{"id":281456,"date":"2025-11-09T15:07:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-09T15:07:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/281456\/"},"modified":"2025-11-09T15:07:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-09T15:07:14","slug":"nfl-midseason-superlatives-and-teams-to-watch-in-a-year-of-wide-open-races","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/281456\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL midseason superlatives and teams to watch in a year of wide-open races"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Athletic has live coverage of Falcons vs. Colts from Berlin.<\/a><\/p>\n

The NFL season has officially reached its halfway point, and unlike some years past, the picture remains very muddled. Would-be contenders have yet to fully find their footing. Projected contenders find themselves on roller-coaster campaigns. Early surprise squads still are working hard to earn credibility.<\/p>\n

The only thing that\u2019s certain: The remaining eight weeks of the regular season will feature all kinds of twists and turns. But first, here\u2019s a look at what we\u2019ve learned, teams and players to keep an eye on, and a couple of predictions on how things will play out in the next eight weeks.<\/p>\n

Lessons learned\u00a0There are no dominant teams this year<\/p>\n

Sure, we still tend to hold teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles in higher regard. But none of those four own the commanding advantages over the rest of the league as they have in previous years. All have faltered at points during the first half of the season.<\/p>\n

After 4-0 starts, the Eagles and Bills both experienced two-game losing streaks and showcased weaknesses that opponents can exploit. Philadelphia has all the key pieces back from last season yet can\u2019t quite figure out its identity or how to attack with any consistency. The Bills struggle against the run defensively and have lacked a dynamic offensive option to help Josh Allen put games away.<\/p>\n

The Chiefs got off to a slow start and have shown signs of rebounding to an elite level. But issues remain both along their offensive and defensive fronts, and they can\u2019t run the ball with the effectiveness they need. After years of dominating in the clutch, Kansas City is 0-4 in one-score games. Meanwhile, the Ravens have battled injuries on both sides of the ball and have looked toothless on defense.<\/p>\n

At their core, all four remain quality organizations, and hope remains alive for each. However, the road features more obstacles than in previous years, thanks in part to slippage and the competition catching up.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to win in this league. Just ask those four teams. Or ask Dan Quinn and the Washington Commanders or DeMeco Ryans and the Houston Texans \u2014 both coaches of playoff teams in 2024 that have losing records at this midway point. Just ask Kevin Stefanski, a two-time AP NFL Coach of the Year (2020 and 2023), who appears to have lost his touch in Cleveland, where the Browns own a 2-6 record and couldn\u2019t get anything out of Joe Flacco, who\u2019s now slinging touchdowns left and right in Cincinnati. Or Mike McDaniel, a once-heralded offensive genius, who seemingly has seen the magic wear off in Miami, where the Dolphins own a 2-7 record and once-prized quarterback Tua Tagovailoa led the NFL with 11 interceptions through Week 9.<\/p>\n

The list goes on. Prior success truly has no bearing on the following season. Talent drops off, competition improves, opposing coaches gain better insight on how to thwart efforts, injuries hit. For now, six of the eight divisions have new divisional leaders, and they seemingly have a good chance to remain in contention.<\/p>\n

\"Patrick<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Life hasn\u2019t been as easy for Patrick Mahomes and the 5-4 Chiefs this season. (Jason Miller \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

There are dangerous yet flawed teams in the hunt<\/p>\n

A group of on-the-rise teams have forced their way into the spotlight. The Indianapolis Colts own one of the best records in the league while leaning on Jonathan Taylor, a strong defense and resurgent Daniel Jones during the first half of the season. The Denver Broncos are on a seven-game winning streak and the New England Patriots have won six straight and both lead their divisions while relying on second-year quarterbacks and stingy defenses. The Seattle Seahawks have ascended to the top spot in the NFC West with Sam Darnold thriving in his new surroundings.<\/p>\n

