No Huddle: Let the Second Half Begin! (Week 9 Ranks and Picks)
Welcome to the second half of the regular season folks. What a long, strange trip it has been through the first two months of the season. Just go look at the projected playoff standings, and tell me someone who could have seen this play out this way.
The Eagles own the best record in football, while the Rams are making 2016 look like a distant memory. Minnesota is surviving major injuries, and the defense is playing like a unit that could legitimately carry them into the postseason. The same could be said for the Jacksonville Jaguars minus the injuries.
You want to know the best part of all of this? Literally none of what we have seen could matter come New Year’s Day. Year-to-year the NFL’s second half sees plenty of teams catch fire or fall off the rails. Just a couple of years ago, the Chiefs turned a dismal start into an eleven-game winning streak to vault them into the postseason. In 2006, the Falcons started 5-2 before falling apart down the stretch going 2-7 and missing the playoffs.
It really is true when the experts are skeptical about teams until December when the games really get taken up a few notches. In a season where we still have a litany of questions about numerous contenders, these next two months will pull back the curtain on them in a big way.
True story here. When I originally went to write up my thoughts on the state of the NFL at the midseason mark, I was going to wax poetic about a team poised to surge into the postseason. Unfortunately, just about ten minutes from me finishing up formatting the column into WordPress my phone started blowing up. If you follow the NFL closely, you probably know where I’m going with this.
Yes, the team I was willing to guarantee a playoff spot and give “dark horse” status to, was the Houston Texans. The offense looked incredible with rookie Deshaun Watson at the helm, and the defense was rounding into form after losing their two best players. Well… so much for that.
Watson is now out for the season now with a torn ACL, and Tom Savage is back under center. Talk about your all-time heartbreakers for a team that was showing so much promise despite two tight road losses. Houston looked poised for a BIG run in the second half and is now forced to adapt on the fly once again.
So, you’re probably asking, if not Houston then who makes the run now? That’s a pretty good question. This is more of a bold prediction than anything solid, but something tells me that the Chargers might not be dead just yet thanks to a weak AFC. The defense is playing much better, and eventually this offense has enough juice to put points on the board. It won’t be easy, but the Chargers have typically been a tough out this season. They will have to come out of the bye strong though playing at Jacksonville, home against the Bills, then at Dallas.
My rationale? Denver’s defense clearly can’t carry the inconsistent offense. Oakland just isn’t the same team from a year ago. Is Miami finally waving the white flag on 2017? The Jets seem destined for 8-8. The same goes for Baltimore. Do we really think the AFC South can get a second team in the postseason, especially now that Houston won’t make a huge run? Two teams have to win Wild Card bids, why can’t the Chargers do it? Feel free to send me your best Phillip Rivers purgatory joke if you don’t agree.
Anyway, let’s get to the power rankings heading into the second half of the season.
1) Philadelphia Eagles (7-1)
Yes, the Philadelphia Eagles have found their way to the top of the NFL at the midway point of the year. Carson Wentz is one of the MVP favorites, and has taken his play to another level in his sophomore season. He is leading an offense that looks miles ahead of the 2016 team that struggles mightily to get any rhythm going at times.
As impressive as Wentz has played, you really have to give credit to the Philadelphia defense too. Led by Fletcher Cox, this defense is wreaking havoc on opposing offenses. Philly’s defensive line has shined these past few weeks, running seven-to-eight players deep. They have been winning the battle in the trenches week-to-week and more importantly, the rotation has keep them fresh to close games in the fourth quarter.
The big news for the Eagles this week was the acquisition of running back Jay Ajayi. It has been a somewhat divisive move in the Philly area, but this is a two-fold move. Ajayi is coming off a tremendous season but struggled just like the rest of the Miami offense. A change of scenery could get him going down the stretch. Realistically, this is a pointed move for 2018. LeGarrette Blount is a free agent after the season, along with Alshon Jeffery. One of them, likely Jeffery, gets a hefty franchise tag and Ajayi is still making less than $1 million next year.
A big test for the Eagles will come this week in the form of the Denver Broncos. A matchup of two of the best defenses in the NFL creates one of the league’s marquee matchups for Week 9.
2) Kansas City Chiefs (6-2)
While the Chiefs have cooled off a bit in recent weeks, this is still one of the best teams in football. Quite frankly, no team can sustain utter dominance week-to-week for an entire season. That is just the way the NFL currently is constructed. We don’t have one standout team, but rather a bunch of good teams with flaws. With that last thought in mind, the Chiefs are still one of the most well rounded football teams. Ultimately, that is what will pay huge dividends late in the season.
Kansas City is at a point in the season where they will play matchups to get the win. Travis Kelce’s big night on Monday is a sure sign of that. Kelce owns the Denver Broncos and “Big Red” Andy Reid schemed the game with that in mind. We’ll see Tyreek Hill get his number called (soon), and the rookie Kareem Hunt with have to put the team on his back at some point too.
