The Seahawks and Commanders made similar aggressive moves in the offseason, but have gotten opposite results in the first half of the season.
Seattle could be trading places with Washington to join the familiar contenders in the NFC when the playoffs roll around in January.
While the NFC may not have a superior team, the Eagles still appear to be the best group in the conference despite a few sluggish stretches in the season’s first half. The Rams, Lions and Buccaneers aren’t going anywhere based on what they’ve shown over the past two months.
As for the Commanders, who made the NFC title game last season, they’re at the bottom of the standings with the Giants, Cardinals and Saints.
Here are the midseason grades for the NFC teams.
Arizona Cardinals
It seemed like the Cardinals were headed in the right direction with an improved defense and a 2–0 start to the season. But being content with the offense, one that was practically ignored in the offseason, quickly doomed this team once the schedule got tougher.
Kyler Murray and his stagnant offense weren’t good enough to hang with the top teams in the NFC West. Then, it all came crashing down after an epic collapse against the lowly Titans. Coach Jonathan Gannon needs a drastic second-half turnaround, or he could be out of a job soon. The same could be said for Murray, who may find himself on the trading block in 2026 after the team announced that Jacoby Brissett will be the starting quarterback for this week.
Grade: D
Atlanta Falcons
There may be a lot of puzzled executives in Atlanta. This franchise has invested heavily on both sides of the ball in recent drafts and doesn’t have much to show for it besides having an expensive backup QB and a handful of first-round picks that still haven’t found their footing.
Drake London and Bijan Robinson are the real deal, but Michael Penix Jr. continues to have roller coaster performances, and the lack of depth at pass catcher has hurt this unit. The statistics are impressive on the defensive side, but the Falcons need more game-changing plays, especially after using two first-round picks on edge rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr.
This is a mediocre team at best, and that’s not even close to good enough, given all the resources the Falcons have put into this roster. Maybe coaching is the real culprit here.
Grade: C-
Carolina Panthers
Soon, the league will likely be copying coach Dave Canales’s rushing scheme, as that strength could help the Panthers secure a wild-card spot.
Finally, this franchise has a real rebuild going thanks to the spark running back Rico Dowdle has given them since surpassing Chuba Hubbard as the lead back. It seemed the Panthers were going to screw it up when they started splitting carries after Hubbard returned to the field, but Canales put a stop to that after a few games and had Dowdle in the featured role for the massive upset win in Green Bay.
Also, let’s not ignore the tremendous job defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero has done to turn this unit into a top-15 defense. They were historically bad against the run last year, but have vastly improved with the changes they made in the offseason.
Grade: B-
Chicago Bears
The Bears still find themselves in chaotic games, but they’re now winning those close games. They beat the Commanders, Raiders and Bengals in matchups that came down to the final minutes.
New coach Ben Johnson has quickly taught his young team how to thrive in late-game situations. And now his offensive scheme appears to be on the verge of taking off in the final two months of the regular season. Yes, Caleb Williams & Co. beat up on an awful Bengals defense last week, but they experimented with Johnson’s deep playbook in that bonkers game, and what they displayed should excite every Bears fan about the future.
However, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen needs to make some adjustments after a few rough games for his unit, including the 30 points allowed against the Ravens with Tyler Huntley on the field.
Grade: B
Dallas Cowboys
Coach Brian Schottenheimer got dealt a bad hand for his first season in Dallas after team owner Jerry Jones abruptly traded star edge rusher Micah Parsons to Green Bay one week before the season opener in Philadelphia.
To no one’s surprise, the defense has failed to adjust without its best player, with an inconsistent pass rush putting more stress on the secondary, which was already expected to have issues this season. Those defensive woes have also put more pressure on Schottenheimer’s offense to score at a rapid pace, which has mostly stepped up in the first half of the season.
With an uneven team, the Cowboys practically begged to be an eight- or nine-win group. Being a middle-of-the-pack team should be unacceptable, especially with Dak Prescott earning $60 million per year. Jones has no one else to blame but himself if this defense doesn’t make vast improvements as soon as possible.
However, defensive reinforcements are headed to Dallas after Jones pulled off the trades for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and linebacker Logan Wilson. Still, these moves might not help the Cowboys make the postseason with the sizable hole they have dug themselves into the standings. The addition of Williams might be more about what this team can do next year.
Grade: C-
Detroit Lions
There was no drastic drop off, which many expected after Detroit lost former coordinators Johnson and Aaron Glenn to head-coaching jobs in the offseason.
But the Lions also don’t appear as mighty as last year. Jared Goff struggled to get his offense going when the team trailed early against the Packers, Vikings and Chiefs. It’s not a good look that the Lions are 1–2 in the competitive NFC North.
This offense is too talented to be so reliant on the rushing attack. Goff can’t just look to running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs to bail him out. The Lions won’t get far if Goff and his passing attack don’t wake up in the coming weeks.
Grade: B
Green Bay Packers
Expectations in Green Bay skyrocketed after the blockbuster trade for Parsons. However, this team has fallen short of meeting that high bar, with upset losses to the Panthers and Browns, and an ugly tie against the Cowboys.
The Packers, however, have a stout defense led by Parsons, a unit that consistently ranks inside the top 10. The real concerns are on the offensive side because Jordan Love still doesn’t have an impressive track record against the genuine contenders.
Yes, Love has impressive numbers, but take a closer look and you’ll find stellar performances against the Bengals, Steelers, Cardinals and Commanders. That doesn’t say much against those defenses. Sure, he beat Detroit in Week 1, but I’m not convinced he’s a different quarterback than the one who went 0–6 against the Eagles, Lions and Vikings last year. We’ll find out more about Love this week against Philadelphia.
