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A Big Turnover in the N.F.C.: The Top Teams at Midseason
By BILL PENNINGTONOCT. 30, 2017

What do the New Orleans Saints, the Minnesota Vikings, the Los Angeles Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles have in common?

Each was left out of the playoffs last season, but in the new power structure of the N.F.C., each team is in first place today.

As the midpoint of the N.F.L. schedule approaches, teams that were dismissed as nothing more than early-season surprises are clearly now worthy contenders that can no longer be overlooked. These four teams, which had a combined record of 26-38 last year, are now a combined 23-7.

This shake-up is likely to have to be reckoned with in December or January, as playoff time approaches. Because it’s not just about which N.F.C. teams are rising to the top of the standings; it’s also about which teams are notably not in first place this week.

The six N.F.C. playoff berths last season went to the Giants, Green Bay, Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit and Seattle. The Seahawks, tied with the Rams, are the only team from that group in first place today. Moreover, the Giants are hapless; the Packers are leaderless; and the Cowboys, the Falcons and the Lions have been dogged by inconsistencies that have left them wandering in the middle of the pack.

The Saints (5-2), meanwhile, have won five consecutive games. The winning streak for the Vikings (6-2) is at four games, and the dominant Eagles (7-1) have won six in a row. The Rams (5-2) had a bye Sunday, but they have won their past two games and have scored 74 more points than they have given up, which is the second-best point differential in the N.F.L. (The Eagles are at plus 76.)

There’s also something fresh and invigorating about the four upstarts that have climbed atop the N.F.C.’s four divisions.

“We’re having fun and not listening to people telling us what we’re not supposed to be able to do,” Minnesota’s Case Keenum, a backup quarterback, said after the Vikings’ 33-16 victory over Cleveland (0-8) on Sunday. “We’ve got a lot of weapons, and we’re cutting it loose.”

Cutting it loose? Sounds like a mantra for the quartet trying to crash the N.F.C. playoff party.

There are some common threads to the successful paths these teams have followed. Combined, they are 11-3 on the road, which may be the best measuring stick for excellence in the N.F.L. Also, the Vikings, the Rams, the Eagles and the Saints have defenses that disrupt opposing offenses and distract opposing quarterbacks, something that was on display in Sunday’s games.

Consider, for example, that New Orleans won Sunday without Drew Brees, the starting quarterback, throwing a touchdown pass, which had not happened in eight seasons. The Saints’ stellar running back, Mark Ingram, nearly gave the game away to the Chicago Bears twice with fumbles in the fourth quarter, but Ingram’s defensive teammates bailed him out each time.

There have not been many games in recent years when the New Orleans defense outshined the offense. But except for one 50-yard carry by Chicago running back Jordan Howard, the Saints held the powerful Howard to 2.36 yards per carry.

The Vikings were trailing Cleveland at halftime and led by only a touchdown entering the fourth quarter. Then Minnesota’s front seven sacked Browns quarterback DeShone Kizer three times in the next three Cleveland possessions, and Keenum deftly led the Vikings to a runaway victory.

As for the Eagles, even when not playing their best — and that was the case in a 33-10 romp over the San Francisco 49ers (0-8) on Sunday — they still make winning look easy. Having a defense that held the 49ers to 238 yards and sacked the quarterback four times helps considerably.

The Eagles are living a charmed existence so far. As quarterback Carson Wentz said: “Being 7-1? It’s a good place to be.”

Granted, some of the current N.F.C. division leaders have not yet weathered the more challenging portions of their schedules. Then again, as teams that did not make the playoffs a year ago, they generally have less arduous schedules than those of teams that bulled their way into last year’s postseason. It’s called the spoils of parity.

But as the N.F.L. schedule rounds the halfway pole and churns toward a still distant finish line, there are new contenders, a couple of surprising, conspicuous laggards and some struggling old powerhouses desperately trying to catch up.

Which may not be as new and startling as it may seem. Last season, two-thirds of the teams that qualified for the N.F.C. postseason (Giants, Lions, Falcons and Cowboys) had not been in the playoffs during the previous season. This year may produce the same kind of turnover.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/30/sports/football/nfc-leading-teams-turnover.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Ffootball&action=click&contentCollection=football®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=5&pgtype=sectionfront