Its not difficult to pinpoint the teams that have unexpectedly prospered or just as stunningly plummeted halfway through the 2016 season.Yep, were looking at you, Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals. Last January, you played for a spot in the Super Bowl. Right now, youre hanging with the mediocrities (or worse) of the NFL.Nor is it hard to spot the surprisingly successful teams putting themselves in the championship mix, from the Dallas Cowboys to the Oakland Raiders.But what about the individuals who are rising or flopping? The Associated Press sports writers who cover the 16 AFC teams suggest the following.BALTIMORESurprise: LB Zachary Orr leads the team in tackles as a third-year player.Disappointment: QB Joe Flacco has looked tentative in the pocket and has more interceptions than TDs. Granted, the Ravens have no running game and the left side of the O-Line has been injured, but still ...BUFFALOSurprise: LB Lorenzo Alexander, maybe the most pleasant development in the NFL this season. The free-agent addition, a journeyman in his 10th season, is among the league leaders in sacks.Disappointment: WR Sammy Watkins (left foot) is hobbled by injury for the third straight season and is on IR, though he could return this month.CINCINNATISurprise: WR A.J. Green was leading the NFL in receptions when Cincinnati went on its bye despite being the focus of opposing defenses on every passing play.Disappointment: DT Geno Atkins had 42 tackles and 11 sacks last season. Through eight games, he has only 16 tackles and 3+ sacks, and the Bengals are 3-4-1.CLEVELANDSurprise: WR Terrelle Pryor only made the conversion from quarterback last season and has quickly developed into a playmaker. Through the first nine games, Pryor had 46 catches and four touchdowns.Disappointment: QB Robert Griffin III. Not his fault, but he broke a bone in his shoulder in the season opener that deprived him of a chance at a comeback and the Browns from seeing if he could be their long-term answer.DENVERSurprise: QB Trevor Siemian was an afterthought when Peyton Manning retired. Now hes the starting QB on a playoff contender.Disappointment; OT Russell Okung, who went through a stretch of five holding calls in three games and gave up a sack-strip.HOUSTONSurprise: DE Jadeveon Clowney, finally healthy after two injury-filled years. His move from outside linebacker has helped the Texans make up for the loss of J.J. Watt.Disappointment: QB Brock Osweiler got a $72 million contract and has thrown the same number of interceptions (nine) as touchdowns. Houstons passing game ranks among the worst in the league.INDIANAPOLISSurprise: TE Jack Doyle, claimed off waivers from Tennessee in 2013, has steadily progressed each season and already surpassed his previous career totals in yards and TD catches.Disappointment: Coach Chuck Pagano. After signing a four-year deal, being given more authority over some decisions and armed with a healthy Andrew Luck, it looked as if Pagano would take his second chance and run with it. Instead, the Colts have gotten stuck in neutral.JACKSONVILLESurprise: DE Yannick Ngakoue, a third-round pick from Maryland who has four sacks and three forced fumbles and has replaced Dante Fowler in the starting lineup.Disappointment: QB Blake Bortles has been so inaccurate and inconsistent that he brought in a mechanics coach for a two-day refresher course, a last-ditch effort to turn his season around.KANSAS CITYSurprise: WR Tyreek Hill, a fifth-round pick expected to be primarily a kick returner, already has 19 catches for 223 yards and four touchdowns.Disappointment: OLB Tamba Hali signed a three-year, $21 million contract when the Chiefs realized they would be without Justin Houston most of the season, but hes aging before their eyes.MIAMISurprise: RB Jay Ajayi has turned a weak ground game into a strength by averaging 6.0 yards per play and has six TDs.Disappointment: WR DeVante Parker, a 2015 first-rounder, has done little to establish himself as a complement to top target Jarvis Landry.NEW ENGLANDSurprise: RB LeGarrette Blount, whose production over the first four games coming off hip injury last season helped take the pressure off Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett.Disappointment: CB Cyrus Jones, a second-rounder, has struggled in his limited action returning punts, was ejected at Cleveland and hasnt played since.NEW YORK JETSSurprise: WR Quincy Enunwa, a sixth-rounder in 2014, has blossomed into a legitimate playmaker in Chan Gaileys offense. With Eric Decker out, Enunwa has stepped up as the No. 2 receiver behind Brandon Marshall.Disappointment: CB Darrelle Revis, a former shutdown defender, has looked mostly mediocre this season, no longer resembling the guy who left opposing teams best receivers stranded on Revis Island.OAKLANDSurprise: RB Jalen Richard, an undrafted free agent, has helped provide depth behind Latavius Murray.Disappointment: CB Sean Smith, a major free agent addition who got benched in the opener and struggled earlier in the season before showing some improvement of late.PITTSBURGHSurprise: WR Sammie Coates led the league in yards per reception (21.3) before injuring his left index finger. Hes been a long-distance threat.Disappointment: LB James Harrison is hardly the only disappointment on an underwhelming defense, but the 38-year-old got his first two sacks of the season this past weekend. Hes seen his playing time slowly decrease.SAN DIEGOSurprise: Top draft pick DE Joey Bosa. After a holdout and hamstring injury that cost him four games, he has become a force on the Chargers defense, particularly in opposing backfields.Disappointment: That the team couldnt get the rookie defensive end signed in time for training camp. A squabble over money he was due and offset language caused the No. 3 overall pick to miss camp. After signing, Bosa pulled the hamstring and the Chargers went 1/3 without him.TENNESSEESurprise: RB DeMarco Murray. For a player who looked washed up in Chip Kellys offense in Philadelphia last season and cost the Titans only swapping 13 spots in the fourth round of the draft, what a bargain.Disappointment: Rookie LB Kevin Dodd, the 33rd pick overall, has been a minimal contributor. The Titans could use more pressure from someone who had 12 sacks and 23+ tackles for loss last season at Clemson.