The 2025 NFL season has reached its halfway point with the arrival of Week 10.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are working their way out of the doldrums, while the Colts have emerged as a pleasant surprise.
Unlikely MVP candidates like Drake Maye, Baker Mayfield and Matthew Stafford have also surfaced

The 2025 NFL season has reached its halfway point with the arrival of Week 10.

The trade deadline has come and gone with a flurry of moves around the league.

As usual, the NFL season has been a roller-coaster ride. Teams that were seen as preseason Super Bowl favorites have shown both brilliance and mediocrity at various points over the first two months.

Perennial MVP candidate Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are working their way out of the doldrums, while the Colts have emerged as a pleasant surprise. Unlikely MVP candidates like Drake Maye, Baker Mayfield and Matthew Stafford have also surfaced. One thing is clear: parity within the league remains strong in 2025.

Before we turn the page to the second half of the regular season, the USA TODAY Sports staff has lined up its biggest surprises and disappointments so far this season.

NFL’s biggest surprises so far

Drake Maye’s ascension

Ayrton Ostly, NFL writer: The 2024 NFL Draft skewed historically to offense with an emphasis on quarterbacks. A record-tying six passers were taken in the first 12 picks. The rest of the class is experiencing some ups and downs in year two, while Drake Maye firmly put himself in the MVP conversation.

Maye leads the NFL in standard statistics, including completion percentage (74.1%), and ranks in the top five in passing yards (2,285) and touchdowns (17). By advanced metrics, he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league. NFL Next Gen Stats shows Maye leads the league in completion percentage over expected (+9.6%) and total expected points added (EPA) at 73.3. All of this with a leading receiver who is 32 years old and one year removed from an ACL tear.

Sam Darnold starring with the Seahawks

Jacob Camenker, NFL writer: When Sam Darnold signed with the Seahawks, many expected him to regress after a career-best year with the Vikings. He seemingly had benefited from working with Kevin O’Connell, who is currently regarded as one of the NFL’s best quarterback gurus.

Additionally, Darnold’s warts had shown up in the Vikings’ final two games of the 2024 NFL season, both losses – including in the wild card round. He completed just 53.1% of his passes while taking 11 sacks and showcasing one of his biggest weaknesses: a tendency to hold onto the ball too long. He had the NFL’s third-highest time to throw in 2024, which many thought would be problematic behind a shaky Seahawks offensive line.

Instead, Darnold has thrived in Klint Kubiak’s offense. His time to throw is down from 3.08 seconds to 2.77, ranking 20th among 36 qualifiers, and he has shown a strong connection with Jaxon Smith-Njigba throughout the season. As a result, Seattle has a 6-2 record through nine weeks and is in the thick of the NFC West race. Darnold has garnered a bit of MVP buzz.

Darnold still needs to prove he can lead his team to postseason success to pay off the three-year, $100.5 million deal he received in full. Still, he’s off to a much better start than many anticipated and is making general manager John Schneider’s decision to trade Geno Smith look like a good one.

The Carolina Panthers, and specifically, Rico Dowdle

Jack McKessy, NFL writer: Not enough people are talking about the fact that the Carolina Panthers, coming off a 5-12 season, have already matched last year’s win total through nine weeks. Not only that, they’ve got a winning record and aren’t far removed from a playoff spot in a competitive NFC field.

Most recently, Carolina hit the road and upset the Green Bay Packers – a team that held the NFC’s best record through eight weeks – at Lambeau Field. Quarterback Bryce Young has now won four straight games, but the big story of their season on the offensive side of the ball is running back Rico Dowdle.

The Panthers’ under-the-radar free agent signee has rushed for over 100 yards in each of his three starts this season. Dowdle surpassed 180 yards in two of those games, including a 206-yard game against the Dolphins in Week 5. He’s averaging 5.6 yards per carry, and the Panthers are undefeated (5-0) when Dowdle gets at least 10 carries.

Carolina has two divisional games in the weeks ahead. The Panthers will have a chance to establish themselves as true playoff contenders against a struggling Saints team that just traded away a couple of starters and features a new starting quarterback, then a Falcons team among the worst in the league at stopping opponents on the ground.

Teams inventing new ways to lose

Nick Brinkerhoff, NFL writer: Football has been around since the 1800s, so it has seen a thing or two in the many years that followed. Somehow, someway, teams are continuing to flex their creative muscle and develop new, crushing ways to lose in 2025. Despite being only halfway through, this regular season is going to need a designated driver and possibly a doctor.

