New England Patriots (8-1) — A
The Patriots have looked great all year and their defense has turned teams over left and right. However, their 17-point loss to the Ravens has renewed criticisms of a soft schedule and a lack of quality opposition boosting their record. The Ravens are a unique opponent, so one loss doesn’t mean we need to re-evaluate everything we thought about New England. They’re still elite, and they’re probably still the favorite to come out of the AFC and win another title. Some upcoming tough games — including against the Eagles, Cowboys, Texans, and Chiefs — should be telling.
New Orleans Saints (7-1) — A
The Saints survived an injury to Drew Brees with some outstanding play from Teddy Bridgewater, who did not lose a start. Now Brees is back, and it’s hard to envision what could slow this team down. Their remaining schedule is forgiving and, with Brees back, the offense should be elite. The defense, meanwhile, is holding opponents below 20 points per game. A team with few weaknesses, the Saints could easily be called the NFC favorite at this point, especially when you consider what they were able to do without their starting quarterback.
New York Giants (2-7) — D+
The Giants at least had the good sense to bench Eli Manning and see what they had in Daniel Jones, which is probably the best thing that’s happened to them all season. The early returns have been mixed, but Jones has flashed potential, and they’ve been been competitive in many of their losses. The big issue is the defense, which is awful and ensures that Jones and Saquon Barkley have to put in ridiculous efforts to outscore opponents. There’s talent here, but it’s largely limited to the offense, and there is a lot of work to be done.
New York Jets (1-7) — F
The existence of the Cleveland Browns is really the only thing preventing the Jets from claiming the title of the NFL’s biggest disaster in 2019. Sam Darnold missed time with mono and has struggled since his return. Adam Gase looks to be completely in over his head as coach and there’s chatter that he’s in danger of losing his players. Injuries haven’t helped. There’s very little reason for optimism about both the present and future of this team right now. They are, simply, a disaster.
Oakland Raiders (4-4) — C
A .500 record gets an average grade for the Raiders. They can be fun to watch on offense, led by Derek Carr and Josh Jacobs. They’re the opposite on defense, where they’re often torched by opposing quarterbacks. Moreover, the organization still seems to be figuring out what direction they want to go in. Despite being 4-4, they’re not really a legitimate playoff contender — they’re essentially the AFC version of the Lions in that their defense simply isn’t up to the task.
Philadelphia Eagles (5-4) — B-
The Eagles have a pair of bad losses to Atlanta and Detroit, and a couple good wins against the Packers and Bills. That essentially sums them up — it feels like they can beat anyone on any given day, but they can lose to anyone, too. The defense looks quite vulnerable at times, and the passing offense has never really hit its potential. They appear good enough to challenge for a back-end playoff spot, but they’re not quite a Super Bowl contender.
Pittsburgh Steelers (4-4) — B-
Given the circumstances, the Steelers are doing an impressive job of dealing with adversity. They started off 1-4 but have won three in a row on the strength of a high-quality defense, which is keeping them in a lot of games. Mason Rudolph, in for the injured Ben Roethlisberger, looks like a capable game manager. Their remaining schedule is a mixed bag, but the Steelers at least have the goods on defense to give good teams problems, which could get them into the playoff race. That poor start, however, could doom them.
San Francisco 49ers (8-0) — A+
The last undefeated team looks like the NFC’s best, largely on the strength of a defense that absolutely stuffs every offense it sees. Only the Steelers and Cardinals — a surprising pair — have cracked 20 points against the Niners in 2019, with opponents managing just 12.8 points per game against the San Francisco defense. They’ve done this despite some injuries on offense that they’re putting behind them now, suggesting there’s room to grow on that side of the ball. That’s a scary thought — the 49ers don’t need an elite offense to win with a defense like this. There’s a ton to like about this team.
Seattle Seahawks (7-2) — A
Russell Wilson is having an MVP-caliber season and the Seahawks are actually using their passing attack to beat most of their foes. Their losses have come against quality teams in the Saints and Ravens, so they beat everyone they should beat. The defense isn’t quite up to the standard the Seahawks have set this decade, which is the concern for them going forward. It’s worth noting that they have yet to face the undefeated 49ers, whom they expect to challenge for the division crown, and that Week 10 matchup should be an excellent barometer.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-6) — D
The Bucs are just really bad defensively. That’s the long and short of it. Their 252 points allowed is third worst in the league, and they’ve shown no real ability to stop anyone consistently all season. The offense can actually play, but you never know when Jameis Winston might be responsible for a backbreaking turnover, and his protection is awful as well. This means the Buccaneers play entertaining, high-scoring games, but don’t win many of them. Fun, but not functional, essentially — and Winston hasn’t answered all the questions about whether he’s good enough to be a winning quarterback for this team.
Tennessee Titans (4-5) — C
The good news? The Titans allow just 18.3 points per game. Bad news? They only score 18.7. Malcolm Butler’s season-ending injury is a blow for the defense, too, meaning the Titans may have already played their best football of the season. Marcus Mariota has been benched for Ryan Tannehill, who probably isn’t the answer. The Titans are a solid defensive team without a quarterback — in other words, decidedly average and unlikely to change much in the second half.
Washington Redskins (1-8) — F
As usual, the Redskins have fallen into their role as the NFL’s resident soap opera. They became the first team to fire their coach in 2019 when Jay Gruden was booted in early October. There has been the constant leaking of questions about Dwayne Haskins’ ability to learn a playbook. There has been the still-ongoing Trent Williams affair. And there has been unwatchable football on the field, with Washington having essentially reverted to a bland, ineffective run-first team since Gruden’s firing. The problems here, as usual, start at executive level and aren’t getting better. They’re a mess, and they look set to stay a mess for the foreseeable future.
