The Midseason Review remains one of my favorite NFL recaps. Why? I’m glad you asked:
1) We get to look back on the first half of the season at its true midway point (do the math … I don’t know why other outlets insist on rolling out midseason stuff in Week 8).
2) We can celebrate the best of the best and the worst of the worst without someone rightfully telling us to shut up.
3) I get to start moonwalking off some of my bad preseason predictions.
Spoiler alert: You won’t see the Redskins here. They are who we thought they were before the season … which is to say, they’re mediocre and don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. That could change by season’s end, but at season’s halftime they’re an afterthought outside of the DMV. So accept the picture above as recompense. Captain Kirk literally and figuratively coming out of the tunnel for the season’s second half. Savor that.
And don’t forget to savor the Week 9 Recap. I slaved over a hot keyboard to bring it to you.
OK, enough puns. Let’s get started.
(Getty Images/Matt Hazlett)
Getty Images/Matt Hazlett
Most Surprising Team: Carolina Panthers
I really wanted to take Oakland here, but there’s really no better story than the 8-0 Panthers. Carolina lost basically all their receivers of note but here’s Cam Newton earning his Superman nickname by single-handedly carrying the offense while the defense continues to beat up all comers. Anyone with designs on a making a trip to Super Bowl 50 will likely have to cash in that ticket at Bank of America Stadium and nobody was saying that in August.
Honorable mention: Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets
(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Most Disappointing Team: Indianapolis Colts
For the second straight year, one of my preseason Super Bowl picks is crashing and burning. That’s a big reason why I’m not taking Indy over Baltimore and Detroit. Yes, the Ravens are off to their worst-ever start. Yes, the Lions are a virtual lock to become just the 6th team in NFL history to win fewer than five games following a season in which they had at least 11 wins.
But we’ve been told since 2011 that Andrew Luck is the next great quarterback, yet here he is inexplicably regressing. Luck had his best season in 2014, and so far 2015 is trending toward being his worst. The Colts defense is just as porous as it was last year, and Chuck Pagano is drawing Jim Zorn comparisons. Indy should thank the sweet baby Jesus they reside in the putrid AFC South: in the Luck Era, they’re 17-2 in-division, but only 18-18 against everyone else. This is literally the only reason their season isn’t over at the midway point.
Honorable mention: Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions
(Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
Grant Halverson/Getty Images
Remember when Dalton was getting booed off the field in the offseason? Me neither. Dalton has been balling out of his mind all year, throwing 18 TDs and only 4 INTs for the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals, and his 111.0 QB rating is second only to Tom Brady. I know he’s got to win at least a playoff game or two to truly get the monkey off his back, but the fact that he’s gone half the season without a letdown is a great — and unexpected — step in the right direction. Honorable mention: Devonta Freeman, Chris Ivory (Photo by Andrew Weber/Getty Images)
Photo by Andrew Weber/Getty Images
Most Disappointing Player: Peyton Manning
Were it not for that dominant defense, Denver would easily take the Most Disappointing Team category. Manning has been an interception machine this year: he’s the only QB to start every game this season and throw an interception in each, he’s thrown multiple picks in four of his last five games, and his 13 picks (five of which have come in the 4th quarter) lead the league.
Peyton has rapidly become a liability for a team that could otherwise compete for a Super Bowl, and if Denver is to avoid another one-and-done postseason, they’ll have to do so in spite of Manning.
Honorable mention: Andrew Luck, Colin Kaepernick
(AP Photo/John Bazemore)
AP Photo/John Bazemore
Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images
It’s admittedly a pretty weak field, but any rookie who can Pick 6 Peyton Manning in just his second NFL game has to be pretty good. Peters was considered a raw talent coming out of Washington, but so far KC’s first round gamble has paid off big time, as Peters leads the team with three interceptions and has quickly become a solid piece to a good Chiefs secondary. Honorable mention: Leonard Williams, Ronald Darby (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
AP Photo/Ed Zurga
Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images
Defensive Player of the Year: J.J. Watt
Even though Houston stinks, Watt continues to dominate with 8.5 sacks (2nd in the league) and 5 passes defensed (which is a lot for a defensive lineman not named J.J. Watt). I’m seriously considering picking him for this award on a yearly basis until he actually fails to win it.
Honorable mention: Charles Woodson, Josh Norman, Fletcher Cox
(Photo by Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images)
Photo by Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images
This one was tough. Riverboat Ron (Rivera) has a team bereft of offensive talent undefeated through 8 games, but it wasn’t out of the question to think Carolina would be competitive in a weak division. Oakland, on the other hand, has been a gridiron wasteland and Del Rio has turned a cellar-dwelling afterthought into a legit wild card hopeful. Plus, it just tickles me to see a defensive-minded coach lead a team clearly driven by offense. Honorable mention: Ron Rivera, Marvin Lewis, Bill Belichick (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)
Photo by David Banks/Getty Images
This one came down to two Cardinals: Carson Palmer and Chris Johnson. The latter gets my vote because he was on the street until Arizona rolled the dice on the former 2,000 yard rusher in August, while Palmer’s gig as the starting QB was never really in question (even if his health was). The rebirth of CJ2K is real, and a big reason why the Cards are the new favorite to claim the NFC West. Honorable mention: Carson Palmer, Eric Berry (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images
All my Brady/Pats fan buddies are peeved by this choice (because, you know, they don’t actually lose games so they have to find something to get all bent out of shape about). Yes, Tom has been terrific in 2015. Yes, Cam has a pedestrian 81.4 QB rating and just a 14-9 TD/INT ratio. But nobody’s done more with less than Newton, and his 5 rushing TDs makes him every bit as impactful as the more traditional pocket passers. As usual, I’m taking the name of this award literally: Most Valuable Player in the NFL is undoubtedly Cam. If you’re talking Most Outstanding Player … well, that’s a different story. Honorable mention: Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
