West is the best as the AFC divisional races heat up

We are reaching that point of the season where the contenders are attempting to separate from the pack, the worst teams are planning for the offseason and teams are trying to get out of the glut in the middle of the standings.

Each division this year has a unique look to it this year. Some are enjoying banner seasons while others have tripped up a bit. Let's look at each division to see how they got to where they are. Yesterday we broke down the NFC for you, today we will look at the AFC. Teams with asterisks are currently holding down playoff spots:

AFC East
Patriots (7-2)
Dolphins (5-4)
Bills (4-5)
Jets (3-7)

The Patriots are doing what the Patriots do. Despite a suspended Tom Brady, the Pats went 3-1 with anyone they could find playing quarterback. With Brady back, the offense has soared and looks like a team that will get back to the Super Bowl. The one worry is that they've lost two home games already.

The rest of the division is what it always is: teams who are still trying to find themselves. At different times this season, we've all discussed how the other AFC East teams have hit the bottom. The Bills started off as a mess, won four in a row, then lost three straight. The Dolphins were 1-4 and just lost at home to the Titans and we were ready to bury them. The Jets... well, they are the Jets. They somehow forgot that Ryan Fitzpatrick doesn't last long anywhere (at least not in a good way) and when they finally mustered up the courage to bench him, his replacement Geno Smith immediately tears his ACL. The Jets are so unwatchable that a Patriots-Jets game was actually flexed off of NBC's Sunday Night Football.

The sad thing is these teams are still in the playoff hunt and if any of them figure it out, they could make a run.

AFC South
Texans (6-3)
Titans (5-5)
Colts (4-5)
Jaguars (2-7)

Like the NFC East, the AFC South isn't the joke it was last year but unlike the NFC East, it isn't like anyone is scared of these teams. Houston leads the division despite losing J.J. Watt for the season and new QB Brock Osweiler playing extremely underwhelming. Nothing demonstrates this division more than the Texans beating the Jaguars last week despite Osweiler throwing for 99 yards. Houston needs that defense to hold up and ride the Lamar Miller train to get back to the playoffs.

The surprise is the Tennessee Titans. Not only do they surprise with their even 5-5 record, they can surprise you week to week – hell, quarter to quarter. This team just blasted the Green Bay Packers one week after blowing a game against the Chargers. They squeak by the Browns but hung tough with the Raiders. Who knows about this team?

The Jaguars have been the disappointment of the division. They were a popular sleeper team among pundits, the Jags have been nothing but depressing. The sad thing is that they've actually done alright against some good opponents (the Chiefs, Texans, Ravens and Packers) but can't close the deal.

And there is the Colts. Is this the team that went into Lambeau and rolled the Pacers or the one that last at home to the Jaguars? Despite the Andrew Luck era getting off to a great start, this team has stalled and turned into one of the routine disappointments in the NFL. And with Luck's contract possibly stifling talent accumulation, it may take longer for this team to get back to AFC contender status.

AFC North
Ravens (5-4)
Steelers (4-5)
Bengals (3-5-1)
Browns (0-10)

The AFC North has been well known as a division of toughness and quality football. This season hasn't shown that to be the case thus far. The Baltimore Ravens lead the division on the heels of a tough defense and an ability to find plays here and there on offense. The Ravens are always in every game – win or lose.

But it isn't as if they've grabbed hold of this division as much as Pittsburgh and Cincinnati have been letting it slide through their grip. The Steelers can look so go one minute and baffling the next. That offense is so talented but when the star players are in and out of the lineup it is difficult to get everything clicking. They've lost some puzzling games and when you make odd coaching decisions (like constantly going for two-point conversions) then doubt creeps in.

The Bengals are one-dimensional. A.J. Green has been fantastic as always but the run game comes and goes and there seems not be any dynamic play in the offense. Last year, Marvin Jones and Mohammed Sanu made some big plays that Brandon LaFell just isn't making up for. Having Tyler Eifert banged up hasn't helped but the Bengals are talented enough where they should've been able to weather that.

The Browns simply stink. Hopefully with the pile of draft picks they received for not drafting Carson Wentz, they can rebuild quickly. This team has a lot of holes in a lot of areas but despite all of that, Hue Jackson has them playing hard.

AFC West
Chiefs (7-2)
Raiders (7-2)
Broncos (7-3)
Chargers (4-6)

The AFC West is the best division in football. Period. Not only are the young Raiders finally breaking through, but the Chiefs and Broncos are still in their spots as elite teams in the AFC. This should make for a fun stretch.  Let's start at the bottom for a second.  It isn't like the last place Chargers are a joke. They have choked away several games (Chiefs, Raiders, Saints) that kept them from being 7-3. We can't change that but it does underlie the talent that this fourth place team has.

The top should be a blast to shake out. Oakland has the offense, Denver has the defense and Kansas City is decent at both. We get treated to two Broncos-Chiefs games, one Raiders-Chiefs and a Raiders-Broncos game. Personally, I'd put my money on Kansas City. They have both experience and have won 17 of the their last 19 regular season games (going back to last year). They are well coached (Andy Reid doesn't get the respect he's due for that) and are sound with the football on both sides of the line. They may not wow you, but they efficiently get the job done.