Bet the NFL: Mims gives his AFC mid-season analysis and grades
The AFC East is in transition. The Bills are on top of the division. After an impressive start, Josh Allen is not playing as well of late. Buffalo gets a B. Miami is playing well and has won 3 straight. Tua Tagovailoa is now starting and appears to be in the role of a game manager. Dolphins get a C+. Patriots get a D because they have so many injuries and Cam Newton’s sketchy QB play. The Jets are the worst team in the league at 0-8 and get a well-deserved F.
The AFC South has the Titans and the Colts tied at the top. Both have records of 5-2. The Titans have had some issues with COVID 19. They do have Derrick Henry pounding the rock consistently. The Colts have Philip Rivers who seems to make a costly mistake late in a game. Titans get a B and Colts get a B-. The Jags and Texans have 1-6 records. The Texans have Deshaun Watson. That should be at least 3 wins. They get a D-. The Jags get an F.
The AFC West has the Chiefs sitting on top. Patrick Mahomes is still electrifying and has tremendous offensive weapons supporting him. Kansas City get an A. The Raiders are 4-3 but I am not totally sold on them yet. They did beat the Chiefs. They get a C+ for that. Denver is 3-4 and earns a C. Chargers have found ways to lose games late. They are the AFC answer to the Falcons. They have wasted the outstanding play of Justin Herbert. They get a D.
The AFC North has the Steelers undefeated. Mike Tomlin has made all the right moves so far. Pittsburgh gets an A for perfection. sitting on top. The Ravens are 5-2 with loses to the Chiefs and Steelers. Not overly impressed with the offense. Baltimore gets a B. The Browns are Jekyll and Hyde. They may score 30 or struggle to get 13. They have 5 wins but get a C. Their grade will plummet with a poor second half start. Cincy has played better than expected and Joe Burrow looks like he did at LSU. I will give them a C.
Sports Betting Advice: Teams that are losing and on the road may check out early on the season. Browns, Jets and Jags fit these criteria. Avoid when two bad teams play each other. You cannot be sure which one will show up. If you must have action go with the total or over/under.
The MVP candidates are Patrick Mahomes, Derrick Henry, and Ben Roethlisberger.
Here are the stats of the three
QB Rating/TDs/Interceptions
Mahomes 115.0/21/1
Roethlisberger 99.8/15/4
Henry has rushed for 775 yards and 8 TDs. He averages 4.9 yards per rush.
Mahomes is the clear leader. Ben would have to stay undefeated to make up ground. Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Ryan Tannehill could enter the conversation if they have outstanding second halves.
Follow me for more insights on Twitter.