The 2010 NFL season just passed its
mid-point and so far surprises are plentiful. All over the league perennial
favourites are struggling while doormats have been prickly sharp.
For starters there is the Dallas
Cowboys out in the NFC East. A Super Bowl favourite by many in the preseason,
Dallas has come out just 2-7 and are in the cellar of their division. Many
thought their wealth of talent, from cornerback Mike Jenkins to wide-out Miles
Austin, would make them the first team to play in their home stadium for the
title game. Instead the loss of Tony Romo for the season has cost Wade Phillips
his job and the Cowboys a chance at history.
Following in Dallas’ footsteps are
the Minnesota Vikings. Those that gave Brett Favre and company a fighting
chance at the Super Bowl now look foolish with the club’s 3-6 record. How the
Vikings got to that mark seems to be due to a lackluster offence that has no
solid deep threat and a QB who looks decrepid. The quick arrival and exit of
Randy Moss only adds to the image of Minnesota being in disarray.
Arguably the most surprising group
in the conference is the NFC West. Many pundits (including this one) thought
the Seattle Seahawks and St. Louis Rams would be also-rans. Instead they have a
combined 9-9 mark atop the standings leaving the likes of the Arizona Cardinals
and San Francisco 49ers (both 3-6) scratching their heads.
Other positive surprises in the
division are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Chicago Bears (both are 6-3).
Neither were considered serious candidates for a division crown. But thanks to
solid defences (steadied by stars like Ronde Barber and Julius Peppers) they
are in striking distance of playoff spots.
The AFC meanwhile has its own fair
share of eye-openers. For starters the Cincinnati Bengals have been atrocious
at 2-7. In spite of a glitzy offence with the likes of Chad Ochocinco and
Terrell Owens, the defence has had more growl than bite. The Denver Broncos are
another relative disappointment at 3-6. Granted they lost Brandon Marshall to
Miami and Kyle Orton’s health remains questionable. Nevertheless few expected
them to be facing a losing campaign.
Then again the AFC West may just be
better off for Denver’s woes. With the San Diego Chargers sputtering at 4-5 (in
spite of the arm of Philip Rivers) the door has opened wide for former cellar
dwellers the Oakland Raiders (5-4) and Kansas City Chiefs (5-4) to impress. In
particular Oakland’s offence looks much better with Jason Campbell at QB while
the Chiefs finally have things going with Matt Cassel under centre.
From there the New York Jets
deserve props for living up to expectations at 7-2, the Pittsburgh Steelers are
back to their old ways at 6-3 and the Jacksonville Jaguars are surprisingly
competitive at 5-4. All feature motivated defences with stars like Darrelle
Revis (Jets) and Troy Polamalu (Steelers) plus above-average play at the QB
position (behind Mark Sanchez, Ben Roethlisberger and David Garrard
respectively).
With the business end of things
coming to the fore, expect a lot more surprises by season’s end.
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