15. New York Giants (4-2-1)
New York was on the bye in Week 8
The New York Giants are 4-2-1, just like we all expected, and it seems like they could be major players for Jonathan Taylor, the Colts running back who is probably going to get traded. I am not sure the Giants would be making a wise move there, as they don’t have their starting QB, largely have a ‘fine’ roster, and are clearly nothing close to a legitimate playoff team.
Sure, the story has been fun this year, and the early-but-encouraging revival of JJ McCarthy is certainly something, but the Giants are still, optimistically, a year away from actually being a team to take seriously in the playoff landscape in the NFC.
With that said, they are well-coached thanks to John Harbaugh and his staff, and the Giants surely see how weak the NFC East is. You don’t blame them at all if they get aggressive at the deadline, but at the same time, it might be jumping the gun just a bit.
14. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
I guess if you’re Aaron Rodgers, you might not care about your own stat line if your run game was as good as it was in Week 8. The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to beat Cleveland and move to 6-2 on the season. Pittsburgh is now in first place in the AFC North, and while it is still early-ish in the season, the Steelers do appear to have a legitimate shot at winning the division.
Jackson’s thumb injury is less than ideal, and it could keep him out for quite some time. As I type this out, we don’t know for sure how long he’ll miss, but he was ruled out rather quickly. Despite never really making it look all that pretty, the Steelers keep winning games.
But with each passing win, I am not sure this team looks any different and, the questions about how high this team’s ceiling is remain. Pittsburgh could very well win the North this year, but they won’t go far.
13. Green Bay Packers (5-3)
The Green Bay Packers beat Carolina on Thursday Night Football and are now 5-3 on the season. Micah Parsons should slowly begin making his return, and given the overall circumstances of the season, you really have to be impressed with where the Packers are right now.
Despite having a very one-dimensional offense and a banged-up defense, this team is very much alive in the NFC North division race thus far. Given all the personnel issues, though, you naturally have to wonder if this team just won’t have enough.
With that said, being 5-3 through the first eight games of the season does put them on pace for 11 wins this year, and given how close the NFC North is, 11 wins might be enough to win the division - it was last year!
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