Shaking his head

 Surprises

Cedric Benson leads the league in rushing

            After struggling both on and off the field with the Chicago Bears, Cedric Benson is flourishing in his second season with the Bengals. After the Bengals picked Benson up last year, he responded with ordinary numbers finishing the year with 747 yards and a 3.4 yards per carry average. This year, in only seven games, Benson has already gained 720 yards and is averaging a full yard more per carry.  Benson is coming off a monster game where he gashed his former team for a career high 189 yards. Benson looks like a completely different back from when he was with the Bears and I expect him to continue his strong play throughout the season.

Kyle Orton and the Denver Broncos are 6-0

            After one of the most tumultuous off-seasons in recent memory, I think most found 0-6 to be a more realistic possibility for the Denver Broncos at this point in the season.  The Broncos came into the season with a new coach, a disgruntled star receiver, and without their Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler.  Nobody foresaw such a great start for the Broncos under such circumstances. Even more surprising is that Cutler's replacement, Kyle Orton, has outplayed him at this point in the season. Orton has been the picture of efficiency, throwing nine touchdowns and only one pick this season while posting a 100.1 quarterback rating. Cutler, on the other hand, has been up and down throughout the season. In three Chicago wins, Cutler posted ratings above 100, but in three losses he has thrown multiple picks leading to 10 on the year already. 

Steve Smith of the Giants

            Coming into the season, many felt the Giants' most pressing need was to replace wide receiver Plaxico Burress. The Giants responded by spending their first round pick on receiver Hakeem Nicks. While Nicks has had a nice start to his career, Steve Smith has stepped up and become a legitimate number one target for Eli Manning. With 594 yards and four touchdowns so far, Smith has already exceeded those totals from last season.  His 45 catches are second most in the league while his 594 yards are third.

Disappointments

The Tennessee Titans

            After posting the best record in the league last year with 13 wins, the Titans have self-destructed this year and are winless in their first six games.  While they did lose their star defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth in the offseason, nobody expected the Titans would fall this far. They went from legitimate Super Bowl contender to possibly the worst team in the league, all in one year.  Their defense has fallen from seventh in the league last year to 31st this year. They simply cannot stop anyone which was evident in the 59-0 beat down where Tom Brady threw an NFL record five touchdowns in one quarter. Kerry Collins has struggled immensely and is currently the 30th ranked passer in the league. It appears the team might turn to Vince Young, but I doubt he will make much of a difference. Running back Chris Johnson is the team's lone bright spot as he is second in the league in rushing and gaining a ridiculous 6.3 yards per carry.

The Carolina Panthers

            After winning their division and posting a franchise best 12 wins last season, the Panthers have endured a total collapse, struggling their way to a 2-4 start to the season. To make matters worse, the Panthers' two wins have come against the lowly Redskins and the winless Buccaneers.  Quarterback Jake Delhomme has been absolutely dreadful all year as he has thrown a league high 13 picks while only throwing four touchdowns.  Like the Titans, there seems to be no clear reason why this team has fallen so quickly—they simply are not playing well right now.

Six teams with one or no wins

            In a league where any team is supposed to be able to beat any other team on "any given Sunday," this is a disappointing stat. The Rams, Buccaneers, and Titans are winless while the Lions, Browns and Chiefs have managed only one victory. In a parity driven league, these teams are simply outmatched week in and week out. More disappointing is that most of these teams are consistently poor. Year in and year out, the Lions, Chiefs, and Rams struggle to put together a legitimately competitive team. It will be beneficial not only to the cities of these teams, but to the entire league when the "any given Sunday" tag truly applies to the NFL once again.