The NFL season has reached its halfway point. Here are the three biggest surprises through the first nine weeks:
1. The Bengals are actually good » What happened to that dysfunctional team that had more player arrests than wins? Well, the Bengals have a complete new identity led, ironically, by running back Cedric Benson — who Cincinnati signed after being released by the Bears following two alcohol-related arrests in five weeks in 2008. The Bengals are 6-2 behind Benson’s 837 yards rushing (second in the NFL) and a defense that is holding teams to 16.9 points per game (fifth in the NFL). Has Cincinnati broken the “Hard Knocks” curse?
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2. The dominant Colts defense » Indianapolis being undefeated isn’t surprising — considering the Colts have won at least 12 games in six consecutive seasons. But their defense giving up an NFL-best 13.5 points per game — with former defensive player of the year Bob Sanders playing in only two games — is shocking. Defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis have been unblockable — combining for 16 sacks. But can the Colts continue to be dominant without Sanders and cornerback Marlin Jackson the rest of the season?
3. An NFL full of bad teams » Every year there are bad teams. Last year we had the “pleasure” of watching history be made in Detroit. But this season a quarter of the NFL has reached pathetic level. You can make an argument for any of these teams being the worst in football at some point this season: Chiefs, Raiders, Titans, Browns, Rams, Bucs, Lions and Redskins. Has there ever been this many miserable teams in the NFL during one season?
