The Most Surprising First-Half NFL Storylines

The Eagles Continue to Fly

Just prior to writing this piece, the Philadelphia Eagles made the move to acquire Chicago Bears Defensive End Robert Quinn. It is moves like this that currently have the Eagles as the only remaining undefeated team in the NFL. The acquisition of Wide Receiver A.J. Brown looks to have paid off, with Brown on pace to break his personal bests in Receiving Yards and Receptions.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts has taken a step forward as well, his 293 rushing yards being 31.3% of the Eagles team total. Hurts' uptick in completion percentage so far has helped the Eagles maintain a consistent offensive rhythm, and allowed the Eagles to have one of the higher 3rd Down Conversion Percentages in the league.

With the fourth least points per game allowed on Defense, and a league-leading +12 Point differential, the Eagles are an all-around team that could continue to dominate for a long time.

Icons in Ruin: Rodgers and Brady Struggle

When Davante Adams was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, people expected the Packers offense to take a step back. No one would have expected embarrassing losses to the New York Jets and New York Giants. So, what has gone wrong for the Packers this season? Seemingly everything.

Aaron Rodgers lack of chemistry with his receiving core showed early on, as Rodgers accrued 81 incompletions through 7 games. Allen Lazard is the only Receiver to eclipse 100 yards in a game, and it has only happened once. While spreading the ball is nice, it hasn't led to enough scoring. You can't win if you can't score, and Green Bay hasn't, with the 11th least points scored this season.

When Tom Brady shockingly cut his 40 day retirement short in March, people pinned the Buccaneers as playoff-bound. Now, a combination of on and off-the-field issues have dropped Tampa Bay to 3-5, Brady's worst ever record after 8 games. The Buccaneers have only rushed for 61.9 yards per game and are on pace to have the worst run game in NFL history. Combine that with injuries and Brady's personal issues, the Buccaneers have not been able to stay consistent offensively.

The Colts Collapse.

The Carson Wentz experiment in Indianapolis failed. Ownership and Front office saw Wentz as too much of a risk-taker, and they needed to replace him with someone more calculated. After Wentz was shipped to the Washington Commanders, the Colts quest for a QB landed on 2016 NFL MVP Matt Ryan. A serviceable, albeit declining NFL quarterback, Ryan was the general the Colts were looking to command the 2nd best rushing unit of 2021.

Flash forward to Week 8, Matt Ryan's 9 interceptions are more than Wentz threw all of last season. Also, injuries to stars like Jonathan Taylor and Shaq Leonard have only made matters worse. Now, with Matt Ryan benched, the 3-3-1 Colts will run on the signal of second year quarterback Sam Ehlinger.

The Rise of the New York Sports

Giants

Who could have seen this coming? The question marks surrounding the New York Giants in the offseason were impossible to ignore: Daniel Jones at quarterback, Saquon Barkley hadn't been the same since his knee injury, and a Wide Receiver core that was embarrassing at times in 2021. In just seven games, Saquon Barkley's 726 yards have surpassed his total from the entire 2021 season (593 yards over 13 games).

New Head Coach Brian Daboll has brought a new level of swagger to this team, and it showed early with a gutsy 2-point conversion call that led to a Week 1 win over the Tennessee Titans. At 6-1, not only are the Giants tied for the most wins in the NFC, they're tied for the most wins in the entire NFL.

Jets

The Giants' Roommate is also putting together a sneaky season. With a brilliant first round in the NFL Draft, the Jets added more cornerstone pieces for one of the NFL's longest suffering fanbases to enjoy. Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner has been the brightest spot. Only 1 Touchdown allowed, a 52.4 Completion percentage, and only 201 yards across 42 attempts has Sauce in contention for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Meanwhile, a rushing game led by 2nd Round pick Breece Hall and Michael Carter shone through, with 819 yards in 7 games.

With Breece Hall out for the season with a torn ACL, the Jets made a "low-risk, high reward" trade, acquiring Jaguars Running Back James Robinson. A change of scenery is the best thing for Robinson, and he'll be expected to Take Flight early in New York, and bring the 5-2 Jets to the Playoffs for the first time since 2010.