The National Football League has reached its midway point, with each club having played at least eight out of their 16 scheduled regular season games. True to the league’s form, there have been plenty of surprises and disappointments, but no team has established itself as a true Super Bowl favorite and about half the league still has a shot at the playoffs.

The annually muddled playoff picture does not usually become clear until the final week of the regular season. There is enough time for the Steelers to fall back down to earth and the Chiefs could still make a run, so we are not going to start writing teams in for division titles yet.

Fortunately, it is not too early to look back at my pre-season predictions to name our three choice picks and three surprises – three clubs that so far are performing as expected and three that have either greatly exceeded or failed to live up to my pre-season premonitions.

Choice Picks:

1) Entire AFC East – As of the current standings, the AFC East has played out exactly as I predicted in the season preview. The Patriots, my Super Bowl pick, are still looking like the crème of the conference (but injuries to corners Ty Law, Tyrone Poole and running back Corey Dillon spell trouble). The Jets stand to capture a wild card playoff berth as predicted. I did not set the bar high for the Buffalo Bills and they have not surprised me at 3-5, although the defense I said had “question marks” has allowed only 17 points per game. What was there to say about the Dolphins in the aftermath of the Ricky Williams fiasco, except for that it looked to be a long season? Head Coach Dave Wannstedt did not feel like waiting around; he’s “stepped aside.”

2) Seattle Seahawks – Currently 5-3 and leading the NFC West. I said they would make the Super Bowl and lose to the Patriots. They have not looked like Super Bowl material many times this season, especially in losing to Arizona to cap a three-game losing streak. Luckily, pretty much every team has some of those moments thus far. I said they would have a strong defense and this has proved true as they have allowed the second fewest rushing yards per game in the NFC.3) Indianapolis Colts – I projected the Colts to take the AFC South this year, and they are currently tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the division lead at 5-3. They’ve scored the most total points in the division, thanks to Peyton Manning and playing indoors at the RCA dome. I said the defense would hold them back, and thus they have allowed the most total points in the division as well.

Midseason Surprises:

1) San Diego Chargers – I said “there is not much to get excited about” and predicted a dead last finish for the Chargers in the AFC West. They are 6-3 and tied for the division lead with the Broncos. Running back LaDainian Tomlinson and quarterback Drew Brees lead an offense that averages close to 30 points a game. A home game against Denver and then two versus the Chiefs should decide this team’s playoff fate.

2) Dallas Cowboys – A major disappointment. I picked them for an NFC Wild Card spot on the strength of Bill Parcells’ track record and a highly-touted defense. They have allowed 25 points a game, fourth most in the conference, and the playoffs are looking out of the question. Quarterback Vinny Testaverde and running back Eddie George are both showing their age.

3) New York Giants – I picked the Jints to finish last in the NFC East and said Eli Manning would be starting quarterback by week 10. Well, they are 5-3 and in the thick of the hunt for an NFC wildcard berth, and despite matches against Philly and Pittsburgh, they have a relatively cupcake schedule the rest of the way. The Giants offense is looking explosive, running back Tiki Barber is second in the NFC in rushing yards and Kurt Warner does not look like he’s giving up his job anytime soon. Unfortunately, just when Tom Coughlin’s crew was getting confident they dropped one at home to the lowly Bears and lost defensive leader lineman Michael Strahan for the year. A falloff is still possible.