Cincinnati, Green Bay, and Denver all had a bye in week 7, making five teams without a loss. The Packers and Broncos play next Sunday night, and it is only the fourth time in the history of the league that two unbeaten sides face off this late in the year.
With their win in last year’s Super Bowl, the Patriots are tops on the list as the best team in football and unless someone knocks them off, they will remain number one, no matter what the other teams do each week.
The Broncos have Peyton Manning, but it’s the defense winning games in the Mile High city and despite the struggles of Manning and the offense, Denver sits second, but that could change next week after they face Green Bay, who is sitting third.
Everyone keeps waiting for Andy Dalton to revert to his playoff form, but he and his Bengals are playing at a high level and beating everyone they face. They may not have the respect of the everyday fan, but they have the respect of every team that lines up against them and with a fifth consecutive trip to the playoffs looking like a strong possibility, this is the year they could take that next step and make it to the Super Bowl.
With all the teams without a loss, it’s surprising that only one NFL team has just one L. Atlanta struggled on Sunday to beat Tennessee, but the Falcons escaped on the road and improved to 6-1 and are still in the hunt for a top-4 spot in the power rankings and home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
With the good comes some bad, and Detroit with its one win is last in the league, but it does have a shot at the top pick in next year’s draft. The Lions’ offensive line is terrible and with the players that left over the off season, it looks like a long year ahead for the fans in Motown.
