Monday, October 29, 2012

NFL Midseason Reports and Rankings

It is officially the middle of the season for the NFL. Week 8 is always a great time of the year, because you finally start thinking about playoff predictions, as well as who is in the running for that prized number one pick in the NFL Draft! Here are my rankings for the 1st half of the season, let me know your top 5 teams so far in the comment section below!

1. Falcons (7-0) Yes, they have squeaked by a few wins, but they have a confident QB in Matt Ryan and a great deep threat duo in Julio Jones and Roddy White. Also, don't forget about that old man Tony Gonzales, who is averaging 10 yards a catch. They do however have a tough game against the Cowboys, who got embarrassed by the Giants Sunday. Be prepared for a good game on Sunday night!

2. Giants (6-2) They blew out a good 49er team and Eli continues to impress in the 4th quarter. If they keep this dominance up, they could definitely take the top spot away from the only undefeated team left in the league.

3. 49ers (6-2) People still think Alex Smith is not the answer at QB for this team even after his great season last year that ended in a magical run to the NFC Championship. With all that said, that must hurt the confidence of the former number one pick. After this MNF victory against the Cardinals, Smith must be feeling real good about his future with the 49ers! If he can keep spreading the ball out to targets like Davis, Moss, and Crabtree, the running game will fall into place and they can potentially become a huge offensive juggernaut.

4. Texans (6-1) With the loss against the Packers in Week 6, they looked like a team who had many flaws. With their blow out of the Ravens last week, they showed they are the number one team in the AFC. If they come to play Week 10 against the Bears on Sunday Night, I think they will be a lock for the top of the AFC and have a permanent spot in the top 3, but they need to play consistent to stay there!

5. Bears (6-1) The Bears continue to confuse me. They dismantled a Cowboy team on MNF but looked HORRIBLE against the Packers and today against the Panthers. Lately, Cutler and Marshall ,have been hooking up for more yards, so hopefully they can keep it up because they will be facing a TOUGH defense in both the Texans and 49ers in Week 10 and 11.

6. Packers (5-3) Rodgers did have a shaky start to the season, but it looks like him and Jordy Nelson have found that connection that they had last year that lit up defenses all over the field. He has only thrown 2 interceptions in the past 4 games, so it looks like the Pack have the MVP Rodgers back. Although, with Charles Woodson hurt, that will definitely hurt their secondary.

7. Ravens (5-2) Losing Ray Lewis for the season is a big blow not only for the defense, but for their morale. He has been the heart and soul for that team for the past 15 years. With Ed Reed playing hurt, they look like a team on the decline. If Ray Rice can put this team on his back though, they have a chance to make the playoffs for another year.

8. Patriots (5-3) Even though Wes Welker looks good, it seems like the Patriots dominance in the AFC has come to an end. A loss to the Seahawks and barely a win against the Jets has sealed their fate as a team who is...normal. They are not the superhero/perfect team anymore like they were 5 years ago. They do have an easy schedule for the rest of the season, so I have no doubt that they will make the playoffs, but expect them to start on a long road of decline.

9. Broncos (4-3) Manning is really trying to make these Broncos into a playoff team. If they miss the playoffs this year, expect them in the mix next year. You Broncos fans better thank John Elway for getting rid of Tebow and bringing in Manning, just look at the Jets this year. YIKES!

10. Vikings (5-3) That loss to the Bucaneers on Thursday night hurt them... BAD. Ponder can look like an QB with a lot of potential, but then will turn around with a silly, childish mistake. Besides Ponder, Adrian Peterson looks like he has recovered from that devestating injury last season. Hopefully he can keep it up and Percy Harvin can step it up to turn this Vikings team into the divison winner of a tough NFC North division.

11. Steelers (4-3) This team has the talent to be great, but has yet to impress me this season. Even though they took care of RG3 and the 'Skins, they lost to the Titans and Raiders. This next week, they get to play the Giants, so this is a make-or-break game for them.

12. Cardinals (4-4) Why did people think Kevin Kolb was worth that huge contract? They looked absolutely flat against the 49ers on MNF. Remember when they were undefeated? Yeah...about that...they are on that decline, FAST!

13. Dolphins (4-3) They have a promising future with this new QB, but they need some heavy weapons around him other than Reggie Bush. A few good defensive playmakers wouldn't hurt either.

14. Seahawks (4-4) Russell Wilson looks great at home, especially when leading his team to victory against Tom Brady and the Patriots. Unfortunately, they don't look that good away from home. Luckily for them, they will be playing 5 of their last 9 games at home so get ready for the successful Russell Wilson.

15.  Colts (4-3) Andrew Luck has had a decent rookie season, given the circumstances of his head coach leaving the team midseason for health reasons. Also, Reggie Wayne is back into the spotlight as one of the most dynamic WR's in the business. Let's just hope he can keep it up before his age catches up to him!

16. Eagles (3-4) As much as I love Andy Reid, Michael Vick is having the worst season of his life other than that little season behind bars. Vick, along with the rest of the offense, needs to learn how to hold onto the football without fumbling it. If they learn how to do that, then they might be able to squeak out a winning record this season.

17. Cowboys (3-4) The most overrated team in the NFL...PERIOD! They have too many problems on the offensive line to try and get some momentum going. They keep putting a band-aid on a recurring problem. If they want to be back into the "good" spotlight, fix the offensive line and it will solve all your problems. Also, now that Al Davis has passed away, Jerry Jones now claims the title as the worst GM/Owner/CEO/President/cry-baby/draft-picker of all time! Congrats Jerry on this new accomplishment, you want a cookie?

