AFC For Real or Fugazi? What to Make of Pats, Broncos, Steelers & Other 2-2 Teams

The show opened with seven NFC teams at 2-2. By the back half, it was the AFC's turn, and Rich was not in a generous mood.

For the record, the NFC tally came out to five for real and two fugazi. Asked whether he planned to be a little mean this time, Rich rejected the premise. "It's not mean. It's clear-eyed, full-hearted, can't lose." And he has no plans to stop. In two weeks, the show intends to do it again with the 3-3 teams. "We're going to keep doing this as long as there's 500 teams in the NFL." Someone else suggested a better plan: keep doing it until it gets sponsored.

Five AFC teams entered Week 5 at 2-2. Chris Brockman led with the six-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, and Rich could barely wait for the question. "Fugazi," he said, before apologizing for jumping the gun "cuz they were so fugazi I couldn't wait."

His case was a list of doubts. Yes, the Patriots went into Buffalo and beat Rich's number one team in the power rankings, handing the Bills their first loss in their new stadium. "That makes them real automatically?" he asked. Is the receiver going to make one-handed grabs every single time out? Is Drake Maye "suddenly going to start making plays?" Are they going to keep knocking teams from the ranks of the unbeaten without their two best defensive players? He wanted to see it against what he called the "for real" 3-1 Las Vegas Raiders this week. Romeo Doubs came up too. "He's wearing Gronk's number. He better be."

The Raiders game carries extra stakes for one household connected to the show. If Las Vegas beats New England in the same week the Yankees get eliminated and Coop gets chopped from Vinnie's league, "we are going to need to sedate my son. A 15-year-old is going to need a moment." The crew reminded everyone it is just sports.

Next came the Pittsburgh Steelers, and this one took a while. "I keep getting the sense that they're fugazi," Rich admitted, but like the Eagles, they have too many good players. He is concerned about the injury to Pittman, who is going to miss some time, and he knows they lost to a Patriots team he just called fugazi. There was also a practical concern. Cam Heyward appears on the show on Tuesdays, and nobody wanted to call him fugazi.

So the crew walked through the schedule. Beat the Colts this week and they are 3-2. Win at Tampa and they are 4-2 before facing the Saints in Paris, which could make it 5-2. Then Cleveland comes to town, and a win there means 6-2 at the bye. Who beats them over the next month? Someone made the case that three of those teams could, and someone else pointed out that the Browns literally just beat them. The final ruling: for real.

The Cincinnati Bengals landed on for real too, despite a reminder that they have lost two in a row. Rich laid out their path. They go to Miami and win, then have a bye, then visit Baltimore, host Tennessee and face Atlanta in a game Rich believes is in Spain. After that, the Steelers come to Cincinnati "in a battle of the for reals at that point in time to find out who's fugazi."

Indianapolis was the easiest call of the segment. Asked what is up with Daniel Jones, Rich was ready. "Until I see more of the seven and one Indiana Jones from last year, we're going to go with the Temple of Doom." Fugazi.

That left the Denver Broncos, who, as the crew noted, have a new play caller arrangement of their own. Rich was emphatic. "The Denver Broncos are for real. Get out of here with this nonsense." How good is Bo Nix? "That's a great question." Rich also predicted that Sean Payton is slowly but surely going to decide the whole collaborative idea was a bad one.

Final AFC count: three for real, two fugazi. As for how many 3-3 teams there will be in two weeks, the under got some support in the room.