The season has had plenty of surprises, but through five weeks many of the NFL division leaders are the teams who were projected to lead before the season. A few leaders have taken advantage of poor starts from rivals, and others have started out of the gate with statement wins over their division mates. Here are the top-five NFL division leaders ranked.
Tier 1 of NFL Division Leaders: True Superbowl Contenders
Buffalo Bills (4-1, 1st in AFC East)
With the best player in football as their starting quarterback, the Bills have to take the top spot until further notice. Josh Allen’s magic meshes perfectly with a Buffalo rushing attack that ranks #1 in success rate and #2 in yards per rush. James Cook II is third in the NFL in rushing, but the Bills can fall back on Allen’s rushing abilities on short-yardage plays and critical third downs.
The Bills’ offense is one of the few in the league that can thrive without an alpha wide receiver. Unlike most teams, their lack of a dominant wide receiver is a strength; defenses can’t focus on a single target, but have to respect the fact that anyone on the offense can contribute in the passing game.
Buffalo’s defense is not nearly as good as their offense, but they only need to be an average unit for the Bills to succeed. Although they are currently bottom-five in yards and points allowed per game, they have played a strong collection of offenses through their first five games. If Greg Rousseau can sustain his breakout season and the front seven can tighten up against the run, the Bills will continue to be Super Bowl Contenders.
San Francisco 49ers (5-0, 1st in NFC West)
The Niners top the NFC West following a 32-29 victory over the Seattle Seahawks that completed a sweep of their division rivals in their first five games. Kyle Shanahan’s offense has been elite yet again this season, balancing a top-12 rushing and passing attack, and Brock Purdy has cemented himself among the NFL’s best quarterbacks to start the year.
San Fran has accomplished this despite having one of the oldest rosters in the NFL. Mike Evans, George Kittle, and Trent Williams have started all of the 49ers’ first five games, a major feat considering the team’s injury crises over the last few seasons. They’ve all been in and out of the lineup in those games, but it doesn’t seem to matter. Purdy, Shanahan, and Christian McCaffrey seem to propel the Niners’ offense to top-10 status every season.
The most surprising part of the 49ers season has been the strength of their defense. San Fran is top ten in most statistical categories for team defense, including yards allowed per game, points allowed per game, and yards allowed per play, all with All-Pro edge Nick Bosa missing two games with an injury. With a new defensive coordinator, the Niners’ defense has rebounded in a big way from an injury-riddled 2025 season.
Kansas City Chiefs (4-0, NFC West)
There was good reason to question the Chiefs in the offseason. KC was coming off their worst season in the Patrick Mahomes era in 2025; their QB was returning from a torn ACL suffered late in the season; and KC had just traded away their best defensive player in All-Pro corner Trent McDuffie. Denver’s success and LA’s new offense provided even more reason to believe Kansas City’s domination of the AFC West might be coming to an end.
Through a combination of strong play and a regression in division mates, Kansas City looks primed to retain the AFC West title. OPOY contender Kenneth Walker II has revamped a Chiefs rushing attack that has been lethargic in seasons past, leading qualified rushers with 6.2 yards per carry and the Chiefs with 621 scrimmage yards. Alongside a refreshed-looking Travis Kelce and a diverse collection of passcatchers, Walker is the centerpiece of the most balanced offense Kansas City has had in half a decade.
Kansas City has yet to have a signature win over a true contender this season, but they have passed every test thrown their way. Between an electric rushing attack, solid and timely defense, and three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, nobody will want to play the Chiefs come playoff time.
Tier 2 of NFL Division Leaders: Teams Who Still Need to Prove Themselves
Minnesota Vikings (5-0, 1st in NFC North)
The Vikings are the most unique team on this list, having by far the best defense of these five teams but also far and away the worst offense. Brian Flores has Minnesota’s defense back to its suffocating best, with a league-high 67% blitz rate (next highest is 42.9%) fueling a unit that is among the top three in most statistical categories.
Flores combines a staggering blitz rate with organized chaos at the line of scrimmage. It is almost impossible to tell who is blitzing on any given play because Minnesota has so much versatility across their edge and linebacker room; sometimes seven or eight players will blitz and force a quick pass, and other times a well-placed five will rush the QB from four different angles.
Minnesota’s offense is the only thing holding them back from being higher on this list. For as highly as the Vikings rank in most defensive categories, they are equally as BAD in most offensive categories. Kyler Murray and Co. have dealt with injuries and a lack of time on the field together, but they will have to improve before Minnesota is considered amongst the NFL’s true Super Bowl contenders.
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-1, 1st in AFC South)
The Jags have continued their white-hot finish to last year’s regular season and sit firmly atop the AFC South. Trevor Lawrence and head coach Liam Cohen seem to be building a stronger understanding of one another; the former Clemson QB is playing the best football of his career.
Lawrence has been a beneficiary of Parker Washington’s blossoming into the Jags’ clear WR1. Washington has been a dynamic weapon for Jacksonville, taking the mantle as Lawrence’s favorite pass-catcher despite the Jags adding Jakobi Meyers, Brian Thomas Jr., and Travis Hunter to the WR room. During their Week 5 battle in London with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Penn State receiver almost single-handedly carried the offense to victory.
Jacksonville’s defense and late-game process stand in the way of being higher on this list. A young team led by a second-year coach, Jacksonville is still working out its situational football. Whether it’s a late-game pick, special teams error, or defensive breakdown, the Jags have been crippled by mistakes in big games. If they can iron those mistakes out, the Jags will be true contenders in the AFC.
