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We have reached the halfway point on the NFL gridiron and the uncertainties are rapid. The playoff picture barely has a foundation, good teams are confused on how to reach the highest tier, and the middle of the standings have zero separation. Do we have a list of sure-fire contenders? Will the playoff picture begin to mold? It's not easy tellin' halfway in.
Before we get to talkin' on the standings and the current playoff picture, I need to show some positive recognition to a young riser and also visit the cats under the headset that are feelin' the flames on their hot seats. Let's roll.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves a young baller in Houston! C.J. Stroud has progressed every week and now is coming off a historic-breakout performance to topple the Buccaneers in crunch time to get his Texans to .500 on the campaign. Stroud was unreal against Tampa throwin' the skin and added the cherry on top of his performance with an epic game-winning drive that started with 40 seconds left in regulation.
Stroud dropped a rookie statement. The cat went off for 470 passing yards; 5 passing tuddys; and a marvelous 147.8 passer rating. Record breaking day for the rook:
Stroud was straight money. His touch was spectacular; his movement inside the pocket and footwork into each deep ball was spectacular. The most spectacular thing of all from Stroud? His adaptation into the league thus far. Stroud has progressed and gotten better in each week. Texans' fans had to have been pumped to see his poise and confidence in that 4th quarter against Tampa. Stroud was going fist and fist with Baker Mayfield, who was playing outta his mind in his own right. Baker's heatwave ended up being no match for Stroud's as C.J. got the last opportunity and made it count.
Everyone thought it was over after the epic drive by Baker that saw a gritty 4th down conversion by Mayfield and an epic red-zone tuddy to give the Bucs the lead with 40 seconds and spare left in regulation. Kudos to Baker but, the Bucs' O sure regretted giving the young Texans rook some time to work with. Stroud was sharin' the rock in the air all day long as three of the top five receivers this week (yardage) were Texans in Schultz; Noah Brown; and Dell. It was his connections with his favorite target Tank Dell that sank the Buccaneers' ship on the final drive. Dell had the final two receptions including what ended up being the game winner:
video via NFL//X - Footage owned by NFL
Takes real stones for Stroud and co. not to be demoralized by the efforts of Baker Mayfield. Stroud simply was not going to let anyone take that moment from him. He delivered. So did Tank Dell. A big time game in Stroud's development, a big time game for the Houston Texans and their potential. Stroud was so damn sharp in the pocket and at helping his receivers gain more separation by good head movement and feints. Traits we have rarely seen from rookie QBs, especially not seen by his fellow QBs in this year's class. Take a second and skim through his best throws in the montage below. Checkout his feint work and high-level pocket presence. Duckin' his shoulders in, weavin' in and out of the pocket is very Drew Brees like. I love it. Peyton Manning did it too. Just look at the progression by C.J.:
video via 1SportsCentral//X - all Footage owned by NFL
Huge win for Stroud and the Texans as they remain a legit contender in the AFC Wild Card race. Stroud has been sharp statistically in his rookie campaign with a wonderful 14-to-1 tuddy/interception ratio to go with being ranked 7th in passing yards. He has been fumbling a bit- that's his only real flaw as of now. The fact he is gettin' better every week is what holds the most weight. Houston's loss to Carolina was a rough one. Big bounce back win against Tampa but, they have a lot of work to do. I am excited to watch their potential start to root from the soil. I'm excited to see Stroud really start to root. Hands down the favorite for offensive rookie of the year at the halfway point of the season.
It's safe to say that we don't need to spend too much time on criticizing DeMeco Ryan's coaching through nine weeks. Ryans has been solid in his first stint. A few other cats can't say the same. I had dropped a list of guys a few weeks back that may feel their seat start to get hot- lets run down how they are doing.
Kevin O'Connell:
What a run the Vikings are on right now! A good chunk of that does have to do with head coach Kevin O'Connell. Considering the type of rollercoaster season; the injuries; and the tough early schedule: the Vikings should be in the bottom five in the league. Instead they flip a switch and win 5 of their last 6 games. Kudos to O'Connell and his staff.
