It’s officially halfway through the NFL season, and it seems like everyone knows who the teams are. The Philadelphia Eagles are the NFC team that stands out above the others, even though anything can happen the rest of the way.
The Eagles appear to be well on their way to defending their Conference title and hoping to turn around their Super Bowl fortunes after losing by just three points the previous season.
In 2023, many AFC teams appeared significantly stronger than their NFC counterparts, and while some teams performed above expectations, there were a lot more teams that fell short of expectations.
Philadelphia Eagles: A+
Super Bowl hangover absent? That’s worth a lot on its own. The Eagles seem to be the clear favorites to win it all at 8-1. They have demonstrated that they are capable of defeating more than just the weaker teams in the NFL by defeating the Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys in two of the previous three weeks.
They will have to demonstrate their superiority in the future in order to advance in their schedule, which includes games against the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, and Seattle Seahawks.
They will not only be the front-runners to win the NFC, but they will also win at least four of those games. They’ll be the clear favorite to take home the trophy.
In the receiving corps, DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown have dominated as a duo. Brown has dominated with 67 receptions for 1,005 yards and six touchdowns, while Smith has 42 receptions for 533 yards and four scores.
Dallas Cowboys: B
The Cowboys have a decent, if not spectacular, 5-3 record, but their losses came to the 49ers, Eagles, and an unexpected Cardinals team. Despite that loss, they have appeared steady and have only really been outclassed by the 49ers.
Except for games against the Bills and Dolphins, the team’s remaining games are simpler, and they should have no trouble finishing with double-digit victories and a postseason berth.
Tony Pollard has been a mixed bag going forward; while his yards per carry has dropped to 4.0, he was also the main factor in the Cardinals’ defeat.
Their playoff run will be extremely difficult because winning the division is completely out of the picture, but with their talent on both sides of the ball, this team can still make a run.
Washington Commanders: B
The playoffs were not the team’s initial objective going into the season, but they have performed better than expected. Nevertheless, they sold at the trade deadline, and they received fewer trade packages than promised despite selling more value. They forfeited their chance to qualify for the postseason by trading both Chase Young and Montez Sweat in order to obtain value for players who will almost certainly sign free agents.
Nevertheless, the squad is 4–0, and Sam Howell, the quarterback, appears to be the team’s future signal caller.
He has demonstrated flashes of brilliance and the ability to win games with 2,471 and 14 touchdowns while completing 66.6% of his passes in 2023, but he has also thrown nine interceptions. He will undoubtedly be given a few more years to prove himself and grow under a new head coach in 2024, given his 89.3 QB rating.
New York Giants: D-
The Giants’ situation only gets worse. Quarterback Daniel Jones tore his ACL and will miss the remainder of the season after Saquon Barkley missed multiple games due to injuries. Jones’ time in New York is probably over, the season is over, and the team can simply tank for a higher draft pick because of his injury and the current 2-7 record.
The team appeared to be worse than expected, even with Jones on the field. Barkley has suffered from injuries recently, Jones is not a quarterback on the level of a franchise, and there simply isn’t enough talent on either side of the ball for sustained success.
San Francisco 49ers: B-
The 49ers haven’t exactly lived up to expectations on the field, despite their 5-3 record. Few teams can match San Francisco’s skill and reputation on both sides of the ball, particularly when it comes to offensive skill positions.
Although Brock Purdy has only managed 12 passing touchdowns this season, he hasn’t done anything to lose games. They have already lost to the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns, and they were defeated by the resurgent Cincinnati Bengals in their most recent game.
They have defeated every NFC team they have faced thus far, so they ought to have little trouble qualifying for the playoffs. The only issue is that their collective issues will surface during the postseason.
Seattle Seahawks: B
The Seahawks were about an A grade until their blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens, but things are starting to get bad out in the Pacific Northwest. Although he is not a north-south runner, Kenneth Walker III is a strong runner.
In 2023, Geno Smith’s magic did not reappear after he failed to respond to his skeptics in the previous season. He has nine touchdowns to seven interceptions, and the Seahawks might be 7-1 if they had a better quarterback.
It will be challenging for Smith to succeed later in the season if he continues to play as he has through the first half. One thing about Smith’s career, though, is for certain: you can never tell what will happen.
