10.  New York Jets- Even though the Jets struggled in their victory  against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9, the defense has played very well all year long, and you can slowly see the effects of new Head Coach Todd Bowle’s coaching. This lands them in the 10th spot.

9.  Minnesota Vikings- Adrian Peterson. This is the future Hall of Famer’s first season back since his controversial suspension for the 2014-2015 season and he’s already back to familiar territory as the league’s leading rusher for the 2015 season. The Viking’s offensive  array of weapons also expands out to quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and the extremely versatile Cordarrelle Patterson, making the Vikings a strong contender in the NFC.

8. Indianapolis Colts – I know The Colts are 4-5, I know Andrew Luck isn’t having the best season, but the team did manage to give The Denver Broncos their first loss of the 2015 season landing them in number 8.

7. Seattle Seahawks- This is one team I was hesitant  in placing this high with the high amount of sacks Wilson has taken, or even the team’s overall record in general. However, even behind all of that, you can’t overlook the power of Seattle’s defense and the explosive Russell Wilson. That is why I’m putting them at number 7.

6. Arizona Cardinals- You could argue that the Cardinals are a top 3 team this year but for now I’m not. From where I stand, the Cardinals are a team that’s almost ready to be great but they still have a few more things to prove before I can bump them up. This leaves them at 6.

5. Green Bay Packers- Aaron Rodgers, in my opinion, is one of three men in the league who has a shot at beating out Brady for MVP. Even if the Packers are coming off of consecutive losses, both teams they suffered losses to were undefeated at the time: the Denver Broncos (6-0 at the time) and the Carolina Panthers (7-0).

4. Denver Broncos- Even with Peyton Manning’s “sub-par” performances this season, the Broncos have been able to kick off the first half of the season at 7-1. They’ve suffered their only loss to Andrew Luck and the Colts and have landed themselves in the number 4 spot.

3. Carolina Panthers- The Panthers have won their last 12 regular season games but of those 12 teams the only team with a winning record has been their most recent victim: the Green Bay Packers. Cam Newton has been in this league for four seasons, it’s time that he anchors down and makes a move for his first ring.

2. Cincinnati Bengals- The other man I think has a shot to steal some of Brady’s spotlight is the Bengals’ quarterback Andy Dalton. Dalton has grown substantially as a player on and off the field, and at the moment he has the second highest QBR of the entire league. With Dalton being on pace for career bests in almost every category of the game, and a defense who just doesn’t give up, you’ve got a recipe for some post-season wins.

1.   New England Patriots- You probably already knew this was coming and honestly what else can you               expect? If you’ve watched any football this year, you already know the touchdown slinging Brady is               having a year for the books. This season for Brady and his Patriots can be described with one word:              dominance.