Titans 30, Vikings 17: the Class of the AFC?

In a year where Tom Brady's done, the Colts are beat up and the Chargers are coming from behind to beat the Raiders, is it crazy to propose that the 4-0 Titans may be the best team in the AFC?

It may be a little early to put that spotlight on them, but they do have one of the league's most dominating defenses, a clock-controlling running game, and, thanks to Kerry Collins, a servicable running game. And as the Vikings saw on Sunday, that's a pretty deadly combo.

Albert Haynesworth created havoc in the middle of the line, like he always does. Haynesworth's six tackles helped hold Adrian Peterson to 80 yards (and seven of Peterson's 18 carries went for no gain or a loss of yardage). Haynesworth's two sacks, and Tony Brown's 1.5 sacks helped ensure that Gus Frerotte never felt fully comfortable in the pocket, and the Titans offensive line kept the Vikings' dominating defensive line from recording any sacks.

In a conference that only has two 4-0 teams, the Titans are already 2 1/2 games up on the Jaguars (they beat the Jags head-to-head in their first meeting) and three games up on the Colts in the AFC South. Not many may be noticing, but the Titans 54 net point differential is also the best in the NFL. Last year the Titans defense dipped a little when Haynesworth pulled a hamstring midway through the season--if Haynesworth can stay healthy the defense should remain among the league's best, and if Kerry Collins stays healthy, he's already proven that he can be a Super Bowl quarterback (although that was a 100+ sacks ago). For a team that's never been 4-0 before, it's time to start dreaming.