We saw the Ravens blow a 15-point lead in just four minutes to lose to the Bills in Week 1. The Colts were saved by a leverage penalty against the Broncos as time expired in Week 2. The Eagles blocked two field goals, including the Rams’ game-winning attempt, to find a victory in Week 3. The Jets blocked a field goal that same week with under two minutes left, but somehow still lost.

We saw the Cardinals’ improbable collapse against the Titans. We saw the Giants lose in Denver after they allowed the Broncos to score 33 points in the fourth quarter. We saw a pair of improbable collapses from the Bengals against the Jets and Bears. We saw plenty of players think the field was only 99 yards, dropping the ball before the goal line. And that was only the first half of the season. May chaos continue to reign supreme.

Jaxson Dart

Tom Viera, NFL writer/editor: The 25th overall pick wasn’t expected to start for the New York Giants so soon with a pair of proven veterans (Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston) ahead of him on the depth chart entering the season. However, Wilson imploded in Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs in prime time, and coach Brian Daboll decided it was Jaxson Dart’s time. The Giants’ rookie made his starting debut in Week 4, a 21-18 win over the Chargers.

The Ole Miss product is just 2-4 in his first six career starts, but those two wins came against the Chargers and the division rival Eagles – two playoff contenders. Dart is the only quarterback in the Super Bowl era with at least eight passing touchdowns, four rushing touchdowns, and fewer than five giveaways in his first five career starts, per NFL Research.

Dart earned NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month honors for October and is the current favorite to be named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Dart ranked first among NFL rookies in total touchdowns (10), passing touchdowns (seven) and passer rating (90.0) in October. He is also the first Giants quarterback since at least 1950 to record a rushing touchdown in three straight games (Weeks 6-8). He is a dual-threat and capable of making improbable off-schedule plays, and thus, there finally appears to be a bright future ahead for Big Blue.

NFL’s biggest disappointments so far

The Las Vegas Raiders’ offense

Ayrton Ostly, NFL writer: Bringing in a proven Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback, the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the league and a highly-touted running back should’ve brought the Raiders’ offense some level of legitimacy.

Apparently not.

The enigmatic Atlanta Falcons

Jacob Camenker, NFL writer: Look, if we’re breaking down the biggest disappointments of the early NFL season solely based on results vs. expectations, the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals are probably near the top of the list. That said, both potential AFC North contenders have dealt with a plethora of injuries that have put them behind the 8-ball.

What’s Atlanta’s excuse?

The Falcons have been one of the NFL’s most frustratingly inconsistent teams to date. One week, they put on a defensive beatdown against the Vikings. Next, they are losing 30-0 to the Panthers. In Week 6, they earned a critical ‘Monday Night Football’ upset over the Bills. They then lost their next three games in a row, including a stunning 34-10 loss to the lowly Dolphins.

Sure, Atlanta was always going to face some bumps in the road, especially with Michael Penix Jr. in his first season as a starting quarterback. Still, the offense possesses the skill-position talent to be better – and, at the very least, much more consistent – than a unit that ranks 25th in EPA per play.

And the wild swings the Falcons have gone through as a whole smell of something rotten in Flowery Branch.

Brian Thomas Jr.

Jack McKessy, NFL writer: What is going on with the Jaguars’ second-year receiver, Brian Thomas Jr.?

Just one year removed from a breakout rookie season that included the most receiving yards (1,282) and touchdowns (10) of any first-year player, Thomas has looked like a shell of his rookie self in Year 2. Not only is he on pace for fewer than 900 yards with just one touchdown so far this season, but he is also the NFL’s leader in drops (9), per Pro Football Reference. Thomas had just six drops all of last year and is on pace for triple that in 2025.

Thomas has dealt with injuries to his shoulder and, more recently, ankle, but there’s also a perceived lack of confidence from the second-year receiver despite having every right to enter this season with plenty of it.

Everything about the Washington Commanders

Nick Brinkerhoff, NFL writer: Nobody promises more and delivers less than the nation’s capital. Maybe it shouldn’t be so shocking in a place known for disappointment, but everything has gone downhill for the Commanders since their magical postseason ride.

The preseason Super Bowl favorites – the Baltimore Ravens

Tom Viera, NFL writer/editor: The Baltimore Ravens seemed poised to unseat the Kansas City Chiefs atop the AFC in 2025, but they’ve been anything but the group many expected in the first half. Lamar Jackson entered the season as the favorite to win MVP at most sportsbooks. There was so much belief in Baltimore heading into the season that the Ravens were picked to win the Super Bowl by 80% of our experts.

