USA TODAY International Edition
QBs among bests, worsts of season
Kudos, NFL. You’ve made it to the halfway point of your most unpredictable challenge yet in staging a full season. Back in July, when 32 teams opened training camp, someone could have found a wager on whether the season would get through a month.
And now you’re standing, one game at a time on the mission to complete 256 regular- season contests before the playoffs that will hopefully culminate with Super Bowl LV on Feb. 7 in Tampa, Florida.
Sure, it’s been tense. The Titans, the only NFL team to this point to grapple with a major outbreak that resulted in more than 20 players and staff testing positive for COVID- 19, went 16 days without playing a game. Yet when Mike Vrabel’s team clobbered the Bills in a Tuesday night game in Week 5, it provided some fuel to the notion that practice is not the perfect way to prepare for a blowout. Then again, 2020 is not the year for trends, patterns and norms.
Except for this one: It would not be a season without some sort of midseason review.
Thus, some bests and worsts from the first half:
Best hype: You knew expectations would go through the roof with TB12’ s move to Tampa Bay. But even with Tom Brady and other big- name additions, are the Buccaneers legitimate Super Bowl contenders? Maybe not, given how they were dismantled by the Saints on Sunday night. It’s way too early to write them off, especially given what they showed against the Packers.
Worst injury: Dak Prescott being carted off with tears streaming down his face after suffering a compound fracture was the most gut- wrenching image of this season. Before the setback, the Cowboys’ star demonstrated how a premier quarterback can cover for a lot of holes. Pay the man, Jerry.
Best MVP bid: For much of this campaign, Russell Wilson seemed destined to finally garner a vote for MVP. Yet it’s tough to argue against Patrick Mahomes. Maybe the real debate will involve Super Bowl honors. Then again, Allen Sills might be the MVP. Sills, the NFL’s chief medical adviser, is the point man for the league’s COVID- 19 strategies. And his NFL Players Association counterpart, Thom Mayer, had much to do with the daily testing that the league’s owners initially resisted.
Worst COVID- 19 optics: Cheers for Las Vegas’ quality wins against the Saints and Chiefs. Jeers for the Raiders being the warning image for violations of the NFL’s pandemic protocol. Four incidents, $ 1.2 million in fines for the organization and individuals – and a sixth- round pick stripped.
Best comeback: Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith. Nearly two years after a broken leg and infection threatened his career ( and life), Smith is slated to make his first start Sunday since his injury two years ago.
Worst loss: Falcons at Cowboys. No lead is safe … especially when a group of players stare at a spinning football rather than try to recover an onside kick. It’s the kind of stuff that costs jobs, which is exactly what happened to now- former Atlanta coach Dan Quinn.
Best combination of hands and legs: Arizona’s DeAndre Hopkins and Kyler Murray. Hopkins’ hands ( when not used to make an obscene gesture at politically charged motorists) have hauled in 60 receptions. Murray’s impressive leap in Year 2 for the Cardinals
includes eight rushing TDs – more than any other quarterback through eight games in the Super Bowl era – to complement his rocket arm.
Worst heartbreak: The Chargers are 2- 6, with five of the losses by five points or fewer and the other defeat by seven. Lightning striking more than twice.
Worst medical mishap: Tyrod Taylor was supposed to allow the Chargers to slowly break in rookie quarterback Justin Herbert. Then came the painkilling injection before kickoff in Week 2 to treat cracked ribs, which punctured a lung. Can’t blame Herbert for taking advantage of his quick opportunity. But you can wonder: Is there an attorney in the house?
Best return: Ben Roethlisberger. When Roethlisberger missed all but two games in 2019 due to elbow surgery, the Steelers were so scrappy in finishing 8- 8 with fill- in quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges. Now they are 8- 0, with No. 7 as the missing link to hold it together when it gets tight.
Best creativity: Andy Reid and Eric Bienemy. What will they come up with next? The Chiefs’ coach and his offen
sive coordinator are in no danger of running out of exotic ways to use Patrick Mahomes. Even when the outcomes of games are settled, there’s plenty reason to keep watching.
Worst division race: It is mathematically possible that the NFC East can be won with six victories, which means the Giants still have a shot.
Best division race: As it stands now, Week 17 features the Cardinals at the Rams and the Seahawks at the 49ers. Like last year, the NFC West crown seems destined to be settled at the finish line.
Best tease: Tua Time. Two starts, two wins for Tua Tagovailoa. And with plenty of help from Brian Flores’ rollicking defense, this trend is what Dolphins fans have been waiting for. Since the 0- 7 start and “Tank for Tua” chatter last year, Miami has won 10 of 17 games and is positioned to give Buffalo a run for the AFC East flag that could finally fly somewhere other than Foxborough.
Worst tease: Bears. Especially the uninspired offense. After a 5- 1 start, the Bears are riding a three- game losing streak that could get worse.