Green Bay leads the pack

It's only Week 3, but in the context of an NFL season, that's exactly one-sixth of the campaign. Three weeks isn't the biggest sample size in the world, but we're starting to know who the contenders and challengers are.

Perhaps what matters more than a team's record this time of year is how they look in games. Sure, the New England Patriots won in Week 1, but how did they look in Week 3? The Baltimore Ravens may have started 0-2, but they won an impressive game in Dallas in Week 3.

One factor that can mess up any game is the battle for turnovers. If a team loses the ball less than their opponent, they have a good chance of winning the game. Of course, there is more at stake in deciding games, and the context of turnovers is always important, but there is no greater momentum shift in any direction than a turnover.

With that in mind, here's a look at what the current NFL standings would look like if they were based on revenue differential.

Note: All differentials and team records are from before the games on Monday, September 23rd.

AFC East

If there's one thing Josh Allen can be criticized for, it's his inability to take care of the football. The Buffalo Bills have only played two games, and Allen has yet to throw an interception, which is pretty amazing after throwing 18 last season. It was assumed that Allen would have to work even harder to score points this season with limited space for receivers, but he made it look incredibly easy on offense while the Bills scored over 30 points in both games. If Allen continues to take care of the ball like he has, the Bills will be more dangerous than anyone could have imagined.

AFC North

Justin Fields hasn't set the world on fire as a passer, but he hasn't had to thanks to the Pittsburgh Steelers' elite defense. The Steelers' recipe for success is crystal clear. Fields needs to do what he's done so far, which is make plays when they need to and not try too hard. By limiting risk, Fields has been efficient and has limited himself to just one interception so far. As long as he can keep the ball under control, their defense will keep them in the game.

AFC South

Will Levis has completed 68.1 percent of his passes and thrown four touchdowns through the first three weeks of the Tennessee Titans' season. He has also thrown five interceptions and fumbled the ball three times. He has had some good performances at quarterback, but has ruined at least two of their games with careless turnovers. Tennessee's defense has played well for the most part, but Levis' inability to take care of the ball is the reason they lost 3-0 and why he should be benched sooner rather than later.

AFC West

Through three weeks, Patrick Mahomes has thrown four interceptions, which is extremely uncharacteristic for the league's best quarterback. The Kansas City Chiefs have found ways to win thanks to Mahomes' good play when he doesn't lose the ball and their defense keeping a tight lid on the opposition, but their quest for a third straight win could be in jeopardy if Mahomes doesn't start taking better care of the football.

NFC East

Jalen Hurts was prone to turnovers last season when he surpassed his career-high with 15 interceptions. He already has four of those and three fumbles through the first three weeks of this season. It's hard to explain why he loses the ball so often after doing a great job of avoiding mistakes in the early years of his career. But as we saw with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023, Hurts will have to take care of the football if they want to get anywhere.

NFC North

Malik Willis has taken care of the ball in his two starts, while the Green Bay Packers defense has dominated in terms of turnovers. They have nine turnovers this season, seven of which have been interceptions. Three of those have been by Xavier McKinney, who leads the NFL in turnovers as of this writing. Winning the turnover battle, averaging just over two per game, almost always leads to good results, and so far, Green Bay is 2-1 and 2-0 without its star quarterback under center despite Jordan Love's absence.

NFC South

The New Orleans Saints may not be as explosive defensively as the Packers in terms of turnovers, but they have already turned their opponent over seven times, which is the second-most in the NFL. Five of those turnovers were interceptions. Two of those were caught by Tyrann Mathieu, who already has half the interceptions he had in 17 games in 2023. Their offense has been the most important thing through the first three weeks of the season, and that's understandable, but their defense was strong even in their Week 3 loss. If they continue to win the turnover battle like this, the Saints could be serious.

NFC West

The NFC West is a prime example of how winning the battle for possession is crucial, but it's not the end all be all. The only team with a negative turnover differential in the division, the Seattle Seahawks, are 3-0, while the others are 1-2. Having an easy schedule through the first three weeks of the season helps a lot, but as the competition gets tougher, it could become harder for them to win games if they continue to lose so many balls.