It’s easy to point at injuries as the reason for their 1-5 start, but that’s just the nature of the beast. Before Jackson got hurt, the Ravens had just one victory and it was against the putrid Cleveland Browns. Baltimore allowed at least 37 points in four of its first six games. The Ravens haven’t had the easiest schedule with the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams, but great teams find ways to win and compete.

They’ve climbed back to 3-5 now, after winning two straight, and Jackson is back in the lineup. Baltimore’s schedule in the second half is going to be quite forgiving, with five of its eight games against teams at or below .500. The Ravens are lucky that the Steelers, Bengals and Browns failed to pull away in the AFC North. Only one team has started 1-5 and made the playoffs since the format changed in 2020 to 14 teams. The Ravens can become the second with their gushy schedule ahead, but they’ve been the most disappointing preseason Super Bowl contender in recent memory.

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra spoke publicly Friday for the first time since his house was destroyed in a fire.

Spoelstra was on the team plane, making its way back to Miami from Denver, when the fire started.

The veteran coach said the support he and his family have received has been “absolutely remarkable.”

Nobody was hurt in the fire at the home. His three children were not at the house during the fire.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The coach said the team did offer him time off to deal with the situation, but he declined.

He was courtside for the Heat’s 126-108 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. ‘In a perfect world, I’d rather go home,’ Spoelstra said after the game, the emotion clear in his voice.

Spoelstra was joined by his children pregame as he spoke about the fire.

‘Things in the house, those things can be replaced,’ Spoelstra said before the game. ‘And if they can’t be replaced, what does it really matter? This is really what matters. Family, the closest ones, our dog was also safe, thank God. We’re just grateful. We’re grateful that everybody is safe and in a great place.’

LOS ANGELES — It’s not odd to see teams run special team trick plays, but No. 21 Southern California pulled off one of the sneakiest fake punts you’ll ever see.

Against Northwestern on Friday, Nov. 7, the Trojans faced fourth down near midfield early in the second quarter. The punt team ran out onto the field, but when the play began, the punter looked like a seasoned quarterback, dropping back and delivering a dot left-handed to receiver Tanook Hines for the first down on a well-timed throw after standing tall in the pocket.

It looked impressive from the punter, No. 80 Sam Johnson.

However, that wasn’t the punter.

That was actually third-string quarterback Sam Huard. Listed as No. 7 on USC’s online roster, he was listed on the game day roster as No. 80.

A USC spokesperson confirmed Huard had his number changed to No. 80 for the game, a sneaky deception used by USC coach Lincoln Riley to execute the fake. It certainly faked out Fox broadcasters Jason Benetti and Robert Griffin III as people wondered if it was possible for players to change their numbers before a game.

Later in the game, Benetti clarified it was Huard that threw the pass, noting Huard is the nephew of his former broadcast partner, Brock Huard.

The fake punt turned out to pay off, as USC later scored a touchdown on the drive. Huard got a lot of love on the USC sideline, and according to sideline reporter Alexa Landestoy, he went to the tape to admire his work.

Lincoln Riley comments on fake punt

Riley told reporters they have to pay attention to the game notes because Huard had been No. 80 for three weeks. He joked he was glad ‘none of y’all put it on Twitter.’

‘It was just a well thought out thing by several of our staff members,’ Riley said. ‘It got added at the right time and we had confidence in it. Sam stepped in there, made a good throw, had a guy kind of in his face, was a good throw, made a nice play, and it was a key point of the game.’

USC would go on to beat Northwestern 38-17.

Ain’t no rules say a dog can’t play basketball, and as it turns out the same is true of throwing shoes.

Rice can be seen lurking at the top of the frame with his shoe locked and loaded before he tries to strike from the grass.

Weirdly, the referees decided to swallow the whistle on the play. While throwing a shoe is not explicitly forbidden in the rulebook — probably because the writers asked each other ‘why would this situation ever happen?’ — it is generally considered to be an unsportsmanlike play and a technical foul on the perpetrator.

Maryland would end up losing 70-60 to the Hoyas, with Rice scoring 19 points and hauling in seven rebounds in his Terps debut. His biggest contribution, however, isn’t going to show up on the stat sheet. Even though he probably shouldn’t do it again, it’s worth trying anything once.

Rice won’t play his old team until Jan. 7. But with this precedent, he might have a few new tricks in his bag by then.

Washington goalkeeper Mia Hamant has died from kidney cancer, the university announced on Nov. 6. She was 21.