Grade: B-
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams handled business in the first half of the season and now find themselves atop the NFC West standings next to the Seahawks.
But it’s difficult to shower this team with praise because five of their six wins have come against AFC opponents. They blew it in Philadelphia and lost at home to a depleted San Francisco squad. And haven’t played Seattle yet this season.
We’ll learn a lot more about the Rams when they play the 49ers, Seahawks and Buccaneers in the next three weeks. However, L.A. is capable of a lengthy postseason run, given the way Matthew Stafford has played, and this defense boasts a surplus of talented pass rushers to disrupt any opposing offense in the winter months.
Grade: B+
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings had a rough first half to the season, but they now have hope for a playoff push, with J.J. McCarthy’s impressive performance in the win against the Lions providing a much-needed jolt of confidence for the entire team.
If McCarthy can continue learning on the fly while delivering timely passes to his star receivers, Minnesota has as good a chance as any team to win the NFC North.
For five weeks, the Vikings wondered whether they had a starting quarterback good enough to contend for a playoff spot, as McCarthy worked his way back from the ankle injury sustained in Week 2. What happened in the first eight games won’t matter if McCarthy builds on what he did in Detroit.
Grade: C+
New Orleans Saints
The Saints are in dire need of a complete overhaul. They have a team filled with recognizable names, but all that’s gotten them is a handful of embarrassing losses and a few moral victories.
First-year coach Kellen Moore fielded a competitive team in the first quarter of the year, but the losing has taken a toll, and the Saints might have checked out by Halloween.
Now, it’s about drawing the top pick in next year’s draft, which could be tough with games against the Dolphins, Jets and Titans to end the year. Maybe rookie Tyler Shough can showcase himself in those games to let the team know they don’t have to draft a quarterback in the first round come April.
Grade: F
New York Giants
Let’s start with the positive before we get to all the negativity in New York. Jaxson Dart appears to be the real deal, or at least good enough to get a full commitment from the Giants for next year.
Other than that, not much has gone right for coach Brian Daboll, who might not get the opportunity to build off what he started with Dart’s development.
Rookie running back Cam Skattebo gave this team a spark, but his devastating season-ending leg injury quickly made that promising stretch a distant memory. There was also the season-ending knee injury for star receiver Malik Nabers in Week 4. It’s a dark era for the G-Men, but they at least have hope for the future with Dart’s promising performances.
Grade: D
Philadelphia Eagles
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say the Eagles are still the best team in the NFL.
While they were on the bye week, the Lions, Packers, Chiefs and Colts all lost their respective games. Also, GM Howie Roseman was busy on the phone hammering out trades for edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Michael Carter II.
The Eagles are far from perfect offensively, but Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown can turn it on at any point, and this rushing attack can still demoralize any team in the league. Not leaning on Saquon Barkley as much in the first two months could pay off in the back stretch of the season. Along with the defensive changes, the reigning Super Bowl champions seemed destined for another February run.
Grade: B
San Francisco 49ers
No one has been hit harder by injuries than the 49ers, but somehow they’re still racking up wins and are well-positioned to come out on top of the highly competitive NFC West race.
All the credit to the 49ers for finding ways to survive, but the season-ending injuries to Fred Warner and Nick Bosa could give them a low ceiling compared to the other contenders.
For San Francisco to truly make noise in the postseason, it’s going to need a healthy Brock Purdy, Ricky Pearsall and Brandon Aiyuk, with hopes of them turning this offense into an elite unit. It can certainly achieve that with how well Christian McCaffrey has played this season. There is a sense of urgency as this could be the final run for this aging core group.
Grade: B
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks’ bold offseason moves have paid off in a big way. They were right to swap Geno Smith for Sam Darnold. And made the correct call to trade DK Metcalf and promote Jaxon Smith-Njigba as the No. 1 option.
Darnold is an MVP candidate, and Smith-Njigba is a top contender for Offensive Player of the Year, and the team just added speedy wideout Rashid Shaheed at the trade deadline. Additionally, coach Mike Macdonald has formed a stout defense in his second season with the Seahawks.
The arrow is pointing up for the Seahawks, but they fell to the 49ers at home in Week 1 and haven’t shown what they can do against the Rams, a team they’ll play twice in the coming months.
Grade: A-
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers have found ways to make it work despite a massive injury wave in the first half of the season.
Baker Mayfield is in the midst of another career year and rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka looks to be a star in the making. But Tampa Bay is going to need more elite performances from this duo because of the significant collarbone injury to Mike Evans. It would go a long way if running back Bucky Irving and receiver Chris Godwin return to health soon.
When healthy, this is a very dangerous team in Tampa Bay. But maybe a tier below the Lions and Eagles, two teams that got the best of them in the first eight games.
Grade: B+
Washington Commanders
Less than a year after being the league’s most surprising team, the Commanders are now the most disappointing team after a brutal first two months of the season.
Jayden Daniels likely won’t be back any time soon after sustaining a significant left arm injury in the final minutes of Sunday night’s blowout loss against the Seahawks. But this team wasn’t going anywhere, even with a healthy Daniels.
Washington’s bold trades for Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil have backfired, and now it’ll suffer the consequences with a low amount of draft picks next year. This team desperately needs more defensive talent, especially at edge rusher.
Grade: F
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2025 NFC Midseason Report Cards: One Team Grades Above the Rest.