Grading the NFL: 8 games in, Mims gives his NFC Analysis including his MVP rankings
After 8 games you can get a sense of what a team is.
The NFL power rankings gauge week to week prowess. The 8-game mark is a large enough sample size to determine what each team is capable of. Some teams are already in the “Trevor Lawrence Bowl”. They include the Jets, Vikings, Giants and Jags. I did not include the Bengals because they have Joe Burrow.
Today I'm going to be looking at the NFC.
The NFC East: The worst division in football. The Eagles get a C-. Cowboys get a D because they do not have a QB. The injury to Dak Prescott proves devastating to the chances of winning the division. Washington Football gets a D and Giants get a D-. Daniel Jones erratic play and losing Saquon Barkley to injury and have them floundering.
The NFC South: Shaping out as predicted. The Bucs have one of the best offenses in the league. Tom Brady will move into MVP discussion with another solid performance. Bucs get a B+. The Saints are winning without Michael Thomas. Their grade has the potential to go up but for now they get a B. The Panthers and Falcons get C- and a D, respectively. The Falcons earn their grade because of their failures at the end of games.
The NFC West: The best division in football. Seattle gets an A. Russell Wilson gets an A for his outstanding QB play. He is still the leading candidate for MVP. The Cardinals and Rams each get a B. Kyler Murray is playing well, and DeAndre Hopkins is having a stellar year again. The Rams are scary because of their defense. The 49ers get a C because of the many injuries they have had on both sides of the ball but they are fun to watch on offense. 3 teams could make the playoffs from this division.
The NFC North: The Packers are the team sitting on top. They are winning even while missing Aaron Jones at RB. Aaron Rodgers is clicking. The Packers get a B+. Bears are winning ugly and are not impressive offensively. They get a C+. Lions are playing well on the road and get a C. Vikings get an D.
Sports Betting Advice: During the 2nd half of the season look for mismatches. Teams that grade out with a B or higher against a team receiving a D or lower. Money Line play if the point spread is too high. Always wager responsibly.
My MVP candidates: Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, and Tom Brady. I will only list the leading NFC candidates. I was tempted to bring add Aaron Donald, but he needs to get to double digits in sacks. To date has 9.
Here are the stats of the three MVP QBs:
Wilson is the leader, but Rodgers and Brady are gaining. I placed Brady second because of the head to head win over Rodgers.
My next article will grade the NFL AFC.
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