The first half of the 2015 NFL season is basically over already, and it still feels like it all just started! While that thought is a sad one indeed, now is as good a time as any to look back on what's happened and establish who the top teams are following the Week 8 action. Without further ado, the definitive power ranking of the top 10 teams in the NFL so far:
1. New England Patriots -- 7-0
Is there really any question for No. 1? After winning the Super Bowl last year, amidst all of the hoopla that surrounded the team with DeflateGate, the Patriots have come out and simply dominated this year. The least they've won by is seven so far, and they've blown out teams for three of their victories. I honestly can't remember an instance this year in which they were losing at any point in a football game.
Right now, they're the cream of the crop in the NFL, and it'll be tough for anyone to knock them off of that pedestal.
2. Denver Broncos -- 7-0
I wasn't really buying this Denver team because they didn't seem all that impressive to me early in the year, but after their showing against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers Sunday night, I'm convinced that this defense is the best in the NFL. They held Rodgers to just 77 yards passing.
That's incredible.
3. Cincinnati Bengals -- 7-0
Other than the Patriots, the Bengals have been the NFL's most complete team so far this year. The running game has been effective with two solid backs. The quarterback play has been sublime. The offensive line and receivers have been as steady as can be. The defense is allowing only the seventh most points per game in the league. Of course, they also have the biggest choke factor, and I can't buy into them until I see them win an actual playoff game.
4. Carolina Panthers -- 7-0
Of the NFL-record four 7-0 teams at this point in the season, the Panthers are the least talented. That said, they're also the most inspiring of the bunch. No matter who they're facing, they always find a way to win behind a stout defense and the ever-surprising Cam Newton, who's a true MVP candidate this year. We'll see what they're really made of next week against the Green Bay Packers.
5. Arizona Cardinals -- 6-2
While the Packers still have a better record with one less loss than the Cardinals, I think it's safe to say that we saw quite a few flaws exposed during that Green Bay-Denver game. Arizona, however, has a very complete team with an outstanding defense and surprisingly spry offense. Even if it is led by the ancient Larry Fitzgerald and Carson Palmer, as long as those guys are healthy, they'll keep rolling.
6. Green Bay Packers -- 6-1
As I just mentioned above, the Packers are a clearly flawed team that is great because of Aaron Rodgers, and maybe only because of him. I'm not saying that they don't have other talented players, but this team would be much closer to .500 than 6-1 at this point without him. He's masked their offensive line and defensive deficiencies, but I suppose that as long as he's back there, they still have to be considered a Super Bowl threat.
7. Minnesota Vikings -- 5-2
Speaking of Super Bowl threats, the list of teams that have a real shot -- at least at this juncture -- seems to stop after the sixth-best team in the league. Sure, the Vikings are an impressive 5-2 so far, but the quarterback play has been inconsistent. While their defense is solid, which is the only reason they rank above the Atlanta Falcons, the concerns at the QB spot lead one to believe that this team may be overachieving at this point.
8. Atlanta Falcons -- 6-2
The Falcons really do seem like fool's gold. Yes, they've had a good start, but in the last three weeks, they've lost by 10 to the New Orleans Saints; won by just three against a Tennessee Titans team that had Zach Mettenberger as the starting quarterback; and lost by three to a bad Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad. The defense isn't that good, and Matt Ryan has seemingly regressed a bit, turning the ball over 10 times so far.
9. St. Louis Rams -- 4-3
As many flaws as this team has, they really excel at one thing: controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. They've been able to run it down their opponent's throat the past few weeks with rookie sensation Todd Gurley, winning three of the last four games with him as the starter. On the other side of the ball, they have the best defensive line in the nation with Robert Quinn, Chris Long, Michael Brockers and Aaron Donald.
10. Oakland Raiders -- 4-3
I'm as surprised as you are that the Raiders have cracked this list, and I'm not entirely sure how they've done it.
What I do know is that since a 20-point blowout loss to the Bengals in Week 1, this young team has been absolutely explosive offensively in all but two games -- a 22-20 loss to the Chicago Bears and a 16-10 loss to the Denver Broncos. In their four wins, they've averaged 33.8 points per game, and in the last two weeks, they've really jumped on teams for huge leads before halftime. Oh, and second-year quarterback Derek Carr already has 15 TDs to only three INTs this year. He's going to be damn good.
Reaction to the first half of the season:
This season has been as strange and exciting as any other. We still don't know what a catch is. Fines don't really always make sense. Injuries come in random bunches. And after each of the 32 teams has played at least seven games so far, there's really only six that seem to be in a tier all their own that can actually contend for a title.
Now who knows? Maybe that will change.
At this point, though, this league seems to be filled with a few great teams, few horrible teams and then a lot of mediocre or average ones that are capable of winning each week -- it's just a matter of executing and having a little bit of luck on their side.
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