Midseason grades for all 32 NFL teams

By Week 9, teams have typically established themselves as either contenders or pretenders. At this point in the season, it appears as though there are more of the latter than the former. There are more mediocre teams than truly great ones as the Patriots and Cowboys have proved to be the best in the NFL. Behind them, it’s seemingly just everyone else.

That’s not to say every other team has been bad. That’s far from the case. There are just a boatload of squads with one significant weakness that will be their downfall. The Vikings have come back down to earth, as have the Eagles and Falcons a bit.

All things considered, the second half of the season should be interesting to watch with so much uncertainty across the league. Before it begins, though, let’s look at how each team has fared through eight weeks.

The Cardinals have been one of the biggest underachievers this season. They’re 3-4-1 and have struggled against every decent team they’ve played. Their three wins have come against teams with a combined record of 7-15 despite having one of the best rosters in football. At least David Johnson has been nothing short of spectacular, leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage.

The Falcons didn’t come into the year with high expectations from many, but they’ve exceeded all beliefs through eight weeks. They have the best offense in the league, and while the defense has struggled against the pass, they’ve been scoring enough points to overcome it. They’re nearing playoff-lock status in the bad NFC South

The Ravens are aging and the offense has been as lackluster as any. Steve Smith Sr. is their only reliable weapon with Breshad Perriman struggling to produce in his second season. The Ravens have been underwhelming despite having a good quarterback.

The Bills lost No. 1 wideout Sammy Watkins and their offensive coordinator within the first few weeks of the season, but they rebounded from both to put together an impressive string of wins. It put them back in the playoff picture, but back-to-back losses have hurt their chances. Given the circumstances, they’ve been better than expected.

Not much else needs to be said other than the defending NFC champions stink. Cam Newton has struggled all year, and the defense is a mess with an entirely new secondary. Letting go of Josh Norman was a mistake they’re going to continue to pay for in the years to come.

The Bears have talent on offense – Jay Cutler, Jordan Howard, Jeremy Langford, Kyle Long, Alshon Jeffery – but the defense lacks the playmakers necessary to have success. They’ll likely look for another quarterback in the offseason as Cutler hasn't been the answer at the position.

The Bengals were one of the top teams in the league last season, boasting an offense that was nearly impossible to stop. They lost their Nos. 2 and 3 receivers in the offseason, and that's had a significant impact on the passing game. Still, it’s no excuse for the lack of success they’ve had on both sides of the ball.

The Browns were set up for failure this season with Robert Griffin III as their starting quarterback. He was just one of five players to play the position in the first eight weeks as injuries have plagued this team. Although they’re 0-8 and facing the Cowboys next, it's hard to fail the Browns considering the rash of injuries they’ve endured.

The Cowboys have overachieved in just about every way – at quarterback with Dak Prescott, at running back with Ezekiel Elliott, and particularly in the secondary with Morris Claiborne. At 6-1, they have the second-best record in football and have emerged as the team to beat in the NFC. Seeing as Tony Romo hasn’t played a snap, it’s impossible not to credit the Cowboys with a remarkable start.

The Broncos are the rare Super Bowl contender without an above-average quarterback. Trevor Siemian isn’t bad, but he’s no Matt Ryan. The Broncos are built upon the notion that they can run the ball effectively and play lights-out defense, which is what they’ve done.

Surprisingly, the Lions are squarely in the mix for a playoff berth despite losing Calvin Johnson in the offseason and Ameer Abdullah early in the year. Matthew Stafford is having the best season of his career, while Darius Slay has stepped up in a huge way on defense. They’re better than expected.

The Packers have endured a recent rash of injuries at both cornerback and running back, but they are playing better now than they did when fully healthy earlier in the season. At 4-3, they’re not among the four best teams in the league, but when healthy, they’re extremely talented. They’ve just been depleted by injuries.

The Texans were supposed to become Super Bowl contenders with Brock Osweiler, Lamar Miller and a bevy of weapons at wide receiver. They’re 5-3, but Houston is far from a title contender at this point. Osweiler has been a massive disappointment and lacks confidence needed to make throws downfield.

The Colts tried to address their putrid offensive line in the offseason, and while first-round pick Ryan Kelly has played extremely well, the rest of the line has not. Andrew Luck still has little time to throw, which is affecting the overall play of the offense. On the other side of the ball, they rank 31st in pass defense.

Blake Bortles is a mechanical mess, regressing in nearly every department. Myles Jack and Dante Fowler Jr. have failed to meet expectations, causing the defense to struggle. And Gus Bradley is one of the worst coaches in the NFL. So to say things are going poorly would be an understatement.