Los Angeles Rams: D
The Rams have been far too obstinate in their attempts to duplicate the magic after winning the Super Bowl while having a large number of players still available on the roster. Had the team performed better, they may have attempted to shed salary and find value in their aging players, but instead they stayed true to their core values.
With a record of 3-6, they require a miracle to save the season. They have only won one game at home in 2023 and simply cannot compete. With just eight touchdowns to seven interceptions, Matthew Stafford is having one of his worst seasons ever, and it appears that his career may be ending sooner rather than later.
Arizona Cardinals: F
The Cardinals look terrible, and even with Kyler Murray returning this weekend, he probably won’t be able to improve that. Without him, they would be even worse. His contract was an overpayment for a player with obvious and significant weaknesses in both his game and work ethic.
They will end the season as one of the worst teams in the league and have a top draft pick, but they were fortunate to have even one victory up to this point. The team has committed to Murray for the long term and may trade back in the draft, even though there are two excellent quarterback prospects.
Detroit Lions: A
A few short years ago, there were doubts about the Lions’ future. They currently lead the NFC North and are 6-2. The Lions offense is clicking at home thanks to Jared Goff, who has moved past the bust allegations against his new team.
Detroit is only being held back by that. When they played in front of their home crowd, they looked like the best team in the league, but when they traveled, they looked a little worse. They have 3-1 records overall, but they obviously perform better at home, which could be an issue based on where they are seeded in the playoffs.
Minnesota Vikings: B+
It was the finest football Kirk Cousins had ever played, but then the football gods decided the Vikings could never have nice things. Josh Dobbs led the team to victory in his first week on the team, demonstrating their talent even in the face of missing their most potent playmakers against the Falcons.
The NFC North gives Minnesota free wins aside from the Lions; the question is whether or not Dobbs can do enough to put this team in the postseason. In the upcoming weeks, Justin Jefferson will make his comeback, and it could lead to some significant victories for Minnesota in the future.
He was playing well and they were performing better than expected with Cousins. They have no expectations for the season with Dobbs, and each victory is made even more delicious.
Green Bay Packers: D+
It’s getting painfully obvious that Jordan Love is not the right guy. Within the system, he has performed well. He has been blatantly awful since leaving the system. Even though he spent several years on the bench of an NFL team, his fundamentals are poor and his improvisational skills have not translated to the professional level.
Titletown is struggling and lacks direction at 3-5. It might be time for a complete rebuild.
Chicago Bears: F
Chicago offers little in the way of hope. To be a franchise’s savior, Justin Fields must be better than an NFL-caliber quarterback who takes too many sacks and is too inaccurate. With several top-5 picks in the 2024 Draft, the Bears ought to select Marvin Harrison Jr., Drake Maye, or Caleb Williams.
The only thing that will matter is what the team can acquire if they try to trade Fields away in order to move on. Those two selections will give them hope for the future.
New Orleans Saints: C-
The NFC South will probably be won by the Saints. That’s not because they’re excellent; rather, it’s because their football division is the worst. The four teams are not good enough to make the playoffs, but that is the nature of the beast.
Although Derek Carr has demonstrated skill in reducing turnovers, the team has not seen significant progress from him as of 2023. The Saints have lost to some very good teams, so even with the weak division, there is no guarantee they will be the team to win.
The only reason they are rated a C- is because they could make the playoffs.
Atlanta Falcons: F
Bijan Robinson was selected with the first overall pick in the draft, but in 2023 he only receives 103 carries. They should only receive a F because of the terrible misuse of his abilities. However, there’s more.
Arthur Smith is unfit to manage an NFL team, Desmond Ridder looked terrible, and other skill position players have been misused.
Nothing more to say. The Falcons of Atlanta are awful.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: C-
Despite a few poor performances, the Bucs have been competitive all season long and are probably the only other team that can win the division. Despite his impressive performance, Baker Mayfield is not the team’s quarterback of the future.
There’s a chance for a nine- or ten-win season with a dominant defense (apart from the Texans), but they need to start winning games that they should be winning rather than matching or under-matching their opponents.
Carolina Panthers: F
It’s never easy to trade anything of value for a quarterback draft prospect, and Bryce Young hasn’t offered much to be optimistic about moving forward. A bad record lacks excitement even if it is ranked 1–7.
The Panthers are simply losing to lose and will not have their first-round pick in 2024. For there to be hope for the future, Young must grow, but it is difficult when there aren’t many things around him that can genuinely support that growth.
