NFL First Half Grades

Here's the midseason report card for each of the 32 NFL teams. Took me a few days to compile, so enjoy!

A+: New England (9-0) - The Patriots are setting all kinds of records, and have blown out everyone except for the Colts. Even more impressive was the 10-point fourth quarter comeback in the champ's building. They have a great shot at going undefeated. They are well deserving of a rare A+, videotape or not.

A: Indianapolis (7-1) - Had the Colts held on against the Pats they would have gotten an A+. This team is better than last year's Super Bowl champion, as their defense has clearly carried over the momentum they had from last year's playoffs. They are the only team that could realistically deny the Pats their fourth title in seven years.

Dallas (7-1) - Like the Colts, their only loss is against New England, and the only other game that was really in doubt was their win in Buffalo on Monday Night. I wasn't a believer in Wade Phillips, but he's done a much better job than Bill Parcells ever did in Big D. Will cakewalk to NFC East crown should they beat the Giants in Jersey on Sunday.

Green Bay (7-1) - Only a poor second half against the Bears keeps the Packers from being 8-0, as they played that game not to lose. However, the Packers are still a total surprise this year. They have had some games they could have lost (Philadelphia, Washington), but their grade rose from a B+ to an A the last two weeks with gutty wins out West against Denver and Kansas City.

A-: Pittsburgh (6-2) - Ben Roethlisberger is back to his to 2005 form, and proving that 2006 was just an aberration due to a multitude of injuries. A couple puzzling losses to Arizona and Denver keep the Steelers from being graded higher, but to their defense they were road games. Right now, the Steelers are the best team after the big two, and have the best chance of any to spoil a Pats/Colts AFC Championship Game.

Tennessee (6-2) - The Titans define the term "ugly win" to a tee, as they barely survived games against Houston, Atlanta, and Oakland. However, their two losses are by a combined five points, so with a little luck they could be 8-0. Kerry Collins held down the fort while Vince Young was out, and with a relatively easy second half, this team could win 11-12 games. A great rebuilding job by Jeff Fisher, who may be the best coach in the NFL not named Belichick.

B+: Cleveland (5-3) - The Browns are the surprise of the first half. No one gave this team a chance to win more than 4,5 games this season. Derek Anderson has come in and done a terrific job at quarterback putting the Brady Quinn watch on hold. It will be interesting to see if this team can continue their good play and make a run at a wildcard berth. Unless they win in Pittsburgh next week, I don't see them winning the AFC North though.

NY Giants (6-2) - After the horrific 0-2 start, when they allowed 80 points, the Giants are rolling with six straight victories. The Giants have a tremendous defensive line headlined by Osi Umenyiora who is an absolute stud. Plexico Burress has become one of the top wide receivers in the league, and has solid numbers so far. Should they beat the Cowboys on Sunday, they will have an excellent chance at winning the NFC East and perhaps earning homefield in the NFC.

Detroit (6-2) - It's been a long time since Lions fans have had much to cheer about, but this team is starting to play complete football. After giving up a ton of points in their first five games, the Lions have only allowed 30 points in the last three games. Jon Kitna has done a nice job, and Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams could eventually be the top 1,2 WR combination in the league. I'm looking forward to seeing a meaningful game Lions game vs. Green Bay on Thanksgiving.

B: Jacksonville (5-3) - The injury of David Garrard has kept the Jaguars from having a better first half. They did not allow over 20 points in their first five games, but have hit a roadblock recently with games against the Colts and the suddenly hot Saints. If the Jags can survive their next four games (@ Ten, SD, Buf, @ Indy) they should return to the postseason after missing it last season.

B-: Washington (5-3) - The Redskins might the worst 5-3 team ever. However, I did not expect them to have a winning record, so they get a B-. Joe Gibbs clearly isn't the same coach he used to be, and resembles Herm Edwards when it comes to clock management. The Skins second half schedule is much tougher in the second half, so I don't see a playoff berth out of this team.

Tampa Bay (5-4) - Jeff Garcia has had a fantastic season so far, even though the Buccaneers have not scored a ton of points. With the exception of a potentially pivotal game at New Orleans, the Bucs might have the easiest schedule left in the NFL. They play Atlanta twice, Houston, Carolina, San Francisco, and Washington, so they have a legit shot to make the playoffs.

New Orleans (4-4) - After five weeks and an 0-4 record, the Saints would have received a failing grade, but they have saved their season by winning their last four. Drew Brees has turned it back on, and proven once again he is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Even though the Bucs have an easy schedule, the Saints do as well, so that Week 13 against Tampa could decide the NFC South and who makes the playoffs. This division won't get two teams.

C+: Kansas City (4-4) - Herm Edwards continues to surprise and win regular season games. After an 0-2 start the Chiefs have surprisingly won four of six games. The Chiefs offense has not impressed, but they have one of the best defenses in the league. I would be surprised to see them make the playoffs, but if they beat San Diego for a second time in Week 13, anything can happen.

Buffalo (4-4) - Like the Chiefs, the Bills are pretty much all about defense. Three weeks ago they looked like a team that would be picking in the top five of the 2008 NFL draft, but since then they have reeled off three straight wins and are in the playoff discussion. Trent Edwards gave the team a spark, and when he went down, J.P. Losman has stepped back in nicely. However, outside of two games with Miami, they do have a tough second half, and most likely won't continue their run.

Minnesota (3-5) - If this Vikings team had a quarterback, they might be the best team in the NFC. They almost have the complete package with a very good defense and of course the already superstar running back, Adrian Peterson. Peterson leads the league in rushing by far, and oh yeah, he already set the single-game rushing record last week. Did I mention he is only a rookie? Probably won't make much noice this year, but they could be an NFC elite soon.