The Chiefs have essentially been without Jamaal Charles all season yet they’re 5-2 and securely in the mix for a playoff spot. Alex Smith is managing games exceptionally well, and Spencer Ware has been outstanding in Charles’ place. The Chiefs are a playoff team.

It’s surprising that the Rams are 3-4 given Todd Gurley’s struggles and their situation at quarterback. A change to Jared Goff has to come in the next few weeks unless Case Keenum plays like a Pro Bowler, which seems unlikely. They’re not going anywhere with him under center. The defense is what has kept them in games.

Ryan Tannehill has yet to establish himself as the undeniable franchise quarterback in Miami, but Jay Ajayi looks like the future at running back. The Dolphins have once again failed to meet even mediocre expectations, and they’ll need to add several pieces on defense in the offseason. Overall, a decent start to Adam Gase’s coaching career but nothing to write home about.

Had the Vikings not lost their last two games, they would have received an A++++. No, not really, but without Teddy Bridgewater, Adrian Peterson and both offensive tackles, they started the year 5-0. That’s remarkable, but they’ve showed signs of weakness in recent weeks. They need to protect Sam Bradford in the pocket.

The Patriots have been nearly perfect, jumping out to the best record in football through eight weeks (7-1). Had Tom Brady played all eight games, they would have started 8-0. The biggest question now facing New England is how the defense will respond without Jamie Collins, who was traded for a draft pick. Bill Belichick is a football genius, so I’m sure they’ll be just fine.

Drew Brees continues to play like an All-Pro at 37 years old, but once again, the defense is a complete mess. When they hold teams to under 20 points, the Saints are usually in good shape. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen often, which is why they’re 3-4. They need to address the defense in the offseason.

The Giants are with every other NFC East team not named the Cowboys, sitting at 4-3 with several questions to answer. They need Odell Beckham Jr. to remain focused on football and not kicking nets, and their expensive defense has to play better than it has. The schedule is only going to get tougher.

The Jets were one of a few teams built to win this season and not for the future, and it's not happening. With Ryan Fitzpatrick making it difficult for them to contend and Darrell Revis looking like a No. 3 cornerback, the Jets have been a huge disappointment. With a decent quarterback, this is a top-10 offense. But Fitzpatrick isn’t decent.

Aside from discipline issues on the field and a struggling defense, the Raiders have been great. They’re tied for the lead in the AFC West and look like legitimate contenders, they’re just missing one thing: a signature win. They have yet to beat a good team, but they’ll have a chance to this week against the Broncos. Win that game and the Raiders elevate their status significantly.

With Carson Wentz at quarterback, it was unclear how the Eagles would fare. At 4-3, they’ve been better than average as Wentz has played great for a rookie. Adding a receiver at the deadline would have been helpful for him, but it wasn’t necessary. An upcoming stretch of NFC East games will prove to be telling.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Steelers have been forced to overcome suspensions to Le’Veon Bell and Martavis Bryant, as well as an injury to Big Ben. Sound familiar? It’s become a regular occurrence for them, yet they’re still 4-3 and the leaders in the AFC North. Getting Roethlisberger back will help significantly.

The Chargers were hit with two massive injuries early in the year, losing both Keenan Allen and Danny Woodhead. Philip Rivers has still played well in their absences, but the AFC West might be too good for them to compete with. Considering what they’ve overcome, the Chargers have been better than expected.

Chip Kelly’s 49ers are a disaster. They have no quarterback, Carlos Hyde has once again been injured, and the defense has been gashed by every running back to come in its path. They need to find a franchise savior under center first and foremost because neither Blaine Gabbert nor Colin Kaepernick is the answer.  

The Seahawks are lucky that Russell Wilson has kept all of his limbs after the beating he’s taken in the pocket. Seattle’s offensive line is probably the worst in football, and it’s been an Achilles’ heel. If not for the defense, Seattle would be just mediocre. Fortunately, the D is as dominant as ever and has kept the Seahawks at 4-2-1.

Hopefully Jameis Winston will one day learn that taking care of the football is priority No. 1 as a quarterback. He’s been far too careless with it and has turned the ball over 11 times. If the Bucs are going to go anywhere, he’ll need to improve.

Marcus Mariota has 10 touchdown passes and one interception in his last four games as he’s played like an MVP candidate the past month. The defense still needs to get better, but at this point in the season, it’s certainly possible the Titans will win the lackluster AFC South.

Kirk Cousins will spend the second half of the season trying to prove to the Redskins he’s worth a long-term contract extension. Through eight weeks, he’s been up and down, but there’s been more good showings than bad ones. The Redskins need to address running back more than quarterback, though, because the ground game has been terrible.