Will the real champs please stand up?

We’re almost half way through the season.  The Broncos look sharp, but definitely not unbeatable.  The Patriots are winning games by the skin of their teeth.  The Steelers defense looks like it belongs in a nursing home.  The Bengals go from looking like the best team in football to having complete melt downs on the field.  What on earth is going on?

The teams that typically dominate the conference aren’t separating themselves from the pack like everyone expected.  The stage is perfectly set for a new team to step up and dominate the AFC.  Tom Brady & Peyton Manning may not like it, but they’re likely going to be traveling to the Colts and the Chargers in January because these teams are primed to take the top seeds in the conference.

The Colts may have lost their first two games, but no QB is playing better than Andrew Luck right now.  The Colts will have an easy time winning the AFC South again considering how weak the division looks.  Their only difficult remaining opponent is the Patriots, who don’t resemble the goliath we’re all used to at all.  It’s difficult to see this squad not winning at least 12 games.

As for the Bolts, no QB is playing smarter than Philip Rivers.  The Chargers have wisely continued the offensive philosophy Ken Wisenhunt installed last year.  Run the ball, control the clock, and rely on Rivers’ arm when you need to.  The Chargers offense stays on the field about 35 minutes a game, a huge advantage when you’ve got two meetings with Peyton Manning on the horizon.  Maybe even more importantly, San Diego now boasts a defense that is +7 in turn overs, a huge improvement over last year’s team.  Their game at Denver will be a tremendous test this week, but remember that the Chargers were the only team to win in Mile High last year.  They can do it again.

Watch out for a changing of the guard in January 2015.  You can never count out Manning & Brady, but don’t expect them to coast to an AFC Championship re-match.