However, despite the signs of promise, each of these teams has true flaws that could limit their potential. Indianapolis has done a great job of attacking with balance. But the Pittsburgh Steelers showed on Sunday that when a defense can make Indianapolis one-dimensional and also pressure Jones, the Colts look very mortal. After taking care of the football through eight weeks, Jones reverted to his old form, throwing three interceptions and fumbling twice. Naturally, it\u2019s hard to climb out of a hole when ball security is an issue. \u2026 Denver, meanwhile, has won a lot of close games, however, inconsistencies from its offense \u2014 as evidenced in Thursday night\u2019s 10-7 win over the last-place Las Vegas Raiders \u2014 and quarterback Bo Nix could wind up holding the Broncos in check. Denver tends to fall into third-and-long situations after struggling on early downs, which puts pressure on Nix, who is completing only 60.9 percent of his passes (27th in the NFL), and as an offense, Denver converts just 37.6 percent of third downs for first downs. For now, the Broncos have managed to overcome these struggles, thanks largely to their defense. But these two critical areas of concern could wind up haunting them against quality opponents.<\/p>\n

Despite the strides that the Patriots have made in Year 1 under Mike Vrabel, it\u2019s hard to ignore the inconsistencies of the offensive line and the run game. Drake Maye masks a lot, but he can\u2019t do anything about the lack of depth at pass rusher. The second-half stretch plays out favorably outside of the dates with Buffalo and Baltimore in Weeks 15 and 16. Can they get by despite these weaknesses?<\/p>\n

Darnold has rewarded the Seahawks by helping give them the most explosive passing attack in the league, and Mike Macdonald\u2019s defense is impressive. But if there\u2019s a weakness to Seattle, it\u2019s the inconsistent rushing attack, which certainly could become a factor in those cold-weather games down the stretch of the season.<\/p>\n

And then you have familiar fringe contenders like the Steelers and Green Bay Packers, who rank among the league\u2019s stable franchises, but frequently tend to fall short of their potential. Pittsburgh and Aaron Rodgers have turned out to be a perfect union, and at times, Mike Tomlin\u2019s team looks every bit of a contender with a balanced offense supported by impactful defensive plays. But then there are times when the defense appears feeble, and the offense struggles to move the ball beyond midfield. And Green Bay can look like the most dominant team in the league on any given week, and also get pushed around and beaten by weaker opponents like the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers.<\/p>\n

Teams to watch: Los Angeles Rams, and a few up-and-comers<\/p>\n

At 6-2 with its only losses coming against the Eagles and San Francisco 49ers, the Rams somehow have flown under the radar but just might be the most well-rounded team in the league, boasting a top-10 offense and defense. They\u2019re in a tough division, but have the chance to really rack up some statement wins with the 49ers, Seahawks (twice), Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the pesky Panthers and Arizona Cardinals (twice) all waiting.<\/p>\n

If they emerge from this stretch largely unscathed, then the Rams could wind up as legitimate Super Bowl contenders.<\/p>\n

Several other work-in-progress squads will be interesting to monitor down the stretch of the season, even though chances for contention may prove unlikely.<\/p>\n

Things have started to click in Chicago, where Ben Johnson\u2019s Bears have won five of their last six games, and where Caleb Williams appears more confident and decisive while also taking fewer sacks.<\/p>\n

Their NFC North neighbor Minnesota Vikings have experienced some ups and downs, but last week\u2019s win over Detroit looked way more like what Kevin O\u2019Connell envisioned entering the season: Punishing defense, strong run game and a handful of impactful throws from young J.J. McCarthy. This season is all about supporting and developing McCarthy, but the 4-4 Vikings might manage to make things interesting if they can stick with this recipe.<\/p>\n

The Panthers might not work their way into the contender ranks. But Dave Canales\u2019 young team is finally starting to make some strides. Quarterback Bryce Young remains inconsistent. But the cohesion of the offensive line has paved the way for a quality rushing attack, easing pressure on Young. And Carolina\u2019s defense has gotten better against the run, and more effective on third downs, and those two major areas of improvement have factored into the team winning four of its last five games to improve to 5-4 and match last season\u2019s win total.<\/p>\n