C: Houston (4-5) - You would figure a 4-5 Texans team would be given a little higher grade than a C, but they started 2-0 and have gone 2-5 since. Plus, those two wins were against Miami and Oakland. This team desperately needs Andre Johnson back, but unfortunately are stuck in the cellar in the best division in football. The Texans are better, but won't come close to a playoff berth with a second half schedule that does not feature any breaks.

Carolina (4-4) - The Panthers sustained perhaps the most devastating season ending injury in the NFL in Jake Delhomme. They started 4-2, and with New Orleans's slow start it appeared the Panthers may be headed toward the NFC South championship. However, the injury to Delhomme has caught up with them. With Civil War veteran, Vinny Testaverde and former Texan, David Carr running the show, this team will slowly fade away from playoff discussion.

Seattle (4-4) - Fortunately for the Seahawks they play in the worst division in the NFL. It is possible a 7-9 record could win the NFC West. I thought they would be better than they have been, but clearly they are not the same team that went to the Super Bowl two years ago. Again, they do play in a weak division and have fair second half schedule, so they should be in the playoffs for a fifth straight year. Five straight playoff appearances for the Seahawks? Weird.

Arizona (3-5) - Like Carolina, Arizona has been ravaged by injuries to the QB position. The Cardinals really clicked when they rotated Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner, but now they are without Leinart and Warner is banged up. They had a real good shot to make some noice in the second half before the injuries, but I think they are too banged up. However, they could still surprise with a relatively easy second half schedule.

C-: Baltimore (4-4) - The blowout loss to Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football dropped the Ravens from a B- to a C-. They have been very disappointing this year, and have a very tough second half schedule. The offense is usually bad, but even the defense is getting old. This is Brian Billick's worst job as head coach of the Ravens, and is far from the offensive guru he was billed to be when he was the offensive coordinator in Minnesota.

Oakland (2-6) - The Raiders looked good early in the season, but reality has set in the last few weeks. With the schedule they have in the second half they are looking at another top 5 draft pick. Will be interesting to see when the Raiders elect to give LaMarcus Russell some playing time and finally bench the Josh McCown, Daunte Culpepper revolving door quarterback.

Chicago (3-5) - The Bears have been one of the most bi-polar teams in the NFL thus far. They gave the Packers their only loss of the season, and they also won in Philadelphia. However, intertwined between those wins were home losses to Detroit and Minnesota. The defending NFC Champions are going to have to do something special the rest of the way if they want to make it back to the playoffs.

Philadelphia (3-5) - I picked the Eagles to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, and my have I been wrong. While they have shown a few flashes of their oldselves against Detroit and Minnesota, they have not been able to get on track. They have awful divisional losses to the Cowboys, Giants, and Redskins which pretty much bury them from making a late run at a playoff bid.

D+: Denver (3-5) - Apparently Jay Cutler is behind schedule, and now he is hurt. The Broncos were widely picked to make the postseason this year, but he played some real awful football. All three of their wins have come via game-winning field goals, which includes the Shanahan timeout game vs. Oakland. Really this Broncos team shoould be 1-7 or 0-8. The funny thing is though they are only a game out of first place, and could catch Kansas City with a win this weekend.

San Diego (4-4) - Had I graded teams a week ago, the Chargers might have been given a C+/B-, but the stunning meltdown against Minnesota really kills their grade. The Chargers are the biggest disappointment of the season to this point, coming of a 14-2 season with perhaps the best talent in the NFL. Scary thing is though is that this team does not have to do much to win a very weak AFC West. That would put them one home playoff win away from going to New England or Indianapolis in the Divisional Round. Could they pull an upset? Probably not, but they have a better chance than anyone else.

D: Atlanta (2-6) - The season the Falcons are having was to be expected with all of the Michael Vick distraction this offseason. They will be certainly looking for a quarterback in the draft or in free agency. It is not impossible for this team to be good next year considering the division they play in, but probably not.

D-: San Francisco (2-6) - Another huge bust this season. The 49ers really should be an F, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for losing Alex Smith for a few weeks this season. They might have the worst offense in the league now, and who else is pumped up for this week's Monday Night matchup between them and the Seahawks! OH BABY!

F: Cincinnati (2-6) - The Bengals were my pick to win the AFC North, even though I knew the defense would be bad. I just did not think it would be this bad. The 51-45 loss to Cleveland in Week 2 really set a bad tone for this season. Plus, their offense has not been as explosive as feared it would be this season. Heads are going to roll in Cincy this offseason for their second consecutive disappointing season in a row. See ya Marvin!

NY Jets (1-8) - After a feel good 2006 season, the Jets have done a complete 180 this year. Their defense has been terrible all year long, and allows the worst of running backs to have 100+ yard days. All that is left this season is to evaluate Kellen Clemens and find out if he can be the quarterback of the future for the J-E-T-S, JETS! JETS! JETS! Next year will be a critical year for Eric Mangini and company to reclaim the praise they got last year.

Miami (0-8) - Don't tell the kids, Flipper has been put down. Man, did Nick Saban leave the Dolphins in really bad shape. It is hard to imagine this team being good anytime soon. They lost to the Jets for heaven's sake. The question the rest of this season is when rookie John Beck plays. You would think Cam Cameron would have to give him a shot to see if they need to draft a quarterback.

St. Louis (0-8) - How does a team with Marc Bulger, Torry Holt, and Steven Jackson only have 99 points through eight games? It is really unbelievable how bad this team has been. Expect the entire front office and coaching staff to be fired at the end of the year. Maybe they should rehire Mike Martz! This is the type of terrible Rams team that we remember when we were growing up in the 1990s.

Revised Super Bowl Pick: I'll keep New England as the winner, but they will beat the Giants.

Pat Morgan