NFL football: Tampa Bay and Indianapolis the surprises of the season

Colts-Bucs. Obvious, right? Who among us would not have said that after six days of the regular season the teams at the top of their respective divisions would be Indianapolis and Tampa Bay? As the matches go by, the impression that this is a season without masters grows stronger and stronger. Eagles overwhelmed by the Giants, Bills beaten in Atlanta, Lions defeated, ok, it can fit in Kansas City. The fact remains that the Colts and Bucs are 5-1. Only the Steelers (4-1) and Packers (3-1-1) have the same number of games lost.

afc

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If we were to draw very partial sums and make a mini assessment after a third of the regular season, we would struggle to indicate who will emerge in the American Football Conference. We remain of the opinion that Buffalo, if it fixes its defense, will remain the favorite. But the Chiefs seem to be back to the good times. And next time they get Rashee Rice back. True, the Lions had a defense in pieces and will certainly grow, so they were a not entirely reliable test for the true value of the Chiefs, but in the meantime they won comfortably. With these two removed, who else can we assume is Super Bowl-worthy? Certainly not the pathetic Denver seen in London against the Jets. Someone wrote that that match was the worst insult done to England by the USA since 1766. He’s not wrong. How long will Wembley and Tottenham be full if this is the show they are (often) offered?

nfc

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The situation is similar for National. Phila seems to have caught the usual illness, post Super Bowl syndrome. Barkley is a shadow of himself, the defense (ok, Carter was missing but now Za’Darius Smith has also retired) is embarrassing at times. The Lions at full strength should be the favourites. But watch out for Tampa. Because reaching 5-1 with the barrage of injuries that have devastated them is no small feat. When everyone returns, we’ll see if the Bucs are truly Super Bowl worthy. Surely Baker Mayfield, as already said last week, is the league’s MVP at the moment. Dak Prescott is playing equally well but Dallas loses, so talking about MVP is unrealistic. The disappointment so far is Green Bay. It started well, it failed against the Browns, and it could have been there, but the draw with Dallas and the unconvincing victory against the Bengals only amplified the doubts. The 49ers get the Oscar of bad luck after losing the soul of the defense, Fred Warner, for the entire season. Seattle can be the wild card, not in the sense of playoff position but of the team that can surprise, if we want to talk about surprise.

super maye

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The mere fact that he entered the MVP conversation (which he won’t win) makes Drake Maye a certainty. He has room for growth, God forbid, but between the second half in Buffalo and the first in New Orleans, he came close to perfection. The Patriots are largely in the playoffs in an AFC that, as mentioned, is weak to say the least. And thanks also to a ridiculous calendar. The next two are at Tennessee (who finally kicked out Callahan, the worst coach in the NFL) and at home against Cleveland. If they hadn’t thrown away the game against the Steelers (5 turnovers, each bloodier than the last), they would be 5-1 too. Thinking them 6-2 is not heresy. And they will still have two games against the Jets and one at home against Miami (totally in disarray, with Tua accusing his teammates of not even showing up at the meetings organized by the players, players only meetings). Not to mention the Bengals and Giants.

the super bowl of the week

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Well, as said at the beginning, it’s a lottery. But since we pick it on a weekly basis based on how the teams are doing, let’s say Chiefs-Lions. It will change, many times, between now and January…