NFL: Midterm Progress Report

We are coming up on the midway point for the NFL season. Considering all things 2020, the season has been relatively drama-free. We have seen coaches face heavy fines for not following protocol. Multiple games have had to be shifted around due to players and personnel either being exposed or testing positive for COVID-19. There are teams that have outdone expectations, and then we have the NFC East who continues to be a dumpster fire. Then there are the teams that are clearly vying (or tanking) for the number one spot to draft Clemson QB, Trevor Lawrence.

This is a look at three teams outperforming and three teams who will have to hope for next season to win it all.

Winners

Pittsburgh Steelers

I don’t think anyone expected the Steelers to be the only remaining undefeated team this far in the season. They had their biggest win this weekend, handing the Tennessee Titans their first loss of the season. The game got a little dicey when they allowed Tennessee to come within three after being up 20 early in the game. It was only due to a missed field goal that they avoided going to overtime. Their defense is one of the best in the league. It has covered for their lack of firepower on offense this far into the season. The team has not had to rely on Ben Roethlisberger slinging the ball. They play the Ravens this Sunday in yet another big test of this Pittsburgh team.

Seattle Seahawks

Russell Wilson is continuing to show that he is the most underrated player in the NFL. He has been spectacular all season. Even though he threw three interceptions on Sunday, it’s unlikely he’ll be turning the ball over like that again this season. DK Metcalf is a stud with some serious speed.

Their defense is still not the Legion of Boom, but Wilson has managed to score enough. The Cardinals handed Seattle their first loss over the weekend. The defense really struggled particularly late in the game. Unfortunately, they will need their defense to get better at stopping opponents late in the game. In a call with reporters, Pete Carroll spoke about his team giving up 100 yards in the fourth quarter and recorded zero sacks. That’s not going to win any playoff games with those stats.

Green Bay Packers

Nobody knew what to expect from this team after they drafted Jordan Love. People quickly assumed there might be tension between Matt LeFleur and Aaron Rodgers. Instead, Rodgers is having an MVP season, finding his favorite target Davante Adams to carry the offense. Adams just recorded a career-high in receiving yards in a game against the Houston Texans. Besides their one awful loss to Tampa Bay, they’ve played incredible.

Losers

Dallas Cowboys

The entire NFC East could be on this side of this list. However, I have only listed Dallas because it’s the only team from this division that had any real hope of a playoff run. It’s sad because we all felt Dak’s pain when he got hurt, but this is a really bad team, Andy Dalton at QB just amplified the massive flaws on this team, we are still waiting for their defense to show up, Zeke has not been an effective runner behind an offensive line with multiple injuries

Houston Texans

This isn’t surprising after now-fired GM Bill O’Brien made one of the worst decisions in sports history by trading DeAndre Hopkins. The offense has not made up for that loss of production and now appear to be sellers at the NFL trade deadline. While the offense has looked slightly better since O’Brien’s firing, it’s possible the team dismantles the offense around Deshaun Watson. Currently, the team does not have any first or second-round draft picks and they are really going to need to pick up more weapons. Many of the top teams could look to add another receiver like Will Fuller V or Kenny Stills. It might be ugly right now, but Houston can turn this around in the offseason. On the other side of the ball, the defense isn’t doing much better. Currently, they are giving up 177 rushing yards per game, the worst in the NFL.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings look like a team that will be in a mini-rebuild. They aren’t admitting to being sellers at the trade deadline publicly, but the handwriting is on the wall. They already traded defensive end Yannick Ngakoue to the Ravens. The Vikings have only won one game this season. That’s now going to win a Super Bowl title in the NFL. Dalvin Cook has been the only bright spot this season. Unfortunately, he is nursing an injury as Minnesota is set to face three straight games against division foes.