Every NFL team has now played its eighth game, meaning the 2007 season is halfway home. Today, we grade the 16 AFC teams on whether they’ve exceeded, met, or fallen short of expectations this season.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (9–0)

Barring an injury to Tom Brady, the Patriots will earn home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Now the only question is whether they can go 16–0. If they do, acquiring Randy Moss for a fourth-round draft pick will go down as one of the most significant trades in NFL history. GRADE: A+

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (7–1)

It sounds crazy to say, but the Colts are off to their worst start in three years — they were 8–0 at the halfway point the last two seasons. Sunday’s loss to the Patriots means they’ll most likely have to win in New England in January to repeat as champions, but if anyone can do that, it’s Peyton Manning and the Colts. GRADE: A

PITTSBURGH STEELERS (6–2)

The 2007 Steelers are a more complete football team than the 2005 squad that won the Super Bowl, but no one notices because the Patriots and Colts get all the attention. Second-year wide receiver Santonio Holmes is one of the league’s best deep threats, and Casey Hampton and Aaron Smith lead the league’s best defensive line. GRADE: A

TENNESSEE TITANS (6–2)

Albert Haynesworth is the leading candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, and the entire defense is young and talented. Surprisingly, it’s the mediocre play of the team’s biggest star, quarterback Vince Young, that keeps the Titans from a full A grade. GRADE: B+

CLEVELAND BROWNS (5–3)

After their Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Browns looked like the worst team in the league. But benching, and then trading, starting quarterback Charlie Frye turned out to be a brilliant move, as Derek Anderson has been the third-best quarterback in the conference, behind only Brady and Manning. This could be a surprise playoff team. GRADE: B+

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (5–3)

The decision to cut Byron Leftwich and make David Garrard the starting quarterback turned out to be smart — but now Garrard is hurt. The run defense has gone from the Jaguars’ greatest strength to their greatest weakness and will get worse as defensive tackle Marcus Stroud serves a four-game steroid suspension. GRADE: B

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (4–4)

Last year Larry Johnson was the Chiefs’ best player; this year he has been injured and ineffective. But a good pass defense led by Jared Allen (eight sacks in six games) has the Chiefs in first place in the weak AFC West. GRADE: B

BUFFALO BILLS (4–4)

Neither of Buffalo’s quarterbacks, J.P. Losman and Trent Edwards, has played well. But Buffalo has the NFL’s best special teams and an underrated group of linebackers, led by Angelo Crowell, and that means that as long as the quarterbacks don’t throw games away, the Bills are a tough team to beat. GRADE: C+

HOUSTON TEXANS (4–5)

New quarterback Matt Schaub is playing well, and when he misses time with injuries, backup Sage Rosenfels has fared well, too. It helps that they have a reliable target in Owen Daniels, the best tight end that no one has ever heard of. But Houston’s defense is bad and will get worse now that cornerback Dunta Robinson is out for the season. GRADE: C

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (4–4)

They fired Marty Schottenheimer after a 14–2 season and now have twice that many losses already. The AFC West is bad enough that they can still win the division, but there’s no reason to believe this team can beat an elite opponent in the playoffs, which means firing Schottenheimer did not achieve the desired result. GRADE: C

DENVER BRONCOS (3–5)

Sunday’s 44–7 loss to the Detroit Lions is reason enough to go into full-blown panic mode. Denver’s defense is atrocious, and the offensive line, which for more than a decade has been the Broncos’ greatest strength, has fallen apart with the loss of center Tom Nalen to an arm injury. GRADE: C

BALTIMORE RAVENS (4–4)

Linebacker Ray Lewis blamed offensive turnovers for Monday night’s 38–7 loss to the Steelers, and he was right to an extent: Baltimore has lost a league-high 11 fumbles. But there are also problems on defense, especially against the pass. The Ravens look old and slow, and barring a major turnaround, they’ll need to overhaul the roster after the season. GRADE: D+

OAKLAND RAIDERS (2–6)

Oakland’s offense has improved a bit under new coach Lane Kiffin, but the defense has declined. Veteran tackle Warren Sapp is still effective as a pass-rusher, but on running plays, teams go right at him. The only question left is when they will play rookie quarterback JaMarcus Russell. GRADE: D

CINCINNATI BENGALS (2–6)

Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh give Cincinnati a formidable passing attack, but the Bengals have nothing else: They’re weak in the running game, on defense, and on special teams. GRADE: D

MIAMI DOLPHINS (0–8)

Miami was a bad team even before losing quarterback Trent Green and running back Ronnie Brown to injuries. Now “bad” would be putting it charitably. Cleo Lemon has replaced Green, and rookie John Beck will replace Lemon at some point. GRADE: D

JETS (1–8)

The Jets probably aren’t the worst team in the NFL — they did beat the Dolphins — but they are the most disappointing. An up-and-coming playoff team last year, the Jets have failed to improve in any respect. In their final seven games, the only goal remaining for the Jets is to groom young players such as Kellen Clemens, Leon Washington, David Harris, and Darrelle Revis. Developing those players could make this season a springboard, but nothing can change the fact that this season is a failure. GRADE: F

Mr. Smith is a writer for FootballOutsiders.com