Three of the NFL's AFC teams — the Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs — have surprised many with their play this season. Two of the three, with the exception of the Dolphins, are tied or in sole possession of first in their division. Miami, at 3-1, is a game back of the New England Patriots, who are a surprise front-runner in their own right after losing so many playmakers on offense this past offseason.

But can these four teams, who have struggled so mightily in recent memory, remain in the thick of the race for the postseason? Here’s a closer look at the three teams and whether they’re built to sustain the early season success.

Miami Dolphins

The jury is still out on the Dolphins, who started 3-0 before hurdling back to earth last week in a 38-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football. Nevertheless, the Dolphins have enough talent on both sides of the ball to make serious noise in the AFC East and beyond, as evidenced by back-to-back wins over the Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons in Weeks 2 and 3.

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill appears more confident in his second year in the league, and has an improved, yet average, supporting cast around him. Wideout Mike Wallace, the Dolphins’ major offseason acquisition on the offensive side of the ball, is injury prone and an inconsistent pass catcher, particularly in crunch time. His incredible speed gives the Dolphins the deep threat they so desperately needed in recent memory, yet have no other options on the outside to strike fear in the opposing team’s defense. Who do they have to take the pressure off Wallace? Brian Hartline? Devone Bess? What’s to stop teams from doubling Wallace and daring Tannehill to dink-and-dunk his way to victory?

On defense, the Dolphins are giving up 395 yards a game, good for No. 27 in the league. Their opponents average 296 yards through the air and another 98 on the ground. Yet, the Dolphins defense is better than their numbers would indicate. The defensive line, led by tackles Paul Soliai and Jared Odrick, can rush the passer as well as any unit in the league and the secondary, led by linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, has vastly improved from last year’s squad.

However, despite vast improvement at several of the game’s most vital positions, the Dolphins are not a playoff team as of yet. Their schedule, while not as torrid as others, will still feature two games against the division’s gold standard, the Patriots, and home games against the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens.

Cleveland Browns

No, I’m not sold on the Browns either. Let’s start with the quarterback.

Surprise starter Brian Hoyer, who led the Browns to back-to-back victories against the Minnesota Vikings and the Bengals after taking over for injured starter Brandon Weeden, was well on his way to a third straight victory before tearing his ACL Thursday, Oct. 3 against the Buffalo Bills. That means Weeden, who has been wildly inconsistent in his short NFL career, will take back the job. Whether that’s a good thing or not, well, we’ll have to see. After all, Weeden is 5-13 as a starter, including an 0-2 start this season.

But this isn’t all on Weeden. There just isn’t much talent of the Browns’ roster, especially now that running back Trent Richardson was shipped to the Colts. The one bright spot on that side of the ball is tight end Jordan Cameron, who is a rising star among young tight ends and is someone Weeden looks to often when a big catch needs to be made.  The defense, while not overly spectacular, is steady and has kept the team in every game they’ve played this season. Linebacker D’Qwell Jackson, who leads the team in tackles, is an under-the-radar star who covers sideline to sideline and can both stop the run and cover downfield.

I don’t see the Browns holding onto the AFC North, especially not with the Bengals and reigning Super Bowl champion Ravens breathing down their necks. Even worse, the Browns schedule is brutal coming down the stretch, with games against the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Patriots and Chicago Bears still to play.

Kansas City Chiefs

Yes, I believe in the Chiefs and new coach Andy Reid, who guided the Eagles to several NFC East championships and a Super Bowl before being let go after last season. It isn’t easy being in the same division as Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, but the Chiefs don’t have to win the division, although they could should they steal one of their games with Denver. The Chiefs offense, led by new quarterback Alex Smith after being traded from the San Francisco 49ers in the offseason, has playmakers at every position with running back Jamaal Charles and receivers Dwayne Bowe and Dexter McCluster. Smith, a game-manager in every sense of the word, will need only to continue to get the ball into the hands of his playmakers for the offense to continue to move the ball.

On defense, the Chiefs are led by dynamic pass rusher Justin Houston, who is tied for the league lead with 7.5 sacks entering Week 5. The unit, which has given up just 10 points a game on average, is second in the league in passing yards allowed and No. 25 in rushing yards allowed.

After winning just two games last year, the Chiefs have won their first four and are staring down the Broncos in the AFC West. To win the division, the Chiefs must win one, or both, of the head-to-head matchups Nov. 17 or Dec. 1. Other than the Broncos, the Chiefs toughest remaining game are home games against the Colts and the Texans, both of which can be wins at Arrowhead Stadium.