NFL 2007 Week 4: AFC Edition

AFC East: The Patriots rolled over their opponent once again. They seem unstoppable, but I’ll believe all this undefeated hype when I see it. The reporters hope for it every year, but it never happens. They won’t lose to Cleveland next week, but they might have a tough time in Dallas if the Cowboys’ defense stays healthy. In the ongoing battle for which team will have the fewest wins, the Dolphins took the big plunge against the lowly Raiders. A team has to try hard to allow three rushing touchdowns to Daunte Culpepper, but Miami’s really giving it their all. Hopefully, they don’t get too confident because the Bills and the Jets are gunning for it as well. After their seriously underwhelming performances from both squads, the Jets were able to eke out a loss and keep the Bills from continuing their defeated streak. After this coming week, the bottom three of the AFC East could have a combined record of 2-13, which is the best case of all that New England could go undefeated.

AFC North: While the Steelers are no longer undefeated, they have no match in the division. They got beat by Kurt Warner, it’s true, but they are significantly better than the Bengals or the Ravens, and the Browns are still a joke. Their offense makes Cincinnati looks way better than their record indicates, but their defense is terrible. The Pats didn’t even have that many yards, yet still scored 34 on them. It surprises me that the Ravens gave up 27 to the Browns, but I guess they’re getting older and slower. Could they be old enough and slow enough to give up those numbers to the Browns, though? That seems crazy to me because, unless I’m the dense one, Derek Anderson still sucks.

AFC South: The South is working out to be a far tougher division than anyone had anticipated. The Colts will definitely lose a couple of division games this year, and it could be to any of the teams here. Next year, especially, is a different story, and there could be some potential usurpers to the Colts’ throne. Not this year though. With the Titans coming off their bye week, they should tear the Falcons apart and taking control of second place in the division. The Jags and the Texans will fight it out for third, but the Texans are a team on an upswing, and I see them taking it decisively at this point, although the playoffs are still a ways away.

AFC West: Last, and definitely least, the lowly West, they’ve become the laughing stock of the AFC. I still think that Denver’s clearly the best in the division, but they have San Diego next week. The Broncos’ abysmal run defense is a good sign for a breakout game for L.T., no matter how much I hate to think it. If the Chargers can manage to pull out the win, their season can continue. If they lose, San Diego will be interviewing for new coaches already. The Raiders are all smoke and mirrors. Their defense is showing a lot of improvement, but any trust in that offense and Daunte Culpepper is crazy.