NFC East:
New York Giants (6-2)
The Super Bowl champs did not look too good against Dallas to start the season, but they have looked phenomenal ever since. Ahmad Bradshaw has run the ball well, and Eli has thrown the ball well even with Hakeem Nicks missing time. Did you expect Victor Cruz to drop off and declare 2011 a "fluke" season? Well it may have looked that way after having a few drops in the season opener. However, he has been a stud for the Giants ever since, connecting with Eli for seven touchdowns through the first half. He had nine all of last season (not bad for an undrafted free agent). The offense has been among the league's best, but their defense has not been great this season. If a team has to rely on a fourth quarter comeback though, the Giants pass rush is never something to mess with piling up 21 sacks on the season (also huge factor in Super Bowl successes against NE). Jason Pierre-Paul is a freak of nature and has been a huge factor since being drafted. He leads the Giants with 5.5 sacks and even had an interception returned for a touchdown in their latest divisional battle against the Cowboys.
Philadelphia Eagles (3-4)
THIS TEAM SHOULD NOT BE THIS BAD. They have a crazy amount of talent. Using Juan Castillo as a scapegoat is a joke. They don't even have the worst defense; Castillo was blamed for a few blown fourth quarters although the offense has not helped. If you have Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie together at the corner positions, your pass defense should be top tier and not just average. I also realize that the Falcons have one of the best receiver tandems in the NFL with Julio Jones and Roddy White, but the Eagles corners got BURNED last game. Andy Reid has been a good coach in Philly until the last two years. With the amount of talent his team possesses, it is his job to use it to the fullest, and he hasn't. LeSean McCoy averages 18 rushes per game which is a low number for a running back of his caliber. Michael Vick is the other major problem so far. Bad coaching or not, you can't be as careless as he has been with the football. Andy Reid has played mind games with quarterbacks through the media in the past. It's a terrible tactic in my opinion. Bench him or don't. That is the best way to get the message across. The Eagles are a mess.
Dallas Cowboys (3-4)
Another talented team that is just not getting the job done. They have one of the better pass offenses in the league on paper, with about 300 yards a game. What's the only problem with this? Tony Romo is their quarterback. He has proven time and time again that he is not the man in clutch situations. Romo can also be an interception machine. He has 13 up to this point, and 5 of them came in one game to the Bears defense. Coming in to the season the Dallas running game looked like it could be a huge factor, IF DeMarco Murray stayed healthy. Unfortunately for them, he has missed the last few game because of a foot injury. Dez Bryant is another freak of nature in this league. Someone who possesses his size and speed should dominate. However, he has hurt the teams at more times than not. Dez has two touchdowns this season both coming in the same game. A player of his caliber should have many more, and he almost caught the game winning touchdown against the Giants on Sunday. A beautiful catch ended with his finger tips touching the end line, and the Cowboys lost soon after. This play could've turned his season around if you ask me, especially coming against their biggest rival, the New York Giants. Their defense has been solid behind Rob Ryan's different schemes, and a revamped secondary with the additions of Brandon Carr and rookie Morris Claiborne. The Cowboys just need a consistent offense to complement them.
Washington Redskins (3-5)
The Redskins have played well at times this year, playing behind their rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III. He wasn't drafted second overall for no reason. The man is for real, showing pinpoint accuracy and great ability to throw outside the pocket. Obviously coming out of college he needs to understand this is a much faster and harder hitting league. Suffering one concussion after not sliding should definitely teach him the lesson to get down. They have a decent run stop defense led by the durable London Fletcher, but their pass defense has been absolutely awful this season. In the words of Bart Scott "they can't stop a nose bleed". Unfortunately they sit at 3-5 this season, which could've been 4-4 had their receiver Josh Morgan not thrown the ball in the face of Rams corner, Cortland Finnegan as a retaliation for being pushed. Cortland Finnegan is amongst the best at getting under the skin of receivers around the league, and he may have single handedly taken that game from Washington.
NFC West:
San Francisco 49ers (6-2)
The second year in a row this teams defense has been absolutely incredible. Their pass defense has improved since last year and they are the leading defense in yards allowed. There really is too many good things to say about this defense, and it can be ranted on for hours. But i'll spare you. Alex Smith will always be criticized as the weakest piece to this team, until he wins a Super Bowl. I have no problem with what he does, not throwing very often and just being a game manager with good time of possession. With a bad defense this would not work so well, but of course the defense is amongst the best. Frank Gore has been solid as usual, running the ball hard, receiving and even a good job as a pass protector. Kendall Hunter has also done a great job as a change of pace back, giving Gore some plays off. The only major concern is the spanking they took from the Giants, 26-3. Ahmad Bradshaw actually had success running the ball that game, something most teams can't say. I wouldn't be too worried though, this is a very balanced team.
