NFL Midseason Report
What a difference a few weeks makes. We’re officially half way through the NFL season and it's already been a fun ride. Four weeks ago, I took a look at the league landscape and it has already drastically changed. Now we have an idea of who’s for real in the NFL. Let’s take a look at where everything stands at the half way point.
Midseason Power Rankings
1. New England Patriots (7-1): Different season, same old Patriots. With Tom Brady back in the fold, New England sits atop the NFL with very few threats around them. To be fair, the Patriots haven’t truly been tested since Brady’s return. The teams they beat range from horrible (Browns), to average (Bengals) and the injured (Steelers). Coming off of their bye week, they’ll get Seattle at home. But with an extra week to prepare, even that’s not a test.
2. Dallas Cowboys (6-1): Led by their star rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliot, the Cowboys are surprisingly the top team in the NFC. Minimum mistakes, a defense that does enough to win and a running game fueled by the best o-line in the game is the formula for this team. Things are going well now, so I don’t understand why Tony Romo’s name is even being mentioned. It’s not broke and it doesn’t need to be fixed.
3. Denver Broncos (6-2): The Broncos defense has forced 16 turnovers (tied for the most in the NFL) this season and the team looks like last year’s edition. The defense stirs the pot for this team and they’ll only get better if their offense can do something. Playing in the toughest division in the NFL, they’ll be tested a lot down the stretch.
4. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2): Kansas City is 15-2 over their last 17 games, and have a chance to be sneaky good going down the stretch. Currently they are banged up with many of their players suffering from one injury or another. But if Alex Smith, Jamaal Charles and Justin Houston can get healthy and perform at the right time, they can be very dangerous. First, they’ll have to survive those injuries.
5.Atlanta Falcons (5-3): Atlanta certainly has the offense to go far, but their 26th-ranked defense could be their undoing. In their last two games, Aaron Rodgers and Philip Rivers tested their limits. In a shootout, they’ll be tough to beat. However, if their offense stalled for whatever reason, they’d be in grave danger.
6. Oakland Raiders (6-2): They’re partying like it’s 2001 in Oakland as that’s the last time they had a start this good. Similar to the Falcons, the Raiders have the goods on offense, but their defense has allied the second-most yards per game. Plus in typical Raiders fashion, they’ve committed the most penalties in the NFL. If they can fix those issues, the Raiders could be very real.
7. Minnesota Vikings (5-2): Right on schedule, the Vikings have begun to fall back to earth thanks to their offense. It’s not all on Sam Bradford when you consider the weakness of the Minnesota o-line. To make matters worse, their once dominant defense has come back to earth a bit. They still lead the NFC North, but they’re definitely trending in the wrong direction.
8. Seattle Seahawks (4-2-1): The Seahawks often toe the line between legit contender and overachievers this season. Their defense is still elite, but their offense hasn’t been there for them. They couldn’t even torch a Saints defense covered in gasoline. Russell Wilson hasn’t been himself at all. How do I know? He has the same amount of rushing yards this season as Tom Brady.
9. Philadelphia Eagles (4-3): Another team gradually falling back to earth are the Eagles. They’ve dropped three of their last four games by seven points or fewer. They’ll have to prove they’re legitimate very quickly since they play the Giants, Falcons, Seahawks and Packers in the next month.
10. Green Bay Packers (4-3): Easily the most over-scrutinized team over .500 this season. And why? Because Aaron Rodgers isn’t as dominant as he was in years past. The Packers are also one of the most injured teams in the league. If they ever get healthy, they’ll be a threat like they were in 2010.
11. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3): The Steelers took a dip when Ben Roethlisberger went down with injury. All that offensive firepower, but they’re rarely around at the same time. Once Big Ben is back, I’m sure the Steelers will be back in contention. However, their defense will need to do something as well.
12. Buffalo Bills (4-4): Buffalo is 1-3 in divisional games. That won’t get you too far in this league. To make matters worse, the Bills injuries have started to pile up. So while they’re here now, I expect them to dip into the 20s when I do this again in four weeks.
13. Arizona Cardinals (3-4-1): They’re a far cry from last years team that dominated the NFC in the shadow of the Panthers, but at least they seem to have a direction. The big problem for the Cardinals is their o-line. They’re 3-0 when allowing one or zero sacks. They’re 0-4-1 when they allow more than one sack.
14. Houston Texans (5-3): Even with the buyers remorse on Brock Osweiler’s contract, the Texans are still in the driver’s seat in the NFC South. Objective number one in the second half of the season needs to be finding a way to win on the road. They’re 0-3 outside of Houston.
15. Detroit Lions (4-4): The Lions record is a perfect reflection of their team. Their offense is ranked in the top-five in the NFL. Their defense on the other hand is ranked 31st with the Browns being the only team worse in that department.
16. Washington Redskins (4-3-1): The rollercoaster ride that have been the Washington Redskins took a strange turn with a tie in London. Kirk Cousins has played better and he’s ranked second in the NFL in passing yards. Problem is the inconsistencies of the team are likely to keep them out of the playoffs.
17. New York Giants (4-3): The Giants still haven’t received the production necessary from their high priced defense. And to make matters worse, Eli is having one of his bad Eli seasons. The team is more known for Odell Beckham’s antics than the team’s actual play on the field.
18. Cincinnati Bengals (3-4-1): Is there a more fraudulent team in the NFL? The Bengals wins have come against the Jets, Dolphins and Browns. Meanwhile they lose or tie to any team with a record over .500. With the standard for the season being a playoff win, I don’t see how Marvin Lewis survives if this continues.
