Now that we have reached midseason, I thought it would be a great time to look back on some predictions.
Earlier this year, I looked into 5 different teams for Bills fans to root for after Buffalo inevitably faltered. Let's start out with the teams I correctly predicted and move down the list.
1. The Oakland Raiders - 7-2
The Raiders have been absolutely fantastic this year, and I couldn't be happier for their fanbase. QB Derek Carr is a legitimate MVP candidate and has really stepped up this year. Carr is near the top of every statistical passing category and he really looks like the franchise quarterback the Raiders have been looking for. Carr hasn't lead the Raiders to 7-2 by himself however. WR Amari Cooper is also having an excellent season with 843 yards. The Raiders invested heavily in their offensive line recently, and it is also paying off in the run game. While Latavius Murray, DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard are not the most talented running backs in the league, this committee has been effective enough.
Defensively, the Raiders are still a bit of a work in progress. Khalil Mack is playing very well with 7 sacks. According to Pro Football Focus, Mack has had 47 QB pressures, with 21 coming in the last 2 weeks. Mack is simply one of the most disruptive defensive players in the NFL. The Raiders have also gotten production from their offseason additions in the secondary with CB Sean Smith, S Reggie Nelson and especially rookie S Karl Joseph having strong seasons.
The biggest challenge for the Raiders is that they are playing in arguably the toughest division in the NFL. Denver, Kansas City and even San Diego, have all looked good this season, so it will be a fight to the finish. Also punter Marquette King is fun, and we should all root for the Raiders just because of him.
2. The Minnesota Vikings - 5-3
Minnesota started off the season as the hottest team in the NFL, even after the devastating injury to Teddy Bridgewater. However, other injuries have nearly derailed their season. Losing Adrian Peterson was huge, and the combination of Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata has been downright awful. Minnesota is averaging just 2.7 yards per carry. This can't all be blamed on RB play, as the offensive line has struggled with both run and pass blocking. QB Sam Bradford has actually been pretty good this year, but has been sacked 21 times. WR Stefon Diggs might actually be the most talented receiver Bradford has ever had, but Diggs has been hampered by a groin injury. If the Vikings can stay healthy and get a little more out of the run game, they can definitely turn this season around.
Even with the offensive struggles, the Vikings defense has been dominant. Coach Mike Zimmer is one of the best defensive minds in the NFL. With 21 sacks and 17 turnovers, the Vikings are extremely disruptive. It all starts up front with DT Linval Joseph and DE's Everson Griffin, Brian Robison and Danielle Hunter. Joseph is one of the best run-stuffers in the league Griffin and Hunter provide speed off the edge and Robison is solid week in week out. What's really surprised me is how well the secondary has played. CB Xavier Rhodes has elevated his game enormously and has become one of the few shutdown corners in the NFL. Trae Waynes has also shown why he was a first round pick and has played very well thus far.
The rest of the Vikings schedule is not easy, with games against the Redskins, Cardinals, Lions, Cowboys and Packers. If the offense continues to struggle, this team will simply not make the playoff. It would be a real shame to see the NFL's best defense go to wasted because their offense cannot score 20 points per game.
3. The Arizona Cardinals - 3-4-1
The Cardinals have had a really up and down season. At times they have looked the part of a dominant team, but they have some ugly losses. I think a lot of this has to do with the play of QB Carson Palmer. Palmer has been fine this season, but it seems like either injuries or old (football) age have caught up to him. After an excellent 2015 campaign, it seems like Palmer may not be the same player. The entire passing attack has obviously suffered. Larry Fitzgerald is still having a pretty good season, but John Brown and Michael Floyd are both having a down year. I'm also concerned with the fact that LT Jared Veldheer was placed on IR. Despite a regressing passing game, RB David Johnson is having a phenomenal year. Johnson is 4th in the league in rushing with 705 yards and also has 407 receiving yards.
The Cardinals defense has played up to par for the most part this year. I expect this pace will continue, but star S Tyrann Mathieu is out 3 to 6 weeks. The Cardinals have done an excellent job of building depth, but Mathieu is one of the best playmakers in the league.
Even after a rough start to the season, I think Arizona is still in pretty good shape. I expect to see further improvement in the passing game, and with stars like David Johnson, Fitzgerald, John Brown and Michael Floyd, its tough to see them struggling for too long.
4. The Los Angeles Rams - 3-5
The Rams started the year 3-1 and things were really looking good. However they've clearly played poorly with 4 straight losses. I personally think it's time for this team to hand over the reigns to 1st overall pick Jared Goff. Case Keenum has not played very well at all and this is one of the worst offenses in the league. Keenum has had plenty of opportunities to prove himself, and has proved time and time again that he is a below average quarterback. The argument that I usually see is that Keenum "doesn't turn the ball over, doesn't make any mistakes", and that is just not true. He has 11 interceptions and has lost 4 straight games; it's time to move on. It's extremely frustrating to see that RB Todd Gurley hasn't been able to regain his rookie form. I don't think this is just a sophomore slump for Gurley, poor offensive line play certainly isn't helping and teams can load the box as Keenum isn't much of a threat as a passer. If the Rams go with Goff, they will need either Kenny Britt, Brian Quick or hopefully Tavon Austin to step up as a number one receiver. Austin is the most talented of the group, but so far Britt has been the most impressive this year.
Defensively, the Rams have been nearly as good as advertised. Aaron Donald is still one of the best players in the NFL, but injuries to Robert Quinn, William Hayes and Michael Brockers have limited this defenses potential. LB Alec Ogletree has made a smooth transition to the middle and hybrid Mark Barron is having an excellent season. If the defensive line can get healthy, this could easily be a top 10 or even a top 5 defense.
I still feel like there's enough to like about the Rams with their talent on defense and players like Gurley and Austin on offense, but I don't know if Jeff Fisher is willing to trust a rookie quarterback. Fisher has often been content starting an average quarterback and his teams have suffered because of it. If Goff is closer to Steve McNair than say Kerry Collins, Vince Young or Nick Foles, the Rams may have a chance to be better than 7-9. It's just up to Fisher to pull the trigger.
5. The Jacksonville Jaguars - 2-6
Oh boy. I cannot believe I talked myself into the Jags for winning the AFC South this season. There are still a lot of exciting young players on this team, but QB Blake Bortles took a big step back from last year. WR's Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns are both very talented, but Bortles has struggled mightily to find them this year. Bortles isn't getting much help from the run game either as TJ Yeldon and Chris Ivory have been pretty unspectacular.
Along with taking a step back on offense this year, the Jags didn't really improve like I thought on defense.DE Dante Fowler Jr. is still trying to figure out the NFL game and is coming off a torn ACL, and LB Myles Jack hasn't really seen the field enough. CB Jalen Ramsey, however looks like a future lockdown corner and it will be a lot of fun seeing him progress every week.
The Jags really did have an opportunity to win the division this year with the Texans dealing with JJ Watt on IR and Brock Osweiler being horrible at football and the Colts being a bad football team other than Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton. Now the door is open for the up and coming Titans to run away with a AFC South title.
I will continue to follow these teams for the rest of the season, but I want to quickly pick 5 other teams and 1 reason why we should pay attention to them.
1. The Dallas Cowboys - the Dak n' Zeke show
2. The Atlanta Falcons - Juliooooo
3. The Tennessee Titans - Can Mariota lead them to the playoffs?
4. The Philadelphia Eagles - How will Wentz bounce back from this cold streak?
5. The Cleveland Browns -Hey Terrelle Pryor and Corey Coleman are fun, right?
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