All four teams, according to these units:
QB
OL (including TEs as blockers)
Backs (including QBs as runners)
Receivers (including TEs as receivers)
DL
LB
DBs
Kicking
Returns
Coaching
Quarterbacks
1. Patriots
2. Carolina
3. Arizona
4. Denver
The top 3 MVP candidates are represented here. Newton will win it, and Palmer will finish second, with Brady third. But the actual order, especially now that we're in the postseason, has to have Brady on top. Manning is far and away at this point the worst QB left in the playoffs.
Offensive Lines
1. Carolina
2. Arizona
3. Denver
4. New England
The Panthers have one of the best O-lines in the NFL. They run block and pass block very well. Arizona's O-line is also solid. The Patriots and Broncos' lines can play well, but they are so banged up they are not at the same level.
Backs
1. Carolina
2. Arizona
3. Denver
4. New England
Since Cam Newton runs a lot, we are going to include him here as a back. Together, he and Stewart provide the Panthers with a dynamic rushing attack. They don't have much in the receiving category out of the backfield, however. Chris Johnson gives Arizona additional ammo, but he's hurt right now. He and David Johnson are dynamic together, and Ellington gives them another threat. Denver's two RBs (Anderson and Hillman) are both very solid. The Pats' make do with what they have, but Steven Jackson and James White are nowhere near the caliber of the injured starters Blount and Lewis.
Receivers
1. New England
2. Arizona
3. Denver
4. Carolina
Lots of excellent players here. A healthy Edelman, Amendola, and Gronkowski give the Patriots three outstanding threats, two of which are almost uncoverable when healthy (Edelman and Gronkowski). Arizona has the peerless Larry Fitzgerald, but also John Brown and Michael Floyd. Denver is loaded at WR with Thomas and Sanders, two top receivers, but they don't have the depth of New England or Arizona. Carolina is good everywhere, but this is one of their weaker units.
Defensive Line
1. Carolina
2. New England
3. Denver
4. Arizona
Four top defensive lines here. The Panthers stuff the run and get after the quarterback. New England can bring pressure off the edges with Jones, Ninkovich, and Sheard. Denver has Wolfe and a solid group. Arizona is also really good along the defensive line. Hard to decide numbers 2-4 after putting Carolina first.
Linebackers
1. Carolina
2. New England
3. Denver
4. Arizona
Tough call here between Carolina, New England, and Denver. Very tough call. I'll go with Carolina first, because they have two all-pro caliber players in Kuechly and Davis, both great at pretty much every aspect of the game. And they're both healthy. The Patriots have two all-pro caliber players as well in Collins and Hightower, but they're both banged up. Denver's LBs rush the passer better (Ware, Miller), but they struggle more in coverage. Arizona also has excellent linebackers but they're just a shade below the top 3.
Secondary
1. Carolina
2. New England
3. Denver
4. Arizona
It seems crazy to put Denver third, because they've been so good in the secondary this year. But the injury to Harris really hurts their effectiveness. Arizona might have been number one before week 17, but losing Mathieu is a tough blow. The Patriots have four outstanding cover guys in Butler, Ryan, McCourty, and Chung. Carolina has maybe the best CB in football in Norman, and their free safety Coleman has seven INTs.
Kicking
1. New England
2. Denver
3. Arizona
4. Carolina
The Patriots have the best kicker in the league in Gostkowski, and a fine punter in Allen. Arizona's Catanzaro is outstanding from inside 50, but their punter is not strong. Denver's kicking game is solid in all aspects, while Carolina is the weakest of the four teams in this area.
Returning
1. Denver
2. New England
3. Arizona
4. Carolina
None of these four teams have especially strong kick return units, ranking 16th (Arizona), 23rd (Denver), 31st (NE), and 32nd (Carolina). New England (8th), Denver (10th), and Carolina (12th) have decided edges in the punt return game. If Edelman returns punts, it's a major advantage for New England, as he is one of the best in NFL history at that.
Coaching
1. New England
2. Arizona
3. Denver
4. Carolina
If you total it up, using a 1-2-3-4 point total, here's how they rank:
NE: 1, 4, 4, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 2, 1 = 20
Den: 4, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 2, 1, 3 = 28
Car: 2, 1, 1, 4, 1, 1, 1, 4, 4, 4 = 23
Ari: 3, 2, 2, 2, 4, 4, 4, 3, 3, 2 = 29
Put this all together and I think the Patriots have the best team, when healthy. Of course, I'm a Pats fan and naturally see things a bit more favorably through Pats-colored lenses. It's hard to think that Denver's got the 3rd best units defensively yet has the top-rated defense in football. But, well, there it is. They play better as a an entire defense than their unit rankings would suggest (compared to the other three teams).
The thing this doesn't take into consideration is the relative difference between units. For example, the difference between Palmer as the #3 QB and Manning as the #4 is much greater at this point than the difference between the #3 secondary (Denver) and the #4 secondary (Arizona). The overall totals would change if I assigned a point value of 1-10 for how good I think each unit is. For example, considering the quarterbacks and linebackers:
Quarterbacks
1. New England - 9.5
2. Carolina - 8
3. Arizona - 7
4. Denver - 4 (though Denver gets points for the quality of the backup)
Linebackers
1. Carolina - 9.5
2. New England - 8
3. Denver - 7.5
4. Arizona - 6
Etc.
