Success Stories:
It has been business as usual in the NFC, particularly the NFC West. The San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks entered the season as the favourites for the NFC crown, and they've not disappointed so far - unlike the Falcons. But we'll address them later.
More NFC success stories have been found in the NFC South. Remember the rule where the worst teams had a habit of reversing their fortunes the following year and the best team the previous year did the opposite? Well, it's back. The New Orleans Saints' defence has gone from 'historically bad' to being 'rather good' and now ranks twelfth in the league. The Carolina Panthers are in a similar spot, and their defence now ranks third overall. People who recently claimed that 'defence no longer wins championships' might want to look away for the rest of the season because....
The Kansas City Chiefs' defense is also very good. A case could be made to suggest it is 'scary good'. The Chiefs are the undeniable success story of 2013, going from having the first overall draft pick in April to being the lone undefeated team as we enter November. In another case of West-division dominance, the San Diego Chargers have also been a surprise this season. Consistency is an issue, but Philip Rivers has been playing some of the best football of his career and their offence has been potent with him at the helm.
Disappointments
For every success story, there have been as many - if not more - disappointments. Every year there are playoff teams who fail to make it back the year after, but the collective falls from grace seen by the Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings, Houston Texans, Minnesota Vikings and Washington Redskins has been quite remarkable. They are combined for nine wins on the season. Watching frequent contenders and hotly-touted teams such as the New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers has been an ugly experience at times.
Biggest Surprise
In a move that approximately zero people saw coming, Favrewatch 2013 happened. Ignoring the presence of Tim Tebow and Vince Young on the free agent market, the St. Louis Rams turned to Brett Favre to fix their still-horrendous quarterback situation in the wake of Sam Bradford's injury.
Predictions
So after taking a look at what's been going on for the first half of the season, it's only fair we make some more bold and not-so bold predictions.
When making predictions for the Super Bowl, it is of course important to remember how utterly terrifying the Denver Broncos have been. Yes, they recently lost to the Indianapolis Colts (contenders in their own rights) but once they bring the Kansas City Chiefs back down to earth with a thud (because, y'know, their offense), their only obstacle in their path will be themselves...and seeing as they have Peyton Manning in charge, they don't make it.
No, this is the year that the Cincinnati Bengals finally do it. A top 10 offense and a top 5 defence? Sign me up. They've been a bit inconsistent, but they have all the pieces in place to make a run - even without Geno Atkins.
For the NFC I'm going with the Seattle Seahawks. Sure, they were *almost* upset by Tampa Bay on Sunday, but they are strong on offense and defence and - barring a miracle - there's no way that the road to the Super Bowl runs through CenturyLink Field. Bad luck, San Francisco.
Despite my earlier reservations, it would be fair to say that Peyton Manning has a 'more than reasonable' chance of being named the overall MVP this season. Jamaal Charles and LeSean McCoy have been great in Kansas City and Philadelphia respectively, Drew Brees has - as usual - made a case for himself in New Orleans, but Manning is on another level this year. He's on course for close to 6,000 yards and 60 touchdowns. It's unlikely he'll end up with those *exact* figures, but they are jaw-dropping nonetheless.
Defensively, there are a whole host of pass rushers who are putting forward some convincing cases - JJ Watt, Cameron Jordan, and Robert Quinn have all looked very impressive so far. Sean Lee has been great in Dallas and Justin Houston has been quietly brilliant in Kansas City, but my choice for defensive player of the year is also my choice for rookie of the year: Kiko Alonso. I'm still thoroughly bitter that my Giants never made a move for him in the draft, but the secound-round linebacker from Oregon has been great this season. People tend to overuse the phrase 'freakish athlete' but Alonso is unquestionably fitting of the title. Fast, elusive, smart, tireless, physical - all are appropriate, and Alonso has 81 tackles (22 against Cincinnati in week 6), 4 interceptions, a forced fumble and a sack this season.
Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments section or on Twitter: @TomMacFootball
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