The list of teams that feel like legitimate Super Bowl contenders is very small, considering we’re only about a quarter of the way through the season.
The Bills are one in the AFC, maybe someone from the AFC West is too, and perhaps you believe in the Colts or Jaguars. The NFC is a little deeper, but everyone has taken on at least one bad loss after only five weeks. Teams like the Eagles, Lions, Packers and Rams are very good, but consistency hasn’t been a strong suit.
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There’s still a long way to go this season, with months remaining for Super Bowl contenders to emerge. Let’s take a look at each team’s grade about a quarter of the way into the season:
(Jump to a team or division to see their grades)
AFC East: Buffalo Bills | New England Patriots | Miami Dolphins | New York Jets
AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers | Cleveland Browns | Cincinnati Bengals | Baltimore Ravens
AFC South: Indianapolis Colts | Jacksonville Jaguars | Houston Texans | Tennessee Titans
AFC West: Denver Broncos | Los Angeles Chargers | Kansas City Chiefs | Las Vegas Raiders
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NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles | Washington Commanders | Dallas Cowboys | New York Giants
NFC North: Detroit Lions | Green Bay Packers | Chicago Bears | Minnesota Vikings
NFC South: Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Atlanta Falcons | Carolina Panthers | New Orleans Saints
NFC West: San Francisco 49ers | Seattle Seahawks | Los Angeles Rams | Arizona Cardinals
AFC East
Buffalo Bills
There wasn’t much question about the grade before Sunday night. The Bills had a great runout in September, with the rest of the AFC dealing with injuries or disappointing play. A home loss to the Patriots is a setback but the Bills are still clearly the favorite to get the AFC’s No. 1 seed. They’ll need to clean some things up, but every NFL team does after the first five weeks. And this team has Josh Allen.
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Grade: A
New England Patriots
The difference between Week 1 and Week 5 is dramatic. In the opener, the Patriots looked terrible and lost at home to the Raiders. Week 2 wasn’t much better, barely beating the Dolphins. But the Patriots have improved and got a signature win at the Bills on Sunday night. It wasn’t a perfect start to the season, but Drake Maye looks like the real deal and the Patriots appear to be a playoff contender.
Grade: B
Miami Dolphins
At least the Dolphins aren’t winless. They beat the woebegone Jets. Everything else hasn’t looked great, and it’s unlikely to get better with Tyreek Hill out for the season and the run defense looking like it can’t be fixed. The Dolphins aren’t the worst team in the NFL, but it’s close and Mike McDaniel is clearly on the hot seat going forward.
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Grade: D
New York Jets
Only one team doesn’t have a win. The Jets looked OK in Week 1, barely losing to the Steelers. It has been rough ever since. Most of their games haven’t been competitive. They make way too many mistakes for a team that is already at a talent disadvantage. It’s way too early to start seriously worrying about Aaron Glenn as a new head coach, but nothing has looked good for the Jets yet.
Grade: F
AFC North
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers were a mystery coming into the season. And it hasn’t been a great start for them in all ways. Aaron Rodgers is surprisingly reluctant to throw it downfield or even far beyond the line of scrimmage. The defense has been worse than anticipated. But they’re winning games. The Steelers are 3-1 and given the state of the rest of the AFC North, they could win a division title. That’s a pretty cool story in what might be Rodgers’ last season.
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Grade: B
Cleveland Browns
Want an idea how the AFC North is doing? A 1-4 team has the second best grade. The Browns’ defense has been excellent. They’ve been competitive in most games and have a really good win over the Packers. The rookie class has been promising, which might be the most important development for them so far this season. Cleveland won’t win many games but there are reasons to feel OK about how things are going.
Grade: C-
Cincinnati Bengals
Even before Joe Burrow’s injury, the offense looked bad. They clearly couldn’t protect Burrow, their most valuable asset. Then Burrow went on injured reserve and the Bengals turned into one of the NFL’s worst teams. Joe Flacco isn’t saving this. Burrow’s injury was unfortunate, but let’s not act like it was just bad luck and it derailed a championship season. The Bengals have been disappointing since the season kicked off, and their organizational failures had a hand in that Burrow injury too.
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Grade: D-
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens came into the season with Super Bowl dreams and find themselves with a 1-4 record. It will be 1-5 if they don’t upset the Rams. Injuries have been unfortunate and voluminous, but the defense was bad before the injury report filled up. The collapse against the Bills in Week 1 set the tone for an extremely disappointing first quarter of the season. There’s reason to believe the Ravens can rally when healthy, but the first five weeks were a complete debacle.
Grade: F
AFC South
Indianapolis Colts
Even if you were optimistic about the Colts, nobody saw this start coming. Daniel Jones looks like a revelation. Jonathan Taylor is an NFL Offensive Player of the Year candidate. The defense has been good. Shane Steichen went from the hot seat to one of the NFL’s hottest coaches. Had it not been for some bad mental mistakes at the Rams, the Colts would be 5-0. What an incredible start.
