10. Baltimore Ravens (4-2)
Despite not having Lamar Jackson these past two games, the Baltimore Ravens are still 4-2. As silly as this may sound, the Ravens are honestly one of those teams where you really still take them seriously even when a backup QB is in. We have seen Jackson miss time most seasons with minor-ish injuries, and it’s simply due to the style of football he plays.
The Ravens are still a tough out no matter what, but we also still do see the Ravens of old, as Baltimore scored their 10 points in the first quarter and were shut out the rest of the way. Meanwhile, the Browns ended up scoring all 13 of their points in the second half.
Even during the John Harbaugh era, the Ravens were a team that you did not always trust later in games, and that appears to still be a thing in the Jesse Minter era, but with how close this game was, we can all agree that a healthy Jackson likely gives the Ravens at least 20 points and a likely double-digit victory, so we’re not going to overthink it with our ranking here.
9. New England Patriots (4-2)
The New England Patriots might be getting closer and closer to their 2025 form. The Patriots beat the Jets in Week 6 and are now 4-2 on the season. Perhaps most importantly, Drake Maye seems to be feeling himself once again.
Over his last three games, Maye has passing yardage totals of 269, 374, and 235, and passing touchdown totals of 3, 4, and 3. He now has 10 touchdown passes against just one interception across the past three games.
It’s pretty obvious at this point that the Patriots were simply in a slump earlier in the season, which includes Maye. He finished second in the MVP voting for a reason, so it really should not be a shock that he’s beginning to play this well.
The Patriots have as good a chance as any other team in the NFL to win their division again, and I’d also argue they are the most complete team in the AFC East at this moment. This was a rock-solid win for the Pats.
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