Every year, as we get prepared for the NFL season, different journalists, fans, and handicappers pick their Division favorites who they feel will be in the Playoffs and/or the Super Bowl. Seldom are those prognostications correct and this year is no different. After five weeks of NFL play, standings are, in some cases, much different than what they would be at this time of the year. With 12 games remaining, things can obviously change, but some Clubs are putting themselves into a situation that will be very hard for them to get out of.

There are some Clubs that are totally outplaying what prognosticators felt they would look like, with the Minnesota Vikings and Washington Commanders leading the way.

Minnesota

Going into the season, many “experts” felt that Detroit would be the class of the Division, with Green Bay a close second. The same people felt that Minnesota and Chicago would be at the bottom of the Division.

Well, after five games, things look a little different. The team at the top is the team many felt would be at the bottom, and that team is Minnesota. The Vikings are one of two teams that haven’t lost a game, and they are doing it with a journeyman quarterback who most felt wouldn’t see the field this year.

The Vikings drafted Michigan’s J.J. McCarty in the first round, and he was expected to lead the Vikings this season. McCarthy got injured in the pre-season, and much-traveled Sam Darnold had to take over.

Darnold, who has struggled much of his career at many different stops, is playing outstanding football, and the Viking defense has been great. Minnesota has outscored their opponents by 63 points and they have beaten three teams that many felt would be Playoff-bound in San Francisco, Green Bay and Houston.

To date, Darnold has competed 63% of his throws for over 1100 yards and 11 TDs. If he keeps playing this way, he could find himself in the Pro Bowl.

During free agency, the Vikings lost their best pass rusher, Danielle Hunter, and many felt that the Viking pass rush would be average at best because of that. Wrong! To date, they have 20 sacks, with free agent acquisition Edges Jonathan Greenard and Pat Jones leading the way. Greenard has 4.0 sacks, and Jones leads the team with 5.0. If anything, the pass rush has not lost a beat since last year.

The Vikes are off this week and then play Detroit at home, so their winning ways could continue as the two games following Detroit are the Rams and Colts. The Vikings could be 8-0 or at worst 7-1 with half a season to go and if that happens they should be Playoff bound.

Washington

The Commanders were one of the worst teams in football last year, and there were several who felt that wouldn’t change in 2024 with a new coaching staff and playing with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Philly and Dallas were supposed to lead the way, but to date, both teams have been disappointing, to say the least.

Washington has won four games in a row after losing their opener at Tampa Bay. Since then, they have beaten the Giants, Arizona, Cincinnati, and Cleveland convincingly. In fairness, none of those four teams are considered contenders, but a win is a win.

Daniels has been outstanding, completing 77% of his passes for over 1100 yards, four TDs, and only two interceptions. He has also rushed for 300 yards. He is off to perhaps the best start ever by a rookie quarterback.

Offensive Coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who failed as a Head Coach in Arizona, is out to redeem himself and his reputation and is doing a wonderful job. Instead of force-feeding Daniels with a difficult NFL-style offense, he is keeping things simple with Daniels playing a very similar offense to what he played at LSU. Even the terminology is similar. This has helped Daniels get off to a quick start, but still, he is playing NFL defenses, and he’s not looking like a rookie who goes through rookie growing pains. He is getting the ball out of his hand quickly and with accuracy. His running ability is similar to Justin Fields’, so that has to be accounted for by the defenses they face.

Washington’s schedule has not been difficult, and this week, they face by far their toughest opponent when they travel to Baltimore. The Ravens have a way of making things hard for rookie quarterbacks. We’ll know by late Sunday afternoon if the Commanders are contenders or pretenders.

An interesting game that is coming up for Washington is October 27th when they host the Chicago Bears. The Bears have played well of late and, of course, are playing with a rookie quarterback as well in Caleb Williams. That game will feature the first two picks of the 2024 NFL Draft going head-to-head. While Daniels has played well, Williams didn’t get off to the quick start that Jayden did, but in the two most recent games, he has been every bit as good. You can bet that both players will be hyped to outplay each other. Currently, that game is just set to be a regionally televised, but don’t be surprised if it gets changed to the late afternoon game and played before a larger audience if both clubs keep winning.