The NFL season passes the half-mile mark and there are eight weeks left for teams to vie for position. Whether that is for the top of the 2020 draft or the playoffs has come to shape for many. There are still those who can make a run for the top.
The ‘F’ troop
There are plenty of teams that have failed to deliver in many ways in 2019. The worst of the worst can be started with the Ohio players.
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons have to be one of the most disappointing teams in the league .., over multiple years. Dan Quinn is on the firing line because he has not been able to get the team back to where it was when it gained to a Super Bowl it would rather forget. Stunning collapse. Grade: F
Cincinnati Bengals
From the Super Bowl to battling for the first overall pick in the NFL Draft. That is where Zac Taylor finds himself with a winless and hopeless Bengals team. Yes, it has been missing A.J. Green, but that actually is a blessing for the great wideout who hasn’t had to suffer through this. About time for Andy Dalton to take a seat. Simply the wrong time when you bench a good-guy QB on his birthday. Grade: F
Cleveland Browns
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The Cleveland Browns were going to erase all the shame and embarrassment brought on the franchise by woeful play for years. And, guess what, all Freddie Kitchens, Baker Mayfield & Co. has done is bring on more losses, shame and horror to a faithful fan base. It’s stunning how dangerous believing in hype and headlines can be to players. Grade: F
New York Jets
Mortifying for be kind to describe the first year of Adam Gase’s tenure with the Jets. Somehow, they beat the Cowboys, which has to go down as one of the biggest stunners of the season, if not the biggest. Sam Darnold is shaken. Le’Veon Bell looks ordinary behind a pathetic line. The defense is shoddy and they lost to the previously winless Miami Dolphins. Grade: F-minus
Washington Redskins
The coach was fired and the starting quarterback position is a mess. Dwayne Haskins made his first start and didn’t throw a pick in the loss to Buffalo. The best thing about this team is Adrian Peterson, who continues to run through defenses and time. Going nowhere fast. Bill Callahan is going to define interim by the time this season ends. Grade: F
Barely passing … or running
Chicago Bears
Matt Nagy, Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears were coming off an NFC North championship and 12-4 season. Now, they stand 3-5 and Trubisky looks lost and incapable of leading an offense to the postseason. Maybe they are still suffering from double doink-itis. Sorry, that is no excuse for a season that is full of sad play. Grade: D
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins were a laughingstock for the first quarter-plus of the season. However, they are showing some life and got their first victory by beating the Jets Sunday. They shouldn’t get too cocky and win too many games, however, because an elite draft pick is needed to build for the future. Give Brian Flores credit: He has kept the team together. Grade: D-plus
New York Giants
The Giants took care of business internally, making Daniel Jones the starter over Eli Manning. It resulted in a couple of wins and a lot of fumbles by the rookie QB from Duke. Still not sure Pat Shurmur is the guy who will turn this around. Expect more losses in the second half and another double-digit defeat season. Grade: D
Simply average
Arizona Cardinals
This is giving the benefit of the doubt to Kyler Murray, who has made progress and is growing into an NFL quarterback. The record is 3-5-1 and the victories are about as unimpressive as it gets. Arizona has beaten the Bengals. Falcons and Giants. Most teams have beaten all three of those teams. Grade: C
Denver Broncos
Give Vic Fangio credit. He has managed to get three wins out of a team that has a strong defense and a major hole at quarterback. He was able to get Brandon Allen to somehow beat the Browns, who specialize in beating themselves. Fangio has the team on the right track and could have had a couple of more wins if opponents missed late kicks. Grade: C
Detroit Lions
The Lions are the same Lions. They find ways to lose games they could win and the rarely win games easily. Matt Patricia has yet to figure out how to get his team to close and until he does expect mediocrity and possibly a little less from the Honolulu Blue. Grade: C-minus
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars have a tremendous defense and a star on the rise in top pick Josh Allen. They have managed to win four games despite losing free-agent prize Nick Foles. Gardner Minshew II has been a pleasant surprise. Still, there should be no doubt about who the QB is when Foles is healthy. Given the QB issues, give Doug Marrone credit for being 4-5. Grade: C
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers lost four games in 2018 and looked a major threat to contend for the AFC title this year. Not happening. They did find a way to beat the Bears and Packers in their last two games. Still, not enough to ignore a sluggish 2-5 start that put them in must-win situations way too early in the season. Grade: C-minus
Oakland Raiders
Surprises galore from an Oakland team that is 4-4. Jon Gruden has done a nice job in keeping the Silver & Black competitive and learning on the fly how to win games. Great draft pick in Josh Jacobs and signing Darren Waller at TE has been a fantastic find. Grade: C-plus
Philadelphia Eagles
Carson Wentz has not shown the Eagles made the right decision over Nick Foles. The team reportedly has locker-room issues and they are apparently spilling onto the field. Doug Pederson is learning how fickle and impatient Philly fans are. The remainder of the season is critical if the team wants to remain the way it currently is formed. Grade: C
Pittsburgh Steelers
Give Mike Tomlin major credit for having this team at .500 after a bad start and losing Ben Roethlisberger. Tomlin has managed to get wins out of Mason Rudolph and could make a mild run toward a wild-card playoff spot. No matter he has done a good job and the Steelers have shown a lot of heart for a team that no longer plays Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. Grade: C-plus