Vikings have lost captain Kirk Cousins and running-back Cam Akers to season ending injuries while still havin' their best player Justin Jefferson on injured reserve. They have still mustered 20+ points a game and rookie wideout Jordan Addison has been a gamebreaker. Similar challenges on the defensive end, minus the injuries, as they have one of the weakest defenses on paper. Despite that, Minny has managed to be middle of the pack in passing; rushing; and even scoring allowed.
The fact this team hasn't completely fell apart is impressive. The fact they beat the 49ers and almost the Chiefs after facing those challenges is also impressive. The most impressive thing is losing Kirk Cousins to a demoralizing Achilles tear; tradin' for Josh Dobbs; and then coaching Dobbs in five days to have the confidence to make game-breaking plays to lead Skol to victory after the game starter Jaren Hall went down with a concussion. For that I give O'Connell some major props. MAJOR props. He sits comfortable- hopefully his squad can reduce the bad things but, what a resilient group. A 5-4 record is damn good all considering.
Robert Saleh:
A couple weeks ago I would have said that Robert Saleh was in a comfy seat considering the challenges in New York and the bad injury bug that hit the Big Apple. I throw that out the window. The lack of accountability and pure disrespect to his defense is astounding. I salute Zach Wilson, he has strong work ethic and hasn't gave up in what has been a difficult task. Wilson just isn't to the caliber of a NFL starting quarterback and the fact that Saleh refuses to admit that is bafflin', and bafflin' to the point I think it could eventually take his job.
The defense is playing so good that the Jets have still been a Wild Card team despite the atrocious play of Zach Wilson (post KC game); the offensive line; and OC Nathaniel Hackett. Here is Saleh's remarks on not looking at a QB change:
video via SNYJets//X
He's wrong on the blame being collective. The blame at the end of the day comes to his table. Part of being the head coach. It's up to Saleh to get the OC; o-line coach; and player personnel in order. Just shakin' your head on the sideline and chokin' on your own spit in a press conference won't cut it. Show some damn accountability. The bottom line: the Jets front office made a massive risk by tradin' for Rodgers knowing his life cycle will be short in New York (that became more apparent after his injury). Saleh's job after the injury was to salvage the offense as best he could to allow the elite defense to bolster the team to the playoffs for a possible Rodgers return. Saleh is failin' at that.
It's not a matter of benching Wilson because "it's all his fault". It's a matter of bringing in a different look to see if the offense can find alternative ways to succeed. A veteran guy could hit the right buttons that allows the offense to get production. Wilson isn't gettin' the ball out fast enough with the poor o-line and takes to many negative yards from poor pocket presence. Gotta allow a different look. Sittin' back and hoping things pan out is not a winnin' motive. It's not a job savin' motive. Saleh's lackluster coaching is what looses locker-rooms. We just saw it in Vegas with Josh McDaniels and now we see early shades of it in New York with frustration coming from members of the Jets' defense. Step up Saleh or go home.
Brandon Staley:
Many know that I haven't been too shy on expressin' my opinions of Brandon Staley's coaching this season (or lack thereof). Luckily, things have gotten better in the past two weeks for Chargers' fans. Don't let the wins be camouflage, though. Beating the Bears and Jets are not wins that change a narrative. It just proves that Justin Herbert and crew want to be ahead by a lot in games to avoid Brandon Staley from shittin' the bed under the headset.
Chargers won the Bears and Jets games by a combined score of 57-19. Staley does well against teams in the bottom ten but is 2-4 versus teams with a winnin' record (Jets & Vikings). The Cowboys and Chiefs losses showed he still can't coach his team in the second half and in close games. I won't look to far into the two game winning streak. Staley has the next three games to prove me wrong and get himself off the hot seat; and his team into being a realistic AFC playoff contender. Chargers welcome the Lions to SoFi next; travel to Lambeau; and then welcome the mighty Ravens. Time to show us something, Staley.
