The NFL is nearing its midway point of the season, with playoff races heating up as October comes to a close. The are the lone unbeaten and appear to be in control of the NFC East, yet they are not the surprise of the conference.The lead the NFC West and the are in first place in the NFC South. They were supposed to be two of the worst teams in the league. The AFC is starting to have separation in its divisions, while the NFC division races remain as wide open as they've been all season -- unle s it's the Eagles or .With the Sunday slate of Week 8 in the books, these are the overreactions around the league -- and whether they are deserved or need a reality check.Overreaction or reality: RealityGranted it's the NFC South, but some team has to win this division. Why not the Falcons? Atlanta is a surprising 4-4 and the division leaders after an overtime victory against the (who would have been in first in the division with a win). The
St. Louis Cardinals Jersey Falcons have rushed for 150-plus yards in six of their eight games, and Arthur Smith is getting the most out of a team that has a lot of deficiencies. Until the get things together (if they do), why not Atlanta?Overreaction or Reality: OverreactionSeattle deserves to be in this conversation after a convincing victory over the , but the Seahawks will have a much tougher challenge in this division. The are figuring things out with and the team is getting healthier. isn't slowing down and rookie is going to be a force the rest of the year. The Seahawks aren't going anywhere in the NFC playoff race, yet they have a major challenger for the division in the 49ers. Overreaction or reality:RealityMcCaffrey made his presence felt in Kyle Shanahan's offense, just 10 days after he was traded to the 49ers. In just his second game with the 49ers, McCaffrey had a pa sing touchdown, rushing touchdown, and receiving touchdown -- the first running back to accomplish that feat since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2005.The 49ers put up 368 yards of offense in a dominating win over the , as McCaffrey had 183 yards of offense (34 pa sing, 94
Tim McCarver Jersey rushing, 55 receiving). This was without in the lineup.McCaffrey is such a mismatch for opposing defenses, especially with Samuel, , and around. San Francisco truly is the team to beat in the NFC West. Overreaction or reality:RealityPhiladelphia is off to a 7-0 start, the best start for the franchise since 2004 -- when the Eagles went to the Super Bowl. The question is when will this team lose?The Eagles dominated the on Sunday, compiling 401 total yards as threw a career-high four touchdowns (and caught three of them). The defense forced two turnovers and have a commanding plus-14 turnover margin. The unit has allowed just 13.8 points per game since Week 1.The next three games? at Houston, vs. Washington, at Indianapolis. Good chance the Eagles get to 10-0. Overreaction or reality:RealityThe are a me s, with the latest atrocity being shut out by a team that has i sues of its own. Apparently, the Raiders are the only team that didn't have a game plan to contain -- as he scored three touchdowns and had 158 yards of offense.A team with and couldn't score a single point. only had 10 carries as the offense finished with just 183 total yards.The Raiders are 2-5 after making the playoffs with interim coach Rich Bisaccia last season. Vegas should have kept Bisaccia. Overreaction or Reality:OverreactionWashington pulled off an improbable comeback against Indianapolis in the final minutes, thanks to beating on a jump ball with 26 seconds left that set up Heinicke's touchdown run. Heinicke is leading the comebacks for this franchise failed to do in his short stint as starter, as Washington has won three straight games to get to 4-4.Is Washington a playoff team with Heinicke? There's work
Brett Cecil Jersey to be done and the next two games are against the Vikings and Eagles. Washington pulled off a win despite being down nine points late in the fourth quarter.Washington is tied with San Francisco for the final playoff spot. The Commanders are in the mix with Heinicke, but not a playoff team yet. Overreaction or reality:OverreactionThis should be the case in Dallas, as Pollard had 14 carries for 131 yards and three touchdowns -- averaging an incredible 9.4 yards per carry. The Cowboys scored a season-high 49 points on the back of Pollard, the difference-maker at running back once was.Dallas is a better team with Pollard getting the higher amount of carries, yet Jerry Jones will continue to trot Elliott out there because of his contract. Pollard and Elliott are a great 1-2 combination, but Pollard should be getting the bulk of the carries.Won't happen with Jones calling the shots.Overreaction or reality:RealityThe are the best team
Chris Carpenter Jersey in the AFC East. They have a serious contender for the division title in the Miami Dolphins when Tagovailoa is playing. Miami has yet to lose a game that Tagovailoa starts and finishes, including beating Buffalo in Week 3. Are the Bills better? Yes, but take this into account.Tagovailoa has completed 70% of his pa ses, leading the league in yards per attempt (9.0) and pa ser rating (112.7) with 13 touchdowns to three interceptions. The Dolphins are one of the best teams in the AFC when Tagovailoa plays. They are a threat to win this division.Overreaction or reality:RealityIf Denver lost to Jacksonville, there's a good chance the head coach wouldn't be leading the team after the bye week. Wilson bailed Hackett out on the ' final drive with a 47-yard pa s to and a 10-yard run on third-and-5 to get the Broncos into the red zone and set up the team on the winning drive.Denver's offense is still poor, but Wilson showed progre s in the deep pa sing game and the Broncos actually had a balanced rushing attack. A comeback victory certainly helped. Hackett will lead this team after the bye week, as Denver's season isn't over yet.Overreaction or reality:RealityPlaying with fire all season, the Cardinals needed to keep pace in the division with a win against the Minnesota Vikings. Instead, Arizona lost and Seattle and San Francisco won.Another slow start (67 yards on three po se sions on three points) doomed Arizona, which dropped to 3-5 and last place in the NFC West. The Seahawks
Enos Slaughter Jersey are 5-3 and the 49ers are 4-4 -- and the Cardinals have already lost to Seattle. There's plenty of football left, but Seattle and San Francisco are the cla s of the division. The Cardinals failed to keep pace Sunday.Overreaction or reality:OverreactionWilson is 4-1 as the starting quarterback, but hasn't looked good in the majority of his games this year. The New York Jets quarterback threw three interceptions, including two head-scratchers that were inexcusable for a second-year quarterback.Wilson threw for 355 yards, but the turnovers are a problem. He has thrown three touchdowns to five interceptions with a 71.0 pa ser rating in his five starts, as the Jets are winning in spite of him -- not because of him.Wilson deserves more time to develop, but his job needs to be under surveillance. The Jets have a shot at the playoffs, but Wilson's play may keep them out of the tournament.Overreaction or reality:OverreactionWillis is a threat to score with his legs, but he wasn't the reason Henry had 32 carries for 219 yards and two touchdowns against the . The were one-dimensional with Willis at quarterback, as he only attempted 10 pa ses on an afternoon where Henry dominated on the ground.Henry has rushed for 200 yards against the Texans in each of his last four games. He has real estate in Houston at this rate.Willis is a work in progre s. Henry's dominance of the Texas wasn't a result of him.
