Okay, so it has obviously been a while since I posted anything substantive about the NFL. In fact, it was just prior to my vacation, which now is approaching the two-month anniversary.
So yeah, it's been a while.
I did not have the energy to break each game down and diagnose it. That is the traditional way that I covered it, but it just sometimes feels exhausting.
Instead, it felt like a better idea just to discuss how the season is progressing so far, and to perhaps rate the best teams, as well as the worst, which I will go ahead and do.
Here goes:
The biggest game this past weekend was the rematch of last year's divisional round game between the defending champion Chiefs and the Bills. Back in January, KC handed the Buffalo faithful a devastating playoff loss which has since come to be known as "Wide Right 2," since another field goal sailing wide right cost the Bills a chance, and evoked memories of Scott Norwood's missed field goal to win the game at the end of Super Bowl XXV.
This time around, however, the Bills were able to take care of business. Kansas City entered this weekend as the league's sole remaining unbeaten team. But the Bills bested them, earning what most likely qualifies as their biggest win in recent years. It looked great and is something which they should feel proud of. That said, however, the Bills have to prove that they can do that if these two teams meet again in the playoffs this January. Otherwise, this win will ring hollow.
After that, the Steelers win over the Ravens felt like probably the biggest and most impactful game, as it might help to decide the AFC North division race. Baltimore gave themselves a chance late, scoring a touchdown while down eight in the game's final minutes. However, they were unable to convert on a poorly executed (and it felt to me, poorly planned) two-point conversion attempt. Indeed, the announcers mentioned numerous times how the Ravens had made mistake after mistake in the game, so this appears to have been a wasted opportunity for them.
Otherwise, it is difficult to ignore the Detroit Lions, who crushed the Jaguars, 52-6. It was the second time this season that Detroit has scored 50+ points, having beaten the Titans, 52-14 just a few weeks ago. They have one of the most explosive and dangerous offenses, and appear to be one of the most dangerous teams in the league so far. In fact, I think that they may take the top spot now in overall team rankings following this performance, as well as KC's loss to Buffalo.
Meanwhile, on the opposite end of the spectrum, the New York Jets suffered yet another disastrous loss. This one was at home to the Colts. But to me, it felt like this was the one which effectively ended any remote chance for the Jets to still qualify for the postseason. They are just too far behind too many other teams to seriously entertain any real hopes for recovery and playoff contention. I cannot help but think back to January, when quarterback Aaron Rodgers said that the Super Bowl logo this year had better have green, since he seemed to think that would mean that the Jets would qualify. Far from helping the team's title shots, or even playoff shot, it feels like Rodgers has hindered them thus far. He's not the same quarterback he was years ago, when he ranked among the elites in the league. Still, Gang Green has expressed a commitment to have Rodgers back at least for next year. Because, you know, it's been working out so well for them so far.
Sigh.
Anyway, here is my ranking of the top ten teams in the league to this point in the season:
1. Detroit Lions (9-1) - They just look awesome at the moment. Their offense is explosive and dangerous, and their defense is tough. And it feels like they are a team on a mission.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (9-1) - The defending champs had an active 14-game winning streak going for them as they took the field in western New York, and that would have been enough to put them in the top spot in my book. However, this loss was a big one, and suddenly, they now have not one, but two teams (the Bills and the Steelers) nipping at their heels in the AFC. Also, let's face it: they have barely escaped with some wins which could just as easily have been losses (such as the blocked field goal against Denver that felt flukey).
3. Buffalo Bills (9-2) - I put the Bills at number three, behind the team that they just beat, because they still are a game behind KC in the race for home field advantage. If they keep playing on this level, and keep winning, however, they might go up the rankings. Still, I maintain that in the case of the Bills, they have to win in January and finally reach a Super Bowl. Until they do, I have reservations, admittedly.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-2) - Their win over the Ravens looked a little shaky towards the end. Still, a win is a win, and their record is very impressive. They have to keep it going to still be considered among the elite teams. But for now, they rank number four on my list.
5. Philadelphia Eagles (8-2) - Like with the Steelers, the Eagles have taken me by surprise. It felt like their offseason was a bit chaotic, and I was not sure that they had ironed out all the wrinkles from their disastrous collapse last year, following an awesome 10-1 start. I still feel that they need to prove that they can close this season out on the same high they are currently on. However, they have a very impressive record, and that must be for a reason.
