Southern Dominance: The 2012 NFL Season so far

Pride of the South: Atlanta, Houston lead pack after 5 weeks

With a little over a month of the 2012 NFL season underway, two teams, arguably unexpectedly, have emerged flawless - the Atlanta Falcons and the Houston Texans. Undeniably, Mike Smith and Gary Kubiak entered the regular season in charge of strong teams, widely tipped for their respective divisions, but the fact that they have both reached 5-0 records by this point has exceeded the expectations of many, who perhaps did not foresee the dominance with which these teams would start the season.

The talent on the offensive side of the ball in Atlanta, serves to highlight why this organisation has been so successful. Despite questions over the ability of veteran runner Michael Turner to remain competitive in a now pass dominated league, as well as a pass centred offense, he has complemented the star studded receiving corps of Julio Jones, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez to great success. Furthermore, the idea highlighted in the preseason - that Matt Ryan may finally realise his full potential this year - has been proved true, and at this moment in time, there might not be a hotter quarterback in the league. With Gonzalez still managing to put up league leading numbers at the tight end position after so many years, this is perhaps the most prolific offense in the National Football League.

While the Defense had a great deal of success in the 28-3 victory at Qualcomm Stadium, stifling Philip Rivers and the Chargers passing attack, it must be considered that the San Diego running game was pretty much non-existent at this stage of the season - a backfield of Jackie Battle and Curtis Brinkley filling in for the injured previous first round draft pick, Ryan Matthews. Aside from this encouraging stat line, it has been relatively easy for opposing teams with potent offensive weapons, to put points on the board against the Falcons. The 17th ranked rush and pass defense in the league makes me question the ability of this team to go all the way through the post-season, and win a championship - it seems that the offense is relied upon to outscore the opposition in a high scoring shootout, and while the team's achievements to get to this stage unbeaten are admirable, the question remains over whether the defense will hold up against stronger, playoff bound teams later in the season.

The Falcons have answered a lot of questions on the offensive side of the ball, but with a seemingly mediocre defense there is one question that still seems to plague this talented team - can Mike Smith improve on his 0-3 post season record, and take this team further?

In the AFC, Houston are similarly dominating their division - the 2-2 Colts being the nearest rivals, and the key difference between themselves and the Falcons is their all round performance in every department, particularly the defense. With arguably the best running back in the game in Arian Foster, a competent QB in Matt Schaub and a long proven aerial threat in Andre Johnson, the offense seems to take care of itself. The defense, complementing this, refuses to give up points easily, allowing under 17 points in four of their opening five games, with notable performances coming from Defensive End J.J Watt, who has amassed 7.5 sacks in the league already this season, only one behind league leader Clay Matthews.

For me, Houston are the complete package and, currently, the strongest team in the NFL. I would argue they possess the talent that Atlanta has, but the more all round complexion of this talent makes them a bigger post-season threat. I'll say it, hear me now believe me later, Houston will reach the AFC championship game this season. There is no team I would dread more to see on the upcoming schedule, and while the Falcons have questions to answer over their durability in this league, I believe the Texans have already answered them.