The usual and not so usual suspects
At the midway point of the NFL season, there have been way more surprise teams than usual. Most have been of the positive variety but more than a few have taken a negative form as well.
First, a look at the teams that have been a pleasant surprise:
San Francisco 49ers — By far the biggest eyebrow raisers. The Niners, who won four games last year, have seen the rebuilding process undertaken by general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan start to pay dividends.
With Jimmy Garoppolo as QB, San Francisco are the league’s only remaining unbeaten team and, at 8-0, are off to their best start since the Joe Montana-led 49ers of 1990.
San Fran are living by a “stop the run, establish the run” philosophy.
New Orleans Saints — When Drew QB Brees went down with a thumb injury in Week Two, everyone was sure the Saints’ season was over. But in stepped Teddy Bridgewater to fill the void and lead the Saints to five straight wins and a 7-1 mark.
Coach Sean Payton brilliantly adjusted his offence to suit Bridgewater’s skills and the Saints defence, ranked near the top of the league, has done the rest.
New England Patriots — The normally slow-starting Pats roared out to seven straight wins to begin the season, shocking many, especially since they were without retired tight end Rob Gronkowski.
A defence that held opponents to just seven points a game over the first seven contests helped them gradually find their legs offensively as well.
Some, however, point to a soft schedule as the reason for their fast start.
The Baltimore Ravens, the Pats’ first foes with a winning log, smashed New England, 37-20 last week.
Green Bay Packers — The Pack, who slipped to 6-9-1 last season and had missed the play-offs the last two campaigns, roared out to
a 7-1 start this campaign behind rejuvenated QB Aaron Rodgers and under new coach Matt LaFleur.
A stingy defence carried the Packers until the new offence came around. However, a surprise thumping at the hands of the Los Angeles Chargers last week might indicate the Pack are not all the way back.
Carolina Panthers — When star QB Cam Newton went out early in the season with a foot injury, everyone wrote off the Panthers, who started 0-2.
But back-up Kyle Allen then stepped in and shocked the world, leading Carolina to five wins in their last six contests and a shot at the postseason.
With Newton now out for the year, though, it remains to be seen if Allen can shoulder the load the
rest of the way.
Buffalo Bills — Coming off 6-10 a season ago, the Bills are off to a solid 6-2 start. Their quarterbacking is still a question mark as second-year QB Josh Allen has yet to establish himself as a top flight passer.
Of all the surprise teams, the Bills are the ones who inspire the least confidence in maintaining their performance over the long haul.
Seattle Seahawks — With only a handful of their 2014 Super Bowl champion team remaining, few expected the Seahawks to be 7-2 and breathing down the necks of the 49ers in the NFC West.
A solid run game and QB Russell Wilson’s exploits are at the root of their success.
Now for the disappointing
ballclubs:
Cleveland Browns — The league’s feel good story a year ago when they went from league laughing stock to within a whisker of the postseason, the Brownies were a trendy play-off pick this go around.
However, the wheels have come off and Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham Jr and Co have failed to live up to expectations this 2-6 campaign.
A sputtering offence and leaky defence have hampered Cleveland all season, causing pundits to now reconsider their lofty opinions of the Browns.
Chicago Bears — The NFC Central Division champs a year ago, the Bears were another ballclub expected to be on the rise.
Inconsistent play from quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and an under-performing defence have led to a 3-5 start, however.
Again, many are wondering whether the Bears, like the Browns, were overrated to begin with.
Dallas Cowboys — Yes, “America’s team” lead the NFC East at 5-3 after two straight wins but everyone, including team owner Jerry Jones, expected more from a team that boasted an offence featuring QB Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott.
Jones told a Dallas radio station he thought his team would be better than they have shown in their sluggish first half, which included a loss to the New York Jets — the New Yorkers’ only victory.
Atlanta Falcons — This is a ballclub who weren’t in the contenders conversation but few predicted a 1-7 first half for them.
Los Angeles Rams — A 5-3 record and a third place NFC West position at mid-season was not expected from last year’s NFC champs.
Many of the Rams’ wins have been squeakers too. Their previous special magic seems to be missing.
It’s important to remember, though, that it’s not how you start but, rather, how you finish that’s most important.
Teams off to a surprising beginning could falter and slow-starting ballclubs could just as easily turn things around big-time in the NFL’s second half.