And now, here are the grades for the NFC


NFC EAST

New York Giants- Last season the Giants finished 10-6, Eli Manning had 25 INT on the year, and the Giants missed the playoffs. Half way through this season the Giants have a 6-2 record and a two game lead over the Cowboys for first in their division. Eli is playing his best football since his playoff run 4 years ago when he won the Superbowl. But while his numbers are really good right now, and the Giants are top dogs in the east, they have struggled against some really weak teams. One of their losses came against the Seattle Seahawks at home, They only managed to beat the Cardinals and Dolphins by a combined 7 points (Both games they could have easily lost) and last weeks win against the Patriots, though impressive, it just doesn't mean as much this year as it did in previous ones since the Giants offense struggled to get those 24 points against the leagues worst passing defense. In total they have only out scored their opponents by 12 points so far, and the schedule doesn't get any kinder as they face the 49ers, Saints, and Packers in three of their next 4 games. Two of those three on the road.
MID SEASON GRADE: B

Dallas Cowboys- Last season Jason Garret took over a 1-7 franchise and finished 8-8, being named the head coach this year he has kept the Cowboys at a .500 record. But three of their four losses came against teams with winning records, they had a victory over Detroit all but wrapped up, and have been the only team to take down 7-1 San Francisco. But we still aren't seeing definative game play from Tony Romo, leaving the on going question of whether the Cowboys should release him or not? One week he's up the next he's down. One big positive for the Cowboys, if Cam Newton doesn't run away with Rookie of the year honors, DeMarco Murray has so far proven to be the 'BIG STEAL' of the draft, and could give Newton a run for his money going into the second half of the year. Just have to wonder if it will be enough to catch the Giants down the stretch.
MID SEASON GRADE: C+

Philadelphia Eagles- Going into this season they were dubbed the "Dream Team" The Miami Heat of the NFL. So far they have failed to impress. In their defense they have had a very tough first half schedule, and they have been competitive in all of their losses, had the 4th quarter lead in their games against the Giants, Falcons, 49ers, and last night the Chicago Bears, but just can't seem to find a way to close out games. They seemed to have finally turned their season around with two straight wins to hit 3-4 and for a short time second place in the East, but have once again fallen behind. Overall they are still outscoring their opponents 203-182, and their second half of the season is nicer than their first, but it may be too little too late for this dream team to rebound.
MID SEASON GRADE: C-

Washington Redskins- After starting 3-1 and first in the East, the Redskins have dropped 4 straight and are in a state of dispair. For the first time ever a Mike Shanahan offense was shut out, their QB controversy is between John Beck and Rex Grossman, (Really?) And after Sunday's loss the offense and defense are at each others throats in regards of their teams woes. Mike Shanahan is a great head coach. But it looks like the Shanahan era in Washington is at an end. Just too many problems and issues over the past few years to justify keeping him around, unless he has a miracle turn around in the second half of the season. Like the Cleveland Browns the Redskins actually have a strong defense, only allowing 158 points through 8 games, but their offense needs to start all over from scratch. New head coach, new Quarterback, New Direction are in order for this team in the off season.
MID SEASON GRADE: D

DIVISION GRADE: C This division as a whole as taken a step back from last season. And though the Giants are at an impressive 6-2 record, many of their close games against bad teams have me questioning if they are really as good as their record suggests. They are litterally a hairs breath away from being .500 or worse just like the rest of the division. For now I will give them the benefit of the doubt, but the division as a whole is average at best.


NFC SOUTH

New Orleans Saints- After a disapointing end to their championship run being eliminated in the wild card round against an inferrior team, the Saints have bounced back and look more and more like their championship form from two seasons ago. Drew Brees is still having a strong season overall and is one of the better Quarterbacks in the league. The defense is having some issues but for the most part are a solid unit. Their two losses against the Packers and Buccaneers I can let slide bye, but how do you explain their 31-21 loss to the Rams? A team that was win less up to that moment and led 31-7 going into the 4th quarter? That however really is thee main low point for this team this season. Besides that, good strong play from a team that is showing they are a Superbowl contender in the NFC.
MID SEASON GRADE: B+

Atlanta Falcons- After a poor 2-3 start the Atlanta Falcons have won three straight and are currently one game behind the Saints for second place in the NFC South. One of these wins coming against the Detroit Lions on the Road. Slowly this team is building up momentum and is looking more and more like the team that finished last season as the #1seed. And in their defense all of their losses came against teams with a .500 record or better. In my AFC grades I've questioned Joe Flacco of the Ravens and am not fully convinced he is a championship caliber QB. Where his draft day counterpart Matt Ryan I have no trouble seeing him being able to lead this team to a championship. Rookie wide receiver Julio Jones finally had his first big day as a pro, and while Tony Gonzales reached a milestone for second most receptions of all time, the Tight end is 36 years old and the door to his career may close faster than he would like. Rough start against tough competition, but the Falcons right now look like a contender in the NFC.
MID SEASON GRADE: B

Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Last season the Buccaneers finished 10-6 yet missed the playoffs. Going into this season the Bucs feel anything short of a playoff apperance would lead to a bust season. Unfortunately for them they have dropped two straight and are currently at 4-4, and the next two weeks won't be too kind for them as they face AFC South division leader Houston, and the week after the Undefeated Packers in Green Bay. But as far as the division race goes they are still very much alive and capable of winning the South. They split their season series with the Saints and already have a win over the Falcons. And after Green Bay their final six games get so much easier as the Falcons are the only team down the line they have to face who currently have a winning record. It will be a tough hole for them to climb out of, especially since the Lions and Bears hold the tie breaker over them in the wild card race, it seems like if the Bucs want to reach the playoffs, its either as NFC South champs or nothing at all.
MID SEASON GRADE: C+

Carolina Panthers- On the bright side this team has already doubled their win total from last season. Cam Newton has shown that he was worth being taken #1 overall in the draft has he exploaded on the scene with back to back 400+ yard passing performances in his first two games. You want to talk competitve, with exception of their loss to the Atlanta Falcons, every other game they have lost it has been by 7 points or fewer, including going into Green Bay and nearly beating the Packers in week two. This team had a lot to fix after their 1-15 season last year, and so far they have shown great improvements. The bad news however, they are still only 2-6 on the year and last place in their division. This is a team I feel is better than their 2-6 record indicates, and with Newton exceeding my every expectation, (Currently the front runner for Rookie of the year) and this team taking the fight to everyone they play, I feel the first half of the season was still a successful one given where they were last year.
MID SEASON GRADE: C-

DIVISION GRADE: C+ This is a solid division, despite the records of the Panthers they have all been very competitive, all have been playing good football, with exceptions of a few hiccups here and there. My grades to the Panthers and to the division as a whole may be a little too kind, but numbers don't prove everything, overall I love watching all of these teams play, and feel good things will come from the South in years to come.


NFC NORTH

Green Bay Packers- After winning the Superbowl last season, the Packers have done everything a defending champion should be doing. They are the only undefeated team remaining in the NFL, which only twice before have a Superbowl winner began the following season at 8-0. Aaron Rodgers is the run away favorite to win MVP honors as he is tearing up the competition on the field. Though they did have a couple close calls as they nearly gave up a 4th quarter 21 point lead last week to the Chargers, and were in tough fights against the 2-6 Vikings and Panthers, winning those games by 6 and 7 points respectively. Teams are finding out that their pass defense isn't as solid as it can be and are starting to take advantage of it. But being able to beat Rodgers in a shoot out at this point is a difficult challenge indeed. The Pack still have tough games ahead of them including Detroit twice, a rematch with the Bears and facing the NFC East leading Giants. I think it's a little early for the team to be thinking 19-0 which some players on that team already are, but still, can't argue against an 8-0 start.
MID SEASON GRADE: A+

Detroit Lions- One of my pre-season predictions was that the Lions would finish second in the NFC North, but I never expected them to be sitting at 6-2 half way into the season and in a favorable possition to make the playoffs for the first time in decades! Matthew Stafford is currently the 4th ranked QB in the league, Calvin 'Megatron' Johnson is having a Pro Bowl year, and the defense as a whole have given up the fewest points in their division only averaging 18.3 points per game. The Packers have allowed 32 more points overall. Though after their 5-0 start they did drop two games in a row at home. But seeing as the teams were the 7-1 49ers and the 5-3 Falcons, and they were both still very winnable games, it really isn't that bad of a thing. They are however coming off their bye week to some very tough competition against a tough Bears team, hard playing Carolina, Green Bay and New Orleans. The next 4 weeks will prove the character of this team. But seeing the Lions play this good for the first time since dinosaurs roamed the earth, they deserve the highest of praise right now.
MID SEASON GRADE: A

Chicago Bears- Like the Falcons this team came off a very successful season last year to start 2-3, but then rebounded to reach 5-3 by mid season. In recent weeks Jay Cutler has stepped up his play and is starting to look like the QB who took the Bears to the NFC championship game last season. And in terms of potential wild card races, they currently hold the tie breakers over playoff hopeful Atlanta and Tampa Bay. But the biggest thing going for this team is Matt Forte. This guy is the #1 running back in the league and is showing the Bears why they need to, 'Show him the MONEY!' Or is it MonAy? Anyways, the Bears however are still third in their division, already loosing to the Lions and Packers. But after this weeks rematch with Detroit the Bears have an increadibly favorable schedule down the stretch as they play all 4 teams from the AFC West, the Seattle Seahawks and Vikings. This team as of right now can very easily get back into the playoffs with such an easy schedule remaining.
MID SEASON GRADE: B

