If there is anything we’ve learned through the first half of the National Football League’s regular season, it’s validation of knowing we are watching the world’s best reality show in progress. Just when a team looks like they’re emerging from the pack, they catch a loss that has many wondering what happened. The Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills were among the squads that experienced those humbling defeats last weekend, while the Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans (the team that gave the Rams their loss) might actually be the teams to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the bunch. What happens this week is anyone’s guess, but the one thing we do know is predicting who will be in the Super Bowl at L.A.’s SoFi Stadium in February won’t be too much easier than trying to figure out a Rubik’s Cube. We also know watching what happens on the way there will be tons of fun.
While I say there isn’t much we know in processing what has happened in the regular season so far, there are a couple of trends that do stay true. Any team with Tom Brady as their quarterback remains in the hunt for a Super Bowl, while the ones with Kirk Cousins as their triggerman remains consistently average. Something else has been proven true in regards to the landscape in the respective conferences. In the NFC, the standings are top heavy, while the AFC has many teams bunched within at least two games of each other. To back this up, consider the fact every team in the AFC North and West divisions have a winning record at the halfway point of the season. So yes, the NFL has new faces trying to stake claims, but there are a couple of familiar ones who are still in the mix, even through all of the wackiness. Those two teams are the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers.
For the Patriots, they have righted the ship to move their record to 5-4, which has them half a game behind the Bills for first place in the AFC East. New England still has two head-to-head matchups with Buffalo remaining on the schedule. The Pats have won their last three games, and they could be 8-1 if it wasn’t for a one-point setback to the Miami Dolphins, a two-point defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and an overtime loss to the Cowboys. At any rate, New England looks to be hitting their stride at the right time behind a strong running game and a ball-hawking defense. When the team needs a big play in the passing game, rookie quarterback Mac Jones has shown he is more than capable of providing that. Another thing the Patriots have going for them is they have one of the best head coaches of all-time in Bill Belichick, who can make up what the club might lack in talent with game-specific scheming. If this upward trend continues, don’t be surprised if New England does more than just make an appearance in the playoff picture.
As for the Steelers, they were sitting at 1-3, and people were basically declaring the season over for them. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was looking old and ready to retire, and nothing was going right for the offense and defense as a whole. Someone forgot to tell Pittsburgh the rebuilding project was beginning, because quietly, they have won their last four games to bring the record to 5-3. With a win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday, they would be tied with the Baltimore Ravens for first place in the AFC North, with both the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals close behind. One of the major questions about the Steelers coming into the season was the offensive line. Things didn’t look good the first four games, but they have become functional by establishing the running game with rookie running back Najee Harris. The defense has elite playmakers on every level, with T.J. Watt on the line, Devin Bush at linebacker and Minkah Fitzpatrick at safety. Like the Patriots, Pittsburgh has a great coach to help get them ready for battle each and every week. Say what you want about Mike Tomlin, but the truth is the Steelers have not had a losing season since he took over as the head coach in 2007. As long Roethlisberger doesn’t become a turnover machine, Pittsburgh will be a team nobody wants to play come December and January.
There’s a phrase that says “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” In the NFL, there are several new teams trying to emerge as contenders, but through it all, that conversation doesn’t happen often without a mention of the Patriots or Steelers. There’s a reason why these two teams are tied for the most Super Bowl wins (six) in league history. Winning DNA is not built overnight. It takes consistency over a sustained amount of time, and it’s hard to find more consistent teams than these two. It didn’t start well for either one, but as of now, they’re as dangerous as anyone in a league oozing with parody.
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