With all of the trade, injury, and Zeke news, an under the radar story came out of Kansas City. The Chiefs defense will be getting a big boost soon as Tamba Hali was activated this week. His impact likely won’t be felt right away, but that is a defensive line presence on a defense that needs to generate more pressure aside from Justin Houston.
The other marquee game will see these Chiefs head to Jerry World to face the Dallas Cowboys. Most experts are looking for this to be a high-scoring affair.
3) New England Patriots (6-2)
The rest of the NFL needs to start getting worried because the Patriots have stopped giving up points like a going out of business sale. Are they good yet? Not really, but the key to any Pats defense is that they will bend, not break. Situational football is the calling card of a Bill Belichick/Matt Patricia defense. So with the offense squarely in the top five of the league, and the defense climbing out of the basement, the Pats are gearing up for a legitimate championship defense.
They are all-in now on Tom Brady after shipping backup Jimmy Garroppolo to San Fransisco. Brian Hoyer is now the backup for New England, but should he play we can put a fork in the Patriots anyway. It actually looks like the Patriots now believe Brady can sustain his level of play for a few more years.
New England is one of the six teams on a bye this week, so we won’t see them again until next Sunday in primetime against Denver.
4) Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
Pittsburgh won a road game, everyone! I say that facetiously because while the Steelers are certainly a different team on the road, they are a capable football team. They now have three straight road wins after coughing up a winnable game in Chicago. Sometimes criticisms go a little bit too far, but lets not sugarcoat this one. Home or away, this team can play just about anywhere right now.
Le’Veon Bell is going to power this offense, which will allow Big Ben to work with play action looks. While we all knew that’s great with Antonio Brown, but wouldn’t you know it there is another receiver breaking out in Pittsburgh. Juju Smith-Schuster had a monster game against Detroit, including a 97-yard touchdown. Clearly Martavis Bryant’s one-week demotion told the Steelers all they needed to know about Smith-Schuster.
Over on the defensive side of the ball, there is a lot to like right now. Pittsburgh isn’t giving up a lot of points and is creating a ton of pressure. This front-seven might be one of the more underrated units in the league right now, mostly due to the speed at the linebacker position. Now if they can reduce the big-plays downfield (cough, Mike Mitchell, cough) then we can start to see a new-look Steel Curtain.
The Steelers are also on a bye this week, but will need this extra rest. Weeks 10-11 will see Pittsburgh play two games in five days (at Indy and home against Tennessee).
5) Minnesota Vikings (6-2)
While most people would probably put Seattle here, I’m going to go with the team that just keeps adapting and overcoming adversity. With a backup quarterback for the foreseeable future, and the loss of a bell-cow running back, the Vikings keep winning football games folks. It’s as simple as that.
Okay so why are they here? Watch this defense. It’s not the first time they have gotten love here, and it won’t be the last time either. This is one of the three best defenses in football, and arguably the best at all three levels of defense (line, linebackers, secondary). This is a unit that can win Minnesota games because they can neutralize opposing offenses.
Luckily, Minnesota isn’t solely reliant on that this season. The offensive line has been much improved from a year ago, which still allows this offense to roll. Stefon Diggs will need to get healthy for them to have long-term success, but they have enough right now to grind out wins.
Wouldn’t you know it, Minnesota is on a bye this week too. However a big stretch of games awaits them on the other side of the bye. It will be at Washington, then home against the Rams, and a quick turnaround for a Thanksgiving tilt in Detroit.
Watch List: Seattle (5-2), LA Rams (5-2), Dallas (4-3), New Orleans (5-2), Jacksonville (4-3)
Okay, now it’s time for my picks for the week. I’ll be the first to admit, its been quite a struggle this year. I’m flirting badly with “fade” territory with a pair of truly forgettable weeks pulling down the record for the season. There is a big run coming, let’s just hope it starts sooner, rather than later. Here are my picks for Week 9 (winners in Bold)
This Week: 0-1 Last Week: 7-6 2017: 50-67-2
1:00 PM
Denver vs. Philadelphia (-7)
Atlanta vs. Carolina (+2.5)
Indianapolis (+7) vs. Houston
Cincinnati vs. Jacksonville (-6)
Tampa Bay (+7) vs. New Orleans
LA Rams (-4.5) vs. NY Giants
Baltimore (+3.5) vs. Tennessee
4:05/4:25 PM
Arizona (-2.5) vs. San Francisco
Washington vs. Seattle (-7.5)
Kansas City (+2.5) vs. Dallas
Sunday Night Football
Oakland (-3) vs. Miami
That’s it for me. I’ll be back with more football coverage this week, and my first “Heat Check” of the 2017-18 NBA season. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.