In Week 8, the season had taken shape. The contenders had made themselves known, the pretenders had nowhere left to hide, and the bottom-feeders were staring down a brutal reality. This was the halfway point, the moment where teams either dug in for the fight ahead or started looking toward the offseason, their failures already too much to overcome. Those who could adjust, who could evolve, would make their stand. Those who couldn’t? They would become just another name in the standings, lost to the relentless march of the season.
