB's current constraints at this stage of his career continue to show up. At 5-4, they're barely clinging, but Baltimore, featuring a recovered Jackson and facing easier opponents, are riding a three-game streak. We shouldn't be completely astonished that the Ravens have narrowed to within one game of Pittsburgh, but that it has arrived so quickly highlights deficiencies within Pittsburgh’s inconsistencies. Considering the Ravens opened the season 1-5 and still look like they should win the division is telling about the conference as a whole.

Traditional Powers

Baltimore constitutes part of the Big Three – together with Bills and Chiefs – driven by elite quarterback play, who could still create the greatest concern for opponents if they made the playoffs. They’re the No One Wants To See ‘Em teams, but the Chiefs and Bills cannot get out of their own way.

Buffalo Analysis

A week ago, the Bills were riding high after beating the Chiefs. This weekend they encountered among the season's worst defeats of the season. They didn't merely fall versus the Dolphins; they were embarrassed, falling 30-13 on the road. This represented Miami's initial victory versus Buffalo in several seasons.

For those searching for a perfect summary of Sunday, consider this: Allen transforming {a quarterback sneak|a short-yardage play|a sneak attempt