The NFL season is almost halfway through, and although there is still a long way to go, there are some teams we can already count out and some teams we can officially count on.
The biggest surprise thus far is obviously the sudden demise of the New England Patriots.
This can be attributed to injuries of key defensive players such as Rodney Harrison and Tedy Bruschi. Even with the slow start, they still remain in first place, however, do not expect them to keep the dynasty alive.
The play of the Cincinnati Bengals could have been forecasted with their breakout season last year.
With a strong offense and one of the top four wide receivers in Chad Johnson, this team is for real and leading the Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoff hunt. These two teams will definitely be present come January.
The good play of ASU's own Jake Plummer has the Denver Broncos looking solid so far.
The true question is, can the Broncos keep it up and hold the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers off? The Chargers will be the team to watch with the league's MVP in LaDainian Tomlinson.
The Indianapolis Colts are running away with the AFC South, and they are finally looking poised to represent the AFC come February.
In the NFC there are few questions.
The NFC South and West Divisions are a joke. The 49ers are positioning themselves perfectly for Reggie Bush, all and all not a bad move.
The Cardinals finally won their first game in America, and the Rams lost their coach for the season. The winner by default in the West: the Seattle Seahawks, who may make a strong push come postseason.
The South is even bleaker.
The Minnesota Vikings obviously do more scoring off the field than on. The Green Bay Packers are determined, sadly, to ride Brett Favre into the ground. The Detroit Lions finally made one right move in benching Joey Harrington, and the Chicago Bears are relying on a 22-year-old rookie quarterback in Kyle Orton.
Come playoff time we may see a losing team, but for only one week.
The NFC South looks strong with Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons trailing only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This lead will dissipate because of a lack of offense, but watch for Tampa Bay to ride their defense into a wildcard spot.
The NFC East is a coin-flip right now, with each team sporting four wins. Watch for the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants, behind solid quarterbacks and defenses, to squeeze by and make the playoffs.
Reach the reporter at william.hayes@asu.edu.
