4. Cincinnati Bengals, 6-2
The Cincinnati Bengals have won four games in a row and are getting some incredible play from Joe Burrow, who might be the MVP of the league right now. Burrow has been playing out of his mind, but you're still seeing this defense come and go, so that unit, while improved, might not be there quite yet.
This team still feels capable of making a deep playoff run, especially if the defense doesn't bottom-out. Fortunately, it's probably too talented at this point for that to happen, so Cincy could keep stacking wins. This team hasn't been into the playoffs since the 2022 season, which feels like a fake stat, but with all the dysfunction that they have gone through, which has included injuries to Burrow, the 2026 season feels like a major 'correction' year for the franchise.
The Bengals are No. 4 in our AFC power rankings.
3. Buffalo Bills, 7-1
The Buffalo Bills come in at No. 3 in our AFC power rankings. The Bills added safety Amani Hooker from the Titans at the deadline and bolstered their defensive secondary, which is huge. Sure, the Bills had their way on defense in Week 9, but, for the most part, that unit has largely underperformed.
Jim Leonhard is the defensive coordinator and just got a new weapon to use on the backend of the defense. Buffalo's offense is still top-tier, as Josh Allen is still at the top of his game and is a flat-out playmaker.
The Bills want to fast-forward to the playoffs given how many heartbreaks this team has had to deal with. We all know how good this team can be and all know how dominant Allen is most of the time.
Perhaps this year is going to be different with Joe Brady at the helm? Either way, Buffalo is again a juggernaut.
Add us as a preferred source on Google