It's not just coaches that we are waiting on to show us something. We sit at the halfway point lookin' at the standings with a head scratch. Just as we think we have some powerhouses and strong title contenders- they go and lose a bad game or just continue a potion of inconsistency that stumps them from legitimacy. Chiefs go and lose an ugly game to the Broncos; Eagles lose to the Jets; and the Cowboys, Niners, Seahawks, and Dolphins don't have a clue in what tier they should belong in. So, who is fake and who is legit?
As I look at the top of AFC standings, I come to a blunt opinion. Honestly, we only have one team playin' like a solidified title contender and that's the Ravens. Yes, the Ravens. Baltimore sits at the top with the Chiefs for the one seed, doing so in better and more consistent fashion than Kansas City. Baltimore has big wins over the Browns; Lions; and Seahawks outscoring the three 103-12. Ravens have been poundin' the rock and their stifling defense comes out and does the rest. Baltimore ranks 1st in rushing offense; top 5 in scoring; and has a top 5 passing defense that is topped off by the least points allowed. Ravens have a +115 point differential! The highest in the league with Buffalo being second best with +80. It's safe to say the Ravens are legit. Their AFC counterparts can't say the same.
The defending champion Chiefs are exactly that- the defending champs. Is that enough to be considered legit at 7-2? Yeah, maybe so. Personally, I want to see more. The loss to Denver was bad and the one score dub over the 'fins in Germany speak more on Miami not winning against good teams than it does the Chiefs being legit. They blew the lead to Miami and gave the Dolphins a chance to tie the game at the end. Not appealing. The Chiefs only significant win is against the Jaguars in week two- prior to Jacksonville findin' their groove. Chiefs barely beat the Jets; Vikings; and Broncos (first matchup). They have a beautiful opportunity to shut my claims up and feel the legitimacy that Baltimore is feelin' with a big time Super Bowl rematch versus the Eagles when they return from their bye on the 20th.
Some will be upset that I don't currently consider the Jaguars a legit title contender but, for some gut reason I feel if I say they are, then they will lose their winnin' streak and go on a negative bender. The Jaguars five game win streak is impressive. If they keep winnin' and keep being consistent then they will be legit. The rush defense is top three and the team is undefeated on the road. The contrary? The pass defense has been near the worst in the league and they are just 2-2 at home. I am still waiting for Trevor Lawrence to break out the gunslinger. T-Law only has one game with more than 300 passing yards (315) and has yet to post a game log with three passing touchdowns. The Jags rank 14th in both passing yards and rushing yards. Middle of the pack motives. I want them to go beyond that. Jacksonville has the Texans and 49ers on the November slate- lets see them reach the tier of the legit in the AFC.
The other four with a gripe: Bills; Dolphins; Browns; and Bengals. Cincy is close to being dangerous and legit again. Bengals have turned their season around and now want to keep winnin'. With three straight wins over the Seahawks; 49ers; and Bills, the Bengals are right there in terms of legitimacy. Even despite the poor start. Cincy has the Texans and Ravens next on the agenda- they win both those games and they are legit. The Bills are like an amusement park's best rollercoaster ride: shiny, electric at times; and speedy but, still just a rollercoaster. Buffalo can't afford to lose either games to the Broncos and Jets coming up next with what follows after them on the schedule. If they do, they may as well just kiss their season goodbye. Not legit like they were headin' into week one.
The Dolphins have now lost all three of their games against "good" teams. Still on the continued path of provin' legitimacy. Miami is back to swimmin' in comfy waters with an easy next five games before they run the final gauntlet against the Cowboys; Ravens; and Bills to end the season. As of now, I truly see the Ravens as the only AFC squad that holds real legitimacy as a title contender. I do expect that to change in the coming weeks. The same light is shed on the NFC.
