NFL Cream Of The Crop – Week Nine

We are heading into the second half of this year’s NFL season, and certain teams are beginning to separate themselves from the rest of the bunch. Last week, Lester thought the best three teams were:

1. Atlanta Falcons

2. Houston Texans

3. Chicago Bears

It’s easy to see how he came to that conclusion, but let’s see which teams have risen to the top this time round.

1. Atlanta Falcons

Their run game hasn’t been great, with Michael Turner rushing for just 415 yards, but with Ryan playing as well as he is, along with receivers such as Julio Jones, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez, they haven’t had to rely on yards gained on the ground.

The Falcons have a pretty tough game against a solid Dallas defense this coming Sunday, but I fully expect them to still be undefeated when that game is over. Definitely the team to beat right now.

2. Houston Texans

Although they were on a bye this week, the Texans hold on to their number two spot in the chart. They play in a weak AFC South division with only the Indianapolis Colts offering anything much in the way of competition.

Quarterback Matt Schaub has played well, and running back Arian Foster leads the league with nine rushing touchdowns. The Texans defense gives up the third fewest yards per game and allows just 18.3 points per game.

Coming off their bye week, they host the Buffalo Bills in a matchup that leans heavily in their favor. Look for the Texans to once again make the top three next week.

3. New York Giants

The Giants are back amongst the cream of the crop, taking the place of the Bears who held this spot last week.

They won a close game against the Cowboys, gaining revenge for the loss they suffered at the hands of Dallas in week one. Quarterback Eli Manning didn’t have a great game, but he has been solid for much of this season, and knows how to win football games.

The Giants receivers are excellent with Hakeem Nicks and Julio Cruz being one of the best tandems in the league.

I think they could struggle a little against the Pittsburgh Steelers this week, who are steadily improving under the leadership of QB Ben Roethlisberger.

However, New York remain head and shoulders above the rest of the NFC East, and are a sure-fire bet to win the division, with many still having them down to win the Super Bowl again this year.

Remember to check out this week’s NFL bottom of the barrel to find out who are the league’s worst performing teams.