QB
OL (including TEs as blockers)
Backs (including QBs as runners)
Receivers (including TEs as receivers)
DL
LB
DBs
Kicking
Returns
Coaching
Quarterbacks
1. Patriots
2. Carolina
3. Arizona
4. Denver
The top 3 MVP candidates are represented here. Newton will win it, and Palmer will finish second, with Brady third. But the actual order, especially now that we're in the postseason, has to have Brady on top. Manning is far and away at this point the worst QB left in the playoffs.
Offensive Lines
1. Carolina
2. Arizona
3. Denver
4. New England
The Panthers have one of the best O-lines in the NFL. They run block and pass block very well. Arizona's O-line is also solid. The Patriots and Broncos' lines can play well, but they are so banged up they are not at the same level.
Backs
1. Carolina
2. Arizona
3. Denver
4. New England
Since Cam Newton runs a lot, we are going to include him here as a back. Together, he and Stewart provide the Panthers with a dynamic rushing attack. They don't have much in the receiving category out of the backfield, however. Chris Johnson gives Arizona additional ammo, but he's hurt right now. He and David Johnson are dynamic together, and Ellington gives them another threat. Denver's two RBs (Anderson and Hillman) are both very solid. The Pats' make do with what they have, but Steven Jackson and James White are nowhere near the caliber of the injured starters Blount and Lewis.
Receivers
1. New England
2. Arizona
3. Denver
4. Carolina
Lots of excellent players here. A healthy Edelman, Amendola, and Gronkowski give the Patriots three outstanding threats, two of which are almost uncoverable when healthy (Edelman and Gronkowski). Arizona has the peerless Larry Fitzgerald, but also John Brown and Michael Floyd. Denver is loaded at WR with Thomas and Sanders, two top receivers, but they don't have the depth of New England or Arizona. Carolina is good everywhere, but this is one of their weaker units.
Defensive Line
1. Carolina
2. New England
3. Denver
4. Arizona
Four top defensive lines here. The Panthers stuff the run and get after the quarterback. New England can bring pressure off the edges with Jones, Ninkovich, and Sheard. Denver has Wolfe and a solid group. Arizona is also really good along the defensive line. Hard to decide numbers 2-4 after putting Carolina first.
Linebackers
1. Carolina
2. New England
3. Denver
4. Arizona
Tough call here between Carolina, New England, and Denver. Very tough call. I'll go with Carolina first, because they have two all-pro caliber players in Kuechly and Davis, both great at pretty much every aspect of the game. And they're both healthy. The Patriots have two all-pro caliber players as well in Collins and Hightower, but they're both banged up. Denver's LBs rush the passer better (Ware, Miller), but they struggle more in coverage. Arizona also has excellent linebackers but they're just a shade below the top 3.
Secondary
1. Carolina
2. New England
3. Denver
4. Arizona
It seems crazy to put Denver third, because they've been so good in the secondary this year. But the injury to Harris really hurts their effectiveness. Arizona might have been number one before week 17, but losing Mathieu is a tough blow. The Patriots have four outstanding cover guys in Butler, Ryan, McCourty, and Chung. Carolina has maybe the best CB in football in Norman, and their free safety Coleman has seven INTs.
Kicking
1. New England
2. Denver
3. Arizona
4. Carolina
The Patriots have the best kicker in the league in Gostkowski, and a fine punter in Allen. Arizona's Catanzaro is outstanding from inside 50, but their punter is not strong. Denver's kicking game is solid in all aspects, while Carolina is the weakest of the four teams in this area.
Returning
1. Denver
2. New England
3. Arizona
4. Carolina
None of these four teams have especially strong kick return units, ranking 16th (Arizona), 23rd (Denver), 31st (NE), and 32nd (Carolina). New England (8th), Denver (10th), and Carolina (12th) have decided edges in the punt return game. If Edelman returns punts, it's a major advantage for New England, as he is one of the best in NFL history at that.
Coaching
1. New England
2. Arizona
3. Denver
4. Carolina
If you total it up, using a 1-2-3-4 point total, here's how they rank:
NE: 1, 4, 4, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 2, 1 = 20
Den: 4, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 2, 1, 3 = 28
Car: 2, 1, 1, 4, 1, 1, 1, 4, 4, 4 = 23
Ari: 3, 2, 2, 2, 4, 4, 4, 3, 3, 2 = 29
Put this all together and I think the Patriots have the best team, when healthy. Of course, I'm a Pats fan and naturally see things a bit more favorably through Pats-colored lenses. It's hard to think that Denver's got the 3rd best units defensively yet has the top-rated defense in football. But, well, there it is. They play better as a an entire defense than their unit rankings would suggest (compared to the other three teams).
The thing this doesn't take into consideration is the relative difference between units. For example, the difference between Palmer as the #3 QB and Manning as the #4 is much greater at this point than the difference between the #3 secondary (Denver) and the #4 secondary (Arizona). The overall totals would change if I assigned a point value of 1-10 for how good I think each unit is. For example, considering the quarterbacks and linebackers:
Quarterbacks
1. New England - 9.5
2. Carolina - 8
3. Arizona - 7
4. Denver - 4 (though Denver gets points for the quality of the backup)
Linebackers
1. Carolina - 9.5
2. New England - 8
3. Denver - 7.5
4. Arizona - 6
Etc.
