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But I had them at number one when I started thinking about this list. They definitely deserve it, but I had another idea. So, you continue from here, Tom. What's the idea? Well, last week I asked if Chicago could go from five to one with a win in Seattle and Tom, it's time for the power rankings and we're going to shake things up this week. Yes. I can't believe we're almost halfway through the year. Can you believe it? And there are no undefeated teams left. And I think my first place might surprise you. It really could be anyone.
Any? Alright. Yes, definitely not the Chargers, probably not the Dolphins, not the Jets, not the Titans. Yes, there are many teams that can't be, but mine might still surprise you, Kev. So, we start at number 10 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yes, I picked a temporary winner from the dust cloud that was the AFC North because the Pittsburgh Steelers, welcome to the top 10. The defense lived in Cleveland's half all afternoon and the offense ran all over them. Aaron Rodgers and company secured their revenge for the defeat in Cleveland earlier this year. They've won four in a row, they have sole possession of first
place in the division, and they have a defense that has been suffocating during the streak. Enjoy your week off, guys. What is Aaron Rodgers doing that allows him to age gracefully at this stage of his career and lead Pittsburgh to some victories? I think he's done a great job playing out of the pocket this year. He's always done a great job protecting the ball, but I always thought a lot of that was because he could get out of the pocket and turn what would be sacks or negative plays into big wins because he was out there. But he's made the transition in his game, playing out of the bag, throwing the ball as well as ever, man. It is an eternal wonder At number nine are the Kansas City Chiefs.
Two weeks ago, I had the Chiefs, they were undefeated, and now they've lost two in a row. And this one in Denver hurts a little. KC had a lead going into the fourth quarter and didn't score again. Over 100 yards in penalties do that to you, and I hate to rub salt in the wound, but the knee moved. The referees made the right decision. The good news is, Pat looked like Pat again. Three touchdowns, no interceptions. Wipe off the tissues and this offense will be back in contention when the Jets visit Arrowhead.
Yes, one in that last play, Tom. Are there any tricks that QBs and linemen use to try to hide false starts from time to time? It 's difficult. With the number of cameras there are right now, and the number of referees watching these offensive linemen , it's hard for anything to go unnoticed. Perhaps before you could wave your hands a little and try to get the defensive linemen to jump, but in these current situations, I think the umpires are very good at making the right call. And at number eight, the New England Patriots. Yes, New England went into halftime trailing by double digits in Miami; they've been there before. But they changed the pace by scoring three straight touchdowns to win, and Drake was super efficient
throwing for two touchdowns and running for another. And Mike Vrabel helped stabilize the ship under very crazy weather in South Florida; I love the humidity these days, but I 'm not sure the Pats would agree. Next up, we have the Packers versus the Patriots on Sunday. Although I'm going to need a new parking pass. Hey Vrabs, can you help me with that? Yes, we saw the trailer that Fox released, Tom. People are very excited about this. You have a big football game to commentate on, but how excited are you just to be back in Boston? I always get excited to go back to that stadium
, to see so many friends who over the years have made a positive difference in my life. Former teammates, there's a big reunion, the 2016 team reunion. Lots of fun things happening this weekend. I need to make sure I take it easy. We have Gronk's induction ceremony on Saturday, the game on Sunday, and lots of family and friends. It's going to be an amazing weekend. At number seven, the Minnesota Vikings. The victory lap is over, as Minnesota's undefeated streak ends in Detroit. I was there, and the Vikings couldn't stop the Lions' running game in the second half, and they couldn't put together an offense at the end when they needed a touchdown. But
even so, they have a record of six and one. No one has allowed fewer points, and now Josh Allen and the Bills are in Minneapolis on Monday night. So it's not a bad place to recover if they can manage to do so. Yes, Kyler has that hamstring injury that needs attention. They have an extra day before Monday Night Football. If you were KOC, would you be considering a quarterback change at this point? I do n't believe it. I think Kyler Murray has done a very good job this year. He doesn't lose the ball much. There was one misplaced pass on Sunday, but he has done a good job protecting the ball. He can still make plays out of the pocket with his legs when he needs to, and he's
a threat when throwing the ball downfield. So they have to connect some of those with Jefferson and Addison. That will take a lot of pressure off play-by-play execution. In sixth place, on the other side of the field, is Tom, the Detroit Lions. I thought about this for a while, and at first I had the Vikings one loss ahead of the Lions, but remember the rule. The head-to-head tie-breaking criterion is applied in situations where I decide I want to apply it. The Lions ran for over 200 yards, and Goff found Jameson Williams for the go-ahead touchdown late in the game. That connection keeps finding the end zone and has become one of the most dangerous combinations in the league at the start of the year. It's that simple, there are no
undefeated teams left in the NFL, Detroit has won three in a row and the NFC North is preparing for great divisional battles this year. What's new? Jahmyr Gibbs, draft position RB1, has proven it so far. What does Tom Brady's fantasy team look like right now? A little shaken. I didn't count on, you know, much of the unpredictable nature of what happens in the NFL each year. So, I'd rather not talk about that now, Kev. It was easier to play in the league than to manage a team here. You always criticize keyboard warriors, but it's not as easy as it seems, is it? It's much harder than I thought. It's Tom, at number five, are the
Jacksonville Jaguars. And not only that, KB, the escape watch is officially active in the AFC South, because they crushed the Colts, and it was over at halftime. Brian Thomas Jr. caught a touchdown a couple of weeks after being benched in London, and the defense returned an interception almost the entire length of the field. It's a three-game lead in the division with the opportunity to extend it on Thursday against a struggling team in Baltimore.
