Who is the Best Team in the AFC?

It's almost impossible to say anything good about a 21-point loss at home, but the Tennessee Titans are sitting pretty even after an ugly performance. They are 10-1, own a two game lead for top seed in the AFC and have the opportunity to avenge their poor performance by playing a winless team. Thanks to the Colts' early season struggles, Tennessee was able to grab a strangle hold of the AFC South and their chances of winning the division didn't really take too much of a hit. Jeff Fisher is a great head coach and will have his team ready to go for its Thanksgiving Day tilt against the Lions.

Still, their 34-13 loss at the hands of the quickly emerging New York Jets had resounding consequnces. Tennessee was exploited by a team that is playing on another plane in comparison. From the first drive of the game, there was little doubt who the best team on the field was. The Titans scraped their way to 10-0 by winning the tough games, but the Jets are blowing the competition away during their current five-game winning streak. It suggests that the strength of the AFC has little to do with records. Even if Tennessee does manage to get home field, teams like the Steelers (8-3), Colts (7-4), and Patriots (7-4) will have little trouble coming into LP Field and winning like the Jets just did. With one game left in November, the Tennessee Titans may have the best record in the AFC, but they are only part of the discussion for best team in the conference.

Favre's Jets are making a case for that title, bouncing back from a disappointing 1-2 start to beat the defending AFC champions and the league's last undefeated team on the road in the last two weeks. Taking down the Patriots in Foxboro was a testament to the Jets' resiliency in withstanding New England's furious rally; Sunday's win was about beating down a team no one could figure out. Each performance told you something else about the team's strength. Since that rough loss to the Raiders in Week 7, New York has beaten its last five opponents by a score of 169-88 and is now the second highest scoring team in the NFL, behind only the Giants.

If the playoffs started today, the Pittsburgh Steelers would be the second seed even though they have played the NFL's toughest schedule. It doesn't get any easier with the Patriots, Cowboys, and Ravens coming up in their next three games. Each and every week is a grind for Ben Roethlisberger and Mike Tomlin, but the Steelers continue to win games and be in playoff contention with a bruising style of play. At times, it's painful to watch but it continues to be the trademark for a franchise that always seems to find itself in playoff contention.

The AFC's last two champions, the Patriots and Colts, may not be at their usual posts at the top of their respective divisions, but both are beginning to find stable footing just in time for the stretch run. Matt Cassell has been Brady-like in his last two games and is going to get a strong look from many teams in the offseason. He became only the fifth quarterback to throw 400 yards in consecutive games. Indianapolis is on a four-game win streak and is finally starting to work out of the rust that dogged them early in the season. Rumors of these two teams downfall have been greatly exaggerated, and they are as equipped as any team to make a run in January.

The Verdict: Steelers