NFL Midseason Report Card

Yes. I am well aware that midseason was technically two weeks ago. However, I was content to withhold assessment until after all 32 teams had completed their bye week, which I presumed would have been this past Sunday. As it happens, the NFL decided to create an erratic bye week schedule, creating a one week gap between the final four teams to get a bye and the rest of the league. With that said, I present my perspective on the standings of each individual team entering Week 11:

1. Green Bay Packers (9-0): Advice to Aaron Rodgers--Stay humble, stay focused and most importantly, stay healthy. The Packers look close to unstoppable at this point, but the defense is FAR from indestructible. The moment this team lets their guard down, should Rodgers succumb to injury (perhaps another concussion), losses will begin to seep through the gate. The Packers can't afford that with The 49ers nipping at their heels in the NFC Playoff race, not to mention the fierce competition in their own division. Grade: A+

2. San Francisco 49ers (8-1): A win over the Cardinals on Sunday plus a loss by the Seahawks can lock up the woeful West, but while San Fran is riding a seven-game winning streak, close contests with Cleveland and Washington and a less-than-productive victory over the Bengals raises questions about what they can accomplish in January. Grade: A-

3. Houston Texans (7-3): Unexpected to say the least. Houston is on its way to its first playoff appearance since they were the Oilers. The issue now becomes, with Matt Leinart now at the helm for an ailing Matt Schaub in addition to the absences of Mario Williams and Andre Johnson, how long can the Texans continue to defy the odds? A week off should give these guys time to recover. Their losses raise eyebrows, though. Oakland and Baltimore are both real possiblities in the postseason and should they somehow make it to February, Drew Brees and the Saints could also be waiting. Grade: B

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3): Being swept by The Ravens hurts badly, but for the moment, the Steelers are in control. The other loss came against a team that could very well jeopardize Homefield Advantage for the Steel City; Houston. The rest of the schedule looks manageable, but the return match with Cincinnati and an upcoming contest with San Francisco are cause for concern. In a week AFC West, the unpredictable Chiefs could also add wrinkles to the schedule. Grade: B

5. New Orleans Saints (7-3): The Saints escaped on Sunday. Period. Drew Brees and the Saints can't afford to play this sloppily coming off their bye week with games against the Giants, Lions, Titans (who are still very much alive in the AFC South) and a rematch with the Falcons on the horizon. Grade: B

6. New England Patriots (6-3): Despite the fact that they haven't returned to the Super Bowl since the year of 18-1, Tom Brady and company refuse to go away. The winning percentage of their remaining opponents suggests that the Pats should be a shoe-in for the postseason, but Belichick should remain on high alert. This is the time of year that some of the craziest, most unlikely phenomena occur. All three losses came against potential postseason adversaries; two lead their division. The other, Buffalo, isn't far out of the race. Grade: B-

7. Chicago Bears (6-3): For those of us who thought the NFC North had narrowed to a two-team race (myself included), apparently the Bears didn't get the memo. Even I sat up and took notice when Jay Cutler was benched Sunday...with the Bears ahead. Grade: B-

8. Baltimore Ravens (6-3): Joe Flacco's crew currently owns the #5 spot in the AFC bracket, but losses to the likes of Tennessee, Seattle and Jacksonville as well as a last minute save against Arizona are causes for great concern. Four of the Ravens' next seven games are against teams that could conceivably win their respective divisions. Can they get the job done? Grade: B-

9. New York Giants (6-3): They lead their division, but what's their identity? Who can we expect in the event that they make it to the postseason? Should we expect the team that looked like world beaters when they knocked off the Patriots at Foxboro? Or might we look for the team that lost their games by a two-score margin to the Redskins and Seahawks and struggled to top the Cardinals and Dolphins in the last minute? Easily the worst schedule down the stretch, games against the Jets, Saints, Packers, two against the Cowboys and even next Sunday against the Eagles won't allow for sloppy play. Grade: B-

10. Cincinnati Bengals (6-3): The Bengals have played admirably this season. They've been in every game that they've played. This is especially remarkable considering the rookie combination of Andy Dalton and A.J. Green. The next three games will be critical divisional contests with a shot at redemption versus the Steelers in Week 13. Cincy's playoffs hope hinge almost exclusively on how they perform in their doubleheader with Baltimore, the rematch with Pittsburgh and a later contest with Houston that could really test their mettle. Grade: B-

11. Detroit Lions (6-3): The Lions are finally starting to click after years of futility. Problem is that the three games they've lost have a real chance of cutting Detroit's playoff run short. Grade: B-

12. Oakland Raiders (5-4): Good News: The Raiders are part of one of the weaker divisions in the league, so the likelihood of winning the West is strong. Bad News: All three of their challengers are only a game behind and two of them own a tiebreaker over Silver and Black. Grade: C+