Arizona Cardinals (4-4)
The Cardinals remind me of the 2011 Bills. Great start at 4-0 but look at a 4-4 record now half way through the season. The defense has not looked too bad, and are a good reason they won their first four games. Switching back and forth between two quarterbacks is never a good thing for a team. Prior to the start of the season, the Cardinals didn't know who their starting quarterback would be throughout the preseason. Eventually John Skelton got the job, but soon was injured giving Kevin Kolb the job. Since then, Kolb was injured giving the job back to Skelton. Hmmm why would each quarterback keep getting injured? The offensive line is a disaster. 39 sacks halfway through the season has a huge factor in that. THIRTY NINE SACKS. I'll let you try to fathom that number.
Seattle Seahawks (4-4)
Although this team is only 4-4, it is not a team I would like to plan for as a coach. Dallas, Green Bay* and New England all found this out the hard way. Key factor though is each of those wins came at home. Seattle is known to be arguably the toughest place to play in the NFL, as their fans are known as the "12th man". Every one of their losses have come on the road, even though their road schedule has been easier than the teams they've seen at their place. The defense has been solid, especially in the running game. The Seahawks don't have too many huge names on the defensive unit, but they play very well together. Marshawn Lynch has run the ball like a mad man all season. The passing game has not been extraordinary by any means, but Russell Wilson has been pretty good starting as a rookie. He's another game manager, that lets his running back do a lot of the work. 10 touchdown passes and 8 picks is not too bad though. It is not too crazy to think the only losses in their second half would be to the Bears on the road and 49ers at home. They played the 49ers tough the first time in a 13-6 loss. That game could go either way, but a 10-6 record is really not out of the question for this team.
*The loss to Green Bay was a disgrace to the NFL though. One of the worst calls to ever end a game, now known as the "touchception". Seattle was incorrectly given a touchdown on a last second hail mary that should have been an interception for M.D. Jennings of the Packers. Golden Tate, the receiver on the play also pushed off and should have been called for offensive pass interference. It was the call that may have saved the rest of the season from terrible calls though, as the NFL came to an agreement with the real refs the Thursday following the game. Make the call for yourself... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-svHTBY1FEQ
St. Louis Rams (3-5)
Jeff Fisher has not done a terrible job for this team taking the job as head coach. The team is mediocre in most categories, but lack talent compared to other teams. Their best receiver in Danny Amendola went down with an injury to his clavicle, leaving Sam Bradford with even less to work with. Steven Jackson is not what he once was, but I blame that solely on the fact that he has been their only offense in multiple terrible years. The team has acknowledged that they would let Jackson void his contract to seek other options at the end of the season. A very honorable move in my opinion. Unless he is traded at the deadline today, he will most likely find a new home at the end of the season. The Rams are clearly a team that is in the process of rebuilding.
NFC North:
Chicago Bears (6-1)
The Bears have started where they left off before Jay Cutler got hurt last season. Before he needed season-ending surgery on his thumb, the 2011 Bears were 7-3. They finished off 8-8 and missed the playoffs after also watching Matt Forte go down with an MCL sprain. The Bears have been a very good team this season, and have added Brandon Marshall as a prime target for Cutler. As for the defense, they have played out of their mind. It must be nice to have two offenses, as the Bears defense has had 6 interceptions returned for touchdowns. Corners Tim Jennings and Charles Tillman have been solid. In my opinion, Tillman is a top 5 defensive MVP candidate at this point. He has two interceptions and three forced fumbles, and even helped shut down Calvin Johnson, (3 receptions for 34 yards on 11 targets) poking a ball out of his hands in the end zone. Tillman punches the ball out like no other when it comes to forced fumbles. To put it in perspective his teammate Brian Urlacher and Ravens linebacker, Ray Lewis are two premier linebackers of this time and have a combined 29 forced fumbles in their careers. Tillman has 32. The Bears biggest concern is inconsistency on the offensive line, which showed big time in their loss to the Packers when Clay Matthews had 3.5 sacks himself. This team is seriously scary in the NFC, but have two major tests coming up against the Texans and 49ers. JJ Watt (Texans) and Aldon Smith (49ers) can have HUGE games if the line doesn't clean up its mistakes. If the Bears stay healthy this season, lookout.
