The Best and Worst Surprises of the 2014 NFL Season So Far

I thought I’d take a little diversion from the usual weekly recap, mainly because I was traveling a good part of yesterday but also because I think this weekend very much affirmed that the times are a-changin’. We’re over a third of the way through the 2014 NFL season, and it’s been a wild, unpredictable ride to say the least. Only the Patriots and Colts look like locks for their divisions at this point while many a dark horse and paper tiger have emerged on the other side of all that preseason buzz. With that in mind, here are my best and worst surprises of the 2014 season to date, starting with the bad news:

The Worst Surprises of 2014 So Far

The Slumping Saints and Steelers - Misery loves company, so I thought I’d put two of my preseason favorites together in stating the obvious. The Saints and Steelers looked poised to start the season strong with a very manageable schedule and decent talent and experience all over their rosters. Instead, they’ve floundered in nearly every game they’ve played this season, responsible for three of the Browns’ and Buccaneers’ four collective wins. Chew on that for a minute. Anyway, these teams are still in the hunt given the relative play of their divisional foes, but they look far from world-beaters that will have much to play for after December at this rate. Both offenses have been way too sloppy and inconsistent to put points on the board reliably and the defenses have coughed up too many big plays to impress anyone.  Enter sad trombone sounds.

Tampa Bay’s Threads - Despite the Jaguars and Raiders, the Buccaneers may actually be the worst team in football given their seismic blowouts in recent weeks and pervasive lack of direction/effort. Even so, Tampa may be able to get past this woeful era one day with some mediocre 7 - 9 seasons, but they will never be able to unlive their presently atrocious uniforms. What I’m sure was meant to signal a new era of not sucking so much has only added to the feelings of nausea and disorientation most of us have experienced when watching the Bucs play this year.  Between the creamsicle mixed with gunmetal and alarm clock number fonts made for middle schoolers, they really have it all. Of equal quality, here are the terrible jokes I thought of to close out this paragraph: 1) It’s time to put those Tampa uniforms permanently on snooze; 2) Somewhere behind a Burger King counter, even Josh Freeman is embarrassed; and 3) Lovie Smith’s clock management just got even worse… literally. By the way, I now hate myself. Thanks a lot, Buccaneers.

Jadeveon Clowney’s Health - Obviously this is something Jadeveon Clowney has no control over, so I certainly don’t mean to suggest it’s his fault, but I’m bummed we’ll have to wait a little longer to get a true sense of his performance as a pro after he went down with a torn meniscus in Week 1. Some would argue this isn’t too much of a surprise given Clowney’s history of injuries, but after all the hype, I couldn’t help but envision 2014 as a dominant Rookie of the Year season for one of the most highly touted draft picks in a decade. To credit the Texans, they’ve done a decent job considering how little they have to work with in the passing game and J.J. Watt is playing at an MVP level just fine without Clowney, but imagine how Houston might look once both of these defensive juggernauts are at full speed.  I can't wait.

Adrian Peterson, The Human Being - 2014 has shaped up to be just as much about what players [and certain barbiturate-inclined owners] are doing off the field as it’s been about the games themselves. I continue to be disappointed with the NFL’s kneejerk response to player misconduct that has been dictated far more by public opinion than by a clear, consistent code of organizational ethics.  Unfortunately, that's not too surprising.  What has been more surprising to me is just how much of a scumbag Adrian Peterson is.  He's beaten his children to the point of lasting physical injury multiple times.  Allegations have also emerged that Peterson misused funds from his All Day Foundation for some decidedly non-kid-friendly extracurriculars.  Apparently he couldn't even pass a drug test when it was a given of his legal proceedings.  It's stunning how far someone's reputation can plummet in a matter of weeks, but now under the microscope, it appears this is who Adrian Peterson has been for a long time without much consequence.

The Best Surprises of 2014 So Far

Dem Cowboys - I put Dallas's stock on hold a couple of weeks ago knowing they would tougher tests ahead on the schedule.  But watching this team gut it out in Seattle where the home team has won 19 of its last 20 games, I have no further questions, Your Honor.  Nearly everyone in the football opinion business including myself had the Cowboys pegged as a disaster before the 2014 season began as their opener against the 49ers seemed to indicate.  But they've gotten better and better every week to the point of looking downright dangerous for the rest of the NFC.  Rob Marinelli has whipped an awful defense into aggressive, turnover-generating shape.  An offensive line full of first-round picks made the formidable Seahawks look toothless.  And then there's a very healthy DeMarco Murray - only the second player in NFL history to rush for 100+ yards in each of these first six games.  Oh yes, I am equal parts stunned and scared of what Dallas might do this year if Murray stays healthy for a whole season.  The Cowboys are definitely playing like they deserve to be here.

The Browns’ Offense - For all of its misery in recent years, Cleveland's defense has been relatively sturdy.  Not so much the Cleveland offense that has welcomed and booted countless subpar QBs for as long as I've been alive.  The Browns looked destined to fail again this year with Josh Gordon suspended for half the season and total anonymity at running back.  Suddenly the Browns are a top ten unit in scoring and a top three unit in rushing, able to take every game they've played this season down to the wire.  Heck, these Browns are actually fun to watch, and with Jacksonville, Oakland and Tampa next up on the docket, this team suddenly looks like it could sneak into a wild card spot against all odds.  Things are getting cautiously optimistic in the Dawg Pound.

The Lions’ Defense - Sure, we all expected Detroit's offense to keep on humming with Megatron, Reggie Bush and company, but the Lions owe a whole lot more to that stifling defense so far this season.  Detroit is a top three team in all major yards and points categories with 20 sacks and 9 takeaways already through the first six weeks.  They'll have their share of challenges ahead with Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers on the schedule, but something tells me these Lions aren't scared after holding opponents to an average of 13 points per game thus far.  I'm already trembling about the Saints' visit to Ford Field next week.

Philip Rivers’ MVP Campaign - And finally, if I told you there was one quarterback in the NFL with 15 touchdowns to 2 interceptions leading the pack with a 117 passer rating, how long would it take you to guess that was Philip Rivers?  Oh, you read the title of this paragraph first?  Nevermind then.  Anyway, the guy has come back from the dead under the care of Mike McCoy with the best start of his career.  This season could have looked a lot different for San Diego, down to their third-string running back and powering through a schedule with plenty of returning playoff teams.  Instead, Rivers is playing flawless football and sitting atop the AFC West with a 5 - 1 record.  Get the popcorn ready for a wild finish with Denver.