My (Not So) Professional NFL Midseason Takes & Rankings
Introduction
With the NFL Season in full swing, I thought I’d give some of my unofficial mid-season opinions about the league, with a list of my current best 10 teams in the NFL from worst to best. (I’m sorry Niners fans)
Buffalo Bills
Where to even start with this team? The only reason the Bills are even on this list is because I have confidence that they could bounce back. Going 6-5 isn’t the worst, but for this team, they should be doing better. They have star power like Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs on offense, but this doesn’t fix/solve anything for them. So, as for this team, I expected a lot more. But still, overall, a solid team.
Houston Texans
With their star power in terms of their QB in C.J. Stroud and their WRs in Tank Dell and Nico Collins, this team has skyrocketed to 6-4. While not being the record best by any means, it beats their record last year of 3-13-1 by far, and, if they stay at this rate, will secure them a playoff spot. Although, while still being a great team, I hesitate to rate them much higher than this because, as a team, they have a lot of issues that they still need to work out.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jags are interesting, to say the least. They are far from being an elite team but are definitely a slippery playoff contender. With a 7-3 record, they’re primed for a top playoff spot in the AFC. Their star power, like most others, rests in their QB, Trevor Lawrence. But don’t forget about the overshadowed WR and RB in Calvin Ridley and Travis Eitienne Jr. respectively. This offensive corp is set for a good year, and I, personally, am excited to see what they can do throughout the year.
Detroit Lions
This team has greatly exceeded pretty much everyone's expectations this year. Led by a QB who isn’t really, well, a refined diamond, Jared Goff, this team’s star is really their entire receiving and rushing corp. The Lions pleasantly surprised me this year and I really am eager to see where this team takes themselves.
San Francisco 49ers
This team is REMARKABLY MID. It’s really their record and defense that brought the team this far on the list. I get that Brock Purdy is “back”. But he just isn’t as good as last year. And, sure, the offensive corp in general is amazing but something makes me feel like this team is just mid. I’m sorry if you are a Niners fan, I have nothing against them and I admit they are a good team, but for no reason, something makes me feel like this team is wildly mid.
Dallas Cowboys
As an Eagles fan, I really hate to put them this far up, but they deserve it. Dak has been having a great season, and their defense is as good as ever. Not to mention, RB Tony Pollard stepped up well in place of Eziekiel Elliot. All in all, this team is having a pretty solid season.
Miami Dolphins
I really hesitated to put the Dolphins above the Cowboys, but I think it needs to be done. This team is star-studded with speed demons and a surprisingly smart HC in Mike McDaniel. This team consistently shows up but, sadly, doesn’t always show out against good teams. So by no means are they the best, but they definitely wouldn’t lose to a mid team twice.
Baltimore Ravens
This team made MOVES in the offseason. Their front office pretty much had one job, and that was to get Lamar Jackson some tools on offense. And boy did they do that. They brought on NYC legend OBJ and rookie Zay Flowers while already having, star TE Mark Andrews. This team has shown out and I think they are serious contenders.
Kansas City Chiefs
Do they even need an introduction? Although they are still a debatable 1st place, I put them at second, mainly because they’ve been having some receiving issues thus far. So I feel that they aren’t really the same team anymore without JuJu Smith-Schuster. While they have Travis Kelce, Kadarius Toney, and some young prospects, they just aren’t as amazing as they were before.
Philadelphia Eagles
Like I said before, I’m an Eagles fan, so this is expected. But being unbiased as well, this, along with a couple of others, is an elite team, filled to the brim with young and old talent throughout, not just the actual team, but the entire organization, in HC Nick Siriani and GM Howie Roseman. This whole mash of great players and behind-the-scenes managers creates a team that is genuinely consistently elite.
Conclusion
You might be wondering, why aren’t the Browns (Who’s record is tied with the Chiefs) on this list? Well, it's the fact of the matter that the Browns just aren’t a good team. They’ve gotten lucky in games and on schedule. While there are some great players on the team, it just isn't in the top 10. It’s almost the opposite for the Bengals who have an amazing team that is performing horridly, with and without injury, and I just can’t stand to put them on this list. The Vikings were almost up here, but, with injuries hitting the team hard, I feel that they aren’t really fit for the top 10 anymore. These are the cases for a couple of other teams as well.
All in all, this season has been great so far and I’m excited to see where all of these teams go later on in the year.
