A question for every team at the NFL’s mid-season mark

Week 9 is officially in the books, which means we’re at the halfway point — more or less — of the 2023 season.

On Tuesday, we highlighted some of the most noteworthy individual and team performances through the first two months of the campaign and teed up some interesting storylines we’re watching ahead of Week 10 and beyond.

And now, it’s time to take a closer look at all 32 teams. Because as much as we’ve learned through the first nine weeks of 2023, there’s still a lot more football to be played — and plenty of questions to be answered.

With that in mind, we’ve got one question for every team at the mid-season mark.

AFC NORTH

Baltimore Ravens (7-2): Will Lamar Jackson keep up his MVP pace? He’s completing passes at a league-high (and personal best) rate of 71.5 per cent right now, and with a commanding two-win lead atop the NFL’s toughest division no team is hotter right now than Baltimore. 

Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3): Can “Fourth Quarter Kenny” show up in the first three? Pittsburgh might be the NFL’s most boring thrilling team. Four of the Steelers’ five wins this year have seen the offence sputter through the first 45 minutes before coming to life in the final 15 to win by a single score.

Cleveland Browns (5-3): What’s the deal with Deshaun Watson? The Browns’ defence is the real deal, and yet all eyes are once again fixed on the messy situation at QB.

Cincinnati Bengals (5-3): Can the Bengals catch Baltimore? Circle Nov. 16 on your calendar and buckle up!

NFC NORTH

Detroit Lions (6-2): Will the Lions lock up the NFC North? Armed with a one-win lead over Minnesota and the fourth-easiest remaining schedule based on opponents’ win percentage, Detroit looks like it can make good on all those optimistic pre-season predictions.

Minnesota Vikings (5-4): Can Minnesota still make a run without Cousins? Josh Dobbs’ remarkable victory on Sunday, just four days after arriving at the trade deadline, brought a spark of optimism after the nightmare of watching Kirk Cousins go down with a torn Achilles. Speaking of optimism…

Green Bay Packers (3-5): Is Love the answer? He burst onto the scene with a combined six touchdown passes and no picks in his first two games of the season, but Love’s play has since dwindled. The Packers’ last seven games have seen the first-year starter throw more interceptions (eight) than TDs (six) while posting a 59.6 completion percentage that ranks lowest among all NFL starters.

Chicago Bears (2-7): Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, or Michael Penix Jr.? No disrespect to Justin Fields, who has shown enough talent to earn him another shot at starting, but with the Bears currently holding the second and third overall picks in a draft class rich in quarterbacks, a fresh start for all is likely the best path forward.

AFC EAST

Miami Dolphins (6-3): Will Tyreek Hill make history as the first NFL player to register 2,000 receiving yards in a single season? Sure, Miami has more pressing concerns like shaking off Sunday’s loss to Kansas City and holding onto the AFC East’s top spot, but in the meantime it’ll be fun to watch Hill — currently on pace to set a new single-season record for receiving yards — take aim at the history books.

Buffalo Bills (5-4): Who are these Bills? The same team that put up 48 points over the Dolphins just barely squeaked past the Giants a few weeks later. Two months into the season, and we’re still not sure what to expect from this club on any given Sunday and they’ll soon be running out of time to show us.

New York Jets (4-4): Aaron Rodgers can’t really come back this season… can he? The Jets are staying afloat in the standings — barely — thanks to their sensational defence, but this lifeless offence is clearly in need of a (medical) miracle.

New England Patriots (2-7): Are we witnessing the end of the Belichick era? The Belichick-led Patriots are about to do something they’ve never done before: miss the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. While that’s not a fireable offence when you’ve done as much for a franchise as Belichick has in New England, it’s worth wondering if a fresh start is in store. (Of course, we can’t be the only ones curious about what B.B. might do with a top-five pick in this year’s QB class, right…?!) 

NFC EAST

Philadelphia Eagles (8-1): Can Philly’s patchwork secondary hold up? Last year’s healthiest team has been hit early and often by the injury bug this season, especially at secondary. The run defence is still elite, but they’re vulnerable through the air and with pass-happy teams coming up on the schedule might those difficulties be exposed?

Dallas Cowboys (5-3): Can Dak Prescott win a close game? The Cowboys have blown out some opponents and have been blown out by others, but are 1-1 in one-score games. Their latest outing, a divisional loss to the Eagles, saw some (literal) missteps from Dak Prescott in the fourth quarter that bring up familiar questions about their ability to capitalize on redzone opportunities and close out big games.

