Sports Then and Now

With a 9-0 record to start the season, Alex Smith has the Kansas City Chiefs pointing in the right direction.

With the NFL season now officially past the mid-point, there has been quite a lot of unpredictability. Some based on off-season player and coaching changes and some that can be attributed to injuries and on the field successes and failures.

So far no team has benefited more from adding a new player and a new coach than the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. Head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Alex Smith have proven to be a great combination as the Chiefs have gone from two victories and the first overall draft pick in 2012 to nine wins and counting in 2013. Granted their success is due as much to their defense and running game as it is to Smith, but he has definitely provided the stability needed under center. Reid has also proven that leaving Philadelphia was the right tonic he needed to get back to his role as one of the best coaches in the NFL.

In a league where 12 teams have either four or five victories after nine weeks (either eight or nine games depending on whether the team has already had their bye week), one or two players can make a huge difference.

A week ago the Green Bay Packers seemed poised to take control of the NFC Central and solidify themselves as a Super Bowl contender. One of the big reasons for that was the play of rookie running back Eddie Lacy. Lacy ranks in the top ten in the NFL with 596 yards rushing in his first seven games. However, after All Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a broken collar bone early in their Monday Night loss to the Chicago Bears, the Packers are now considered a long shot to overcome the loss of their quarterback and make the playoffs.

Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts will definitely miss having Reggie Wayne for the rest of the season.

Several other teams have suffered significant injuries to key players this season. The Cowboys are currently playing without defensive end DeMarcus Ware, who had four sacks in the first six games of the season. The Indianapolis Colts will be without veteran receiver Reggie Wayne for the rest of the season and Ray Rice has struggled with injuries for the defending champion Baltimore Ravens.

Perhaps no team has struggled more as a result of key injuries than the Atlanta Falcons. Last season the Falcons were 13-3 and nearly reached the Super Bowl. This season they are 2-6 and have been hampered by injuries, especially to key skill players Julio Jones (out for the season after catching 41 passes for 580 yards in the first five games of the season), Roddy White and Steven Jackson.

Predicting what will happen the rest of the season is certainly not an easy task. Of course regardless of the difficulty the odds makers are always ready to offer their predictions for what will occur on the field. Click here to check current football lines.