With the NFL season going into Week 10, there have been plenty of team surprises and disappointments, along with early MVP and Rookie of the Year candidates. From starting to the defending champ Kansas City Chiefs, their hopes and thoughts, and some surprising teams such as the Detroit Lions or the Jacksonville Jaguars.
From starting Week 1 opening week, the Kansas City Chiefs played against the Detroit Lions. The game was important for the Lions to finish last season hot and see if they could continue that streak. The Lions’ offense picked up where they left off and won a nail-biter game against the Chiefs, winning 21-20. Detroit has stayed hot all season, having a midseason record of 6-2, making one of these teams the biggest surprise.
Another big surprise team is the Baltimore Ravens. They are currently one of the most dominant teams in the NFL, with a point differential of +115, which is 35 points ahead of every other team. The Ravens are beating teams by three touchdowns a game, while the defense has only allowed nine touchdowns all season.
The Ravens have a 7-2 record. Baltimore is back to their 2019 season self as Jackson is recording stats from a video game. Jackson is on pace to shatter those numbers. That’s only some of the Ravens have done with adding Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., which gives Jackson more targets to throw to besides tight end Mark Andrews.
Rookie Zay Flowers from Boston College is a big piece of this offense and has a dominant offense. Turning the sides of the ball, the Ravens defense is just as dominant, only allowing 13 points a game and ranked as one of the best defenses in the league, which makes a big case for Super Bowl Hopes of beating every contender they faced such as the Lions and Seahawks this team has a big chance to win the Super Bowl.
One big disappointing team so far would be the Denver Broncos, sitting at a 3-5 record. Denver has many problems defensively, allowing the most points by any team. So far, Denver has allowed 28 points per game. Last year, Denver’s defense was one of the best, but the problem was that no points were scored offensively. Now Denver, with the help from new head coach Sean Peyton, the ships have turned offensively and are quietly one of the best when they are consistent.
But defensively, it just isn’t there. From losing 70-20 against the Miami Dolphins, the defense cannot produce, which is a huge problem having a 3-5 record. Still, there is a glimpse of hope with the defense improving. Denver has won 2 games in a row, one of those teams being the Kansas City Chiefs, causing five turnovers and beating the Chiefs 24-9, which says there is hope.
Denver is coming off a bye week where they will face the Buffalo Bills on Monday night. The game would come down to a last-second field goal. Denver’s defense would force four turnovers and a touchdown catch by Courtland Sutton, solidifying Denver’s win 24-22. With that win, Denver is back in the playoff race, only one game behind a wild card spot after a horrible first start of the season, putting their season record at 4-5.
- Another disappointing team is the Buffalo Bills from the last couple of seasons. Buffalo always looks like the team to win it. Still, this year has been a huge disappointment from week one, losing to Aaron Rodgers’ and the Jets team, with Rodgers tearing his Achilles in the first play of that game. Despite the injury, the Jets won in overtime 22-16. Buffalo is one of the biggest disappointments this season, mainly with Josh Allen and the offense. Allen has thrown the ball for about 2,500 yards. He has thrown 9 Interceptions this season. This would be one every game, not just that Allen has also Fumbled three times already this season. Buffalo has had a terrible time offensively at the quarterback position. Another problem with Buffalo is they can only run the ball with a solid running back. James Cook, the starter, has only 406 rushing yards this season, and the backup Latavius Murray only has 100 rushing yards. The problem is that no Run game on Buffalo means it’s a passing team with targets like Gabe Davis and Stefon Diggs. Defenses know the scheme on how to stop Buffalo’s offense, but the next question is can they stop Stefon Diggs? Diggs has 70 receptions and 834 yards, ranking third as a league leader. Diggs has had a great season, but the record could be better at 5-5.
Some Potential Candidates for the Rookie of the Year Awards are two big names the favorites Quarterback C.J. Stroud for the Houston Texans And Wide Receiver Puka Nacua for the Los Angeles Rams. Starting with C.J, Stroud’s numbers have been undoubtedly the best by any rookie quarterback. So far, Stroud has thrown the ball for 2,270 yards and thrown for 14 touchdowns in one game. Throwing five touchdowns in a game, the most by any rookie in NFL history, and only throwing one interception. So far, Stroud is in great shape to win Rookie of the Year.
Next up, moving on to wide receiver Puka Nacua. In his first two career games, Nacua was the fastest, making 25 catches in two games and making NFL history. Nacua has 827 receiving yards, leading the league as number four with 64 catches. Nacua is looking to take on a more significant role with the Rams offense with other Star receiver Cooper Kupp the Rams hope to become a one-two punch with the addition of Puka Nacua as a solid favorite to win rookie of the year.
Another interesting story in the NFL during the Midseason. Can the Las Vegas Raiders be an outstanding team? After firing head coach Josh McDaniels, Las Vegas has gone 2-0 by interim Coach Antonio Pierce. Many players wanted to leave during their time with McDaniels. Still, after the firing, Vegas has enjoyed playing football and is ready to return to the division race. That is about everything that has happened during this Midseason. An excellent upcoming game is the Super Bowl rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs versus the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, which could be a potential rematch again in the Super Bowl.
