Hard to believe we are halfway through the season. By now we know who most of the contenders are, but there’s a whole lot of ball left to play. Without further ado, the mid-season power rankings from Views From The 22:
1. Rams- This team is not unbeatable, but Aaron Donald is unblockable
2. Patriots- 12. I hate to say it so. My intentions are not to come off as a fan. The truth is I am a fan of the guy because I and the rest of the Views Crew have spent countless hours on this guy. He’s a cut above anybody else playing the position, and we got the film to prove it.
3. Saints- This team has it all, defensively they will be at their best when January comes around.
4. Panthers- Talk about a team that has it all. The most physical team in the NFL. Teams find out who they are when they play the Panthers.
5. Chiefs- Andy Reid has the talent and the QB to get him over the hump, the only caveat is it is dependent on the return of Eric Berry and Justin Houston
6. Packers- Their roster is very good in my opinion. Jimmy Graham and Davante Adams are top level talents at their position, the offensive line is good, the running backs are good, and so is their defense. I do not believe losing Ha-ha Clinton Dix is going to hurt them. The secondary is young and fast, the ceiling is the roof for this team.
7. Eagles- Perhaps the BYE week will be a good time for the Champs to realize we are much closer to February 2019 than February 2018. The Golden Tate trade will allow this team to open back up the playbook.
8. Ravens- The performance vs Carolina was more than disappointing for anybody who’s watched the Ravens all season. I still like this team very much, but their offense needs to pick up the pace. In my opinion, there’s a lot of explosive plays to be had using John Brown and Michael Crabtree. Further, I will continue to stress they need to increase the usage of Running Back Javorius “Buck” Allen in the passing game.
9. Vikings- This team is so disappointing. As much as it pains me to say this, that locker room may need a new voice.
10. Bengals- They need to get and stay healthy on both sides of the ball. Losing to Pittsburgh at the end of the game really cost this team. They can’t afford to make any more mental mistakes in crucial situations. There is no shortage of talent.
11. Chargers- Talk about a team which needs to get and stay healthy. The career of Phillip Rivers will be summarized into injuries on the roster and late game shortcomings. As for the 2018 season, this team feels different so far. Melvin Gordon should finish top 5 in MVP in my opinion.
12. Redskins- The defense has the potential to be very special. Daron Payne and Johnathan Allen, both first round picks from Alabama, are controlling the line of scrimmage and playing with excellent fundamentals. The addition of Ha-ha Clinton Dix to the secondary will allow them to be a bit more versatile and perhaps more suitable in pass coverage.
13. Texans- The Texans have a roster worthy of going to February; the problem is I don’t think they are in any way a threat to the juggernauts of the AFC.
14. Seahawks- The Seahawks are quickly becoming the dark horse team in the NFC. The run game is back and the defense is actually not nearly as bad as we thought they would be. Youth and speed in the secondary combined with an athletic front seven can lead to some good things in the NFL.
15. Steelers- The Steelers failed to make a trade at the deadline. They have a matchup vs the Ravens this Sunday, the outcome of the game will tell me everything I need to know about the 2018 Pittsburgh Steelers
16. Cowboys- I’m eager to see what will become of Amari Cooper in Dallas. Perhaps Dallas finally has this generation’s triplets.
17. Colts- Injuries combined with Andrew Luck still working his way back to NFL shape unfortunately lead to a slow start for the 2018 Colts; however I believe they will make some noise down in the second half of the teams. Ultimately the slow start will do this team in.
18. Bears- Mitch Trubisky is not a good quarterback, there’s no other way to say it. Chicago finally has a roster worthy of competing and if only if only they didn’t hit the panic button in the 2017 NFL draft war room.
19. Titans- I jokingly said in 2016 the Titans should stand pat and take Carson Wentz despite taking Mariota a year prior at 2nd overall, don’t sound so funny now.
20. Dolphins- Every week Brock Osweiler starts the Dolphins fall in the power rankings. The roster isn’t bad, the quarterback is atrocious.
21. Jaguars- Did someone say atrocious quarterback? We did a short study on Jacksonville in the early part of the 2017 season and we discussed who Blake Bortles has become as a QB. As long as everything with his feet and eyes are in rhythm with his throw he’ll be fine. When he’s forced to scan the field is when the mistakes happen.
22. Jets- There’s a lot of room for growth for the Jets.
23. Falcons- They will not overcome the injuries to Strong Safety Keanu Neal, Free Safety Ricardo Allen, and Linebacker Deion Jones. As stated earlier that is equivalent to the 2013 Seahawks defense losing Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas, and Bobby Wagner.
24. Lions- This team is in year 1 of hopefully what feels like a culture change. The running game is alive but not well just yet. Defensively they need a better front four.
25. Broncos- The coaching is not very good, the secondary has been disappointing, and their front seven as a whole has underperformed.
26. Browns- They finally did something right, and then they didn’t. I am not a Todd Haley fan by any stretch, but I believe for the sake of the rookie QB, the Browns should’ve let Haley finish the season.
27. Buccaneers- Talk about a mess. Throw the whole roster away, except Kwon Alexander….who by the way is on IR.
28. Bills- I have to give this team a round of applause for effort. Defensively, they are surprisingly good. Offensively, they are light years away from scaring any NFL defense.
29. Cardinals- Firing the offensive coordinator and releasing QB Sam Bradford was a start, Arizona needs to be aggressive next offseason.
30. 49ers- Here are another team I have to applaud for effort. Injuries have plagued this team, but they are fighting. They have been quite entertaining in all honesty. I can’t wait to see how they compete for the next few years.
31. Giants- Since 2015, they have been the blueprint for how not to run a football team.
32. Raiders– Clearly, the Raiders have given up on 2018, and so I have given up on them.