Washington Commanders (4-5): Can the offensive line keep Sam Howell on his feet? Sacked 44 times already this year, the first-year starter is on pace to pass David Carr’s unfortunate slice of history. (Carr was sacked 76 times in his rookie year in 2002, an NFL record.) Despite playing behind a porous offensive line, Howell still leads the league in attempts (353) and completions (235) and sits second in passing yards.

New York Giants (2-7): Have we seen the last of Daniel Jones in New York? A torn ACL brings an end to Jones’ disappointing season, while the Giants’ losing record brings them closer to a top pick in next spring’s draft.

AFC SOUTH

Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2): Should we be talking more about the Jaguars’ defence? Jacksonville leads the league in takeaways, averaging 2.3 per game, and has opponents throwing more incompletions than any other unit. (So, yes!)

Houston Texans (4-4): Can the Texans start talking… playoffs? C.J. Stroud has been historically good in his rookie year and has Houston outplaying pre-season expectations by a mile.

Indianapolis Colts (4-5): Is Jonathan Taylor ready to take off? The star running back took a little time to warm up after making his season debut a month into the campaign, but he’s started to look like his old dominant self in recent weeks.

Tennessee Titans (3-5): Have the Titans found their new QB1? Head coach Mike Vrabel announced this week he’s handing the starting job to Will Levis moving forward, and how the rookie performs will tell us a lot about this team’s future.

NFC SOUTH

New Orleans Saints (5-4): The defence is elite, but when will offence kick in? The Saints’ secondary is scary, forcing turnovers with regularity and averaging more than an interception per game. If the offence can find its footing, the Saints could heat up at the right time to stay atop the division. 

Atlanta Falcons (4-5): Can a QB change spark the Falcons’ sluggish offence? What was supposed to be an explosive offence averaged the fifth fewest points with Desmond Ridder at helm. It’s backup Taylor Heinicke’s turn now, and while his first start resulted in a loss it also saw the team post its highest point total of the season (28). 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5): Has Baker Mayfield found his new home? After starting 3-1 on the year, the Buccaneers have lost four straight games despite solid performances from Mayfield. 

Carolina Panthers (1-7): What’s the plan, Panthers? They spent a lot to draft Bryce Young first overall, but without proper protection or weapons around him it’s unclear how they build from here without their first-round pick.

AFC WEST

Kansas City Chiefs (7-2): Can Rashee Rice become the WR1 Mahomes needs? Travis Kelce will always be Mahomes’ top target, but the team has struggled to find consistent production at WR since the departure of Tyreek Hill. It’s showed this year, with the offence taking a step back through stretches of the season despite still posting a dominant 7-2 record.

Los Angeles Chargers (4-4): Are the Chargers a playoff team? It’s a simple question, but when it comes to the Chargers the answer never is.

Las Vegas Raiders (4-5): Will the Raiders give interim coach Antonio Pierce a proper shot at the full-time job? The Raiders’ ineptitude at head-coach hiring is well-documented, and at times it’s felt like the solution is right under Mark Davis’s nose. He hired Josh McDaniels in 2022 despite then-interim Rich Basaccia taking the team to the playoffs, and we all know how that turned out. Under Pierce, the Raiders looked revived on Sunday.

Denver Broncos (3-5): Wait, is Denver’s defence actually good? The stink of that 70-point disaster against Miami still lingers, weighing down Denver’s season stats. Case in point: The Broncos sit dead last in average points allowed per game with 28.3, but that may no longer be an accurate assessment. In their last three games, the Broncos have allowed the second-fewest points (15) — a span that saw them hold the Chiefs’ powerful offence to a combined 28 points in two meetings just two weeks apart.

NFC WEST

San Francisco 49ers (5-3): Can Purdy & Co. right the ship? A perfect 10-0 as an NFL starter and a flawless 5-0 start to the 2023 season feels like a distant memory now that the 49ers have hit a skid of three straight losses. Last week’s bye couldn’t have come at a better time.

Seattle Seahawks (5-3): Do the Seahawks belong atop the NFC West? A fling with the division’s top spot proved to be short-lived thanks to an embarrassing Week 9 performance against the Ravens. Seattle’s now got two weeks to shake that off before going head-to-head with the 49ers in the first of a two-part series between the division rivals for the right to stand alone atop the NFC West.

Los Angeles Rams (3-6): The Rams just signed who? Coach Sean McVay expressed optimism that Matthew Stafford, sidelined last week with thumb injury, will return following the Rams’ well-timed Week 10 bye. And if he doesn’t? Looks like Carson Wentz gets another shot at being an NFL starter after the team signed the free agent earlier this week. Interesting.

Arizona Cardinals (1-8): Kyler Murray’s back under centre, but for how long? Now fully recovered from his torn ACL, Murray takes back the reins of a last-place team whose front office has a major decision on its hands.