It's pretty easy to grade the AFC. Ten teams have winning records and the Jaguars could become the 11th if they beat the Bills on Thursday night.

That's balance. By the end of the season, as many as 10 teams could finish 8-8 or better. As a conference, the AFC can get a B grade for its start. The AFC West is off to a strong start because of a 6-2 record against the weak NFC East. The surprise division has been the AFC Central because of the competitiveness of the Bengals and Browns.

The AFC East has been the most disappointing. The Bills are awful. And despite Peyton Manning's sophistication in running their no-huddle offense, four interceptions returned for touchdowns leave the Colts a rather disappointing 2-2. Plus, the NFC West has won its first three games over the East.

All-AFC team

OFFENSE WR Rod Smith, Broncos WR Jimmy Smith, Jaguars TE Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs QB Rich Gannon, Raiders RB Curtis Martin, Jets FB Richie Anderson, Jets T Jonathan Ogden Ravens T Brad Hopkins, Titans G Steve Wisniewski, Raiders G Ruben Brown, Bills C Kevin Mawae, Jets DEFENSE DE Michael McCrary, Ravens DE Trevor Pryce Denver DT Chester McGlockton, Broncos DT John Randle, Seahawks LB Chad Brown Seahawks LB Ray Lewis, Ravens LB Peter Boulware, Ravens CB Charles Woodson, Raiders CB Ryan McNeil, Chargers SS Rodney Harrison, Chargers FS Rod Woodson, Ravens SPECIAL TEAMS K Sebastian Janikowski, Raiders P Tom Rouen, Broncos KR Ronney Jenkins, Chargers PR Deltha O'Neal, Broncos

Let the grading begin:

Baltimore Ravens (3-2)
The Ravens' defense learned two lessons in their first five games: 1) Don't get lax against teams such as the Bengals, and 2) Never play Brett Favre again. Brian Billick has manufactured enough of a running game to give the Ravens hopes of finishing 12-4. Eight of their final 11 games are in the division, so they control their own fate and have a great chance of getting the AFC's top seed.
Grade: B.

Buffalo Bills (0-4)
Quarterback Rob Johnson holds onto the ball too long and can't finish games because of injuries. Salary cap problems forced them to dismantle a 3-4 defense that could stuff the run. The Bills have fallen to the bottom of the league. First-year coach Gregg Williams hasn't won over his veterans so far with his aggressive style of coaching.
Grade: F.

Cincinnati Bengals (3-2)
Dick LeBeau has made the Bengals more competitive. Despite problems at cornerback and lots of turnover on the line, the defense ranks 13th in the league. Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski has spread his pass offense and given quarterback Jon Kitna decent options. Halfback Corey Dillon is starting to get into his running groove.
Grade: B.

Cleveland Browns (3-2)
Butch Davis has done it with mirrors. How do you win three games with a top running back (James Jackson) who averages 2.8 yards a carry and virtually no second passing option to Kevin Johnson (25 catches for 348 yards)? Tim Couch is finally looking like the real deal. Foge Fazio's defense is aggressive, creates turnovers and is waiting for Courtney Brown's return. A few more injuries could break that mirror.
Grade: A.

Denver Broncos (3-2)
Mike Shanahan's offense has survived the loss of Ed McCaffrey, Howard Griffith and Terrell Davis to still rank 11th, which isn't bad. Despite a great start, Brian Griese is struggling on third downs finding targets, but the biggest long-term concern is his third season of right shoulder problems. Ray Rhodes has been a solid coordinator on defense and is getting the best from defensive tackle Chester McGlockton.
Grade B-minus.

Indianapolis Colts (2-2)
Everyone knew the defense was going to struggle. It has. Everyone knew the defense wouldn't force many turnovers. It has only four in four games. The disappointment has been Peyton Manning's interceptions. He has nine, with four of them returned for touchdowns. It's starting to look as though the Colts are going to play a lot of 27-24 or 31-27 games, so they've got to stop giving away points.
Grade: C.

Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2)
Tom Coughlin has proven that if he can keep Mark Brunell, Fred Taylor, Tony Boselli, Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell on the field, the Jaguars can beat anyone. Didn't work. Boselli's out for the season. Taylor's injured. With a thin bench, the Jaguars knew they had to get off to a fast start because half of their home games are gone after Thursday's game against the Bills. With seven more road games and more possible injuries ahead, the Jaguars didn't take enough advantage of their start.
Grade: C.

Kansas City Chiefs (1-4)
Though it's not surprising because of their problems at receiver, Trent Green has had more bad games than good so far. He is completing only 55.9 percent of his passes and has more interceptions (seven) than touchdown passes (four). It's also hard to believe that the Chiefs have temporarily lost their home-field advantage. They are 0-3 in Arrowhead Stadium. Dick Vermeil teams usually work through the tough times and improve, but this is a disappointing start.
Grade: D.

Miami Dolphins (3-2)
Jay Fiedler managed big wins over Tennessee and Oakland, but his mistakes over the past three weeks are making fans antsy. That they blow a 17-point lead to the Jets in a frustrating loss isn't news anymore. They also lose to the Jets for some reason. With the Colts struggling on defense, the Dolphins still look like the most complete team in the division. Defense is still the Dolphins' strength.
Grade: B-minus.

New England Patriots (2-3)
Tom Brady appears to be Bill Belichick's best find of the first five weeks. He's making enough plays to buy time for Drew Bledsoe to recover from his internal injuries. At home, the Patriots are tough. But their season could slip away with road games ahead against the Colts, Broncos and Falcons. The Pats are 0-2 on the road. If they fall to 2-6, the season will be over.
Grade: C.

New York Jets (3-2)
The Jets don't have the look of a 3-2 team. They can't stop the run. They are allowing 154 yards on the ground each week. Defensive players are missing too many tackles. But Herm Edwards is proving that if the game is close there is enough veteran leadership to win games. Vinny Testaverde is still dangerous in the fourth quarter. Curtis Martin is off to his best start with a league-best 516 yards and seven touchdowns.
Grade B-minus.

Oakland Raiders (4-1)
Jon Gruden has successfully shifted the offense from a ball-control run attack to a ball-control passing attack. Jerry Rice and Tim Brown have worked beautifully together. Charlie Garner is getting more of the load than Tyrone Wheatley. The defense has overachieved even though its overall ranking of 14th is modest.
Grade: A.

Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1)
Additions of rookies Casey Hampton, Kendrell Bell and Rodney Bailey have revitalized the defense. On offense, Bill Cowher still plans to run the Bus (Jerome Bettis) to make it easy for Kordell Stewart to dump short passes. Offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey has found ways of relaxing his offensive players and putting them in better positions to perform. Hines Ward has excelled in this system. The question is whether the Steelers can keep winning low-scoring games.
Grade: B-plus.

San Diego Chargers (3-2)
The Chargers have lost their two best defensive minds because of health and may be in the process of blowing a great early-season schedule. They've had a 3-2 record against teams with 9-16 records. The offense is better with Doug Flutie running around and making plays, but the defense has showed signs of vulnerability the past two weeks.
Grade: C.

Seattle Seahawks (3-2)
After what appeared to be a disastrous start with 24-point losses to the Eagles and Raiders, Mike Holmgren has rebounded to put the Seahawks back in the hunt. Their sixth ranking on defense is the team's highest since 1994, showing the additions of Chad Eaton, John Randle, Levon Kirkland and Marcus Robertson have worked. Holmgren will go back to Matt Hasselbeck, who's 1-2 as a starter and still needs to be quicker in releasing passes.
Grade: B.

Tennessee Titans (1-3)
The Ravens exposed what's wrong with the Titans, but Jeff Fisher has plenty of time to fix it. The secondary is going through a tough transition with new players. It's harder for the Titans to get into their eight-man fronts because of schemes that put safety Blaine Bishop in pass coverage as opposed to run-stopping. Week to week it has been hard to figure who's there for Steve McNair at receiver. Don't count them out, though, because the Titans have eight more AFC Central games and they know how to win.
Grade: C.

John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.