6. Minnesota Vikings (8-2) - They are not even on top of their division, yet they are technically still only one game behind Detroit, and a game ahead of the Packers. So they are in good position to be a true contender. But the Vikings still feel like a team that is hard to trust come January, so this high rating feels a bit on shaky ground to me, and is based on where they are right now, at this point in the season, and not necessarily indicative of where they might end up when the season wraps up.
7. Green Bay Packers (7-3) - A third place team ranked number 7? Yeah, because the NFC North just looks so good this year, that it feels like that should be taken into consideration. And the Packers have been earning those win so far, so I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt.
8. Baltimore Ravens (7-3) - They lost the big showdown to the Steelers yesterday. Yet, they will get another chance against them in the coming weeks. Baltimore feels like the kind of team that could get hot at any time, and still could win the division title and have one of the higher seeds in the conference. Don't sleep on them just because of that disappointing loss yesterday.
9. San Francisco 49ers (5-5) - How can a .500 team make my list of top ten, especially after suffering a surprising loss yesterday? Well, I just suspect that they are better than their record suggests. Also, they are only one game behind the Cardinals, and I admittedly do not trust Arizona's success this season so far. So I feel the 49ers are still more dangerous and have bigger potential, if they play up to the level that they are capable of. Just saying that I will not dismiss or overlook them at this point.
10. LA Chargers (7-3) - Another team that I am not entirely sold on. I felt that they would be going in the right direction under new head coach Jim Harbaugh, who was successful during his previous NFL tenure with San Francisco, as well as at the collegiate level with Michigan. Also, they are riding the wave of a winning streak which just reached four straight this past weekend. However, they have also consistently fallen short whenever they have faced tougher competition, with losses to the Steelers, Chiefs, and Cardinals. So while they seem to win when they are supposed to win, it also feels like they will lose when you expect them to, as well.
Now, here is my list of the five worst (or most underperforming, or disappointing) teams in the league to this point in the season:
32. Jacksonville Jaguars - Hard to believe that they were a division winning team which won a playoff game just two seasons ago. They were regarded by many as a young, up and coming team, with a quarterback in Trevor Lawrence who had a promising future ahead of him. Times and circumstances have certainly changed since, have they not? They have an offense which produces lower than average results. However, it is their defense which has been particularly disastrous, as they are ranked damn near the bottom. They just got scorched for 52 points by the Lions in Detroit, so their defensive ranking likely isn't going to improve after such a performance.
31. New York Giants (2-8) - I have no idea if the G-Men are actually the second worst team in the league, or if this reveals my disappointed status as a fan of the team. However, their offense currently ranks dead last. Their defense is a bit better, more or less middle of the road. But they also just benched Daniel Jones. That is a move which seems to signal their willingness to admit that his tenure with the team is now effectively over. Not sure why they believed in him to the degree that they did in the first place. But this team has one of the worst records in the league, and they just feel to me like one of the very worst teams in the entire NFL at this point.
30. Tennessee Titans (2-8) - It feels as if the Titans have become almost a background team in the league in recent seasons. They have been quite horrid on both sides of the ball, with a bad defense, as well as ranking among the worst teams on offense. They have managed to score more than 17 points in only two games so far this season, and they won both of those games. So it feels like it is on offense that this team is particularly egregious.
29. Cleveland Browns (2-9) - This franchise ranks low among NFL teams this season. But they also may top the charts in terms of disappointing high expectations. I heard one or two people who predicted amazing things for this team this year, with one even predicting a Super Bowl appearance. My own expectations for them was not nearly as high, but I admittedly did expect them to return to the playoffs, following their success last season. Apparently, many of us gave this team too much credit. They did manage a surprising upset win over the Ravens just a few weeks ago. However, that was more of an aberration, as this season has spun out of control for this franchise a long time ago. That win against the Browns marks the first - and so far, the only - time that Cleveland managed to score 20 points of more this year.
28. Las Vegas Raiders - Believe it or not, I half expected the Raiders to be decent this season. Maybe even contend for a playoff spot. Boy, was I ever wrong! They have now dropped six straight, and sport one of the worst overall records in the league. They look bad on offense, but their defense ranks among the worst in the entire league. That is falling quite short of the expectations that many had for this franchise this season.
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