10 weeks is a little more than halfway for most teams, now seems like the time to give an overview of the season so far. The main reason I'm doing this is because the World Cup is in the Autumn this year, normally that interrupts my baseball watching but this year it's gonna interrupt NFL and NBA. Thought I'd do a mid-season accounting before I disappear for a while.
AFC
Playoff teams: Chiefs, Titans
The Chiefs are still the team to beat. The Titans can run the ball and play defense (and they're in a brutally awful division).
2nd tier: Ravens, Bills
The Ravens and Bills both have the same problem: neither of them play a complete game. They look dominant for a while, then they coast their way to a loss. Both should still win their divisions but they're both quite capable of blowing it, too. I think they're both gonna be in the post-season but they need to tighten up their game plans.
Playoff-ish: Jets, Dolphins, Chargers, Bengals, Patriots
I like the Jets better than most, I think that D is for real, the running game just keeps getting it done and I even like the QB and I still say they are the Bills' biggest competition in the AFC East. Yes, I'm still bearish on the Dolphins, I like the offense but I see their QB spot as still in flux and I suspect they'll be closing the season on a down note (we'll see). The Chargers should be awesome but they're not...wait, that's been true like a decade now. The Bengals can still get their offense going and get W's but they need to get going right now. The Pats for now are stuck behind the Jets and Dolphins, but I think they will capitalize on one or both of them (and still might make the playoffs anyway).
Slight step up from truly awful: Jags, Broncos, Browns
Yeah, I had the Jags winning their division (at 8-9) but that seems like a foolish thought now; the Jags have moments of looking promising but not a lot of moments like that, they mostly look pretty bad. The Broncos have yet to get their offense going, their season seems done but beware: they are still good enough to play spoiler. I kinda thought the Browns could be good this year but their D isn't as good as they think it is and the running game can't hide the lack of passing attack; will Deshaun Watson play this year? If so, why bother?
Truly awful: Steelers, Texans, Raiders, Colts
The Steelers have a veteran defense but an offense that is not built to outscore anyone. The Texans have no talent but they play hard, they'll get a few more W's but they're on their way to a top five pick. Not sure what's up the Raiders but they suck on both sides of the ball; feels like its time to draft a QB (but I'm not a fan of this QB class, so...they'll be flailing all through the off-season, too). The Colts are horrible--the fact that they've got 4 W's is a staggering overachievement.
NFC
Playoff teams: Eagles, Vikings
1-Loss each, they are both getting wins but neither seem like some kind of all-time great squad. The Eagles are good (not great) on both sides of the ball and while I think they are a for-real good team, there's no pedigree here for the winning, so it could come to a halt rather suddenly, no? The Vikings are a hedgehog team that plods along and (for some reason) this year that is translating into W's.
2nd tier: Cowboys, Giants, Seahawks, Niners
Cowboys defense is fierce, the offense is nice, seems like there's still room for this team to get better, I think they're clearly a playoff team. The Giants have been over performing but I do think they've got some magic to them and the running game + pass rush equation is working big for them now; everyone assumes they will flail by year's end, but the NFC isn't some powerhouse, feels to me like the Giants can survive into the post-season. The Seahawks, too, are taking everyone by surprise but they've got a good coach, solid defense and reliable if not overly flashy offense; I think they're good and unless the Niners really turn it on, I think Seattle can win their division. I have the Niners 4th out of these four but if they can their offense properly fine tuned, they could be way better; not sure why this offense is such a sputter machine, but its not nearly as good as it should be, the Niners have the most variance of any team in the NFC: they could be first or they could be out of the playoffs.
Playoff-ish: Bucs, Packers
The Bucs have struggled on both sides of the ball all season long, but they are starting to show signs that they're coming together; if they can just be okay down the stretch, they can still easily win that division and be a tough out in the playoffs. The Packers have kinda sucked all year long, but the NFC is soft and there is still time for them to find their form and get some W's; the defense has been pretty terrible and the offense is unreliable but there is still time for them to get it together and be a problem in the playoffs.
Slight step up from truly awful: Commanders, Saints, Falcons, Cards
I dunno, the Commanders aren't that bad but I can't see them making the playoffs, so this is the tier for them. The Saints and Falcons both have decent talent but not in the proper array to get W's, both teams will probably have a coupla shocking W's this season, but neither will get enough to make any real difference in the standings. The Cards have turned Kyler Murray into Eli Manning: he wins with bad teams and loses with good teams; the upside is all the losses suggest that the team is better than you think (which is good, right?).
Truly awful: Rams, Panthers, Lions, Bears
The Rams simply have no interest in football this year, they mortgaged their future, won a Super Bowl, they maxed out their possibilities and now they're just basking in the glow of last year's awesomeness. The Panthers are just bad all around, no idea who they are or what they want out of life. The Lions can sling it around be fun but they're not win games doing that. Yes, I know the Bears have been playing better lately and everyone loves Fields again: but I was never out on Fields and their offensive success merely brings them to the level of the Lions (and that ain't good); Fields is good, the rest of the team stinks, they're not making the playoffs this season.
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