14. Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers made it interesting against the Miami Dolphins, but ultimately, Justin Herbert was able to put the team on his back when it mattered most.
In a more literal sense, Herbert won the game for the Chargers with Jaelan Phillips on his back. The Dolphins’ pass rusher was draped all over Herbert for a sack when Herbert pulled off a disappearing act, got outside the pocket, and found Ladd McConkey for a huge gain to set up Cameron Dicker’s game-winning field goal.
When it comes to the injuries the Chargers are dealing with, you just can’t help but wonder at what point they are going to slide a bit. But for now, the Chargers are still in the driver’s seat of the AFC West at 4-2 (with the Broncos knocking at the door) and a 4-0 record against AFC teams this season.
13. New England Patriots
It’s rare that you see a plan come together so seamlessly, but for the New England Patriots, pretty much everything is going according to plan at this point, isn’t it?
The return of Josh McDaniels has been huge for the offense as a whole. Drake Maye has taken the next step in his game overall, maybe even a couple of steps. Mike Vrabel’s impact as a head coach is being felt substantially. Stefon Diggs is playing like it’s 2021.
And more important than anything else, the Patriots have let the Buffalo Bills know that they’ve arrived, and already beat their division rivals this season. A win on Sunday against the Saints pushed this team to 4-2 on the season, and this New England team is firmly a threat in the AFC, which started slow as a conference but has picked things up as of late.