Now that we are officially halfway through the NFL season let’s go back and compare some of the most surprising teams to the most disappointing teams.
Washington Commanders
The biggest surprise this far has to be the Washington Commanders. They were 28th in preseason power rankings via ESPN and only had a projected win total of 6.5 on most sportsbooks. We are now 9 games through the season and the Commanders are sitting with a 7-2 record atop the NFC East.
They have been led by rookie sensation Jayden Daniels who is currently 5th in MVP odds. No rookie has won MVP since Jim Brown accomplished it in 1957 but Daniels aims to be the first to do it in 72 years.
Minnesota Vikings
Our next team is the Minnesota Vikings who were coming into the season being viewed as one of the worst teams in the NFL. But after a surprising 6-2 start they have quickly emerged as one of the most electric teams, led by Sam Darnold who thus far has thrown for 17 touchdowns to only 7 interceptions and has blown expectations out of the water.
Even though the Vikings sit at an outstanding 6-2 record, the Detroit Lions have won 6 straight and don’t seem to be slowing down, so the Vikings will most likely be fighting for a wildcard spot in the extremely competitive NFC with the Eagles (6-2) and division rival Green Bay Packers (6-3). The NFC wildcard race is shaping up to be a dog fight with the Vikings right in the center.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Now there is a team out in Pennsylvania that has been a quarterback away from being one of the great teams since Ben Roethlisberger underwent elbow surgery in 2019. This year it looks like they have their guy in Russell Wilson. Russell has been one of the most disrespected quarterbacks of the last few seasons; he was let go by the Broncos after two disappointing seasons going 11-19 under center. He signed with the Steelers in the offseason for the minimum contract and thus far he hasn’t disappointed throwing 6 touchdowns to 1 interception and going 3-0 over that span.
New York Jets
With the good in the NFL also comes some bad and there have been a lot of disappointing starts, but the most disappointing start thus far is the New York Jets, a team with sky-high expectations with Aaron Rodgers under center and wide receivers Garret Wilson and Davante Adams. However, the team has been disappointed, going 3-6 over their first 9. The low of the season was losing to the Patriots on October 27th after being favored by over a touchdown and falling to 2-6 but they bounced back on against the Texans, and hope to continue this momentum.
Miami Dolphins
The other super disappointing team in the AFC East is the Miami Dolphins who are currently 2-6 and very much on the outside looking in and scored a total of 35 points over the four games Tua Tagovailoa missed due to a concussion. They have a must-win game coming up against the Rams on Monday Night Football and will most likely be playing for their playoff lives in the game.