18. Redskins (3-5) RG3 is a damn trooper. That hit that gave him a concussion against the Falcons was brutal but he got back up the next week and ran all over the Vikings to win. Even though their defense is lacking their leader Orakpo for the rest of the season, the offense has the potential to lead this team to victory, especially in Weeks 11, 12, and 13, all against their NFC East counterparts.

19. Saints (2-5) Now that Joe Vitt is back as well as Vilma (for now), hopefully the Saints can turn a terrible situation into something better for the fans. What a terrible situation this is, not only for the Saints organization, but for the city of New Orleans. That city NEEDS this team to play well. You can only hope they can turn it around in the 2nd half.

20. Bucaneers (3-4) Coming off that great win against the Vikings on Thursday night, they have 3 straight games against teams under .500. What a great way to get a winning streak and momentum going into Week 12 against the 7-0 Falcons.

21. Chargers (3-4) Their loss to the Broncos last week made them look like a complete joke of a team. They had that game wrapped up in a silver bow and they blew it. Not just the team, but more specifically Philip Rivers. That guy needs to step it up if he wants to be considered a top QB in this league.

22.. Bengals (3-4) I really believe they need a new leader calling the plays. Marvin Lewis was good back in the day, but he shouldn't have been there this long (10 seasons). Their owner seems to be like a little girl when it comes to giving up on the past, I mean just look at the whole Carson Palmer debacle. The dude was past his prime, yet the owner would not give up his "prized possession." If they get rid of Lewis, I think this team could be a force to be reckoned with in the future with Andy Dalton under center.

23. Rams (3-5) Their defense is starting to look pretty good even though they gave up 45 points against the Patriots on Sunday. The NFC West is finally looking like a legitimate division compared to a few years ago where the Seahawks were division champs with a losing record. I like Jeff Fisher as a coach and I think he has the talent to turn this club around to where they belong, and that's competing for the NFC West title each season.

24. Lions (3-4) It looks like the Madden Curse isn't just hurting Megatron. They are just looking like the normal Lions of recent years. Fortunately for them, they do somehow find a way to win those close games

25. Browns (2-6) So, Brandon Weeden is leading all rookie QBs in touchdowns and Trent Richardson looks like a threat for years to come, but they are still the Browns and they always find a way to lose (unfortunately). They do have a new owner that looks like he is interested in making this team better than a bottom feeder so maybe the future for Cleveland might be turning around! We can only dream though...

26. Raiders (3-4) Carson Palmer is not the answer for their winning problems. Darrius Heyward-Bey is not the answer either. This upcoming draft can be crucial for their future success. They can now draft good, quality players, instead of the flashy, showstoppers they have drafted in the past like JaMarcus Russell and Terrelle Pryor.

27. Titans (3-5) They have a mess of a team, and unfortuantely Matt Hasselbeck is leading that team every Sunday. Kenny Britt is their star WR? Come on Tennessee and get someone better than Kenny Britt.

28. Bills (3-4) The Bills looked like a Division II team against the 49ers, but they looked pretty decent against the Cardinals. If they can become a little more consistent and play hard against their next opponents in the Texans and Patriots, their schedule will get a little bit easier, and maybe some wins will go their way.

29. Jets (3-5) Both of their QBs were voted in the top 3 of most overrated players in the NFL, as voted on by a panel of NFL players. That's pretty embarassing considering there has been a high-profiled QB controversy debate on ESPN for the past 6 months...

30. Panthers (1-6) What happened to that great rookie season by Cam Newton? Everyone thought this kid was the answer for the Panthers to get back to the Super Bowl....well...umm...maybe not.

31. Jaguars (1-6) What happened to Justin Blackmon taking the offense to the new level? Now with MJD out, SOMEONE better step up!

32. Chiefs (1-6) Both options at QB (Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn) are horrible choices to try and get a struggling team out of their funk into winning ways. If they continue on their losing ways, head coach Romeo Crennel could be gone.

Well, there you go folks! My 32 rankings of the NFL teams at the 1st half of the season! As always, please leave comments below so we could get a nice friendly convo going!

Peace and Love!
D

3 comments:

  1. you ranked the Eagles above the Cowboys......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................? uh no.

    ReplyDelete
  2. you ranked the colts and dolphins above the cowboys.....???????????????????????????? oh ok.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yeah. I did. If you disagree, don't just say no, explain yourself. Yes, the Cowboys came back to almost beat the Giants, but they still looked terrible in the 1st half. That team does not deserve any credit this year. Coach Red has not done anything to help the team this year. Dez is still Dez. Romo still does stupid stuff. Witten always performs. It's the same story, just different season EVERY YEAR!

    At least the Colts and Dolphins are moving up in the ranks. Luck will become a dominant QB in the league if he keeps this up and if they are able to go out and get more offensive weapons, he will be in the top tier of QB's in the next 5-10 years.

    Same with the Dolphins. Even though Tannehill got hurt during the game, that team is going somewhere. They also could use some offensive weapons around him. The point is that the Cowboys look stagnant and have been since they lost to the Seahawks in the playoffs. I mean come on, they had to send a bulletin to their season ticket holders to get loud on 3rd downs? That's pretty pathetic! The fans won't cheer for a team that looks like they will settle for 8-8.

    The answer to all the Cowboys problems is to get rid of Jerry Jones. Plain and simple. Thoughts Marco?

    ReplyDelete