I want to say both the Eagles and Lions are legit atop the NFC but, that ass whoopin the Ravens gave the Lions holds some weight. Legit teams don't get blown out. That was a big chance for Detroit to separate themselves from the pack and they dropped the ball. If they put that loss in the rearview mirror and get back to winnin' in consistent fashion- then they are back in the discussion as a top threat for a title in the NFC. The injuries and lack of depth in the Eagles' secondary and at linebacker raises some concerns as we grind towards the second half of the season. James Bradberry needs to step up and fast. The safeties have struggled and the newly acquired Kevin Byard III is still gettin' acquainted. Eli Ricks has been dismantled in the nickel, they need him to step up as well, or find a replacement. It's going to come down to Bradberry and Darius Slay to make some plays for that secondary.
Eagles should still be considered a title contender as they sit at 8-1. They eliminate the penalties and miscues late in games on defense and find stability in the secondary then they will continue to soar. Lions are right there, we need to see them eliminate that loss to the Ravens from their story. To the Cowboys; 49ers; Seahawks; and everyone else in the NFC: I don't wanna talk right now leave a message at the beep.
How many people predicted the AFC North to be the best division at the halfway point? The North is the only division in all of football to have all four teams with a win percentage of .625 or better, creatin' a tier above the rest of the divisions. Two teams on four game winning streaks in the Bengals and Ravens and stout defenses throughout the four. Ravens are soarin' among the AFC; Joe Burrow has given the Bengals claws again; and the Browns along with the Steelers can change the narrative at any moment in the standings. If the season ended today, all four teams would be in the playoffs.
Obviously it's just the halfway point, things will sure shake up but I am sure impressed by the North. Outside of solid to elite defenses, the most impressive stat from the division is their collected record against the NFC. Collectively the division is 10-2 against the NFC, and 5-2 against the NFC's top 4 current seeded teams. We still wonder if this can keep up in the second half of the schedule. The division has two of the hottest teams in football. Will they keep this up? It's going to be inner-division warfare to wrap up November. Ravens versus Browns this week. Ravens versus Bengals on Thursday the 16th. Let the blood shed!
A quick shoutout to interim head coach Antonio Pierce in Vegas. What a massive win for the Raiders locker-room with the thumping of the Giants 30-6. Everyone who downplays it because they did it against a struggling Giants team is goofy and can go kick rocks. This is a big win for the players; the fans; and the team culture. More importantly, it's massive for the team chemistry and team morale. Massive I say. The entire environment was different in the locker-room, and it wasn't all just because of the scoreboard. It's because of what coach Pierce has brought to the team in just a short order after a difficult week across the organization & after a difficult tenure under Josh McDaniels.
The players had their wick lit, their energy was up, and they were havin' fun together- in unity. Smokin' some stogies; playin mini hoops and cornhole- the environment was altered with the changes at the head of the table. Pierce's vocal leadership; player relations; and cultural similarities has struck a newfound feelin' inside the Raiders' core. It's pure electricity. The Raiders stars not only have their wick lit again, but they too are back to leading:
video via Las Vegas Raiders//X
The vibes are good again, thanks to Pierce and his aura. I am all in on head coach Antonio Pierce cha heard. What he brings to his position is exactly the type of energy that gets a squad to win and to go all out. The biggest reason I am so high on Lions' head coach Dan Campbell. Dan has been there, he is a dawg, and can relate to the players in that tone. Playing in a more physical era, Campbell's intensity and grittiness gets his locker-room motivated to win. The same with Antonio Pierce. AP defines grit: raised outside the skirts of Compton, Pierce had to have grit from the womb. He brought that same grit to the gridiron being a powerful force to a championship defense in New York. Now we see the grit under the headset and at the head of the table in the locker-room. I am excited to see where the Raiders go from here. If they can win games and fight for the Wild Card- then I think you look at hiring Pierce full-time and get some complement coordinators around him.
You already know the second half of the schedule will bring the noise. The November games, outside of this week, are pretty solid with some heavy circled matchups on the board. The standings will sure see more twist and turns. So will my power rankings. The recent drop:
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