Brandon’s World: 2021 NFL Midseason Report Card
The 2021 NFL season has reached its midpoint, which means it’s time to give each team its midseason report card for the season!
If you would like to see how the 2020 NFL Midseason Report Card, and how my analysis stood up to how the season finished, click here.
Let’s get right to it with the Super Bowl Contenders!
Super Bowl contenders:
These are teams who have a chance to win Super Bowl LVI on February 13, 2021, from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
They are the Buccaneers, Cardinals, Rams, Packers, Cowboys, Bills, Ravens, Chiefs and Browns.
Until somebody knocks off the defending Super Bowl champs, they’ll always be right in the thick of it. In year two in Tampa. Tom Brady is playing at an MVP level, and even though their defense isn’t as good as last year, they’re still above average situationally.
The Cardinals and Rams sit right behind Tampa Bay as the favorites in the NFC. The Cardinals only have one loss and beat the Niners without top quarterback Kyler Murray or star wide receiver Deandre Hopkins. The Rams will look to do what the Bucs did last season and host a Super Bowl in their own building. To do so, they’ll have to continue to rely on their new signal caller Mathew Stafford, who has had the best season of his career in his first year in LA, not to mention a new shiny toy to go alongside Aaron Donald on their defensive line in Von Miller.
Minus the meltdown against the Saints in Week 1 in Jacksonville and the Jordan Love game Week 9 against Kansas City, the Packers have looked like the best team in football at points. They struggle in the first half of games, and their defense is currently missing Jaire Alexander and Za’Darius Smith, but they are always a Lombardi Trophy contender with №12 under center. As long as they have no more COVID-19 protocol hiccups, they’ll be right there at the end in January for the №1 seed in the NFC.
The Cowboys and Bills had bad losses to the Jaguars and Broncos respectively in Week 9, but both teams have stud quarterbacks in Dak Prescott and Josh Allen, stud offenses and ball-hawking defenses.
The Ravens have won 78% of their regular season games with Lamar Jackson as the starting signal caller. He’s simply a winner, and the way their offense is built (running the football and heavy play action), it’s a recipe for success. Even though the AFC North is a tough division, arguably the toughest in football, Baltimore looks to be the team to beat in that division.
Even though the Chiefs are 5–4 as of Week 9, their defense is ranked №26 in the league, and Patrick Mahomes has thrown more interceptions this season than the last two seasons combined, the Chiefs are the Chiefs, and you cannot count them out. Their offense is too explosive not to be a threat to anybody in the NFL on any given gameday.
The same thing can be said about the Browns. After a 3–1 start, the Browns lost three out of their last four to finish their first eight games of the season 4–4. After the loss to the Steelers in Week 8, the offense looked broken, and Baker Mayfield’s injured shoulder looked like it was going to hamper the Browns for the rest of the 2021 campaign, but with Odell Beckham Jr. out of Cleveland, Mayfield and the offense looked like their post Week 7 2020 selfs in Week 9 against the Bengals. If the offense looks the way it did against Cincinnati, and the defense starts becoming more consistent, the Browns can make their first Super Bowl in team history in February. They have the talent. Now, it’s about execution.
Playoff contenders:
These are teams who have a chance to make the playoffs this season, but they have too many flaws to win the Lombardi Trophy.
They are the Titans, Chargers, Raiders, Bengals, Patriots, Seahawks and Eagles.
The Titans would be in the Super Bowl tier if it wasn’t for the injury to Derrick Henry. Even with two great wide outs in A.J. Brown and Julio Jones, this team goes as far as their run game goes, and Adrian Peterson and Jeremy McNichols will not come close to equally the production Henry gives. Not to mention their pass rush is secondary, but they have a huge lead on the Colts in the AFC South, so a playoff berth is in reach.
The Chargers may have been the surprise of the league during the first month of the season. Justin Herbert was playing at an MVP level, and the defense — led by Joey Bosa — was getting after the QB. However, in the second quarter of the season, they had bad losses to Baltimore and New England, and they can’t stop the run. They’re ranked last in the league against the run. That’s not a Super Bowl team.
The Raiders have gone through a tumultuous season. The Jon Gruden controversy took their focus away from the Bears, and the Henry Ruggs tragedy probably cost them against the Giants. Otherwise, they could be 7–1 instead of 5–3. Derek Carr is playing like the quarterback he’s capable of, Darren Waller is on another level at tight end, and Maxx Crosby is getting after the QB. Their secondary is too weak to be a Super Bowl team, but if this team makes the playoffs, Rich Bisaccia should win the coach of the year with all the BS this team has gone through in 2021.
The Bengals looked legit after beating up on the Steelers and Ravens on the road. Then, they lost to the Jets in New York, who started Mike White, and the Browns at home. They’re a year ahead of schedule, and Joe Burrow and his weapons can move the ball. Their defense though is what will make or break a playoff chance for these guys. Trey Hendrickson can’t be the only one making an impact on the defensive line.
