The first month of the 2026 season has already put the AFC’s reigning division winners under a harsh spotlight. Some have looked ready to keep rolling. Others have stumbled badly enough to raise real questions this early.
There’s still plenty of football left, of course, but after three games the picture is starting to form. Here’s where last year’s AFC champions stand entering Week 4.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have been the clear early standout. Aside from a shaky second half against the Denver Broncos in Week 2, their offense has looked like the same unstoppable unit that surged late last season.
Trevor Lawrence has been playing like an MVP, distributing the ball across a deep group of pass-catchers, while Bhayshul Tuten has handled the lead-back role just fine after replacing Travis Etienne. With the Texans opening 0-3, Jacksonville already looks like a team that could separate quickly in the AFC South.
That’s why they get an A.
Denver’s start has been more uneven, even if the results have mostly been positive since Week 1. The Broncos were blown out by the Kansas City Chiefs to open the season, then responded with back-to-back comeback wins over the Jaguars and Rams.
That kind of late-game resilience matters, but the slow starts are a problem. For a team that finished last season as the AFC’s No. 1 seed after reclaiming the AFC West from the Chiefs in 2025, the offense has not looked sharp enough early in games.
With Kansas City and the Raiders both 3-0, Denver has to find another gear. For now, that’s a B.
Pittsburgh is sitting in a very familiar spot: not especially convincing, but still winning. The Steelers are 2-1 and currently lead the AFC North, which has become part of the routine for this group.
They may not flash much week to week, and inconsistency is still part of the package, but they keep finding ways to stay alive. The first two games looked flat, then Week 3 brought an offensive surge and some timely defensive plays.
That keeps them in the mix, even if they still don’t look like a true AFC heavyweight.
New England has had the roughest opening stretch of the bunch. The Patriots have one win, but they’ve already taken on the feel of one of the league’s biggest disappointments.
They lost in Week 1 to a Seahawks team that had already lost Sam Darnold early, and they also gave away a 10-point lead in that game. Then came the Week 3 blowout against the Jaguars, a loss that stood out not just because of the margin, but because it exposed Drake Maye even more and marked the worst game the defense has played so far.
With AJ Brown on IR for the next handful of weeks, Maye lacking confidence, and the Bills off to a 3-0 start, New England’s season has opened in the worst possible way. That earns a D.
In Other News...
Jaguars Could Catch Bengals At The Perfect Time In Week 4
Wednesdays injury report offered a little early-week clarity for Jacksonville, and the Jaguars seem to be moving in the right direction as they prepare for a Week 4 meeting with Cincinnati. Several Jaguars were listed as limited participants, but the overall picture points toward a team getting healthier at the right time, which matters with the schedule starting to tighten and every division game carrying extra weight.
Cincinnati, by contrast, left more questions hanging after practice. The Bengals are dealing with more uncertainty in the secondary and along the offensive line, two spots that can shape how a game is protected, covered and ultimately controlled. For Jacksonville, that makes this a notable week to watch, because the injury report alone could end up influencing how both teams build their plans. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Pressure Around Cam Ward Is Starting To Feel Different
The Titans early-season patience with Cam Ward is beginning to get a little more complicated, at least from the outside, as the offense continues to search for traction. The quarterback has been getting the kind of organizational backing that suggests Tennessee wants to let the process play out, even as the results have left plenty of room for questions about where this is headed and how long the margin for growth can last.
For the Jaguars, theres a familiar AFC South subplot in watching how divisional rivals handle their young quarterbacks and the pieces around them. Liam Coens explanation for Brian Thomas Jr.s limited Week 3 usage was a reminder that plans can look very different from game to game, and that the Jaguars are still trying to balance immediate results with long-term trust in one of their top playmakers. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Face A Week 4 Problem That Could Change Everything
Through three weeks, the Bengals have shown enough on defense to make opponents pay attention, and the attention in Jacksonville has to start up front. Cincinnatis offseason additions gave that defensive line more heft, and Anthony Cosenza of Cincy Jungle pointed to the strength there as a real factor heading into the matchup with the Jaguars. He also noted how the safety situation has been complicated by injuries, which makes the rest of the defense carry even more of the load.
For Jacksonville, the bigger question is how that front changes the script of the game and whether the Jaguars can keep their own offense on schedule against a group that is still settling into its identity. Cosenza also talked through what he has seen from Cincinnati so far and what he expects from the players in this one, while leaving little doubt that the defensive tone could shape how the game unfolds. There is still plenty to sort out, but the matchup already feels like one where the trenches will matter first. [Read more 🡒]