SURPRISES? JUST A FEW.
Surprises? There have been a few in the first half of the NFL season
Who anticipated the National Football League getting caught up in a backand-forth spat with U.S. President Donald Trump over players kneeling during the national anthem?
And who could have imagined the Philadelphia Eagles would own the best record in the league at the midway point?
And that their second-year quarterback, Carson Wentz, would lead the MVP conversation with an NFL-best 23 touchdown passes?
Or that the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants and Oakland Raiders — playoff participants a year ago — would struggle so much?
Here is a look at developments that left folks speechless during an NFL season full of surprises: TRUMP VS. NFL It all began, bizarrely enough, with a speech in Alabama by Trump, followed by daily tweets from the highest office in the land, including a call for teams to fire players who kneel during “The Star-Spangled Banner.” That resulted in pregame demonstrations going from a half-dozen players to hundreds. The man who started the movement to protest racial inequality and police brutality, Colin Kaepernick, has filed a grievance against the NFL, saying teams colluded to keep him out of a job. GOING THE WRONG WAY The Giants are 1-7, Eli Manning looks anything but elite, and coach Ben McAdoo sure seems dumbfounded. He couldn’t even find words to respond when asked what he told his club at halftime of a 51-17 loss. The Denver Broncos, desperately in need of a competent QB, and the Raiders, whose star receiver Amari Cooper has suddenly become a chronic pass dropper, both have losing records, too. At least the Falcons are at .500, but neither QB Matt Ryan nor much of the rest of the squad look like recent Super Bowl participants. HEY, ROOK Kansas City Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt was a third-round pick out of Toledo, of all places, and Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson was a backup to Savage for Week 1. But Hunt leads the league in rushing with 800 yards. Watson was having the same sort of impact, throwing for 19 TDs with a passer rating of 103, before tearing up his knee. SO MANY INJURED STARS That there are so many injuries is not surprising. This is the NFL, remember? But that so many superstars are sidelined for the rest of the season is striking. The list keeps growing, too, with Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, Texans DE J.J. Watt and Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. at the top, along with important players such as Watson, Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck and New England Patriots WR Julian Edelman. MCVAY’S RAMS The Los Angeles Rams’ Sean McVay, 31, is the youngest coach in NFL history, and his combination of charisma and offensive design have helped L.A. go from 4-12 to 6-2, while Jared Goff has gone from presumed bust to a guy who looks like a No. 1 overall draft pick.