As a junior in 2024, Hamant helped the Huskies to the Big Ten tournament semifinals, making three saves in a penalty shootout win over Iowa. She had the third-lowest single-season goals against average in program history at 0.66. Hamant sat out her senior season due to her cancer diagnosis.

Hamant was diagnosed with Stage 4 SMARCB1-deficient kidney cancer, a rare and aggressive form of the disease, this past April. She started chemotherapy right away and, although she could not play, cheered her soccer team, the Seattle Times reported.

“Mia’s courage, optimism, and grace touched the lives of the entire Husky community. She will always serve as an inspiration for everyone whose life she touched,” the University of Washington Athletics Department said in a statement.

Social media was filled with remembrances, including this from Washington:

‘Mia was the heart of our program — someone who lifted up everyone around her with her joy, courage, and kindness,’ Washington head coach Nicole Van Dyke said in a statement. ‘Even in the most difficult moments, she showed an unshakable spirit that inspired her teammates and coaches every single day. Mia made us all better people, and her impact will be felt in this program and in all of our lives forever.’

Hamant’s teammates put together a tribute on social media.

The Big Ten honored Hamant with a 2025 Sportsmanship Award in its postseason soccer recognitions.

Washington said in its release that details regarding a memorial or celebration of life would come at a later date.

Hamant is survived by her parents.

Kentucky football backup quarterback Zach Calzada issued an apology Friday, Nov. 7, after a viral video of him flaunting money made rounds on social media.

Calzada, a seventh-year senior, started his career at Texas A&M before transferring to Auburn, Incarnate Word and now Kentucky. He opened the year as the Wildcats starter but was benched for Cutter Boley after two games.

Calzada was shown in a video not posted by himself flaunting $100 bills. He said he sent the video to someone.

‘Hey, what you need to do, Garrett, is your (expletive) needs to stop hatin’ and go get you some money,’ Calzada said in the video. ‘But since you ain’t got nothing, you go ahead and you can count mine.’

Calzada then counted the bills and fanned them on the floor.

After the video went viral, Calzada addressed it.

‘I take full responsibility for the video I sent to someone on social media,’ Calzada wrote. ‘I let my emotions get the best of me. … I’ll learn from this, do better, and move forward with more respect for the opportunity I’ve been given.’

The 6-foot-4 quarterback is 25-of-53 passing for 234 yards with no touchdowns and an interception this season. He threw for 35 touchdowns last season at Incarnate Word, and FCS program.

Calzada famously led Texas A&M to a 41-38 upset win over Alabama in 2021, as he threw for 285 yards with three touchdowns to an interception in relief of the injured Haynes King, who’s now starring at Georgia Tech.

Calzada doesn’t seem likely to play another snap in his career, with Boley having passed for 1,376 yards with 10 touchdowns to seven interceptions in his six starts, including a five-touchdown performance in Kentucky’s 56-34 loss to Tennessee on Oct. 25.

Major League Baseball continued to wrap up the 2025 season, releasing more of its end-of-year awards.

The MLB announced its American League Silver Sluggers Friday, Nov. 7, naming the best hitters at each position. The National League Silver Sluggers were announded on Nov. 6.

The list of finalists was stacked with talented players, but some of the winners, such as Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, could be considered the obvious choice, considering the record-breaking season he had.

Raleigh finished the 2025 regular season with 60 home runs, 125 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 159 games played. He had a .247 batting average and struck out 188 times. His 60 homers were the most by a catcher and the most by a switch-hitter in major league history.

Here’s every 2025 Silver Slugger recipient from the American League:

2025 American League Silver Slugger winners

*-all finalists listed; winners are bolded

First base

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays
Nick Kurtz, Athletics
Vinnie Pasquantino, Kansas City Royals

Second base

Jazz Chisholm Jr., New York Yankees
Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays
Jorge Polanco, Seattle Mariners

Third base

Alex Bregman, Boston Red Sox
Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays
José Ramírez, Cleveland Guardians

Shortstop

Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays
Jeremy Peña, Houston Astros
Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals

Outfield

Cody Bellinger, New York Yankees
Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins
Riley Greene, Detroit Tigers
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners
George Springer, Toronto Blue Jays

Catcher

Shea Langeliers, Athletics
Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals
Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners

Designated hitter

Yandy Díaz, Tampa Bay Rays
Brent Rooker, Athletics
George Springer, Toronto Blue Jays

Utility

Maikel Garcia, Kansas City Royals
Zach McKinstry, Detroit Tigers
Ben Rice, New York Yankees

Team of the Year

New York Yankees
Seattle Mariners
Toronto Blue Jays