Slowly but surely, we’re narrowing in on something approaching a consensus of who’s good, who’s bad, and who’s in the middle (spoiler alert: a lot of teams are in the middle). Let’s get going:
- Philadelphia (7-1)
- Kansas City (6-2)
- Seattle (5-2)
- New England (6-2)
- Pittsburgh (6-2)
- Minnesota (6-2)
- L.A. Rams (5-2)
- New Orleans (5-2)
The only change to my Elite Eight was swapping out Houston for New Orleans. I hate to admit it, but the Saints look pretty okay! All they’ve ever needed is quasi-competence on defense, and it appears they have it. In an underwhelming NFC South, that should be all that’s required to run away with it. Also, an impressive Monday Night win to get the Chiefs back on track. Of course, I’m higher on the Seahawks than most, and they just got a living, breathing left tackle, so WATCH OUT AMERICA! Like the rest of you, I can’t wait for the Philly/Seattle game on Sunday Night in December. NBC is SO lucky they got that one.
- Dallas (4-3)
- Houston (3-4)
- Buffalo (5-2)
- Atlanta (4-3)
- Detroit (3-4)
- Washington (3-4)
- Carolina (5-3)
- L.A. Chargers (3-5)
I’ll be curious to see how the Cowboys handle not having Ezekiel Elliott (assuming his suspension sticks). I still like the Texans an awful lot and think they’re poised to rip off a bunch of wins in a row. Can’t deny Buffalo’s grit and determination; too bad it’ll all be for naught. A rebuilding program CLEARLY in the market for a new quarterback (even though they already have a good one in Tyrod Taylor) doesn’t need a meaningless playoff appearance. I’ve hated the hiring of Sark in Atlanta from day 1, and from the looks of things the rest of the fanbase is right there with me. I also sort of think the Panthers are frauds and will finish right around .500. Finally, I think the Chargers have been ridiculously unlucky with a pretty difficult schedule, and are better than their record indicates.
- Oakland (3-5)
- Denver (3-4)
- Tennessee (4-3)
- Jacksonville (4-3)
- Baltimore (4-4)
- N.Y. Jets (3-5)
- Tampa Bay (2-5)
- Green Bay (4-3)
The eight most disappointing teams in the NFL? I know I was pretty high on Oakland and Tennessee. A lot of other people were pretty high on Denver and Baltimore. We all got suckered in by Hard Knocks with the Bucs. You’re a fool if you didn’t like Green Bay heading into the season; who could’ve seen A-Rod suffering another collarbone injury? And the Jets are disappointing for the wrong reasons: winning ANY games when they should be tanking for the draft. The Jags are in a similar boat, but their defense looks like it’ll be legit for years to come.
- Cincinnati (3-4)
- N.Y. Giants (1-6)
- Miami (4-3)
- Arizona (3-4)
- Chicago (3-5)
- Indianapolis (2-6)
- San Francisco (0-8)
- Cleveland (0-8)
I’ve never been a huge Dalton fan, but how did the rest of the Bengals get so mediocre? I could see, with the pressure totally off, the Giants at least playing better football, even if their schedule dictates they’ll likely be drafting in the Top 5 next year. The Dolphins are a bunch of total frauds. The Cards are fucked without Palmer and better hope their defense carries them in a big way. The Bears have a dominant defense, but are getting nothing from their rookie QB. The Colts are a huge mess. As are the 49ers and Browns, but why do I get the feeling the 49ers are more capable of bouncing back next year (particularly with newcomer Jimmy Garoppolo)?