Minnesota Vikings (5-3)
What a surprising team. No one expected the Vikings to have five wins at this point in the season. Most probably expected maybe five wins all season. Adrian Peterson was a huge question mark after tearing his ACL in 2011, but has zipped doubters lips with 775 yards rushing through eight games. Percy Harvin has been the other key player on offense, helping out young second year quarterback, Christian Ponder. This team will only go as far as the offense can take them.
Green Bay Packers (5-3)
Detroit Lions (3-4)
The Lions have been full of disappointment in the 2012 season. They still have one of the top passing offenses in the league, but that's bound to happen when a team throws the ball 62923758293 times a game. Calvin Johnson has been much quieter this season. Although he has posted almost 100 hundred yards a game this year, he has one touchdown to show for it after having 16 last year (madden curse!). The defense has given them a chance to win, as they should with the talent they have on the defensive line. Unfortunately Mikel Leshoure won't be the answer to a great running game in the short term, so Matt Stafford and the passing game have to carry this team if they want to make the playoffs.
NFC South:
Atlanta Falcons (7-0)
The Falcons have been flawless this season, a perfect 7-0. Matt Ryan has thrown 17 touchdown passes to his unbelievable receiving corps involving Julio Jones, Roddy White and the still very effective Tony Gonzalez. When Matty Ice isn't throwing the ball, he can turn around and hand it off to Michael Turner. Turner is having an off year, but is still averaging around four yards a carry and is a reliable guy to have in the backfield. Although they are 7-0, I do not believe this is the best team in the NFL. Their defense is not very good although they did a great job confusing Peyton Manning in their win over the Broncos. Note that after throwing three picks in his first three possessions, Manning still almost led a comeback. The Falcons also have a couple last minute field goal wins. Hey, give them credit. They are a 7-0 football team. But the Falcons have been known to have great regular season records in recent years, only to fail in the playoffs. I do believe there are better teams, but the Falcons have been a great team in the first half.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4)
While the Bucs rush defense has been solid this season, they are absolutely awful when defending the pass and only have 11 sacks on the year. With the addition of Vincent Jackson and Dallas Clark, along with Mike Williams, Josh Freeman has thrown 14 touchdowns this season. Doug Martin also has not done a bad job as a rookie carrying the ball from the backfield. Greg Schiano has led this team to a record of 3-4 as a coach in his first year out of college. Although I believe 100% effort should be given until the last whistle, I am not a fan of Schiano's defensive calls in victory formations. This is not Rutgers anymore, the NFL does not work that way. The Buccaneers have the pieces to build a good team in the near future, but I do not see them making the playoffs this season.
New Orleans Saints (2-5)
Finally a terrible defense has caught up with the Saints. They have been putrid trying to stop any offense, in any situation. Usually Drew Brees has spared the attention toward a bad Saints defense year to year, but not this season. With the distraction of "Bounty Gate" the Saints find themselves at a 2-5 record. Brees has shown clear discomfort with the fact that his coach Sean Payton is serving a year long suspension for the apparent bounties to hurt opposing players in the 2009-10 playoffs. Brees has posted good numbers from the offensive side, spreading the ball around as usual, racking up 20 touchdowns. Combining the worst defense and worst rushing offense in the league, the unfair amount of pressure is on Brees' shoulders to turn this season around. Unfortunately with the distraction of the bounty scandal, this season looks like a dud.
Carolina Panthers (1-6)
Yes, the obvious thing to look at for this team is that Cam Newton is going through some sophomore struggles. The coaching staff has not helped though. Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams are in the backfield with Newton along with Mike Tolbert. Stewart and Williams were looked at as a fearsome duo only a couple years ago. In my opinion, don't have a spread offense as a main formation. The Panthers have two very good running backs not being used to their best ability. Put them behind Tolbert and run between the tackles. Not only that, the spread offense is not a good formation with very low talent at the receiver position. Steve Smith is the only big threat receiving. The Panthers need to run the ball, and benefit from that with play action. But I'm not the coach, so keep misusing your players Ron Rivera! On the defensive side, the Panthers have been plagued with big injuries that have decimated them. Jon Beason and Chris Gamble are a couple of the bigger names injured on the defense. On the bright side, Luke Kuechly has played very well at the linebacker position in his first year out of Boston College. Other than that, nothing looks bright for Carolina until changes are made.
Hopefully you have enjoyed my breakdowns of the NFL at the midway point. Look for playoff predictions and matchup breakdowns toward the end of the season!
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