What does a quarterback's preparation look like? What does Trevor Lawrence face this week before a Thursday night game? Yes, it's quite extensive. From the moment the match ends on Sunday, it's mental exhaustion Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, until kickoff on Thursday. You watch a lot of movies, a lot of tactical reviews. The good news is that your arm gets a bit of a rest, so you'll feel pretty good physically by Thursday night. You just hope you're mentally prepared. No Oklahoma drills in Jacksonville this week, huh? There was never an Oklahoma exercise for Tom Brady either. At number four, Tom, the Denver Broncos.
Yes, and there has been a lot of talk about Bo Nix and his difficulties in getting the ball to the end of the field this year. And while we were all arguing, the Broncos just won another game. Down by two runs entering the fourth quarter, the defense made some huge stops, then Bo Nix did what was necessary to help cross the end zone twice. This kid's numbers in crucial moments keep getting better. And that makes four consecutive victories. They are undefeated at home and keep finding ways to win at the end of matches. These guys believe in themselves, they believe in each other, and the first place in the AFC West belongs to Denver. When you're successful in end-of-game situations, Tom, does a tie feel almost like a lead in the fourth quarter?
Yes, I think we always felt, at least in the teams I was on, that if we were tied in the fourth quarter and we were playing at home, we had a big advantage. You have three-quarters of the game to figure out what you're doing right and how the other team is trying to attack you. If you're a smart team, and I know Denver is, you make all those adjustments during those three quarters to get to the fourth quarter, and they've been playing their best football. That tells you they have a smart and resilient football team. The San Francisco 49ers start in the top three. Yes, and San Francisco had the week off and, honestly, after that game in Atlanta, they needed it. But getting DeForest Buckner back in the Bay Area
is a solid way to maintain your range and take advantage of the bye week. They remain at 6-1, tied with Minnesota for the best record in the NFC, and still have control of the NFC West. The Raiders are going to Santa Clara this weekend. Yeah, Raiders-Niners, Tom, a classic rivalry game, right? Do the players think about that stuff? I know they move around a lot within the league, but does it motivate you a little more for a match like this I think there are a lot of Raiders fans and a lot of 49ers fans who remember that rivalry. I'm not sure the players are as focused as the fans. When you have games between AFC-NFC conferences, they don't happen very often. You'll remember these for the rest of your life.
And this is where there might be a little surprise, Tom. In second place are the Buffalo Bills. Yes, Buffalo hosted the Ravens, and with Lamar leaving after a play, we didn't see the game everyone wanted, but it gave this Buffalo defense a lot of confidence. Facing the Ravens' backup quarterbacks, Josh has already racked up 20 total touchdowns this year. That's crazy. And the Bills still have the most points in the NFL, and I had them at number one when I started thinking about this list. They definitely deserve it, but I had another idea. So, you take the floor, Tom. What 's the idea? Last week I asked if Chicago could go from five to one with a win in Seattle, and I'm a man of my word. The Bears won in Seattle on
Monday night and did what they had to do. DeAndre Swift scored three times. When Seattle sealed the score at the end, Chicago responded. And oh, by the way, Jeffrey Simmons is now leading the defense. It's not a big deal, is it? Look , this is a power ranking, not a leaderboard, and there's something about the Chicago vibe that convinced me to give them the top spot. But with great power comes great responsibility, doesn't it? Let's see what Caleb can do next.