13. Dallas Cowboys (5-4): A vicious schedule ahead for the Giants really plays to the Cowboys' advantage. They're knocking on the door to the playoffs, but Romo's crippling inconsistency could turn an otherwise manageable docket into the furthest thing from a cakewalk. Grade: C+

14. Tennessee Titans (5-4): Don't sleep on Matt Hasselbeck just yet. It's just the Titans style to chase Houston all the way to Week 17, leaving the division up in the air until 2012. The next three weeks will tell alot about how the AFC South trends. Grade: C+

15. Atlanta Falcons (5-4): Why Mike Smith, Why? With the Saints going into their bye week, Atlanta had an opportunity to take the division lead away. If Atlanta doesn't come away with the NFC South, the coach will be answering for that one until next August. Half of their loss column came against division rivals. The other two are fighting for the NFC North. It's not time to hit the panic button yet, but a win against another playoff contender (aside from the Lions) won't hurt. Grade: C+

16. New York Jets (5-4): Rex Ryan's goal at this point is to win out and hope that the Patriots finish 11-5. That's asking alot. The season sweep could prove really costly down the stretch, but the remaining schedule looks favorable for a wild card spot. The road to recovery begins Thursday night against the Broncos. Grade: C+

17. Buffalo Bills (5-4): If the Bills can get back on the ball and put themselves into neck-and-neck position with the Patriots again, they own the tiebreaker going into Week 17. But teams like San Diego and the Jets could REALLY screw things up. Grade: C+

18. Denver Broncos (4-5): It's a good thing that the Dolphins, Chiefs and Raiders all played so poorly. Otherwise, the Broncos would be 1-8, Tim Tebow would be an afterthought (as he should be) and the AFC West would be a three-team discussion. That being said, Tebow is still a pathetic excuse for a quarterback. Grade: C-

19. San Diego Chargers (4-5): What happened? These guys were 4-1 a month ago. If Phillip Rivers can't get this derailed train back on track, it could be Norv Turner's final season in SD (one could only hope) Chicago won't be easy. Grade: C-

20. Kansas City Chiefs (4-5): The Chiefs are playing much better than they should be. An 0-3 start that featured an 89-10 differential through the first two weeks and injuries to Jamal Charles and now Matt Cassel, the Chiefs bounced back with a four game winning streak and even briefly shared the division lead...but Tyler Palko might be the final nail in KC's coffin for the season. Grade: C-

21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5): Yet another team that took the division lead before the wheels fell off. Somewhere between being obliterated by San Francisco and a now three-game hangover that started with Chicago in London, the Bucs are on the bubble. You can't expect to get anywhere when you're only scoring 17 points per game. Grade: C-

22. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-6): If nothing else, Blaine Gabbert has something to build off of starting next season. Grade: D+

23. Seattle Seahawks (3-6): Surprising victories over Baltimore and the Giants aren't enough when you're in the bottom ten of every offensive category. Grade: D+

24. Arizona Cardinals (3-6): The Cards' injury report reads like a MASH unit. Arizona is barely breathing, but certainly must take some degree of satisfaction in knocking off the "Dream Team" last Sunday. Grade: D+

25. Cleveland Browns (3-6): They're still in the playoff race. Technically. If the Jaguars don't change that this week, the Bengals will next week. Grade: D+

26. Philadelphia Eagles (3-6): Wow. Where to start? Such high hopes met with equal disappointment. They can still turn it around and salvage their season, but they have left themselves ZERO room for error. Grade: D+

27. Washington Redskins (3-6): Mike Shanahan might want to contemplate a new team or retirement. Dana Snyder might want to contemplate resignation. The Redskins might want to contemplate the fact that they haven't made the postseason since 2007. Fail to the Redskins indeed. Grade: D+

28. Miami Dolphins (2-7): Two consecutive wins still isn't enough to overshadow the glaring 0-7 start. Particularly when neither team that they defeated is playing well enough to beat the Colts at this point. Grade: D-

29. St. Louis Rams (2-7): The two wins mean that Sam Bradford isn't on the hot seat yet, since Andrew Luck will doubtless go to the hapless Colts as an insurance policy for a deteriorating Peyton Manning. Grade: D-

30. Carolina Panthers (2-7): Welcome to the NFL, Cam Newton. Passing yards only count for so much when you're one of five teams mathematically eliminated from playoff contention before Thanksgiving. Grade: D-

31. Minnesota Vikings (2-7): It pains me to see how sharply Donovan McNabb has declined since the Eagles let him go. Christian Ponder? Get ready, kid. It's going to be rough sledding for a few seasons. Grade: D-

32. Indianapolis Colts (0-10): What do you say to a team that has gone 0-10 before they even got a break to catch their breath? Hang in there, guys...Andrew Luck is a mere six weeks away... Grade: F

Strap in NFL fans, December's going to be a wild spiral...