NFL Mid-Season Grades: NFC Edition
The 2024 NFL season is reaching it's midway point. Teams and their standings are starting to take shape heading into November and December. It's time to examine the good, the bad, and the ugly, eight weeks into the 2024 season.
Arizona Cardinals: C-
One word to describe the Arizona Cardinals would be “inconsistent”. Through the first two weeks, they were 1-1, but the offense had put up a combined 69 points in that time. In the five games that followed, they scored a combined 68 points.
The Cardinals’ fourth overall draft pick, Marvin Harrison Jr., has been a bright spot for them. He’s been a leading receiver for the team, even with a disappointing surrounding cast thus far. Arizona had a spark early in the season, if they can find it again, they’ll be a serious threat.
Atlanta Falcons: B+
The Falcons have been an A+ team for most of the season. The reason they find themselves lower than that is due to defensive struggles. Atlanta ranks dead last in sacks this year, 16th in forced fumbles, and 19th in points allowed per game. The defense has struggled to hold opponents down, with four of their five wins coming within less than 7 points.
The Falcons offense has been a complete turnaround this season. They rank fourth in passing yards and third in receiving yards. Kirk Cousins’ arrival has brought life to underutilized weapons like Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts. The Falcons have a real shot at a playoff run this season, so long as the defense steps it up.
Carolina Panthers: F-
The first bad grade on this list, and it could be the worst. The Carolina Panthers have been a mess since last season, and this year is no different. Bryce Young started the year 0-2 before being benched for Andy Dalton. Dalton played one strong game before Carolina’s troubles caught up to him and he went 1-4 as a starter.
The Panthers have been a failure in every facet of the game. The offense is completely inept and the defense is historically bad. Carolina has a lot of issues, all the way up to the ownership, and 2024 is another disappointing year.
Chicago Bears: B-
The Bears have been a fun team to track in 2024. They started ice-cold with rookie QB Caleb Williams, before finding their footing. In weeks four through six, Chicago outscored their opponents 95-44 and Caleb Williams threw seven touchdowns to one interception.
The Bears still have a lot of pieces to figure out, and it’s too soon to call them contenders. The offense is still experiencing growing pains, and they haven’t yet become as high-powered as they should be. They’re only getting better though, and the future is bright in the Windy City.
Dallas Cowboys: C+
The Cowboys faced a lot of criticism during the offseason for not doing enough. They didn’t add any major pieces in free agency, they didn’t go for any big trades, and their draft class was very quiet. They believed their roster was good enough as is. That has not been the case.
Dallas has been blown out twice, and two of their three wins were decided by less than six points. Dak Prescott isn’t playing like himself, CeeDee Lamb has four touchdowns in eight weeks, and the run game is one of the NFL’s worst. The roster is there for the Cowboys, they just can’t seem to figure out how to use it.
Detroit Lions: A+
The Lions might be the best team in the NFL right now. Detroit is currently 6-1 and on a five-game win streak, two of which were decided by more than 30 points. They snapped the Vikings’ undefeated record, and Jared Goff has been nearly perfect passing the ball.
The 2024 Detroit Lions are a dangerous team that will stomp out their opponent, and have fun doing it. They’re not only efficient, but they excel in every phase of the game. The Lions look like a Super Bowl-winning team mid-way through the season.
Green Bay Packers: A-
The Packers currently have one of the most efficient offenses in the NFL. Per game, Green Bay averages 27 points, 231 passing yards, and 156 rushing yards. They sit in the top 10 in all of those stats, and they’re 6-2 going into week nine. It’s also important to note that Green Bay has one of the youngest teams in the NFL.
Jordan Love has been dealing with some injuries during the year, and his consistency seems to suffer from it. This is still his second year as a starter, so expectations should be tempered a little bit. A 6-2 record and battling for the division is a great place to be for Love and the Pack. If they can play to their potential, then they’ll be Super Bowl contenders, for now though, they’re still in a learning curve.
Los Angeles Rams: D-
This grade can mostly be attributed to the injuries the Rams have been facing. LA lost its two best receivers in the first two weeks of the season. They struggled to stay afloat in the four weeks that followed, going 2-2 in that span. They finally got Kupp and Nacua back in week 8 and looked like a legitimate team again.
When a game plan is tailored to two guys, and they’re both hurt, it’s hard to succeed. Now Stafford has his playmakers back, and LA has a relatively easy next three weeks ahead. With the Niners and Cardinals struggling this year, the Rams have a real shot at the NFC West in 2024.
