The NFL season is at least half over for all 32 teams. That means realistic assessments can be made about where teams are at, how well they’re doing, and how much hope they have the rest of the way.
Many teams are having great seasons. Others are, without question, failing miserably. And some sit comfortably — or perhaps uncomfortably — in the middle. Who’s who? Here’s a grade for each of the 32 NFL teams so far for the 2019 season.
There’s nothing particularly good or bad about what the Cardinals have done thus far this season. Kyler Murray has shown real progress at quarterback, and the offense has a lot to be happy about. Ultimately, they have yet to win a game against a quality team, the offensive line has real issues, and they’re not going anywhere this season. Still, progress has been made. For a team like this, that is the point.
The Falcons’ defense is simply atrocious. The Matt Ryan-led offense has been competent enough most weeks, but it doesn’t matter much what they do when the defense is allowing upwards of 31 points per game. For a guy like head coach Dan Quinn, who built his name as a defensive coordinator, that’s unbearable and unacceptable. At the rate things are going, it could ultimately cost him his job.
Baltimore’s convincing win over the New England Patriots shows what they can be at their very best. They have a quality defense and, thanks in large part to Lamar Jackson, an offense that has proven incredibly tough to slow down. Just ask Bill Belichick, whose Patriots were torched by Jackson. The only slight blemish on the record is a home loss to the lowly Cleveland Browns, which makes less sense with each passing week, but overall the first half could not have gone much better for the Ravens.
It’s hard to know if the Bills are for real. Their best win is against the Tennessee Titans, but they have yet to win a game against a team with a winning record. That said, 6-2 is 6-2, and with games against the Browns, Dolphins, Broncos, and Jets left on the schedule, they have a good shot to get to at least 10 wins and make the playoffs. They’ve beaten who they need to beat and have one of the toughest pass defenses in the league. That’s a good combination.
The Panthers have picked up nice wins against the Texans, Jaguars, and Titans, and they’ve positioned themselves for a playoff chase as a result. Christian McCaffrey is amazing and singlehandedly ensures offensive success. Carolina has the look of a good but not great team, and the question remains whether Kyle Allen, who is the quarterback for the foreseeable future, has what it takes to lead them to the playoffs and beyond.
The Bears are wasting one of the better defenses in the sport because their offense is beyond awful. Matt Nagy’s scheme is not working, and with each passing week it becomes more and more clear that Mitchell Trubisky is not the franchise quarterback for this team. The Bears’ season isn’t necessarily over yet, and the defense is good enough to steal a win in any game. However, the Bears need points, and they’re 27th in points scored. That troubling trend doesn’t look like it will change anytime soon, either.
Being winless this late into the season is an automatic failing grade. The only bright side is the Bengals seem to have come to the realization that Andy Dalton is neither a short-term nor long-term answer at quarterback. Otherwise, there’s not a lot to say about them. The defense isn’t great, the offense is inept, and the team needs a top-to-bottom rebuild starting this offseason if they expect to contend for a playoff spot at any time in the near future.
Sometimes it is necessary to grade relative to expectations. The Browns were the offseason’s most-hyped team. They have demonstrated that none of it was deserved. Odell Beckham Jr. and Baker Mayfield have not forged a connection, and Mayfield has looked shaky at best. Freddie Kitchens’ playcalling has been bad and he’s looked out of his depth as a head coach. The Browns forgot to bother with putting together a good enough offensive line. All these issues have come home to roost, leaving the Browns’ ambitions essentially dead in the water already. This season is shaping up to be a total and complete failure for them.
It’s very tough to figure out what to make of the Cowboys, who are clearly talented but maddeningly inconsistent. They’ve beaten up on bad teams, but have fallen short against the Saints and Packers and suffered an increasingly embarrassing loss to the Jets on the road. Still, it would be a mistake to count this team out, as they’re finally getting healthy and have the pieces to make a playoff run. They just need to find some measure of consistency and improve against the best in the league.
At least they have a good defense. That’s about the sum of accomplishments for these Broncos, who found out the hard way that Joe Flacco is not the answer at quarterback. He may have played his last game with the team, but he isn’t helped by the fact that the scheme is way too conservative, as he quite adeptly pointed out. Ultimately, this is another team that might need an extensive teardown if John Elway has the guts to go through with it.
