Midseason Report Card

At roughly the midpoint of the season, it is time to reflect upon the first half of the season. At this point, I wouldn't say that any team has surprised me to the upside, but numerous teams are severely underperforming compared to my expectations. I did not expect Buffalo and Kansas City to be so porous on defense and I certainly did not expect the Saints to be so inconsistent on offense. The NFC North is, by far, the best division in football. It will be fun to watch the Bears attempt to hold off the Packers. I am not sure if the AFC East or the AFC West is the worst conference. It is not fair to compare the two since the AFC West is perennially handicapped by the Raiders. It is so bad in the AFC East that, somehow, the Jets still have a reasonable chance to make the playoffs....but don't bet on it! Speaking of wagers, let's take a look at the Win projections that Ron and I put together to start the season.
 

East	Bill	Ron	Act		East	Bill	Ron	Act
New England	13	12	5		Philly	9	10	3
Buffalo	10	9	3		Dallas	8	8	3
NY Jets	9	7	3		NY Giants	8	9	6
Miami	6	3	4		Wash	6	5	3
North					North
Baltimore	10	10	5		GB	12	12	5
Pittsburgh	10	8	4		Chicago	11	10	6
Cincy	7	10	3		Detroit	9	9	3
Cleveland	5	3	2		Minny	5	4	5
South					South
Houston	10	11	6		Atlanta	10	11	7
Tenn	8	9	3		NO	9	9	2
Indy	4	5	4		Carolina	8	7	1
Jax	3	3	1		TB	8	7	3
West					West
KC	9	9	1		SF	9	12	6
Oakland	8	7	3		Seattle	6	9	4
San Diego	7	8	4		Arizona	6	5	4
Denver	7	9	4		St. Louis	6	6	3

Bill
AFC Division winners: New England, Baltimore, Houston, Kansas City
AFC Wildcards: Pittsburgh, Buffalo
AFC Championship game: New England over Baltimore

NFC Division winners: Philly, Green Bay, Atlanta, San Fran
NFC Wildcards: New Orleans, Chicago
NFC Championship game: Green Bay over Atlanta

Super Bowl Champs: Green Bay

Ron
AFC Division winners: New England, Cincinnati, Houston, Denver
AFC Wildcards: Baltimore, Kansas City
AFC Championship game: New England over Houston

NFC Division winners: Philly, Green Bay, Atlanta, San Fran
NFC Wildcards: NY Giants, Chicago
NFC Championship game: San Francisco over Chicago

Super Bowl Champs: San Francisco