Biggest Surprises

1.) San Francisco 49ers After a 6-10 season (including an 0-5 start), the 49ers have rebounded spectacularly under the new reign of Coach Jim Harbaugh. How did this happen? Could it be that Alex Smith is finally emerging into the quarterback he was supposed to be, considering he was a number one overall pick? Or, maybe it’s the fact that Frank Gore has had a resurgence in the backfield and has been nuisance for opposing defenses with his 4.8 yards per carry? Well, it’s probably both of those things and many more, but let’s not discount this defense and what they have done. No, it’s not Baltimore or Pittsburgh that ranks #1 in opposing points per game: it’s the San Francisco 49ers. Do I think they will keep it up? Well, there’s no evidence against them at this point, but in one of the NFL’s easiest divisions, they’ll at least be a lock for a playoff spot.

2.) Cincinnati Bengals Much like the 49ers, the Bengals have impressed many people who expected them to finish in 3rd or 4th in their division. With the league’s second best rush defense and allowing the 4th fewest points per game to opposing teams, the Bengals have emerged as a contender in one of the tightest division races in football. The AFC North boasts the 6-2 Steelers, the 5-2 Ravens, and the 5-2 Bengals, but it’s hard to get TOO excited about these guys yet. Remember: their success has been against teams with a combined 20-31 record, and the only big win they’ve had was against the 5-2 Buffalo Bills. If Andy Dalton and A.J. Green can stay this hot, there’s no doubt in my mind that there could very well be three AFC North teams in the playoffs this year.

3.) Cam Newton/Steve Smith/Detroit Lions This last spot was tough, mostly because of the volatile success of each of the selections. Cam Newton is all but a lock for rookie of the year, Steve Smith has captured the spotlight yet again and should surely win comeback player of the year, and the Detroit Lions have as many wins this year as they did all of last year, not to mention their 10-2 record through their past 12 games. I couldn’t leave any of these guys off the list, but their three-way tie should in no way diminish the accomplishments of Newton, Smith, and the entire Detroit Lions team this year. And, just to make a good pun...Miami, maybe if you get some Luck on your team, you’ll be on this list next year!

Biggest Disappointments

1.) Indianapolis Colts Yes, no one believed Peyton Manning was going to miss as much time as he has, but his absence has shown just how vital he is to the Colts. They are 0-8 so far and show very few signs of life, especially after the 62-7 romping they endured from the New Orleans Saints. Even with Peyton, there’s no way they could have won more than 9 games, but without him, this team looks like it belongs in the CFL. Are they looking for some Luck as well?

2.) The NFC East Remember, this is only the list of biggest disappointments through half of the season, and I haven’t given up on this division just yet. There’s so much talent throughout this division, yet only one team is above .500 right now (5-2 Giants). The Cowboys have been up-and-down all year, and the Eagles finally started to show life when they destroyed Dallas 34-7 in Week 8. Of course, there’s always the Redskins, who were off to a great start and then got dominated by the Eagles, but they are now ice cold and it doesn’t seem like they are going to be anywhere other than the cellar of this division. I still have faith that the Giants, Eagles, and Cowboys will all be in the playoff hunt down to the last week of the season, but they need to start playing some real football already and stop pretending like they already won the Super Bowl.

3.) Arizona Cardinals Does anyone else recall all of the hype that surrounded this team heading into the 2011 season? All because of a new quarterback named Kevin Kolb? Yeah, pretty bad call by many analysts, considering they overlooked the fact that there isn’t much of anyone on this defense that knows how to stop the pass: they are ranked 30th in opposing passing yards and haven’t been able to do much of anything right so far. Poor Larry Fitzgerald...If only you were on a contender! Oh, by the way, don’t be shocked if they end up with a top-5 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

-TheJuice