By Jordan Long
Most NFL teams have played 8 games which is the halfway point of the season. There have been exciting comebacks and close games throughout the year so far. More of the same can be expected in the second half. It is time for my most surprising and disappointing teams at the halfway point of the year.
Two teams have been a surprise, the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals. For me, the Arizona Cardinals have been the better team. Arizona went 5-10-1 last year. It helped they made a trade with the Houston Texans to receive one of the top wide receivers in the game in DeAndre Hopkins. He was going to be another weapon for quarterback Kyler Murray and take the pressure off of Larry Fitzgerald to be the primary pass catching wide receiver.
I expected the Cardinals to be a .500 team. Right now they are 5-3 and a game back of the Seattle Seahawks for 1st place in the NFC West. They have plenty of games to take care of business to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2015 when they were beaten by the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship Game.
Arizona is the top offensive team averaging 422 yards per game. When they pass the football, Murray is finding his open receivers to move the chains, tossing for 2,130 yards and 16 touchdowns. He is still forcing things down the field and those are picked off with 7 interceptions.
The Cardinals are using the running game to open up the passing game. They average 162.9 yards per game, 2nd in the NFL. Defenses don’t know if they are going to run the football or pass it. That keeps them guessing.
On defense, they give up a lot of yards at 370.1 yards per game, 19th in the NFL. Opponents score 22.5 points per game, 8th lowest in the NFL. The way the Cardinals are playing on offense and defense they should be able to earn a playoff spot. It will take them more to overcome Seattle for the division lead.
The most disappointing team hands down to me is the Houston Texans. The Texans came off a 10-6 season last year and made the playoffs, advancing to the divisional round. Unfortunately, they have played poorly to this point. Of course, it didn’t help they delt their best wide receiver in DeAndre Hopkins in the offseason to the Arizona Cardinals, a puzzling move.
The Texans began the season at 0-4. They fired Head Coach Bill O’Brian at that point. Romeo Crennel has been the interim Head Coach and they have gone 2-2 under him.
On offense the Texans can move the ball downfield, averaging 280.8 yards per game through the air. Their biggest problem has been running the football. The offensive line is not creating the holes for the running backs. They average 87.6 yards per game, 31st in the NFL. It is very difficult to win games in the NFL when all you can do is pass the football. They score 24.1 points per game, 22nd in the league.
On defense, they can’t stop the opponents giving up 416.9 yards per game, 3rd worst in the NFL. When it comes to passing they permit 257.4 yards per game. That’s not bad but they can’t stop the opponent’s running game. Teams are running the football at will and the Texans are not stopping it. Opponents rush for 159.5 yards per game, worst in the NFL. When teams move the chains, they advance the ball to scoring range even if it is a field goal. The Texans allow 30.3 points per game, 4th most in the NFL.
I didn’t expect the Texans to struggle this much on offense and defense. That is why they are the most disappointing team so far this season. The way they are playing, shows why they are 2-6 at the halfway point. It looks like they will miss the playoffs and have a chance at a top 5 pick in the NFL Draft.
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