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Grade: A
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars legitimized their hot start with an impressive comeback win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5. They have a road win at the 49ers too. Losing to the Bengals, led by Jake Browning in the second half, was really bad. There are some things to iron out, most notably consistency in the passing game. But they’re 4-1. Liam Coen might be your NFL Coach of the Year by the end of the season. The AFC South race could be fun.
Grade: A-
Houston Texans
Two weeks ago, this grade might have been an F. The Texans couldn’t protect C.J. Stroud, the offense looked broken and they were 0-3. It was a horrible start for the AFC South favorite. Beating the Titans and the beaten-up Ravens isn’t proof that everything is better, but it’s a start. It’s not too late for the Texans to rally, though we’ll need to see them play well against tougher competition.
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Grade: C-
Tennessee Titans
A miracle win against the Cardinals at least stops the bleeding. But everything else about the Titans has been pretty bad so far. Coach Brian Callahan has made some inexcusable mistakes, and he has to be on the hot seat. The Titans aren’t doing enough around Cam Ward, and Ward hasn’t played great yet either. The defense isn’t good. The Titans are in contention to get the first pick of the NFL Draft. Again.
Grade: F+
AFC West
Denver Broncos
The Broncos have two losses, both on the road to good teams, both with no time left on the clock. That has kept them under the radar, though that might change after their win over Philadelphia. The defense has been very good. The offense has been up and down, and whether the Broncos become true Super Bowl contenders depends on whether Bo Nix plays better. A win at Philadelphia is one of the best wins of the entire NFL season, though we can’t totally forget the losses against the Chargers or Colts.
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Grade: B
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers were the talk of the NFL two weeks ago. Then they lost at the Giants, lost at home to the Commanders and injuries have piled up. The Chargers still can win the AFC West, but it gets a lot harder with Joe Alt, Rashawn Slater, Omarion Hampton, Najee Harris and Khalil Mack dealing with injuries. It’s probably not fair to dock the Chargers too much for injuries, but they’ve lost a lot of momentum.
Grade: B-
Kansas City Chiefs
Fans might want a Chiefs demise to be a thing, but it’s premature. The Chiefs have lost competitive games to the Chargers, Eagles and Jaguars, who are a combined 11-4. It’s just that their good luck in close games is regressing. Patrick Mahomes is playing very well. Rashee Rice will help in a couple weeks. If you think the Chiefs are dead because they’re 2-3, you’ll probably be surprised in a couple months.
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Grade: C
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders looked like the type of team that could be feisty this season. They brought in Pete Carroll and Geno Smith to start winning right away. They beat the Patriots in Week 1. And since then it has been putrid. They’ve lost four in a row. Smith is throwing interceptions at a startling rate. A 40-6 loss to the Colts in Week 5 tells us where the Raiders are at, and it’s not in a better place than a year ago.
Grade: D-
NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles
You’d think a Super Bowl champion sitting at 4-1 wouldn’t have a care in the world. But the Eagles are the student in class that studies just enough to pass. They haven’t played a complete game yet. The passing offense has been inconsistent at best. Saquon Barkley hasn’t gotten going. The defense has been solid but has had some letdowns, like the first half against the Rams and the fourth quarter against the Broncos. There’s no reason to freak out — the Eagles started slow last season, they have the most talented roster in the NFL and they’re still 4-1 with some good wins — but they aren’t living up to their standard yet.
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Grade: B-
Washington Commanders
It hasn’t been a great start for the Commanders. But being 3-2 despite Jayden Daniels missing a couple games due to injury isn’t that bad either. Winning at the Chargers in Week 5, with an impressive defensive performance, might be a big turning point in their season. There has been some regression since last season but all in all, it’s not a terrible start.
Grade: B-
Dallas Cowboys
If you want to be optimistic about the Cowboys, you can be. Dak Prescott is playing very well, even without CeeDee Lamb. The Cowboys are 2-2-1, and the tie was a solid one against a good Packers team. On the other hand, one of the wins was pretty fortunate against the Giants, and it exposed the defense as one of the worst in the NFL. Can Prescott overcome a poor defense all season? Probably not, but he gives the Cowboys some hope.
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Grade: C+
New York Giants
The Giants probably should have started Jaxson Dart from Week 1 on and just lived with the mistakes. He gives the entire franchise some juice that it has lacked. So do young players like Cam Skattebo and Abdul Carter, though losing Malik Nabers to a knee injury was a crushing blow. It hasn’t been good for the Giants, but at least there are some reasons to believe better days are coming.
Grade: D
NFC North
Detroit Lions
Some of the reactions to the Lions after Week 1 will be fun to look back on by the end of the season. The Lions looked terrible in the opener against the Packers, a lot of people left them for dead, and they’ve been the best team in football since. They are showing they don’t really miss their coordinators, their offensive line is fine and they’ll again be one of the top scoring teams in the NFL. They’ll still need to deal with the Packers and a rematch late in the season, but a lot of people prematurely jumped off the Lions bandwagon after one bad game. And look around: Every team has had a bad game so far.
