Four teams have bucked the often-seen trend of parity in the NFL, as the Bengals, Broncos, Panthers and Patriots are all still unbeaten after Week 8. The Broncos will face both of the other unbeaten AFC teams later on this season, while the Panthers face a stiff test this Sunday in the 6-1 Packers.
Combining the rosters of the four remaining undefeated teams, here's how I would rank the best 25 players:
1. Tom Brady, QB, Patriots: No need to overthink it. Brady has clearly been the best player in football this season. He has 20 touchdowns and just one interception, but that pick comes with a caveat -- it was a perfectly thrown pass that bounced out of the grasp of wideout Julian Edelman. The league's midseason MVP.
2. Rob Gronkowski, TE, Patriots: In discussing the most indispensable offensive players in the NFL outside of a quarterback, the conversation begins with Gronk. He's a touchdown-maker (seven already) who is averaging 16.2 yards per catch. He's also an edge-setting blocker in the running game and valuable pass protector.
3. Andy Dalton, QB, Bengals: It has been a career year for Dalton, who is completing 66.2 percent of his passes and is on pace for 34 touchdowns and just nine picks. He has had pivotal late-game moments (a touchdown pass to A.J. Green in Week 8 among them). A legit MVP candidate as well.