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No major competition promotes competitive balance in the manner of the NFL: it's their core marketing message. But through the first ten matchups in this campaign, this isn’t a league that is equally balanced separating contenders, pretenders, and middle-of-the-pack clubs. It’s one where the bulk of franchises are merely fine.

Clear Picture in NFC

Within the National Football Conference, for the most part, there is some clarity. The Rams and Seahawks (both at 7-2) seem like the most well-rounded squads in the NFL, and delivered overwhelming triumphs on Sunday. The Eagles with six wins even with their challenges maintain one of the most talented rosters across the NFL, similar to Green Bay (5-2-1). Detroit as well (6-3 standing), despite their uneven performances on offense and defense and have been dealing with tension on their coaching staff, have proven they're capable of dominating strong franchises. Regarding these five teams, you can still easily put together a championship trajectory.

AFC Playoff Chaos

Turning to the American Football Conference, championship race is a jumbled mess. The four teams leading their divisions after ten games: Indianapolis, New England, Denver (each with 8-2 records) along with Pittsburgh (5-4). Read that again. Not the Chiefs. Not the Bills. Baltimore and Cincinnati are absent. The usual contenders, featuring elite NFL signal-callers, display either significant personnel gaps or are dealing with health issues.

Parity Mechanics

To some extent, it’s the league’s ideal. However, witnessing this year’s four division leaders in the AFC still feels strange. Components of every squad pass the championship smell test, but not in their entirety. If you were asked to lock in your conference championship predictions at this moment, would you comfortably pick any of the current division frontrunners?

Team Breakdowns

Indianapolis Outlook

Beginning with the Colts, the signal-caller hasn’t quite reached complete disaster level. But the last two weeks have raised concerns. He's reverting to committing turnovers and faltering under duress. He took seven sacks versus Atlanta in the weekend game, and experienced a short sequence during which he tossed an intercepted pass and coughed up the ball thrice. This comes after he gave away possessions five times against the Steelers.

Indianapolis' offensive unit performed well initially since Jones evaded the disaster plays. Jonathan Taylor and the offensive line make the Colts able to withstand periodic mistakes, as demonstrated overseas. But Jones returning to his old blunder-prone days would end postseason aspirations.

Patriots Examination

The Patriots feel somewhat similar. Previously, they were considered jokes. Now, they’re the NFL's most pleasant shock and the hottest team in football post seven wins in a row. If not for fumbling away a winnable game facing Pittsburgh, they'd possess a 9-1 record as the league's best. Previously, they seemed veteran and plodding. Now they’re young, fast and unafraid. However, we must acknowledge the weakness of New England's opponents. They've encountered the most manageable schedule across the NFL, and there have still been cracks. The signal-caller has been brought down 35 times – among the highest totals – including particular impacts he suffered last weekend appeared dangerous. With continued play, those beatings accumulate.

Denver Broncos

Denver stands at also 8-2, and it still feels that they're barely surviving. The Denver signal-caller has performed unevenly, and the offensive unit laboring, while the defensive unit provides the majority of the work. Without serviceable quarterback play, Denver cannot intimidate any playoff team. The Chargers are also contending in the AFC West at 7-2, however, health issues affecting their protection unit will create difficulties to achieve championship contention.

Pittsburgh Steelers

And then there’s Pittsburgh, somehow still leading their division despite being thumped 25-10 by the Chargers on Sunday night. They've been outscored overall, their defense too often disappears, and the QB's current constraints at this stage of his career regularly manifest. They maintain a 5-4 record while surviving, yet Baltimore, featuring a recovered Jackson with manageable games ahead, are riding a three-game streak. We shouldn't be completely astonished that the Ravens have narrowed within a game of the Steelers, but that it has arrived so quickly highlights deficiencies within Pittsburgh’s inconsistencies. That the Ravens started the season 1-5 and currently seem capable of division victory reveals much about the complete conference.

Traditional Powers

Baltimore constitutes part of the Big Three – together with Bills and Chiefs – fueled by former MVP signal-callers, who could still create the greatest concern among competitors if they qualified. They represent undesirable playoff matchups, however, both franchises continue to self-destruct.

Buffalo Analysis

A week ago, the Bills felt confident following victory over Kansas City. During Sunday's action they experienced a particularly discouraging setback this year. They didn’t just lose versus the Dolphins; they suffered humiliation, dropping a 30-13 road game. This represented Miami's initial victory against Buffalo in several seasons.

Should you seek a perfect summary of Sunday, look no further: Josh Allen turning {a quarterback sneak|a short-yardage play|a sneak attempt