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Authentic Roy Halladay Jersey . No. 13-seeded John Isner and No. 21 Philipp Kohlschreiber were among six players who dropped out of the tournament on Tuesday, joining No. 12 seed Tommy Haas and two other players who withdrew on Monday. Authentic Troy Tulowitzki Jersey . The defence is doing its part, too. Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half and the guys on the other side made sure that was enough, sending the Saints to a 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. http://www.cheapbluejaysjerseys.us/authentic-j-a-happ-jersey/ . The 15th-ranked Canadian men lost the opening two games of their European tour: 19-15 to No. 17 Georgia and 21-20 to No. Authentic Aaron Sanchez Jersey . -- Al Jefferson found a groove just in time for the Charlotte Bobcats. Authentic Curtis Granderson Jersey . And when it opened, every player was at his stall. Thats a sure sign that a team is in a slump and is searching for answers. "Its embarrassing to be at home and play the way we did," said defenceman Josh Gorges. PHOENIX -- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had a little extra energy on the court Saturday.The second-year pro learned just before the game that his mother had been flown in to Arizona to watch her son play. She watched from her second-row seat as Hollis-Jefferson scored a career-high 20 points with 13 rebounds in the Brooklyn Nets 122-104 victory over the Phoenix Suns.Just to have her here, that was more special to me than the 20 points, Hollis-Jefferson said. I winked at her about three times.Brooklyn got its first road win of the season, scoring 17 straight points late in the fourth quarter to extinguish the Suns comeback attempt.The Nets held a 102-100 lead with 4:16 to play when their decisive run began. It included Brook Lopezs 3-pointer with 1:47 to go to make it 113-100, and some tight defense on the Suns top scorers.Defense, it gives you that energy, that joy that you want. When you stop someone and you go down and score, its like `Woo! That was fun! Hollis-Jefferson said. We enjoy that whole process, the stop and the score.Trevor Booker added 19 points and eight rebounds, and Sean Kilpatrick had 19 points and nine boards for the Nets. Joe Harris also scored 19 points.T.J. Warren scored 18 points for the Suns. Jared Dudley added 17 off the bench.The Suns fell apart after Devin Bookers short jumper pulled them within two points with a little more than 4 minutes left and lost for the third time in four games.Phoenix shot a season-low 37.4 percent. The Suns 107 shot attempts were the highest in an NBA game this season, regulation or overtime.This is the first team that played the defense the way they played it, Suns coach Earl Watson said. They ... made us play out of the weak side, so they did a great job of taking away the paint, taking away the lane.The Suns took a lot of shots early in possessions.We just locked down defensively, Trevor Booker said. We shut down their transition and made them play half court.Harris two free throws gave Brooklyn its biggest leaad of the first half at 57-41 with 1:08 to go.dddddddddddd The Nets finished the half up 58-45 after leading by double digits for the last 5:19.TIP-INSNets: G Jeremy Lin remains out with a strained left hamstring. He watched Saturdays game from the bench and is expected to be re-evaluated this coming week. ... F Isaiah Whitehead missed his second straight game with a concussion and was not with the team Saturday.Suns: C Tyson Chandler remains away from the team due to a family matter and missed his third straight game. ... Rookie Tyler Ulis played 11 minutes, the most action hes seen since getting 18 on Halloween against the Los Angeles Clippers and the third game in which hes played this season.ANOTHER COACH, ANOTHER COMPLIMENTAdd the Nets Kenny Atkinson to the list of NBA coaches who have praised Bookers game. Im impressed with the confidence, the swagger he plays with and the attack mentality, Atkinson said.Booker, the teams leading scorer at 21.5 points per game coming in, made only 5 of 18 shots and finished with 11 points.CHRISS SHOTSSuns rookie Marquese Chriss got his third start and finished with a career-high 16 points. Chriss eclipsed his high of seven shot attempts before halftime, and took 15 in the game.LOUD FAN HEARS ITA vociferous fan sitting a few rows up from the court yelled at Watson to take Booker out of the game after a missed shot in the fourth quarter. The fan had been critical of the Suns all night, and Watson turned to him and calm but audibly said Shut up.BROOK BLOCKSNets center Brook Lopez set the season high for blocks for a Nets player with four, three of those in the first five minutes.UP NEXTNets: At the Clippers on Monday night, their first of two straight games against the Los Angeles teams in the Staples Center.Suns: At Golden State on Sunday night, their third set of back-to-back games of the season. Wholesale NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Jerseys 2020 Cheap Stitched Jerseys NFL Jerseys China Wholesale NFL T-shirts ' ' '