The NFL posted Friday on Tencent Sports its wrap-up of the first eight weeks of the 2022 regular season, focusing on the most surprising teams, the best-performing players and the most disappointing teams, among other things.
Most surprising teams so far: New York Jets, New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks
The two New York teams, which have been two of the worst teams in the league for many years, are 6-2 (Giants) and 5-3 (Jets) after eight games. The Giants are sixth in the National Football Conference (NFC) while the Jets are fifth in the American Football Conference (AFC).
The Seahawks sent away their Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP) quarterback (QB) Russell Wilson during the offseason, but the team has averaged 26.3 points in eight games with a better record (5-3) than Wilson's new home, the Denver Broncos (3-5).
Quarterback Russell Wilson of the Denver Broncos looks on in the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London, Britain, October 30, 2022. /CFP
Most disappointing transaction so far: The Broncos trading for Wilson
It cost the Broncos three players, two first-round draft picks, two second-rounders and one fifth-rounder to acquire QB Wilson from the Seahawks. Instead of turning the team into a serious Super Bowl contender, Wilson only had a 58.8 percent pass completion rate with a QB rating of 83.5 after eight games.
To make matters worse, the Broncos also signed a five-year, $245 million contract extension, including $165 million guaranteed money, with him.
Most disappointing teams so far: Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers
What do the reigning Super Bowl champions Rams, QB Tom Brady's Buccaneers and back-to-back MVP QB Aaron Rodgers' Packers share in common after eight weeks? None of them has reached a .500 win rate.
Which is a more embarrassing prospect this year: Rams failing to reach the playoffs, Brady finishing his last season without appearing in the postseason, or Rodgers being replaced by third-year Jordan Love before the season ends?
Cornerback James Bradberry (#24) of the Phiadelphia Eagles breaks up a pass of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 30, 2022. /CFP
Most worthwhile transaction: Philadelphia Eagles signing James Bradberry
The three-year, $45 million deal cornerback Bradberry signed with the Giants in 2020 and quickly became a deadweight the team wanted get rid of, but they failed to trade him. In the end, the Giants had to release him. He then signed with the Eagles on a one-year, $7.5 million deal. This season, he leads the NFL in red zone coverage (93.0) and has made key contributions to the Eagles' perfect 8-0 record.
Quarterback Geno Smith of the Seattle Seahawks looks to pass in the game against the New York Giants at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, October 30, 2022. /CFP
Comeback player so far: Geno Smith of the Seahawks
The good performance of the Seahawks wouldn't have happened without the breakout of 32-year-old QB Geno Smith, who had been considered as one of the perfect examples for a draft bust. With a career-high pass completion rate of 72.7 percent, Smith threw for 1,924 yards and 13 touchdowns with only three interceptions. His QB rating is 107.2 after playing eight games.
Brian Daboll, head coach of the New York Giants, looks on during the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, October 30, 2022. /CFP
Best coach so far: Brian Daboll of the NY Giants
Daboll only became the head coach of the Giants in late January, but he's already injected the team with a winning culture. In five of the six games the team has won so far, they were trailing or drawing with the opponents before the fourth quarter began. Thanks to Daboll's on-the-spot coaching, the Giants have become one of the toughest fourth quarter teams.
Quarterback Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills drops back to throw a pass in the game against the Green Bay Packers at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, October 30, 2022. /CFP
MVP so far: Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills
Having played seven games for the Bills, QB Allen completed 173 of his 264 passes for 2,198 yards and 19 touchdowns with six interceptions. He also finished 53 rushes for 306 yards and 24 first downs. Allen's biggest opponent for this season's MVP is Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs. They match each other in stats, but the Bills (6-1) won one more game than the Chiefs (5-2) and the Bills beat the Chiefs 24-20 in Week 6.
Wide receiver Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins catches a pass in the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, October 16, 2022. /CFP
Best offensive player so far: Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins
Wide receiver Hill proved that, with 69 catches for 961 yards in eight games for the Dolphins, he doesn’t rely on a specific QB to make incredible offensive contributions: not Mahomes, or even Tua Tagovailoa, who missed two of those eight games because of injury. No one in NFL history reached 2,000 receiving yards in one season, but Hill is hopeful of becoming the first one to do it, and he can if he continues to play like this.
Linebacker Micah Parsons (L) of the Dallas Cowboys tackles quarterback Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions in the game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, October 23, 2022. /CFP
Best defensive player so far: Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys
Sophomore linebacker Parsons is challenging Nick Bosa for this season's Defensive Player of the Year Award. The 23-year-old Cowboy has achieved eight sacks and nine tackles for loss of yardage in eight games. He is also radioactive enough on the defensive end to help his teammates do a better job of containing the opponents' QBs. The Cowboys lead the league in sacks (33).
(Cover photo: Quarterback Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills drops back to throw a pass in the game against the Green Bay Packers at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, October 30, 2022. /CFP)