After a 1–4 start, the Patriots have won four in a row and look to once again be a playoff threat in the AFC. Rookie quarterback Mac Jones only has 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season, but he’s managed the game, and the vaunted New England defense has returned to form. They only have one legitimate win on their schedule in the Chargers, but they’re №4 in the league in points allowed, and that will win ball games. The lack of production at the wide receiver position will limit what this team could do in the playoffs, but a playoff berth is very well in the realm of possibilities.
The Seahawks may have gone 1–2 without Russell Wilson under center, but the 3–5 Hawks still have a shot at the postseason now that Wilson is back, and the Saints, Panthers, Falcons, Vikings and Bears seem to have issues at either the QB position or various holes throughout the roster. Left on Seattle’s schedule is trips to Green Bay, Washington, Houston, Arizona and LA for the Rams. Their home schedule concludes with battles with Arizona, San Francisco, Detroit and Chicago. If they can take care of their home games and win two out of the five remaining road games, they would have a 9–8 record, which should be good enough to reach the postseason. A possible addition of Odell Beckham Jr. could make the offense even more explosive with the likes of D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett there as well.
Then, there’s the birds, who have by far the easiest remaining schedule in the league. They travel to Denver, New York for the Giants and Jets and Washington. They host the Saints, as well as all three of their divisional foes. Those opponents combined have a 23–38 record at the start of Week 10. Sitting at 3–6, if Jalen Hurts and the offense can continue to grow, and the birds can finish 6–2 down the stretch, a 9–8 record should get the team into the postseason.
Close to Playoffs, but Something is Missing:
These are teams that are good teams, but they have one too many flaws to make the postseason.
They are the Colts and Steelers.
The Colts had the toughest schedule to begin the season. In their first seven games, they took on the Seahawks, Rams, Titans, Dolphins, Ravens, Texans and the Niners. Surviving that stretch at 3–4 was a victory but losing to the Titans Week 8 all but ended their hope for the AFC South Title. They’re currently three games back of Tennessee, but it’s really four since the Titans own the head-to-head tiebreaker. With all of the competition in the AFC between the Patriots and every team in the AFC West and North for three wild card spots, I just don’t see it for the Colts this season. Carson Wentz has played well, Jonathan Taylor is a beast, Michael Pittman has turned into a stud wide out, but their defense isn’t as good as last year. In 2020, they were the №10 defense in pro ball. This year, they are currently №20.
The Steelers are boring offensively. Rookie running back Najee Harris cannot be the whole offense. Their defense is great, but you can’t win consistently in the NFL with just defense. They’ll get to eight or nine wins, but the playoffs are unlikely this year for the team that has the worst quarterback in the AFC North.
Something Happened to This Team Injury Wise:
These are teams who were expected to compete for the postseason in 2021 but were decimated by injuries.
They are the Niners and Saints.
The Niners lost Jimmy Garappolo, George Kittle and many defensive stars whereas the Saints lost Jamesis Winston and Michael Thomas for the season and now are starting Trevor Siemian, and they have no weapons offensively besides Alvin Kamara.
Worse Than I Thought:
These are teams who I thought could be potential playoff contenders in 2021, and they failed to meet expectations, so their season is over for all intensive purposes.
They are the Falcons, Bears, Vikings, Dolphins and Washington
Atlanta has a good offense led by Matt Ryan, rookie Kyle Pitts and Calvin Ridley when he comes back from his mental health break, but their defense leaves a lot to be desired.
When it comes to the NFC North teams, the Bears offense is broken, and the organization needs a complete reset if Justin Fields is going to have a successful stint in Chicago. The Vikings find ways to lose games somehow every year, and Kirk Cousins just isn’t special. He’s a good quarterback, but he can’t carry an average team. Minnesota fans, you overpaid for Cousins, admit it!
The Dolphins mistakenly thought Tua Tagovailoa was their franchise, and now they are paying for it. Instead of taking a QB with the №3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, they traded back three spots to take Alabama wide out Jaylen Waddle, and while he could be a stud, we’ll never know because of how piss-poor Tagovailoa has played. Their defense also went from being ranked 20th in 2020 to 30th in 2021.
Just like with the Dolphins, the Football Team decided to not take a quarterback in the draft, and it’s hurting them. They — much like the Dolphins — relied on their defense to win them games, and their front four up front, which consists of all first-round selections, has been one of the major disappointments of the season. They are №29 in the league in points allowed, compared to last year when they ranked №4.
Fools Gold:
These are teams who started off hot but weren’t real contenders.
They are the Broncos and Panthers.
Denver started off 3–0 by beating the Giants, Jets and Jaguars, who at the time were all winless. Since, they’re 2–4. Yes, they have some offensive pieces, and the win over Dallas was a nice surprise, but the Von Miller trade signaled they’re not competing in 2021. They need to find their next franchise signal caller.
Carolina started 3–0 by defeating the Jets, the Saints (who had almost all of their coaches out due to a COVID breakout) and the Texans. Since, they’re 1–4, and Sam Darnold looks like a bust. Matt Rhule may be in trouble if he doesn’t turn it around next year in year three. You can’t allow Christian McCaffery, as good as he is, to be your whole team.
Bottom of the League:
These are teams who are in a complete rebuild.
They are the Texans, Lions, Jets, Giants and Jaguars.
Nothing more has to be said about these teams than the heading!
