I don't think I'd use the adjective "distant" when describing the Chiefs, Cowboys and Patriots.

The return of a healthy Houston puts this team firmly in the #2 spot for me and I think the Chiefs and Patriots would be a close game on a neutral spot.

I appreciate your Chiefs-colored glasses, M. I really do. No bullshit.

But Houston doesn't fix this run defense, and FFS - Elliott would go berserk against us right now. I have a hard time putting us ahead of any team with a solid run offense.

We're a good team, no doubt. I certainly hope you're right and I'm wrong come January.

Yep. They have over all team depth, balance on offense, good defense,

Reid and Smith are the keys to our success. I don't see anything standing in the way once Smith comes back next week.

Let me just put it this way. Last year, we had no Houston or Maclin for the playoff game.

Deal Denver that same hand. They don't have Miller or Emmanuel Sanders for the playoffs. Do they win the Super Bowl?

:hmmm:

I'm not concerned about the run defense as long as the pass defense is holding teams to 14 points or less.

Atlanta will be a big test. On the road, an offense that's playing lights out and maybe the best WR in the football.

I have that down as a loss but if they win, look out.

Houston and Ford will be getting after Ryan's ass by then. He won't have time for deep shots to Jones like he often does.

I hope you're right but I see this as the biggest challenge of the season.

I'm less concerned about Denver at home or away, the Raiders at home, etc.

They need to play lights out in Atlanta.

Overall teamwise, I had to go with the Raiders. New England and Dallas are top 3.

Put down the crack pipe man. Faiders best team overall??? Have you seen that defense? Did you see what we did to them? The Fade are a much improved team, and a likely playoff team, but they are not the best overall team in the league. They may be in the conversation for top 5. Maybe. I put them behind NE, Dallas, KC then a huge drop off to 4th. You have a cluster there of Seattle, San Diego, Atlanta, and the Fade. Mix and match those 4 however you like. So Faiders 4-7.

The same Raiders that lost to the Chiefs at home?

The same Raiders that went to OT against Tampa Bay, a 2-5 team?

I think NFL Network just screwed up. They announced a poll on whether we think it'll be Dallas or New England winning the Super Bowl. No other choices, no hypotheticals. It was just, "So, which will it be? Dallas or New England?"

I'm going to make a note of this post.

Narcotics.

Last year? Oh, **** yes. Our two best RBs, our starting FB, our starting left tackle, one of our starting guards, our starting middle linebacker, and key depth at a number of positions, including CB and LB, which affected special teams. Sure, none of those guys individually is as good as Houston, but collectively, it had a HUGE impact. There's a reason we went from 10-0 to start the year to wheezing through the final six games and then losing in the playoffs!

BB is the reason the Patriots lost in Denver. He kept going for it on 4th down when a FG would have sufficed. He made the most confounding decisions I'd ever seen him make.

It was like Bizarro BB.

There were multiple reasons we lost in Denver, including BB, and Ghost missing his first point after attempt EVER.

I'm perfectly fine with blaming BB, however, the blame for him starts before we ever got to Denver, by losing two games that we should NEVER have lost (Philly and Miami), in VERY large part due to terrible coaching decisions.

If we win either of those games we have HFA and I don't believe we would have lost to Denver if it had been at Gillette.

It was, seriously, the worst year of BB coaching I can remember. Multiple strategic and tactical mistakes, a couple instances of weird/bad clock management at the end of the half or game, which NEVER happens with BB/Brady. Yeah....bizzarro BB. No sign of it so far this year however.

[conspiracy theorist]BB had to manufacture home field for Peyton so he had a plausible chance of beating the Patriots, so the NFL could crown his ass on the way out the door.[/conspiracy theorist]