By Jessy Dhillon
We are a quarter of the way into the 2013 National Football League season already. Two teams look like the class of the NFL this season and sadly it is not my San Francisco 49ers. Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks look to be on a collision course for the Super Bowl in New York. At the age of 38, Peyton Manning looks better than he has ever in the past. He is leading the league in touchdown passes (16) passing yards (1,470) and completion percentage (75%). The Seattle Seahawks are doing their damage by their dreaded defense and clutch plays by sophomore quarterback Russell Wilson. Last week the Seahawks were down 17 at half-time against the Houston Texans and clawed their way back to tie the game on a Richard Sherman interception return. Sherman in my opinion is the best cornerback in the league; he talks the talk and walks the walk.
The Seattle Seahawks so far have proved their doubters wrong and have won both 10am starts on the road. They could have easily lost both games however; their defense forced key turnovers at clutch times to help win games in Carolina and Houston. Seattle is doing what good teams do: Finding ways to win in games they look to be out. At home, the Seahawks dismantled the 49ers again with their stingy defense and Marshawn Lynch’s 3 touchdown performance. Lynch always thrives against the 49ers. The Seahawks also blew out the Jacksonville Jaguars at home to no one’s surprise. The Jaguars are by the worst team in the league. Russell Wilson has not put up big numbers yet but has made clutch play after play. Two things that impress me a lot in Wilson’s game is that he does not make mistakes by forcing a pass to make a play. The other is that you can never count him out in a play. Wilson always finds a way to make something out of nothing. The Seahawks are in good shape for the next 10 years at the quarterback position. The Seahawks can easily make their way to the Super Bowl if the Seahawks clinch home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. They will go 8-0 and home and only need to go 3-3 on the road to probably clinch the NFC West.
The scary thing about the Denver Broncos is that they are 4-0 without their best player Von Miller. The middle linebacker was suspended for trying to sabotage his drug test. He will be eligible to play in week 7. John Elway has built an offensive juggernaut, the addition of Wes Welker just maybe put this team over the top and ready to win their first Super Bowl since Elway retired. The Broncos lead the league in points for (179) and touchdowns (23). It’s a treat to watch Peyton Manning play; he makes everyone around him better. He’d probably find a way to make me look good on the field. At this point in the season it looks like the Broncos and Seahawks may have a date in New York for the Lombardi Trophy.
Surprises around the NFL: The AFC West has surprisingly been one of the best divisions in the League. Along with Denver ripping it up, The Kansas City Chiefs have doubled their win total from last year and are sitting pretty at 4-0. Alex Smith who has been playing some of his best football and tough and stingy defence are the keys to the great start by the Chiefs. Philip Rivers looks rejuvenated under Mike McCoy’s new offence. The Chargers could easily be 3-1 if not for a late collapse in the first week of the season against the Texans. Who would of thought that after trading their best offensive players the Cleveland Browns would have a share for first place in their division. Quarterback Brian Hoyer has stepped in nicely and put up great numbers in the back to back wins for the Browns. The Browns have one of the most underrated defenses in the league. Another surprise is how good the New Orleans Saints look, Sean Peyton has returned to the sidelines after a one year suspension. I think hiring Rob Ryan as defensive coordinator was a great move by the Saints management. The Saints defense is a lot more physical under Ryan’s defensive schemes.
We are only a quarter of a way through the NFL Season, so things can change, but at this point the Seahawks and Broncos are the class of the league..
TOP 5 Power Rankings: 1. Denver Broncos 2. Seattle Seahawks 3. New Orleans Saints 4. New England Patriots 5. Kansas City Chiefs
