NFL mid-season report card

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The mid-term grades for National Football League teams are in, with varying results. Despite several close, one-score games, the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs sit atop the league standings with a perfect 9-0 record.

The Chiefs, currently going by the title of “Cardiac Chiefs,” had to survive a scare from the Denver Broncos, winning a 16-14 affair on a last-second blocked field goal attempt. This is the latest anxiety-filled episode that Chiefs fans have to endure. The team is making a habit of falling behind by double digits only to rally in the waning moments to pull out nail-biting wins. They will be pushed to the limit when they face the 8-2 Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park on Thursday night.

Patriots safety Brenden Schooler sacks Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams. PHOTO: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS/NFL

The Bills are among the few teams that have defeated the Chiefs in the regular season over the past few years. The Bills are coming into the contest riding the wave of a five-game win streak. The Chiefs will have their hands full as they continue their unbeaten ways.

The surprising LA Chargers (6-3) hold second place in the AFC West following their 27-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans (2-7).

With a 3-7 record following their 19-3 drubbing of the Chicago Bears, the Patriots find themselves in a tie with the 3-7 New York Jets for second place in the AFC Eastern Division. They are five games behind the front-running Bills. Playoff prospects for both teams seem dim, especially for the Jets, who were smacked by the resurging Cardinals 31-6 in Arizona. The Cardinals hold first place in the NFC Western Division by their dominant win over the underachieving Jets.

49ers kicker Jake Moody was the hero against the Bucs. PHOTO: SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS/NFL

The injury-plagued San Francisco 49ers needed a last-second 44-yard field goal by Jake Moody to squeeze past the 4-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 26-23. Moddy had missed multiple field goal tries earlier in the contest before nailing the game-winner as regulation time expired.

In other action, the Pittsburgh Steelers got a late 32-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to recently acquired wide receiver Mike Williams with 2:22 left in the fourth quarter to record a 28-27 triumph over the home team, Washington Commanders. The Steelers, at 7-2, hold a one-game lead over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North Division. The Commanders, 7-3, fall a game behind the Philadelphia Eagles, 7-2, for the top spot in the NFC Eastern Division.

The Eagles demolished the home team, the Dallas Cowboys, 34-6. According to reports, the Cowboys were without star quarterback Dak Prescott because he is headed for season-ending surgery for a hamstring tear. The Cowboys drop to a woeful 3-6 record.

The Baltimore Ravens, 7-3, were able to hold off the visiting 4-6 Cincinnati Bengals by the final score of 35-34, another disappointing setback for the visitors. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow continues to pile up spectacular passing numbers, but his team continues to lose important games.

Detroit Lions cornerback Carlton Davis III intercepts the ball in front of Texans wideout Tank Dell. PHOTO: DETROIT LIONS/NFL

The Detroit Lions continue to argue that they are the top team in the National Football Conference and possibly the entire NFL. Their dramatic come-from-behind 26-23 win over the home team Houston Texans is historical, seeing that the Lions, trailing 23-7 at intermission, with quarterback Jared Goff tossing five interceptions, shut out the Texans in the second half on their way to an 8-1 record, the best start for the team since 1954. The second half shutout by the Lions’ defense was the first by an NFL team trailing by 15 or more points since 1970.

The Lions hold a one-game lead over the 7-2 Minnesota Vikings, who did just enough to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 12-7 in Florida.

In New Orleans, the NFC South Division-leading Atlanta Falcons, 6-4, lost to the 3-7 Saints, 20-17. The LA Chargers, 6-3, took the measure of the 2-7 Tennessee Titans 27-17 to hold on to the second-place position in the AFC Western Division.

And bringing up the rear are the lowly New York Giants, 2-8, who dropped a 20-17 overtime affair to the 3-7 Carolina Panthers in Germany. The Giants, who let star running back Saquan Barkley go to the NFC East Division-leading Philadelphia Eagles during the off-season because they didn’t want to pay him, are feeling the pain of his loss. Look for significant housecleaning by the Giants front office to quiet the discontent of their disgruntled fans.

On Monday night in Los Angeles, Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was 20-for-28 for 207 yards, helping the 3-6 Dolphins snap a three-game losing streak in beating the LA Rams.

Going into the second half of this NFL season, the front runners for Super Bowl contention are the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, and Houston Texans in the AFC.

The Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, the surprising Washington Commanders, the San Francisco 49ers, if they can get healthy, the tough Arizona Cardinals, and the Vikings are in contention for playoff spots. Some of these teams fall in the category of pretenders. Time will tell which team separates itself from the pack to be the real contender. It should be an interesting second half of this current National Football League season.