The regular season is already halfway gone, so this is probably as good of a time as any to take a look at what has transpired over the first half of the season. Let’s check out a few of the big storylines after 8 weeks of NFL football.
Past Division Champs Plagued by Injuries
Will the Steelers and Cowboys be able to recover after their rough starts? A year ago, Pittsburgh and Dallas finished at the top of their respective divisions. While the Cowboys definitely still have a chance to win the NFC East, the Steelers will probably have to start thinking about a wild card spot. Things were finally starting to look up for the Steelers, as they were able to hold onto a respectable 4-3 record, even with Roethlisberger injured for a majority of those games. However, the Steelers playoff hopes once again took a big hit, when Le’Veon Bell went down with a torn MCL in the 2nd quarter of their game against the Bengals. After a tough loss to Cincinnati, the Steelers are 4-4 with very slim hopes of winning the AFC North, especially after the Bengals improved to 8-0 last night. However, Pittsburgh still has a great chance at grabbing a wild card spot.
Meanwhile, the loss of Romo seems worse by the week, as the Dallas offense has failed to get their foot in the ground. Not having Dez Bryant for 5 weeks also hasn’t helped the passing game, as neither Brandon Weeden nor Matt Cassel have shown any promise as competent NFL starters. Thankfully for Dallas, their defense, along with the ineptitude of the NFC East have kept them alive in the division race. While they are currently sporting a dismal 2-5 record, don’t count the Cowboys out just yet. However, if Romo isn’t back by Week 11, Dallas may be in too deep of a hole to recover in the NFC East.
AFC South Will Most Likely Provide us With This Year’s Sub-.500 Playoff Team...
and I would be surprised if it wasn’t the Colts.
The Colts are not a good team. However, let me remind you of their company in the AFC South, which includes the likes of the Jaguars, Texans, and Titans. The Titans just fired their coach Ken Whisenhunt, who had a record of 3-20 during his tenure. The Jaguars may be the most abysmal team in the last decade of the NFL. And the Texans, a team expected to succeed because of their defense, have been one of the worst defensive units in the NFL this year. Meanwhile their offense has had the unfortunate task of having to decide between Brian Hoyer (who I thought might actually be decent this year) and Ryan Mallett (who got cut because he doesn’t know how to set an alarm clock) as their quarterback. This division belongs to the Colts, even though they will probably drop to 3-6 after their game against Denver this coming weekend. At this rate, it looks like the AFC South may be worse than last year’s NFC South.
Four Undefeated Teams Remain, but Which are Actually Good?
The Broncos have not been convincing until last weekend against Green Bay. Of their seven wins, Denver has won 5 of those games by seven points or less. Denver could very easily have two or three losses on their record right now. However, they have found ways to win. That being said, after dismantling Green Bay on both sides of the ball last Sunday, Denver looks like a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
The Bengals have been making their argument for relevance for a few years now, but without a playoff win on their resume, the Bengals have continued to fall short of their lofty expectations. The regular season will mean nothing to Cincinnati if it is not accompanied by at least one playoff win. So, is this finally the year the Bengals win a game in the playoffs? Cincinnati has proven to be a great home team over the last few years. Assuming they win the AFC North, the Bengals will get to host at least one playoff game. It would be hard to imagine them losing that game.
Are the Panthers legit? If there is one stat that should make Panthers fans concerned, it is that the Panthers have exactly 0 wins against opponents with records above .500. This is obviously due to the fact that Carolina hasn’t even gotten the chance to play a team with a winning record yet. My point is that Carolina has yet to prove themselves this season, with their most impressive win coming against the 4-4 Seahawks. Fortunately, the Panthers will get their chance to prove themselves when they host Green Bay this weekend. With Green Bay coming into town, Carolina will have the benefit of playing their toughest matchup of the season at home. However, I think Green Bay will have the edge. I expect a good game in Charlotte this weekend.
Finally, let’s talk about the Patriots. Ugh, I don’t want to talk about the Patriots. Does anyone like talking about the Patriots’ successes? I’ll pass. They’re 7-0. The Patriots are good. They are always good. The team that you are a fan of is not as good. This makes accepting the fact that the Patriots are always good even tougher. But you have to accept it. Sorry.
The NFC West: Are the Niners Even Worse Than We Thought They Would Be?
Yes. I mean, I predicted the Niners would go 4-12, but my God have they been bad. Things have only gotten worse for the Niners. Vernon is gone. Carlos Hyde is hurt. Reggie Bush came in for like 3 plays, tore his MCL on St. Louis's stupid concrete ring of death, and is now out for the year. Meanwhile, this is all somehow Colin Kaepernick’s fault, so Tomsula has benched him for the great Blaine Gabbert. The one positive out of all of this is that maybe a decent team will pick up Kaepernick. While he has proven to be totally untrustworthy on third down and inaccurate when given the chance, I believe that Kaeprnick still has a chance to be successful in this league. It wasn’t too long ago that Kap was making the Green Bay defense look silly in the playoffs. However, I doubt any teams with a decent roster would be willing to bring in Colin Kaepernick as a project, so maybe our days of seeing Kap’s big runs and rocket launcher of an arm are over.
The NFC South Makes a Complete Turnaround, is it the NFL’s top division?
The NFC South may have gone from worst to best in just one season. Last year, the NFC South was won by the 7-8-1 Panthers. This season, there is a very real chance that the NFC South puts 3 teams in the playoffs. The season is still young, so it is too early to claim that the NFC South is the best division in the NFL. The Falcons and Saints have played well in spurts, but they have not played well enough to stop the doubters. Similarly to the Panthers, the Falcons are yet to play against a team with a winning record. Perhaps the success of the NFC South has more to do with their scheduling against the AFC South than the actual ability of the teams within the division. Only time will tell if the Panthers, Falcons, and Saints are all true playoff contenders.
Bonus Storyline!
THE RAIDERS ARE FOR REAL?
OK, this might only be a big storyline for me, but I don’t care. I’m not one to get overly optimistic, but watching the Raiders play football has actually been an enjoyable experience this year. Meanwhile, the rest of the AFC West is falling apart (except for the Broncos). The Broncos have been winning in spite of Peyton Manning, thanks to an unbelievably stout defense. Meanwhile, Kansas City and San Diego have been beaten up this season, due to poor play and unfortunate injuries. Rivers will do his best to keep San Diego relevant, but I don’t see them recovering from their poor start. Meanwhile, Kansas City showed life after thumping Detroit in London, 45-10. However, I’m not sure the Chiefs will be true playoff contenders as the season wears on.
If anything will prevent Oakland from making the playoffs, it’s their secondary. While Woodson has played well, he has mainly been taking advantage of some opportune moments, while cleaning up for Oakland’s greatest weakness, their cornerbacks. However, if Oakland can score 30+ points a game (even against a solid defense like the Jets), then maybe they will be able to overcome their defensive deficiencies. The playoffs are suddenly a realistic expectation for the Silver and Black. This is a strange feeling… These aren’t the Raiders I have grown to know...
The season is still young. We’ve got nine more weeks to sort through this mess. Then, the NFL will shift into high gear, as the playoffs attempt to determine who is the best team in football. The season will be over before we know it, unless you’re a fan of the Lions or the Niners. Then it might feel like this season will never end. Good luck to everyone! Go Raiders.
