Established in 1911 at St. Lawrence University
Established in 1911 at St. Lawrence University

NFL Approaches Halfway Point

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Being almost halfway done with the NFL season, we now have pretty good ideas about what each team represent and their chances of going to the Super Bowl based off what we’ve seen. I’m going to play a game called, Who’s real? Who Isn’t? In this game I’m going to give cases for which teams can contend for the title, who’s close, and which teams just can’t.

Teams that are for real: The New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers and the Houston Texans.

The Patriots (6-0) have an extraordinary defense this year ranking first in total yards allowed, points allowed, takeaways, and second in sacks. With this defense and Tom Brady, despite the amounts of injuries on offense, this is the favorite to win the AFC championship. The other 6-0 team, the 49ers, are also for real this year stacking up great stats on both offense and defense. They are second in points allowed, second in total yards allowed on defense, meanwhile they are third in points scored and forth in total yards on offense. Another defensive team that’s for real are the Carolina Panthers (4-2) ranking first in sacks, and are tied for second in takeaways. This is a team that will get after the quarterback and force mistakes. Undrafted rookie Kyle Allen has led this team to a 4-0 start, leading to speculation that Cam Newton will not get his job back. However, the Panthers will have to contend within their division. The revenge seeking Saints (5-1) after last year’s controversy are attempting to storm back into the NFC championship. Even without Drew Brees since Week 2, they haven’t lost a game. Head coach Sean Peyton is showing the NFL why he’s considered one of the best coaches in the league. The Green Bay Packers (5-1) are also for real, even after they were gifted a win Monday night against the Lions. Aaron Rodgers is still a great quarterback, and now that the Packers have a competent defense they can go deep into the playoffs, though I still have my doubts. The only other team that I believe is for real in the AFC are the Houston Texans (4-2) whose losses came at the hands of the Panthers (by 6 points) and Saints (by 2 points).

Deshaun Watson finally has some protection on the offensive line after the team traded for left tackle Laremy Tunsil making him one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the league. This comes after beating the Kansas City Chiefs high powered offense.

Teams that are close: Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, and the Minnesota Vikings.

The Chiefs (4-2) were left off my contenders list for a simple reason, and that reason is their defense is among the worst in the league. After loosing two straight games Patrick Mahomes is going to have to win in spite of a defense that is worse than it was last year. While the Bills (3-2) have one of the better defenses in the league, they have one of the worst offenses scoring just an average 18 points a game. The Ravens are a team that is tough to judge, because their wins have come against some of the worst teams in the league, and their losses to the Browns and Chiefs. The Vikings are good team with a great defense and a big problem. When Kirk Cousins plays good defenses, he loses, simple as that. I predict them to be a one and done wild card playoff team.

Teams that are posers: The Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams.

The Eagles (3-3) are battered with injuries again, but their defense is atrocious. They are one of the worst passing defenses in the league and will not get far. The Rams seem to be a team suffering from a super bowl hangover as they are now (3-3). Their offense isn’t the same. Jared Goff  is not worth the 134 million dollar contract he got, Todd Gurley has been hurt since last year and their defense is so bad they’ve traded away their starting cornerback Marcus Peters Tuesday night. The Cowbays beat the three worst teams in the league and have lost three straight since.

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