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bruce Arians pulled off one of the most shocking victories of the season when the Bucs throttled the Rams in LA. That’s the high point of a 2-6 record. Would have been nice to hold off Seattle after jumping to a 14-0 lead. However, that is what defines Tampa Bay until Arians fixes those kind of holes. Grade: C-minus
Tennessee Titans
The Titans define mediocre and vanilla. Thought Mike Vrabel was going to turn this into a playoff team and a week-to-week threat to win. Hasn’t happened. He went from Marcus Mariota to Ryan Tannehill and that has panned out okay. But okay is not good enough. Grade: C
The ‘B’ Teams
Buffalo Bills
The Bills are the least impressive 6-2 team in the league. They beat the team teams they were expected to defeat and lost to two quality teams — the Patriots and Eagles. They are getting better by baby steps. Josh Allen is more of a running threat than a passer. Buffalo has a nice mark but it is extremely tenuous. Grade: B-minus
Carolina Panthers
Give Ron Rivera and the Panthers a lot of credit at 5-3. This was a make-or-break season for the coach and he lost Cam Newton and turned to Kyle Allen, who has been a revelation except for the Niners debacle. Rivera could easily be sitting where Dan Quinn is. Instead, he’s in a nice spot behind the Saints. Grade: B
Dallas Cowboys
Dallas seems to have a problem at MetLife Stadium. The Cowboys were stunned by the Jets and let the Giants, who are weak, hang around for much of the game Monday night. They have all sorts of talent but have yet to wow. Need to improve to be a true deep playoff threat. Grade: B-minus
Green Bay Packers
Of all the teams with first-year head coaches, Green Bay stands out. Matt LaFleur has worked with Aaron Rodgers and developed a nice chemistry. The loss at the Chargers should not be held too strongly against the Packers. It happens to the best of them. A strong offense with lots of threats and a rock-solid defense. This is a team that a lot of potential when playoff seasons comes. Grade; B-plus
Houston Texans
Despite the loss of J.J. Watt, the Texans went to London and took care of business against the Jags. Deshaun Watson is one of the top players in the league and has MVP potential. The defense despite being without Watt and the traded Jadeveon Clowney still can be a forced. Like the balance on this team and expect it to be a playoff threat. Grade: B-plus
Indianapolis Colts
All of Frank Reich’s quarterback genius will be tested this season. He lost Andrew Luck to retirement as the season was about to begin. Now, he faces the possible loss of Jacoby Brissett with a sprained MCL. If Brissett can go, great, if not can Reich find a way to have journeyman Brian Hoyer lead Indy to improve on its 5-3 first half. The record is impressive. The future is murkier. Grade: B
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams are no longer considered the glamour team that Sean McVay guided to the Super Bowl last season. There are always questions about Todd Gurley. Critics love to find flaws in Jared Goff and the defense somehow allowed 56 points to Tampa Bay. There were a couple wins before the bye and that could signal positive signs going forward … or maybe it doesn’t. Grade: B-minus
Kansas City Chiefs
All that separates KC from a four-game home losing streak is Harrison Butker’s strong leg. The Chiefs, per usual, rolled through September then struggled in October. Matt Moore has been efficient in filling in for Patrick Mahomes. KC is 6-3 but one has to wonder how solid it will be down the stretch, even when Mahomes returns. Grade: B-minus
Minnesota Vikings
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Kirk Cousins and the Vikings have found their way to a 5-3 mark after starting 1-2 with divisional losses to Green Bay and Chicago. It could have been 6-2, also if not for a couple of strong kicks by KC’s Harrison Butker. Cousins is doing fine and managed to have nice games despite Adam Thielen being down with a hamstring. Look for this team to get better as the season goes on and they should get 10 wins and make the playoffs. Grade: B
The ‘A’ Teams
Baltimore Ravens
The new “it” team with the new “it” player in the league, Lamar Jackson. Great way to showcase how strong of a team you have on national TV by toppling the Patriots. The Ravens are exciting on offense and have a strong defense. John Harbaugh is a wonderful coach. Will be interesting to see if anyone can solve the magic that is Jackson. Getting clocked by Cleveland is the only perplexing mark on the record. Grade: A-minus
New England Patriots
Everyone can panic the Patriots lost! They had a weak schedule in the first portion of the season and beat everyone the way they were supposed to win. Let’s be honest, any team with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and that defense is going to be a threat to go deep into the playoffs again and possibly add a seventh Super Bowl. Not sure I would want to Jackson and the Ravens if the Pats get a second shot at them. Grade: A
New Orleans Saints
What a charming first half for Sean Payton and the Saints. The only loss came to the Rams when they lost Drew Brees to the thumb injury. Teddy Bridgewater came in and kept the winning beat going while Brees healed. Michael Thomas is an absolute gem and this defense gets it done. Look for a long run in the playoffs by one of the best teams in the league. Grade: A-plus
San Francisco 49ers
Kyle Shanahan has built the most charming story in the NFL. The Niners are the last undefeated team and they look built for the playoffs with a solid offense and a scary defense. Amazing how fast things turned around. Acquiring Emmanuel Sanders from Denver was another brilliant stroke by the folks by the Bay. Grade: A-plus
Seattle Seahawks
The biggest question about Seattle is how did it lose twice at home and almost fall to Tampa Bay in Seattle. Otherwise, the Seahawks are winning and impressing. Russell Wilson is one of the favorites in the MVP race and Pete Carroll gets the best out of everyone. Now, if only Seattle can figure out how the home-field advantage that has been so devastating. Grade: A-plus
