Raul Vazquez | October 29th, 2019
We are now halfway through the regular season and we now know the identities of teams and what their future looks like. Some teams are starting to look towards the playoffs and hopes of winning the division while some teams, like the Jets and Falcons, are unexpectedly looking forward to the draft.
1. New England Patriots (+0)
This Patriots defense is no joke. They forced three turnovers on three straight Cleveland offensive snaps, and have now scored the same amount of touchdowns on defense as they have allowed which is amazing now that we are eight games into the season. Their biggest test of the year will come next week on Sunday night football in Baltimore.
2. San Francisco 49ers (+0)
For the fourth game in a row, the dominant San Francisco defense didn’t allow the opposing team to score more than 13 points. The 49ers are now an emphatic 7-0 and have a chance to separate themselves from the rest of the division with three straight divisional matchups coming up.
3. New Orleans Saints (+0)
The matchup with the Cardinals was close to open the fourth but the Saints pulled away with a 14 point fourth quarter to improve to 7-1 and make it six straight wins. Drew Brees threw for three touchdowns in his return as teams start to look at playoff seeding. The Saints went 5-0 with Brees out, and will only get better with the future Hall of Famer back.
4. Green Bay Packers (+0)
Aaron Rodgers is a bad man! His magic on the football field was once again on display during primetime. Matt Moore put up a fight at Arrowhead but the Packers ultimately pulled away to improve to 7-1 and put themselves on the shortlist of Superbowl contenders.
5. Minnesota Vikings (+2)
After a disappointing 8-7-1 season a year ago, the Vikings and, more importantly, Kirk Cousins have bounced back and are off to a hot 6-2 start in 2019. They have won five of their last six games and will look to stay hot against the Chiefs but the big question is whether Patrick Mahomes will be back for the Chiefs.
6. Baltimore Ravens (+2)
The Ravens had their bye during week eight with a great matchup at home the undefeated New England Patriots coming up. If there is any team that can knock off the Patriots, it’s the Ravens.
7. Seattle Seahawks (+2)
The Falcons made it somewhat interesting near the end but Seattle secured the win and are now 6-2 and have won four of their last five games. With both games against the 49ers left, the race in the NFC West seems to be between Seattle and San Francisco.
8. Indianapolis Colts (-2)
You still got it! Ole’ reliable Adam Vinatieri did what he does best, and nailed a long field goal to win the game. With the Titans and Texans getting wins, the Colts almost needed the win. Indianapolis has a really nice schedule with the Steelers and Dolphins up next.
9. Houston Texans (+2)
Deshaun Watson is a star. The throw he made to find Darren Fells in the endzone is one of the best throws all season, if not the best. An important divisional game against the Jaguars is on the slate this weekend in London.
10. Buffalo Bills (-5)
The Bills crumbled in the second half. They were outscored 21-6 in the second half and could not hang in there late with the Eagles but they have the Redskins, Browns, Dolphins, and Broncos for their next four games giving them every chance to take a lead in the wild card race.
11. Kansas City Chiefs (-1)
Andy Reid is a wizard. He made Matt Moore look great against a really good Packers defense, and surprisingly the Chiefs had a chance to tie the game late. Mahomes had practiced three days in preparation for the Packers which is a good sign for his status this week against the Vikings but, if not, the Chiefs are in good hands with Moore.
12. Dallas Cowboys (+0)
The Cowboys enjoyed a break during week eight before heading to Metlife for a matchup with the scrappy Giants on Monday night.
13. Los Angeles Rams (+0)
The Rams got a win against the lowly Bengals before going into their bye week. The Rams will need to continue to string together wins to keep pace with the Seahawks and 49ers.
14. Detroit Lions (+0)
Matthew Stafford does not nearly get the amount of credit he deserves. He tossed for 342 yards and three touchdowns in a win and is now up to 2,093 yards, 16 touchdowns and just four interceptions in seven games. The Lions are playing good football and should be in the thick of the playoff hunt late in the year.
15. Philadelphia Eagles (+2)
The Eagles got back on track with an impressive win on the road over the Bills. Philadelphia needed the win to stay on track with the Cowboys. They now enter a brutal three-game stretch against the Bears, Patriots, and Seahawks but all three games are at home.