19. Tennessee Titans (4-4): The Titans season can already be graded as a success since they topped last season’s win total already. While Marcus Mariota has improved, he’s still a bit mistake prone. But with their power running game and underrated defense, the Titans have a chance to steal the AFC South.
20. New Orleans Saints (3-4): The Saints are marching up the NFC South Standings after winning three of their last our games. Drew Brees has upped his level of play to make this possible and their defense has been playing slightly less awful than before.
21. San Diego Chargers (3-5): The Chargers learned to close games late, but now they’ll have to learn how cut down on mistakes if they want to get better. With a chance to get to .500, questionable play calling and bad throws from Philip Rivers cost them against the Broncos. One positive note for San Diego is Joey Bosa looks like the real deal. It only makes them look even more foolish for getting into a contract dispute with him.
22. Los Angeles Rams (3-4): After a 3-1 start, the same old Rams have revealed themselves and look to be on track for yet another seven to eight win season. Regardless of who starts at quarterback, the Rams need to figure how to get Todd Gurley out of his sophomore slump. He’s 3.0 years per carry is second worst in the NFL.
23. Baltimore Ravens (3-4): Quoth the Raven nevermore as their losing streak reaches four. Joe Flacco has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns and their offense has stalled out. Defensively, they haven’t been anything special either.
24. Miami Dolphins (3-4): Jay Ajayi has carried Miami to the brink of a .500 record even with the other problems on this team.
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4): The inconsistency of Jameis Winston has to be frustrating for fans. His completion percentage has fluctuated from 72% at his best and 49% at his worst. The division isn’t out of reach, so he’ll need to get it together if they plan on making the postseason.
26. Carolina Panthers (2-5): The real culprit for the fall of Carolina is their defense. They’ve allowed 28 points per game this season and the secondary has been Swiss cheese at best this season. Cam Newton and the offense has been inconsistent at best and flat out awful when up against elite defensive units.
27. Indianapolis Colts (3-5): Andrew Luck has been saved 31 times this season and has played behind 12 different offensive line combinations. To make matters worse, their defense isn’t much to speak about. It’s no surprise they’re this low on the list.
28. Chicago Bears (2-6): The Bears will clearly be looking for a new quarterback after the conclusion of this season. Jordan Howard and Alshon Jeffery are talented players on the offense, but that won’t matter much if they don’t have a QB. Also, I learned last night that the Bears defense is the only defense in the league that doesn’t have a pro bowler. Wow.
29. New York Jets (3-5): How do you spell liability? J-E-T-S. No seriously, Ryan Fitzpatrick has been the exact opposite of the player he was last season. This time last year he had 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions. This season, he has seven touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Plus he’s already been benched once. The flip flop in production isn’t just revered for him either. Their defense isn’t half of what they were last year.
30. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5): The Jaguars were thought to be on the come up entering this season, but that clearly was reckless optimism. They’ve been outscored by 61 points in their losses and currently only have one victory in the United States. Expect heads to roll once the season is over.
31. San Francisco 49ers (1-6): No real answer at quarterback plus a poor defense gets you the 31st spot. Meanwhile, look at what Jim Harbaugh is doing at Michigan.
32. Cleveland Browns (0-8): Half way through the season and 0-16 looks like a good possibility. And even if it does happen, the city of Cleveland cannot complain since they have two champions in town. Everything balances out.
Midseason Accolades
Most Valuable Player: Matt Ryan
I’m sticking with Matt Ryan here despite the Tom Brady hype. Why? The Patriots went 3-1 without Brady. I doubt the Falcons could even win a game without Ryan under center. Secondly, the Patriots haven’t been truly tested yet. Ryan has beaten Denver, New Orleans and Oakland on the road, which are three very tough places to win. He has thrown for 2,636 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He was also able to win a shoot-out at home against Aaron Rodgers. The award is his until we can see how Brady plays against better competition.
Offensive Player of the Year: Tom Brady
This award I’ll give to Brady since he’s been near perfect since returning to the field.
Defensive Player of the Year: Von Miller
The reigning Super Bowl MVP continues his stellar play. He already has 8.5 sacks and is on pace for his career-high in tackles.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Ezekiel Elliot
This is an easy award to give out as Elliott is on pace to set the rookie single-season rushing record. He has been a great weapon for the Dallas Cowboys this season. He leads the NFL with 799 rushing yards and an average of 114.1 yards per game.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Joey Bosa
After missing the first four games of the season due to injury and an offseason holdout, Joey Bosa has emerged as the frontrunner for defensive rookie of the year. He has four sacks in just three games and has 11 tackles. One of those games came against one of the better offensive lines in football, the Raiders.
Comeback Player of the Year: DeMarco Murray
After getting his payday in Philadelphia, things quickly went south for Murray. This season has been a completely different story for him. Murray has more yards through eight games than he had all of last year. He’s helped the Titans transform their running game and has them within reach of the AFC South crown.
Coach of the Year: Jack Del Rio
I could easily hand this award to Bill Belichick, but then again I could do that every year. Jack Del Rio has completed what he started a season ago by turning the Raiders into serious contenders.This team has made leaps and bounds from last year with a lot of young players like Derek Carr, Amari Cooper and Khalil Mack. The Raiders sit atop the AFC West (the toughest division in football) and are off to their best start in 15 years.
