Midseason Check-In: 3 Surprises and 3 Disappointments In The NFL At The Halfway Point

Some NFL teams and players have not met expectations halfway through the season, while others have blown away their preseason predictions of success.  

We'll start with the positive before pointing out the pathetic.  

Drake Maye’s Second-Year Leap

Last season, Maye was put in an impossible situation: guide an offense with paltry receivers, a terrible offensive line, and bad running backs…and do your best. Maye showed flashes of talent, but he could only do so much in that dysfunctional situation.

But through nine games this season with a wildly improved offensive roster, it's impossible to ignore how good the second-year quarterback has been.

He’s fourth in the league in passing yards (2,285), tied for third in touchdown passes (17), tied for the least amount of interceptions (four), and is making throws that are leaving people speechless.

Pretty amazing what you can do with good players, right?

But it’s not just the talent. This kid looks like he’s in full command of the offense and is doing things that guys five years his senior sometimes struggle to do.

Daniel Jones’ Resurgence

Jones used to be the laughingstock of the NFL when it came to quarterback discussions. He’d turn the ball over all the time, miss open receivers, and constantly be at the center of all the struggles the New York Giants faced in his six years there.

But now? He looks like he could with the MVP award.

Yes, he reverted back to his old ways against the Steelers on Sunday But he still leads the league in passing yards (2,404) and has tossed 14 touchdown passes, all while getting the Colts to a 7-2 record that not even the NFL experts saw coming. Indianapolis is the best team in the NFL right now.

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - OCTOBER 26: Daniel Jones #17 of the Indianapolis Colts scrambles with the ball against the Tennessee Titans during the first half in the game at Lucas Oil Stadium on October 26, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

There is a long way to go in the season, and games against Kansas City, Seattle, and a tricky Atlanta team are looming. Plus, Josh Allen just beat the Chiefs and looked like an MVP in doing so, and he’s been having a solid year too.

But right now, the MVP award is well within Jones’ grasp. And if you predicted that at the beginning of the season, you are the smartest football fan in the country.

Emeka Egbuka Dominating Everyone

The No. 19 overall pick by the Buccaneers had an impressive pedigree after playing for Ohio State in college. But no one could have seen this coming.

Everyone thought he would play the supporting cast to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin (when he was healthy). But instead, he has taken over as WR1 not just when both evans and godwin were hurt, but also when Evans was healthy.

He’s making defenders look ridiculous, coming up with clutch scores, and running routes that some experienced receivers can’t even do.

He’s halfway to 1,000 yards in just eight games and he’s already got five touchdowns. 

Not bad for a rookie.

But for every positive surprise, there’s an equally negative one. Here are the three biggest ones:

Geno Smith’s Regression

In his final season with the Seahawks, Smith finally had his breakthrough year. It was one of the most uplifting stories this season, as the guy who didn’t write back to those who wrote him off tossed for 4,320 yards and 21 touchdowns, just missing the playoffs.

But this year, it’s been a different story.

People thought that Smith would be the Savior for the Raiders, who signed him to a $75 million contract and offered him Brock Bowers, Ashton Jeanty and Jakobi Meyers at the skill positions.

HENDERSON, NEVADA - APRIL 07: (L-R) General manager John Spytek of the Las Vegas Raiders, quarterback Geno Smith and head coach Pete Carroll of the Raiders pose after a news conference introducing Smith at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on April 07, 2025 in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

After a devastating home loss to the Jags in Overtime Sunday, The Raiders have only won one game since their opening season win v. the Patriots. That was over the unimpressive Titans, and they have averaged less than 16 points per game.

Smith could turn it around in the second half and spark the Raiders for a late playoff push. But that’s going to take a lot of change.

Dolphins

Need I say more?

If you want to talk about a disappointing season for an entire team, look no further than Miami.

They have two wins — already not great — against the Jets and the Falcons (sheesh). And if you just do a quick glance at their schedule, you’ll see it's full of losses that would make any fan base sick.

• 33-27 against the then unproven Patriots at home (the first time they lost to New England in Miami since 2019).
• 27-24 to the Panthers, who might be the luckiest team in the NFL at this point
• 31-6 to the Browns — THE BROWNS!
• And a 29-27 loss to the Chargers in which they led with 46 seconds to go.

If this was the Browns season, I’d say this was par for the course. But Miami came into the season hoping for a playoff berth, and they finally seemed healthy enough to get back to postseason ball.

But then all heck broke loose.

Tyreek Hill tore his ACL. The defense has underperformed. And Tua Tagovailoa…well, let's not talk about him.

Things are dark and gloomy in the southern part of The Sunshine State. And based on how this year has gone, there’s little reason to expect that the storm clouds are going away anytime soon.

The Falcons Offense Not Meeting Its Potential

This one isn’t necessarily a reflection on what they’ve done, and more so on how they have not performed to what they could be.

Let’s take stock in their skill position players: Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Darnell Mooney, and Kyle Pitts. That’s an offense that should be putting up 30 points on the regular and getting close to 400 yards.

Instead, they are averaging 335 yards a game and not even 18 points. London has been held to less than 60 yards receiving in four of the seven games he’s been in. Robinson has less than 50 rushing yards in four matchups. 

How is this possible with all this talent?

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 19: Michael Penix Jr. #9 of the Atlanta Falcons passes the ball against the San Francisco 49ers during the third quarter in the game at Levi's Stadium on October 19, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

Part of that is subpar quarterback play, as Michael Penix Jr. has not looked that great in seven starts. Part of it is facing good defenses. But whatever the case, there is so much potential that the Falcons are not tapping into.

There you have it, the good, the bad and the ugly of the first half of the NFL season.  The rest of the NFL season will likely reveal whether these are trends or blips on the radar.  Can't wait to watch it unfold.