It's the halfway point of the NFL season, and so far it's been eight weeks filled with plenty of surprises and not too much great football.Among the surprises:The were supposed to be tanking, and yet they're 5-2 heading into a brutal stretch of Scott Oberg Jersey their schedule the next five weeks.The come out of their bye tied for first place in the NFC West.The lead the NFC North with their starting quarterback playing two games and taking over as the starter.The , a preseason Super Bowl pick by many, are now 3-5 heading into the second half of the season.The lead the NFC South and may actually have a defense. Yes, the Saints have a defense.Will all these things stay this way as we head to the second half? Probably not, but November is a month for separating from the pack and showing growth as a team. The teams that do that will be playoff teams. For now, the Rams, Saints, Vikings and Bills are top-10 teams in my Power Rankings. How many are still there come December? I say at least two, but you try and gue s which ones it will be. In this wacky season, we really have no idea about this league. Do we? Biggest Movers 13 Ravens 6 Dolphins RkTeams ChgRcrd 1 They have a quarterback and pa s rushers. That's usually a good combination. They are rolling. -- 14-3-0 2 The defense is getting better, even without some key players. That's a good sign moving forward. The trade of Jimmy Garoppplo was the smart thing to do. -- 8-9-0 3 They are peaking now and might be the most-balanced team in the league. Will it be that way come January? -- 9-8-0 4 They bounced back in style against the Broncos Monday night to take command of the division race. They face a tough one at Dallas this week. -- 14-3-0 5 They come off their bye with a long road trip to play the Giants. But they've had some long ones already, including at London two weeks Bryan Shaw Jersey ago. Are they ready to push for a division title? -- 5-12-0 6 The offense is explosive with the way Ru sell Wilson is playing. He is carrying this team right now. -- 9-8-0 7 Is the defense for real? It sure looks like it is for now. Dennis Allen is doing a heck of a job with that side of the ball. -- 7-10-0 8 The defense continues to carry this team, but Case Keenum is doing a nice job. Can it continue? -- 13-4-0 9 Sean McDermott is in the conversation for Coach of the Year. He's done a heck of a job, but the next five weeks will define this team. The schedule gets tougher. 1 13-3-0 10 Was that a season-saving victory against the Jets? They face a brutal division game this week on the third of three straight road games against Carolina. 1 7-10-0 11 They've won two straight, both on the road, to get back on track. But now comes word that star runner Ezekiel Elliott is likely gone for the next six games -- pending an appeal of his suspension. 1 12-5-0 12 They traded to get defensive tackle Marcell Dareus from the Bills during the bye. It's obvious they think they can make a playoff push. 3 9-8-0 13 The offense still isn't clicking, but they found a way to beat the Bucs behind the defense. They will need to score more this week against Atlanta. 4 7-10-0 14 That was an impre sive showing against Miami last Thursday night. The defense looked to be back. 13 10-7-0 15 That was really ugly at Baltimore. Coach Adam Gase was wise to call out his offense because it's offensive. 6 9-8-0 16 The bye came at a good time for Marcus Mariota and his ailing hamstring. They face a Pat Valaika Jersey tough Ravens defense this week. 2 7-10-0 17 Deshaun Watson has made this an offensive team. With the way the defense is playing, it needs to be. 4 3-13-1 18 The bye had to help to get them healthy, and give Brett Hundley more time as the starting quarterback. Can he get them to the playoffs? 2 8-9-0 19 At 3-4, with two straight lo ses, they face an almost must-win this week at Seattle. That won't be easy with a banged-up offensive line. 1 8-8-1 20 Is it time to make a change at quarterback? They just aren't good enough on offense with Trevor Siemian right now. 1 5-12-0 21 They've lost four Ian Desmond Jersey of their last five games and face a big division road game this week. 1 9-8-0 22 They continue to lose close games, which they did at New England. At some point, they have to change that. 1 10-7-0 23 They made it interesting against the struggling Colts, and now must go to Jacksonville and face that good defense. That won't be easy. 5 12-4-0 24 This season is going bad. They have major defensive i sues, which show up every week. That puts too much pre sure on the offense. 2 6-11-0 25 The defense shows up every week, which helps keep them in games. But they aren't good enough on offense yet. 2 3-14-0 26 They are a feisty team, but two straight lo ses have them at 3-5. They face a big division game against the Bills Thursday night. 2 7-10-0 27 They come out of the bye with Drew Stanton as their starting quarterback with Carson Palmer out. That will be a challenge for this team. 2 4-13-0 28 At 2-5, a season that seemed so promising in the preseason looks to be going off the rails. They have to win this week at New Orleans -- or else. 2 8-9-0 29 With news that Andrew Luck will get his shoulder looked at again, they might be without him all season long. It's going to be a long season. -- 4-12-1 30 They come out of their bye hoping to turn things around. But the reality is they are playing for next year. -- 9-7-1 31 They aren't getting much production from rookie pa ser C.J. Antonio Senzatela Jersey Beathard, which probably led to the trade for Jimmy Garoppolo. Now they have to pay him. -- 13-4-0 32 Is there any reason to think they won't be in this spot at the end of the season? They just aren't good enough to win right now. -- 7-10-0