Minnesota Vikings- Another 2-6 team I feel is better than their record indicates. This team has lost 5 of their 6 games by a combined 25 points, or 5 point average, including nearly upsetting the Green Bay Packers. If feel really sorry for Donovan McNabb, I really love this QB, he has had a great career, but one I feel is about to come to an end. He went out swinging but his fall in Washington followed by his lack luster output in Minnesota, top that off with how injury prone he has been throughout his career has me thinking he is done. I just wished it would have ended better for him. Maybe it will, but I really don't think so. On the bright side for the Vikings, rookie QB Christian Ponders is off to a great start to his young NFL career, as he led the charge in that near upset over the Packers, then followed that up with his first victory over the Panthers. They are enjoying a bye week now, but next week they get to have one more shot at the Packers to see if they can actually do it the second time around. I'm not quite as impressed with their overall play as I am with the Panthers right now, but no denying that this team, despite their 2-6 record is better than it would indicate.
MID SEASON GRADE: D+

DIVISION GRADE: A- The AFC North is the best division in their conference, and I feel their NFC counterparts are the best in theirs. Like the AFC North three of their four teams have winning records and are on the fast track to potential playoff apperances. It is very possible to see both wildcard teams come out of the North this year.


NFC WEST

San Francisco 49ers- If Aaron Rodgers is the run away favorite to be league MVP and Cam Newton the Rookie of the year, Jim Harbaugh is the current favorite to win head coach of the year. The 49ers haven't had a winning season or reached the playoffs since 2002, and now it is very possible they can wrap up their division before Thanksgiving! Last season they won a combined 6 games, the division winner won the division with 7, and the 49ers just 8 weeks in have already surpassed their 6 wins and matched the division winning record from a year ago. Best part is, they did it playing outside of their division. 4 of those wins were on the road in the Eastern time zone, two of those wins against the 6-2 Bengals and Lions. With 5 of their remaining 8 games against the rest of their division, the 49ers are looking at a potential first round bye. They are one overtime field goal away from being 8-0 like the Packers, and while they have a solid offense that limits turn overs, can the offensive unit go toe to toe in a shoot out? Minor details, bottom line is, after 10 years of mediocracy, the 49ers are currently the second best team in the league.
MID SEASON GRADE: A

Seattle Seahawks- In retrospect being second place in your division usually isn't a bad thing. But being 2-6 after winning your division the year before, something is seriously wrong with this picture. The Seahawks have however pulled off a huge upset over the New York Giants, and had near victories against the 5-3 Falcons and the 3-5 Browns, but their quality of play since their by has gone down so much I'm beginning to wonder if they can win another game period? They still have 4 divisional games left, and only two of their remaining 8 games are against teams who currently have winning records, but Tavaris Jackson is obviously not the right answer at QB as the offense is only averaging 15 points per game. And Pete Carroll is struggling in his second season back in teh NFL as a head coach, it is quite possible we may see a huge overhaul after this season.
MID SEASON GRADE: D

Arizona Cardinals- The Cardinals are in the same boat as the Seahawks, the difference being that while the Seahawks have managed a huge upset victory over the 6-2 Giants, the Cardinals reached their 2-6 mark by beating up on the 2-6 Panthers and the 1-7 Rams. Some thought Kevin Kolb would be the answer at replacing Kurt Warner and brining the Cardinals back up to Playoff contenders. But his first season in the dessert is becoming a forgetable one. His average QB rating is 77.8 with just 8 Touchdown passes on the year. I'm not saying he cannot improve, but the offense in general needs quite a bit of fine tuning if they want to see any real improvements soon. On the bright side they did play really close games against the Giants and Ravens, nearly beating both, but that is very little comfort in the grand scheme of things. It shows promise for the future, but is little comfort for another lost season.
MID SEASON GRADE: D

St. Louis Rams- My pre-season pick to win the NFC West, boy was I wrong! Sam Bradford has regressed so much in his second season, almost every other starting rookie this year is playing better. The Rams offensively have only 100 total points this season, and ranks near the bottom in practically every offensive category. On the flip side they did pull off arguably the biggest upset this season stunning the Saints. They were a blocked field goal away from potentially winning two straight, and defensively they held Rogers and the Packers offense to their lowest scoring game of the season. This team might be able to must a few more victories beating up on the Seahawks and Cardinals down the line. The other games they have left? the 7-1 49ers twice, the 6-2 Bengals, and the 6-3 Steelers. Ouch. >_<
MID SEASON GRADE: D-

DIVISION GRADE: D+ Last season this division was named the 'NFC Worst' With exception for the 49ers the rest of the teams have gotten even worst over the off season. Not taking anything away from how good the 49ers have been so far, but how bad must the rest of the division be if they can win the West before Thanksgiving? I had to look extra hard to find reasons not to hand out additional F's to Seattle, Arizona, and St. Louis, for even though the 49ers have the second best record in the NFL overall, the division as a whole still have the lowest winning percentage out of every division in the league.