At the midway point of the NFL season there have been a few surprises.

Some pleasant ones, like the undefeated San Francisco 49ers; and unpleasant ones, like the 2-6 dysfunctional Cleveland Browns (that one is only disappointing to Browns' fans).

It's been an interesting first half of the season as virtually every high-profile quarterback from Ben Roethlisberger to Drew Brees to Cam Newton to Patrick Mahomes has missed some time or the season due to injury.

Gardner Minshew mania hit Jacksonville (and appears to be over). The Bengals, Jets, Dolphins and Redskins are utterly terrible and tanking to get one of the top quarterbacks in the draft.

Here are some other winners and losers from the first half of the season:

- Kevin Colbert. When the Ben Roethlisberger injury was still smarting and the scuttlebutt around the 'Burgh was about drafting a quarterback high in the first round of the 2020 draft, the Mars area native and Steelers general manager instead dealt that first-rounder to Miami for defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick.It was a bold move for a team that looked headed for a 4-12 campaign.All Fitzpatrick has done, though, is intercept four passes — including a huge pick-six that turned around the game against Indianapolis — and become a force in the secondary for a vastly improved defense.And Colbert is looking quite wise as the Steelers have climbed back into the playoff hunt at 4-4.- The Buffalo Bills. The Bills made some subtle moves this offseason to improve a roster that showed flashes of life at the end of last season.Buffalo signed wide receiver John Brown and he's having a Pro Bowl season. The Bills also inked timeless running back Frank Gore and he has been a steady presence in the backfield and in the locker room.It has the Bills at 6-2 with a favorable second-half schedule. This could be an 11- or 12-win team.Of course, they are still the Bills ...- The MNF Black Cat. The frolicsome feline has spent more time in the end zone this season than Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell combined.And he's still on the loose inside MetLife Stadium.

- Bruce Arians. The former Steelers offensive coordinator has a reputation for being a “quarterback whisperer” and was given the difficult task in Tampa of turning around the fortunes of “Infamous” Jameis Winston.It seems Winston can't be whispered to.He's a turnover machine. Worse yet, his turnovers aren't just the garden variety miscues. They are often catastrophic.And the Buccaneers are 2-6 and Arians is realizing he'll have to look elsewhere for a quarterback to whisper to next season.- Marcus Mariota. Selected a pick after Winston at No. 2 overall, Mariota has been a similar washout.The Titans pulled the plug on the wildly inconsistent Mariota and turned to Ryan Tannehill.When you lose your job to Ryan Tannehill, you have problems.Like Winston, Mariota will have a different address next season.- Officiating. It's just been, well, awful.And it isn't completely the fault of the officials on the field.Because of instant replay, there is a tremendous amount of scrutiny on these guys — who, by the way, have regular jobs during the week and wear the zebra stripes just on game days.Officials are making calls under the assumption that if they mess up, replay will bail them out, so they don't have the same attention to getting it right the first time as they had in the past.It leads to some hideous calls.The rules are so convoluted, no one knows anymore what is a catch, when to blow the whistle on a fumble/incomplete pass and what is pass interference.Something has to be done about it because the flags and the constant stoppage in play has drained some of the enjoyment out of watching games.