Minnesota Vikings: A-
The Vikings have been a complete and total surprise in 2024. Minnesota started the year off 5-0, and San Darnold looks like a completely different person out there. The only thing keeping them from an A+ here is the possibility of a collapse.
The Vikings are now 5-2 after their undefeated start. They ran into the Detroit Lions in week seven, and a return-to-form Rams in week eight. Minnesota is a great football team, and they can easily win 10+ games this season. The question is becoming “Can they keep up with true contenders?”.
New Orleans Saints: D-
The Saints started the year hot, outscoring opponents 91-29 in the first two weeks. Then they started spiraling. New Orleans has lost every game since, and they’re dealing with injuries to Derek Carr and some of his best weapons.
The only thing keeping the Saints from an F grade, is the fact that they can be great when healthy. If they get their pieces back soon, they might be able to turn things around. Until then, they’re just hard to watch.
New York Giants: D-
The New York Giants are a team of two grades. The defense would get a B+ while the offense gets an F. The Giants’ defense has been a massive bright spot for the team, and defensive coordinator Shane Bowen is doing a tremendous job. The only problem on that side is the secondary, who are all admittedly young and still coming together.
The offense has been abysmal. Rookies Malik Nabers and Tyrone Tracy Jr. have been doing good work, and that’s where it ends. Brian Daboll is a great head coach, but not a great playcaller. Daniel Jones is not a capable QB, and fails to extend plays or make big moves. In 2025, Brian Daboll should find a new QB, and hire an offensive coordinator. This offense cannot succeed if it’s limited by Daniel Jones.
Philadelphia Eagles: C+
The Eagles are an extremely messy team in 2024. Jalen Hurts has not been playing great football and the team ranks 20th in passing yards per game (201). The addition of Saquon Barkley has paid off in spades though, as Philly is second in the league on rush yards per game (165), and Barkley has tallied five touchdowns on the year so far.
Philly’s defense struggles late in the game, and even when they win it can sometimes be a nail biter. This team was a Super Bowl favorite and undefeated at this time last year, now they’re beating the Browns by four points. The Eagles are on a two-week win streak going into week nine, but they have a tough schedule going into November and December.
San Francisco 49ers: C-
The 49ers are a difficult team to grade. They went into the season without superstar running back Christian McCaffrey, and they’ve been riddled with injuries since. Jordan Mason, Jauan Jennings, George Kittle, and Deebo Samuel have all been dealing with ailments for eight weeks. Now they’re without Brandon Aiyuk for the rest of the year.
The Niners are playing as well as they can, given the circumstances, and they’re currently 4-4 going into a week nine bye week. They have some time to heal up now, and there’s a chance CMC can come back for the second half of the season. San Francisco shouldn’t be counted out just yet.
Seattle Seahawks: C+
The Seahawks are a wildly inconsistent team. They currently lead the NFL in passing yards (2097) and receiving yards (2232). They’re 28th in rushing yards (714) while Geno Smith has thrown eight touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Seattle has lost four out of their last five games, and it’s their first year under head coach Mike MacDonald. There are bound to be some growing pains, but it seems that Geno Smith’s time as their starter is winding down. The Seahawks have a good team and a strong foundation, it’s time to look ahead and build on it.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: B-
Baker Mayfield walked into 2023 with Tom Brady-sized shoes to fill. While that’s an impossible feat, he did do pretty darn good. He led the Bucs to a 9-8 season and earned himself a contract. Now, Tampa Bay is 4-4, and fighting for the NFC South. Mayfield is still playing great football, but the Bucs are now without Chris Godwin and Mike Evans.
It’s possible Evans can come back this year, and when he’s healthy, the Bucs are hot. The team averages 258 passing yards per game (2nd), and 29 points per game (4th). They also have the best third-down percentage in the league at 52.5%. This team is better than its record, and injuries have played a factor. They’re a playoff team nonetheless, and Baker is a bonafide stud.
Washington Commanders: A+
Talk about a complete turnaround for the Washington Commanders. At the end of the 2023 season, Washington had a 4-13 record and the second overall draft pick. That draft pick became QB Jayden Daniels, and now they’re going into week nine with a 6-2 record. The new duo of Daniels and head coach Dan Quinn has ignited this team.
Jayden Daniels currently has 1736 passing yards, along with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. Playmakers like Terry McLaurin, Austin Ekeler, and Brian Robinson Jr. are reaching their full potential under Dan Quinn. Washington has spent the last few years as a laughingstock in the NFL. Now under different ownership, they look like true contenders.