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NFL Week 12: Playoff Picture Still Unsettled

admin — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:43:59 +0000

Well, week 12 will wrap up after tonight’s Saints Vs. Packers Game, but not much has been established. The last five weeks of football figure to be extremely entertaining as teams will be fighting for playoff spots up until the end. In the AFC, the Jets dominated the unbeaten Titans to move to 8-3 in a huge statement game. They will likely win the East or at the very least claim a wild card spot. The Steelers defeated the Bengals to improve to 8-3, but their prospects are not as clear as they are facing a tough stretch of opponents in their final five games, including a pivotal match-up against the 7-4 Ravens who are breathing down their neck for the division lead. The Broncos lost against the Raiders to fall to 6-5, but they will win the west by default as the Chargers fell to 4-7 against the Colts. The Colts look like a strong candidate for a wild card spot improving to 7-4 and facing an easy schedule in the last five weeks of the season. Elsewhere the Pats are keeping their division hopes alive by improving to 7-4 with an impressive performance over the 6-5 Dolfins.

In the NFC the Giants defeated the Cardinals to improve to 10-1 and are a lock to win the NFC East. The Cardinals fall to 7-4 but are going to win the NFC West by default. The Bears improve to 6-5 with a victory over the Rams to claim a share of the NFC North lead with the Vikings. The Vikings are sitting at 6-5 and are hoping the Packers lose tonight to the Saints to fall to 5-6. If the Packers lose they will be on the outside looking in. The Panthers fall to 8-3 against the 7-4 rival Falcons. The Falcons surprising victory keeps their division hopes alive as their jocking for position to make the playoffs along with the 8-3 Buccaneers. The Bucs look like they are going make the playoffs as they have the easiest remaining schedule of all the NFC South teams. The Cowboys improve to 7-4 with a nice win against San Francisco and appear to have an easier remaining schedule then the 7-4 Redskins. The Redskins beat the woeful Seahawks in a tight game which may prove that maybe they will not be a playoff team this year. The long and short of it is not much is settled in either conference, and the last few weeks of the season will be pivotal for virtually every team with playoff aspirations.

Country Boys Can Play

admin — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:49:42 +0000

“Just two good ol’ boys, never meaning no harm…,” and you know the rest. Waylon Jennings’ Dukes of Hazard theme song couldn’t be anymore perfect for the two New York quarterbacks. Both leaders have their teams in positions to control their own destinies, and they are in position to make significant playoff runs.

Eli Manning of New Orleans, after years of being criticized and negatively compared to his brother Peyton in the media, delivered a Super Bowl championship in just his fourth year with the Giants, and only his third full season as a starter. The main issue has always seemed to be his confidence and his accuracy. Those questions however have completely gone away, as Eli in attempt to get the Giants to the promise land once again, has looked great this year. Plain and simple the guy is playing like there is no situation that is to big for him. It doesn’t get any bigger then leading your team’s game winning drive and throwing the touchdown pass to complete possibly the biggest upset in NFL history. That’s the stuff legends are made of.

Brett Favre is also on a mission this year, as his Jets are in position to take the lead in the AFC East. He started off well, then hit a rough patch, but now seems settled into the position of playing quarterback in the largest sports market in the United States. The Mississippi boy is doing quite well for himself as of late, and New York City has fallen in love with him. He has the fans believing in the Jets this year, something that hasn’t happened in a long time. Say what you want about his interceptions, but like the song says, he isn’t meaning no harm. Unlike before, the Jets can actually compete in shootout games. He doesn’t have the arm he used to have, but even diminished he still has one of the strongest in the league. Thanks to the swagger of this former Super Bowl Champion, the Jets are feeling like they can compete against anyone in the AFC.

The Giants are starting to distinguish themselves as the clear-cut favorite to win the Super Bowl again, as Eli is playing at a high level which knows no boundaries. The Jets are playing as well as they have played in years, and in a weak AFC, they are looking like a serious threat to make a Super Bowl run. The Titans are undefeated, but to my eyes I see a championship defense, not a championship team, only time will tell if they are the real deal. With that said don’t be surprised if you see a good ol’ southern reunion in the final game of the season.

Beasts From the East

admin — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:56:29 +0000

How often can you say nine games into a season that all teams from one division have a winning record? That scenario is very unlikely and rarely plays out over a whole season. With that said, only three teams from a division can make the playoffs. This is also uncommon, although it did happen twice last year as both the AFC South and the NFC East each had three teams make the playoffs.

As many people may have guessed, the NFC East is again one of the powerhouse divisions in football, with all four teams positioning themselves to make playoff runs. That division is hotly contested every single year. Another division is making its claim as the toughest in the league and that’s the AFC East. Coming into the season the AFC East was no where near as heralded as the NFC East, but they can also boast that all their teams have winning records.

Unlike the NFC East, the AFC East is yet to have a clear cut favorite to win the division. The Jets and the Patriots are both 6-3 and are heading into a Thursday night showdown that could give us a glimpse as to what might happen down the road, although the loser will be very much in the thick of things. Miami is playing the dysfunctional Oakland Raiders in what is a very winnable game. The Buffalo Bills, who have been struggling losing there last three games, are facing the 3-6 Cleveland Browns. After this week there is a good chance that there will be a three way tie for second place, with all teams being 6-4 and only one game out of first place.

The NFC East is a bit of a different story despite the overall success of the division as a whole. The New York Giants have distinguished themselves as the best team after beating the Eagles Sunday night, but that doesn’t mean that the other three teams are out of the playoff picture. The Redskins are 6-3 and find themselves playing the perennial paper champion Cowboys in what will be a crucial game that could define the future of both teams. The Eagles, coming off a loss to the G-Men, have a great chance to keep their playoff hopes alive playing the pathetic Cincinnati Bengals. So basically, nothing will be settled in either one of these divisions as far as how many teams will make it to the postseason until the last two or three weeks of the season. However, all the teams control their own destiny, and we may witness a rare situation in which six playoff teams reside in the NFL’s East Divisions.