Now that the first month of the 2026 regular season is over and done, you might have an urge to go look at the standings throughout the league to see where everyone stacks up. When you do, let me be the first to tell you that you don't need to clean your glasses and your eyes aren't deceiving you. There are some surprising division leaders through the first four weeks.
I mean, if you had the Cleveland Browns atop the AFC North at any point this year, I'd like to ask you a few questions. Specifically, I'd like you to tell me this week's winning lottery numbers, since you clearly can see the future. Meanwhile, the New York Giants are another club that is remarkably leading the NFC East.
That wouldn't be surprising if Jaxson Dart was still their starting quarterback, but it certainly is after he went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 2, which has thrust Jameis Winston under center. Here, we're going to sift through these leaders and determine which have staying power and which are merely visiting the top division before making the trek down. To do that, we'll rank all eight first-place teams from the least vulnerable to losing their spot (No. 8) down to the most vulnerable (No. 1).
Jacksonville is sitting pretty atop the AFC South, and the betting odds support that. They are currently the biggest favorite to win their division in the entire NFL, and it's easy to see why. While there are still some undefeated teams across the league, the Jaguars have the makings of a true threat to come out of the AFC.
They just went into Cincinnati and beat the Bengals, which continues a white-hot run that dates back to last season. Over their last 12 regular-season games, Jacksonville is 11-1, averaging 31.1 points per game and allowing just 14.1. As much as this is a credit to Liam Coen and Trevor Lawrence forming quite the head coach-QB pairing, it also speaks to the lackluster nature of the rest of the division.
Both the Texans and Titans are 0-4 to begin the year. Houston's offensive line continues to disappoint, and its defense has even regressed a bit from last season, so they don't appear to be a legitimate threat. Neither does Tennessee, as they appear destined to have another top-5 pick at the NFL Draft yet again.
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