Most surprising developments of 2018 NFL season

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell sitting out the whole season 

This issue dates back to March, so it’s nothing new. But regardless of whether one sides with player or team in the Bell-Steelers saga, no one could have guessed the running back would sit the whole season.

The Steelers never came close to offering Bell the amount of money the Los Angeles Rams gave Todd Gurley, but still, it’s surprising when anyone turns down $14.5 million guaranteed to play one season.

Bell’s absence has led to another surprising development: James Conner is turning into a star. Conner is averaging more yards per carry (4.6) than Bell did in 2017, and he already has five 100-yard rushing games, which is more than the four Bell posted last year.

Furthermore, Conner is third in the NFL with 10 rushing touchdowns and fourth with 849 rushing yards.

Chicago Bears developing into an elite defense 

During the offseason and through September, the storylines surrounding the Bears were all about the offense. New coach Matt Nagy was drawing up exciting new plays every week and successfully utilizing the Bears' recent draft picks and free-agency acquisitions — not to mention, Nagy also placed Mitch Trubisky’s development back on the right path. 

But as Chicago’s last two prime-time games showed, it’s the Bears defense that has this team in first place. 

Allowing 19.2 points per game and 316.1 yards per contest, Chicago's defense is third and fourth in those two categories, respectively. Defensive end Khalil Mack is leading the way with 8.0 sacks and five forced fumbles. Those numbers have Mack in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation. 

He’s hardly the only playmaker, though, on that side of the ball. Rookie linebacker Roquan Smith has shined in his first year, leading the team with 81 total tackles, and defensive tackle Akiem Hicks excels at both stuffing the run and rushing the passer. 

In the secondary, defensive back Kyle Fuller and safety Eddie Jackson have nine combined interceptions. Jackson has returned two of those picks and a fumble for touchdowns. 

Jacksonville Jaguars sitting in last place

The Jaguars defense was so elite last season that it truly appeared they were a quarterback away from the Super Bowl. Jacksonville stuck with Blake Bortles, and in Week 2, Bortles tore apart the Patriots, throwing for 376 yards and four touchdowns. 

But he has been extremely inconsistent since then. He’s averaged under 6.0 yards per attempt in five of the last nine games, and in another contest, he threw four interceptions. During that stretch, the Jaguars are 1-8.

It’s hardly only Bortles’ fault, though, as the Jacksonville defense hasn’t been good either. And not having running back Leonard Fournette for much of the first half hurt, as he helps the offense control the ball and keep the defense off the field. 

But there also have been far too many blown coverages for Jacksonville. Last season, the Jaguars led the league in passing yards allowed per attempt. They have fallen to No. 7 in that category this year. 

Washington Redskins RB Adrian Peterson on his way to another 1,000-yard season 

In August, Peterson wasn’t on a roster, and it appeared he was headed into retirement. If not for an injury to rookie Derrius Guice, Peterson may have been sitting on his couch this fall. 

Instead he is in Washington, and through 11 games, Peterson is on pace for more than 1,100 yards. It would be the eighth 1,000-yard rushing season of his career and his first since 2015. 

However, it’s hardly a guarantee Peterson reaches that milestone. In the last four games, he has 171 yards and is averaging 3.1 yards per carry. Those numbers will have to improve if Peterson is going to reach the 1,000-yard mark and lead the Redskins to the postseason. 

Philadelphia Eagles sitting under .500 heading into December  

The 2017 season was magical for the Eagles. Just about everything went right, and even when it didn’t (ex. Carson Wentz injury), things worked out in the end. 

So a regression was to be expected — but this much is surprising. Even after the comeback victory against the New York Giants on Sunday, Philadelphia sits at 5-6 and in third place in the NFC East heading into December.  

The playoff picture is an absolute logjam in the NFC. The Eagles might have to win out to earn a wild-card spot. The good news is Philadelphia is only one game back in the NFC East and has four division games remaining. 

Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes in the MVP race  

Some will probably argue this isn’t a surprise. Personally, I figured Mahomes was the real deal when Andy Reid was willing to trade veteran Alex Smith following the best season of his career.  

But Mahomes being this good, this fast, is a surprise. With 3,628 passing yards and 37 touchdowns, Mahomes is on pace for 5,275 yards and 53 touchdowns. Just three quarterbacks have reached either of those totals, and only Peyton Manning has posted more than 5,000 passing yards and 50 touchdowns in the same year.  

To stay in the MVP race, though, Mahomes will have to cut down on his interceptions. He didn’t have any through the first four games, but since then he has 10. He threw five in the two Chiefs losses this year. 

Minnesota Vikings struggling on defense 

Similar to the Jaguars, it’s not as though the Vikings are playing poor defense. But their play has also not been elite. 

A year after finishing first or second in yards allowed, passing yards allowed, rushing yards allowed and points allowed, the Vikings have fallen outside the top four in three of those four categories. In most cases, the drop-off hasn’t been significant, but Minnesota does rank 10th in points allowed so far this season. 

The Vikings are yielding a touchdown more per game in 2018 than they did last season. The offense is partly to blame for giving up more points because of giveaways and the lack of a running game. But it's that defensive stat that is the main reason why the Vikings have already lost more games than they did in 2017. 

Jon Gruden tenure off to extremely rocky start with Oakland Raiders 

Despite the win last week, things couldn’t have started much worse for Gruden in his return to the Raiders. 

First, Oakland dealt Mack, who has been a major reason for the Bears’ rapid rise. Then the Raiders traded away wide receiver Amari Cooper to Dallas, and he is suddenly a No. 1 receiver again. He posted 180 receiving yards and two touchdowns on Thanksgiving against the Redskins. 

Both Mack and Cooper could very well lead their new teams to division titles, while the Raiders could finish with the worst record in the AFC. 

And all season long, there have been reports of dysfunction inside the Raiders organization, where Gruden has his own scouts that he trusts. This is far from what NFL fans were expecting when Oakland hired him for $100 million guaranteed. 

At 2-9, the Raiders are at the bottom of the AFC. 

Matt Ryan leading the NFL in passing 

The former MVP is a great quarterback. But in a season where future Hall of Fame quarterbacks such as Drew Brees and newcomers like Mahomes and Jared Goff are absolutely shining, it’s surprising to see a quarterback on a 4-7 team leading the league in passing. 

In fact, Ryan’s numbers through 11 weeks are pretty similar to those from his 2016 MVP season. That just speaks to how much the defense has struggled with injuries this year. 

After Thursday, Ryan has 3,683 passing yards, which is just 75 more than Mahomes. Even after Ben Roethlisberger threw for 462 yards against Denver, Ryan still leads “Big Ben” by 19 yards in the passing title race. 

Linebacker Joe Schobert emerging as brightest young star on Browns defense 

No disrespect to Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward or Jabrill Peppers; all three could become perennial Pro Bowl players. But right now, Schobert is playing better than any Cleveland defender. 

In his third season, Schobert has been absolutely everywhere for the Browns. He has 64 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, six pass deflections and an interception. Schobert is second on the team in tackles despite missing three games. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Schobert is also the best coverage linebacker in the NFL. 

Maybe most impressively, the Browns are 4-3-1 when he plays. When Schobert has been hurt, Cleveland is 0-3.