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Grade: A
Green Bay Packers
The Packers were valedictorians of the NFL after two games and about 56 minutes of Week 3. Then they absolutely blew a game to the 1-4 Browns and only managed a tie against a defensively challenged Cowboys team. Green Bay looked like the best team in football through two dominant performances. Then they couldn’t get a win against two teams that they should have beat. It’s still a good team, maybe even a Super Bowl team, but the loss and tie are very disappointing.
Grade: B-
Chicago Bears
The Bears started slowly, looked a lot better against the Cowboys in Week 3 and then pulled out a win against a hapless Raiders team on a blocked field goal. It wasn’t going to be perfect in Ben Johnson’s first season, so the slow start isn’t that problematic. As long as Caleb Williams continues to improve it’ll be a positive season, and he has shown signs of that in the last two games.
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Grade: C
Minnesota Vikings
Everything has been weird for the Vikings. They needed big comebacks against the Bears and Browns to pull out wins. They also had a rough loss against the Steelers when the comeback came up short. J.J. McCarthy’s early struggles aren’t a sign that he’s a bust, but it’s a little alarming. Carson Wentz hasn’t run away with the job with McCarthy out due to injury, but he has been competent. The Vikings are 3-2 but it could easily be 2-3 or 1-4, which makes it hard to get any real read on them.
Grade: C
NFC South
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
We can wonder if the Bucs are for real or just extremely lucky early this season, with four wins that came in the final minute of their games. It might not matter. The Buccaneers have banked four wins, three on the road, and will continue to get healthier and better. Baker Mayfield has been really good even with some major injuries around him. The defense still isn’t great, and if it improves, the Bucs might be a championship contender.
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Grade: A-
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons being shut out in a 30-0 loss at Carolina is mind-blowing. The rest of their season has been OK. Michael Penix has been up and down. The defense has improved, though it has allowed at least 23 points in three of four games. The Falcons were supposed to be a contender to the Buccaneers in the NFC South, and might become that. Their outlook would look better if they didn’t miss a field goal in the final seconds of their home loss to the Bucs in Week 1. For now they’re comfortably middle of the road.
Grade: C
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers were supposed to be a strong offensive team with a bad defense. The defense hasn’t been good, other than one outlier shutout against the Falcons, and the offense has been mostly disappointing too. Bryce Young hasn’t taken a step forward after a promising finish to last season. Still, Carolina isn’t bad. Or good. They’re 2-0 at home and 0-3 on the road, which tells you what you need to know. There’s a lot to work on over the rest of the season.
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Grade: C-
New Orleans Saints
The Saints were predicted by many to be the worst team in football. They haven’t been great, but they’re far from the worst. There has been only one blowout loss, and they did get a win against the Giants. Spencer Rattler has helped keep them in most games. The first quarter of the season could have gone a lot worse. But they’re still 1-4, so nobody is planning a parade down Bourbon Street for them.
Grade: D+
NFC West
San Francisco 49ers
The Ravens and Bengals might argue, but nobody has dealt with more injury adversity than the 49ers so far. And yet, they’re 4-1. Can they keep that up without Nick Bosa, who is out for the season? Maybe not. But the 49ers deserve credit for winning most of their games. The win over the Rams in Week 5, with Mac Jones having a career day, was particularly impressive. Kyle Shanahan is doing a phenomenal job. And the schedule is soft enough that when the offense gets healthy this could still be a division champion, even with Bosa out.
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Grade: A
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks could be the talk of the NFL. But they blew two winnable home games in the final two minutes, one against the 49ers and the other against the Buccaneers. But the defense looks a lot better and the decision to trade Geno Smith and sign Sam Darnold looks like the right one. Those two losses were unfortunate and could be costly in the playoff and NFC West race, but so far the Seahawks look like a much-improved team in Mike Macdonald’s second season. And they did win 10 games last season.
Grade: B
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams look like a championship contender at times. They also totally blew a game against the Eagles that they dominated for two and a half quarters, then lost at home to a 49ers team that was without a handful of stars including their quarterback. Matthew Stafford looks healthy, which is great. Puka Nacua looks like he might be the best non-quarterback in the NFL this season. The defense has a high ceiling due to a talented front. They just can’t keep blowing games that they should be able to finish.
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Grade: B-
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals’ two wins were against the Saints and home against the Panthers, two games they were expected to win. They lost to a beat-up 49ers team, then had consecutive home losses to the Seahawks and Titans. The latter was very fluky, but you simply can’t lose to Tennessee at home. There were hopes for the Cardinals showing improvement this season, but there’s been no proof that they are any better. A 2-3 start feels a lot worse than that record would indicate.
Grade: D
This news was originally published on this post .
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