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With Week 8 completed, we are now around the halfway point of the NFL season. There have been plenty of surprises along the way, so let’s assess who gets a gold star and who is staying behind after school according to their performances so far.

Philadelphia have surprised everyone

The Eagles faithful saw enough potential in Jalen Hurts last year to optimistically hint that their team could spring a few surprises this year. Realistically, even the most partisan fans were thinking in terms of a couple of big wins against the odds securing them a wildcard berth in the playoffs.

As it is, they are the only team still undefeated in the NFL – and have been for a couple of weeks now. More important is the way they are winning. Last week’s victory against the Steelers saw A J Brown come to the fore with three touchdown receipts, but the whole offensive unit has come together in a way that was unimaginable a couple of years ago. Best of all, they are all having terrific fun, and long may it last.

Titans getting stronger by the week

Brown’s former team Tennessee is also enjoying an astonishing run of form, especially for a team that went into Week 3 on 0-2. Five straight wins has placed them second only to Buffalo overall. Week 9 will bring their toughest challenge yet against the visiting Chiefs, but if – just if – they can keep the run going, people might really start to believe in them.

As things stand, the bookmakers are still offering surprisingly long odds. It seems incredible that some bookies still have a team in this sort of form as a 50-1 rank outsider to win the Super Bowl. You’ll need to shop around to find odds like that, and for more details, click here to see US sportsbook ratings and reviews.

No let off for the Bucs

We won’t repeat what has been said elsewhere a million times. Suffice it to say that Tampa Bay’s annus horribilis, as the late Queen Elizabeth II might have put it, shows no sign of improving.

If Tom Brady was injured or had suddenly started to show his age, it would be understandable, but the undeniable fact is that he just seems to have nothing to work with on offense. The only crumb of comfort for the Bucs is that the rest of the NFC South is also self-destructing, so a playoff berth is still well within reach if they can pull things together.

Packers sent packing

In the NFC North, the usual point of interest is which team will come second to the Green Bay Packers. But this is no season for either Bay. After preseason assurances that both New York teams would be in disarray, the Packers were sent packing by first the Jets and then the Giants in consecutive weeks.

With further losses to Washington and now the Bills, they have subsided from 3-1 to 3-5. Rodgers is struggling, there are no two ways about it. The question to be answered in the second half of the season is whether he can stop the rot.