16. Jacksonville Jaguars (+5)
The Jaguars let the Jets hang around late in the game but sealed it with a late interception. It might’ve been a result of playing the Jets offensive line but the Jaguars defensive line brought back Sacksonville with an eight sack performance against New York and they looked dominant.
17. Oakland Raiders (+3)
The Raiders fell victim to the wizardry of Watson but the Raiders have made it clear that they are better than anyone could have predicted. People had pegged the Raiders to win no more than five games but they seem well on their way to surpassing that.
18. Arizona Cardinals (+0)
Arizona’s three-game winning streak came to a crash but it was against one of the best teams in the NFL who welcomed back a Hall of Fame quarterback. The road does not get any easier with two games against the 49ers in their next three games.
19. Carolina Panthers (-3)
The Panthers ran into a team that is as hot as it gets in San Francisco. Kyle Allen’s undefeated start was snapped but the Panthers will be alright and can bounce back when they host the Titans this week.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers (+2)
Pittsburgh nearly gave tanking Miami their first win of the season but turned it around after the first quarter. Mason Rudolph looked clearly shook but luckily they were playing the Dolphins and came away with the win.
21. Chicago Bears (-6)
Matt Nagy and the Bears showed their faith in Eddy Piniero when they elected to stay put and not run a play with 43 seconds left and stick with the 41-yard field goal at the end of the game. However, Piniero could not get it done and the kicker woes continue for the Bears. With a division title unlikely, the Bears will need to jump the Seahawks, Rams, Lions, and Vikings for a wild card spot, making the playoffs unlikely too.
22. Cleveland Browns (-3)
The hype train has now crashed and burned. The Browns have had a tough schedule to open but it does not get much worse than 2-5. The schedule lightens up with matchups against the Bengals, Steelers, Broncos, and Dolphins left to play.
23. Tennessee Titans (+1)
The decision to bench Marcus Mariota has turned out to be a great one. The Titans are now 2-0 with Ryan Tannehill under center. Tennessee has scored 50 points in the last two games which is great compared to the 55 points scored with Mariota leading the offense during weeks 2-6.
24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-1)
The Buccaneers will be in the market for a quarterback this offseason. Jameis Winston kept Tampa Bay in it but could not get the job done. Winston turned it over four times on the way to a tough four-point loss which ended on an interception.
25. Los Angeles Chargers (+3)
The Chargers got the job done. They finally got a win after having lost three straight games, but this might have said more about Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears. But, hey, a win is a win. They improve to 3-5 and “host” the Packers next week who continue to look great.
26. Denver Broncos (-1)
Joe Flacco was visibly frustrated after the loss to the Colts which continues a disappointing season in Denver. The Broncos have lost four of their six games by one score and three of their six losses have been by two points. If the Broncos were good in late-game situations they could easily be 5-3.
27. New York Giants (+0)
The Giants might have found something in fifth-round rookie wide receiver Darius Slayton but the defense is still lackluster and Daniel Jones is a rookie who is going through the usual rookie struggles.
28. New York Jets (-2)
Turns out, offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains was right, Sam Darnold is not a magic wand. In the two games since his return, the Jets have churned out just 15 combined points. The Jets looked awful against the Jaguars and need to give Darnold a brand new offensive line if they want to have any kind of chance of offensive competence.
29. Atlanta Falcons (+0)
The Falcons season is now effectively over. They sit at 1-7 and now have no hope of a miracle playoff push. Matt Schaub filled in nicely for Matt Ryan, throwing for 460 yards but that only equaled one touchdown. The Falcons have a break before playing the Saints in New Orleans.
30. Washington Redskins (+0)
The Redskins hung in there with the Vikings going into the fourth, but Dwayne Haskins could only manage to lead the offense to three points in the second half. After games against San Francisco and Minnesota, they now head to Buffalo to face a scrappy Bills team.
31. Cincinnati Bengals (+0)
The Bengals kept it close and were only down seven at halftime but would not score again the rest of the game. Cincinnati has lost five of their games by one score but they are 0-8 anyway you slice it. A much-needed break coming up this week for the Bengals as they bench Andy Dalton and make Ryan Finley their starting quarterback, starting in week 10.
32. Miami Dolphins (+0)
The Dolphins are in ultimate tank mode. They looked good to open the game on Monday night and started with a 14-0 lead but then remembered that they are tanking for Tua and never scored again. Miami has another winnable game this upcoming week as they host the Jets.
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