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After five weeks, the NFL playoff picture appears to be getting clearer for some teams, while some teams that are expected to be in the playoffs are still trying to figure things out. One thing we know for certain after watching five weeks of football, is that the Pittsburgh Steelers, who had one of the best NFL odds of winning the Super Bowl, are the best team in the league this season.
Despite not having key players at the start of the season due to suspension or injuries, Pittsburgh is finally at full strength and look like the scariest team in the league. Their offense has been very explosive, led by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who is the front runner for the MVP award this season.
Pittsburgh’s defense, which has been a liability in recent years, is finally resembling the Pitts burgh defense of old, and are holding their opponents to less than 16 points per game. Antonio Brown, who was the best receiver in the NFL last season, has picked up where he left off and has been one of the most productive receivers in the NFL this season.
While the Steelers definitely miss the size and production of Martavis Bryant, who is serving a one year suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, Sammy Coates has emerged as a reliable second receiver, which has allowed the offense to continue operating at a very high level.
With Tom Brady returning to the starting lineup in New England after serving a four-game suspension for his role in DeflateGate, people are pointing to the Patriots as the top team in the NFL. The noise got even louder last weekend after the Patriots dismantled the Cleveland Browns.
However, the Patriots and their fans need to keep things in perspective because the Browns are a winless team and arguably the worst team in the NFL this season, so there isn’t anything special about putting up big numbers against a team that is in such disarray.
The Steelers and Patriots are currently 4-1, and tied for the best record in the AFC, however, the Steelers body of work has been more impressive than New England’s because they have defeated better teams than the Patriots, and did it without some of their key players.
For the Patriots, their only real challenge so far has been the Arizona Cardinals, who are struggling to get back to .500 right now.
The Patriots only loss of the season was against the Buffalo Bills, who haven’t shown anything to lead one to believe they are contenders this year.
The Steelers on the other hand were handed their first loss of the season by the previously undefeated Philadelphia Eagles on the road, which makes their loss much better than the Patriots.
The great thing about the league is that we don’t have to wait until the playoffs to figure out which team is the best because the Steelers and Patriots play each other during the regular season. When the two team meet, we will find out who has the better team, but don’t be surprised to see the Steelers come out on top, since they are the better team.
