NFL Continues to Surprise Fans Half-Way Through the Season

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Author: Josh Biers

Upon entering week eight of the NFL season, we are beginning to see which teams are the most dominant and which teams are falling behind.

While the New Orleans Saints and the San Fransisco 49ers are playing below their skill level, the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings are showing the most drive to win in this first half of the season.

One of the more unexpected developments this season is the current standing of the New York Jets. Many critics thought the Jets wouldn’t live up to the high expectations set out for them, especially after their mediocre season last year.

However, the Jets, who lost their first game, are currently riding a five-game winning streak. Their success is due to the outstanding play of former Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson and second-year quarterback Mark Sanchez.

Tomlinson was traded to the Jets following two recent disappointing years with the Chargers. Despite all the skeptics and critics that Tomlinson has faced, he is currently averaging 5.3 yards a carry, tying his career best, and he has five rushing touchdowns so far this season. These statistics put him in contention to win this year’s league MVP.

While it is still too early in the season to say the Jets will continue this successful streak, the odds of winning seem to be in the Jets’ favor.

The New Orleans Saints, last year’s Superbowl champions, were expected to carry their good form over to this season.

However, because of injuries to key players Pierre Colston and Reggie Bush, they currently hold a 4-3 record.

With losses to the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals – two teams that shouldn’t have beat the defending champions – the chance of retaining their winning title is fairly low.

With the loss of Bush and Colston, the Saints, who led the league in offense last year with 31.9 points a game, currently reside in 12th place with 21.7 points per game.

With one of the best quarterbacks in the league, Drew Brees, and an offense that can explode on an opponent at any time, even without the likes of Bush and Colston, the Saints have the ability to finish the season as one of the league’s top teams.

While the current play of the Saints is sub-par, it is nothing compared to the disappointment of the San Francisco 49ers. The team, which many experts picked to be the top squad in the NFC West after undefeated preseason play, is currently in last place with a pathetic 1-6 record.

With a capable quarterback in Alex Smith, who leads the NFL in percentage of passes completed in the red zone, and All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis, the 49ers’ current standing is both shocking and disappointing.

The 49ers will have to make serious changes if they want any chance at a winning record and a shot at the Superbowl, due to Mike Singletary’s poor coaching and the lack of communication on the defensive line.

Recently, the big talk of the league is wide receiver Randy Moss’ unexpected return from the New England Patriots back to the team that first drafted him, the Minnesota Vikings.

The move was made in hopes that Moss would lead the team to more victories, but they currently hold an unimpressive 2-4 record.

The Vikings are looking for redemption after last year’s near miss in the NFC Championship game, yet they have failed to find an offensive niche so far this season.

With the addition of Moss, the Vikings are hopeful that he will complement quarterback Brett Favre’s deep passing and add depth to their wide receiver core, which has sustained injuries all season.

The Vikings, currently plagued by Favre’s recent off-field scandal along with a disappointing start to the season, are hoping to shake off all distractions and live up to the expectations that fans have held.

With star running back Adrian Peterson and the addition of Moss, the notion that the Vikings can recover is not a far-fetched one.

It is unclear how this season will turn out, with the NFL notorious for frequent surprises. In a sport where anything can happen, no hope should be lost for any team.

While the Jets may look in control of the league right now, skilled teams such as the Saints and Vikings could easily bounce back from their disappointing starts and finish strong.

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