AFC stock reports: Texans, Colts are on the rise

Despite an embarrassing performance by the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5, they are still on top of the AFC alongside the New England Patriots.

The AFC Conference continued to look like a disaster through five weeks of football in Week 5 of the 2019 regular season. Coming into the 2019 season, the AFC was compiled of a few top teams that were far and away better than the rest of the conference with some middle of the road teams and the remaining rebuilding/tanking. While the Kansas City Chiefs sustained an embarrassing loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night, they still remain at the top with the New England Patriots in the AFC.

New England continues its favorable schedule in 2019 facing off against mostly below average quarterbacks and backups. The list of quarterbacks that the Patriots defense has had to defend against is Ben Roethlisberger, Ryan Fitzpatrick/Josh Rosen, Luke Falk, Josh Allen, and Colt McCoy. The defense has been praised through five weeks of football because it has allowed only two touchdowns over five games, both being rushing touchdowns. While I’m a firm believer in head coach Bill Belichick and his defensive mind, we have to take into account the lackluster of opponents that the team has faced.

Kansas City has struggled over the last couple of weeks on both sides of the ball. The defense continues to have very little ability to stop opposing offenses from running the ball. Cornerbacks continue to struggle as well, with this week’s best example provided by Bashaud Breeland. If that’s not enough, the offense has been out of rhythm for two weeks in a row now. While injuries absolutely play a role, the play calling was questionable given those injuries and how the offense was getting beat.

With five weeks of football in the books for the 2019 regular season, let’s take a look at whose stocks are moving upward and downward as well as the overall picture of the AFC Conference. What does the conference look like outside of the AFC West?