Bold prediction: The Baltimore Ravens will win the AFC North<\/p>\n

Despite their 1-5 start, the Baltimore Ravens are going to be OK. They got a much-needed win in Week 8 to stop the bleeding, and then Lamar Jackson returned with an effective outing and a victory over Miami. Derrick Henry appears to have his groove back. The much-maligned defense has started to gel. And the back half of the schedule isn\u2019t all that daunting. The November slate features winnable games against the Vikings, Browns, Jets and Cincinnati Bengals. So, Baltimore could own a 7-5 record and some momentum as the Ravens enter December and their first meeting with Pittsburgh. Three home games (Bengals, Packers, Steelers) in the next four contests close out the regular season. Baltimore could rank among the most battle-tested teams in the postseason.<\/p>\n

\"Mark<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Despite their 1-5 start, the Ravens are still strong AFC North contenders. (Megan Briggs \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Superlative check-in<\/p>\n

MVP: QB Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers \u2014\u00a0Has any quarterback dealt with as many injuries to his supporting cast? And yet, Mayfield and the Bucs remain in first place in their division at 6-2. (Challengers: Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Sam Darnold, Drake Maye)<\/p>\n

Offensive player of the year: RB Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts \u2014\u00a0Daniel Jones is a great story, but the ability to lean on Taylor, who leads the league in carries, yards, touchdown runs, first downs, big plays (runs of 20 yards or longer) and hasn\u2019t fumbled once is the real engine for the Colts\u2019 success. (Challengers: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Christian McCaffrey)<\/p>\n

Defensive player of the year: LB Nik Bonitto, Denver Broncos\u00a0 \u2014 A year after posting a career-high 13.5 sacks and earning Pro Bowl honors, Bonitto has 9.5 through 10 games and is on pace to set a new high while serving as the catalyst for one of the most dominant defenses in the game. (Challengers: Micah Parsons, Myles Garrett, Aidan Hutchinson)<\/p>\n

Offensive rookie of the year: WR Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers \u2014 The Ohio State product has made an immediate impact while ranking among the league leaders in touchdown catches and yards per catch. (Challengers: Jaxson Dart, Tyler Warren)<\/p>\n

Defensive rookie of the year: LB Carson Schwesinger, Cleveland Browns \u2014\u00a0Vegas likes New Yorks Giants pass rusher Abdul Carter to win the award, but Carter has just one start and half a sack. Cleveland\u2019s Schwesinger is flying under the radar, but has 64 tackles (four for a loss), a sack and an interception. (Challengers: Abdul Carter, Jihaad Campbell)<\/p>\n

Coach of the year: Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots \u2014 Despite working with a roster still short on talent and depth, Vrabel has infused the franchise with life once again and has the Patriots playing hard, steadily improving and winning games. (Challengers: Shane Steichen, Todd Bowles, Sean Payton, Mike Macdonald)<\/p>\n

Comeback Player of the Year: QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys \u2014 Prescott has rebounded from last year\u2019s hamstring injury and surgery in a mighty way, ranking among the league leaders in passing yards and touchdowns. (Challengers: Christian McCaffrey, Aidan Hutchinson)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Athletic has live coverage of Falcons vs. Colts from Berlin. The NFL season has officially reached its…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":281457,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[1829,1327,8849,1807,3687,8850,1822,1799,1816,7820,1810,1804,4058,3686,1811,1236,1812,6337,1820,1322,8851,1815,1814,977,5702,349,1239,1321,560,8852,99,1824,8853,3851],"class_list":["post-281456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-arizona-cardinals","tag-atlanta-falcons","tag-baltimore-ravens","tag-buffalo-bills","tag-carolina-panthers","tag-chicago-bears","tag-cincinnati-bengals","tag-cleveland-browns","tag-dallas-cowboys","tag-denver-broncos","tag-detroit-lions","tag-green-bay-packers","tag-houston-texans","tag-indianapolis-colts","tag-jacksonville-jaguars","tag-kansas-city-chiefs","tag-las-vegas-raiders","tag-los-angeles-chargers","tag-los-angeles-rams","tag-miami-dolphins","tag-minnesota-vikings","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-new-orleans-saints","tag-new-york-giants","tag-new-york-jets","tag-nfl","tag-philadelphia-eagles","tag-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-san-francisco-49ers","tag-seattle-seahawks","tag-sports","tag-tampa-bay-buccaneers","tag-tennessee-titans","tag-washington-commanders"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=281456"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281456\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/281457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=281456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=281456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=281456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}