Zachary GirsbergerNFC Rundown Week 12
December 2nd 2010 19:30
Category: No Category
After completing more than two-thirds of the season, it is time to run through the NFL one more time before the playoffs. Each team will be listed, followed by their overall record, followed by commentary on their season, and then will receive a rating of playoff lock, in-contention, or eliminated. The AFC Rundown can be found here.
NFC NORTH
Chicago Bears (8-3): What can I say, you were wrong about the Bears, I was wrong about the Bears, so let us sip the Kool-Aid of Chicago for a few weeks, and Cutler can kill the season in the Wild Card round, shall we? Solid defense and special teams have carried the team and the offense has put up just enough points to win games. This past week was their coming out party, but I don’t see too many wins once the regular season ends, if any.
Playoff Status: Lock
Green Bay Packers (7-4): The Packers have one of the best offenses in the league and are playing enough defense to win games. Aaron Rodgers is the core of this team, but he still has not won me over completely, maybe in the playoffs he can. Stats and wins are nice, but playoff wins are the real measure of a quarterback (except for Philip Rivers, because San Diego is clearly cursed in January). The Pack may win the division yet, if they win the head-to-head versus the Bears this month, but either way I see Green Bay in the playoffs and winning more there than the Bears.
Playoff Status: Lock
Minnesota Vikings (4-7): After a disappointing first half of the season, Chilly was fired and Frazier led the team to a win, so things are looking up for the Vikings. Perhaps if the coaching change occurred earlier, or Favre actually wanted to play football, the season would have turned out differently for the Vikings. Perhaps Frazier will be the answer the Vikings need in the future to make the leap to the Super Bowl.
Playoff Status: Eliminated
Detroit Lions (2-9): The Lions are a deceiving team, playing hard one moment and then flopping the next. Unfortunately for Detroit, the team chooses to regress in key situations but the Lions have shown enough, especially in the form of Suh, for fans to be optimistic of the future. Still, it is Detroit perhaps fans should wait until a clinched winning season to get their hopes up.
Playoff Status: Eliminated
NFC EAST
Philadelphia Eagles (7-4): Now that Vick has returned to earth with his first interception of the season versus the bears, the Eagles have a challenge ahead of them in holding off the Giants. Philly is perhaps the most explosive team in the league with Vick, Jackson, Maclin, and the rest of the offense, but the road ahead is not easy. I see only one team making it out of the east though, and the Eagles control their destiny.
Playoff Status: In-Contention
New York Giants (7-4): Did you know that Eli Manning is second in the league in interceptions, behind only Favre, and tied for the league lead in fumbles lost, with Favre and the Giants lead back Ahmad Bradshaw? Turnovers could kill this team’s hopes eventually, yet the Giants have played well enough to overcome them so far. The Giants have already lost to the Eagles, and have a worse division record, so the week 15 matchup at home versus Philly could decide this division.
Playoff Status: In-Contention
Washington Redskins (5-6): McNabb and Shanahan have yet to prove to be the saviors of the Redskins, and the front office is a mess, yet still Washington has already exceeded last year’s win total (4) so the season has not been a complete waste (unless you do not like the drama of the team). The Redskins have pieces of the puzzle, and perhaps Shanahan can work some magic in the coming seasons and finish the turn around, but this team is staying home come January.
Playoff Status: Eliminated
Dallas Cowboys (3-8): The season ended for the Cowboys as soon as Romo went down, but it had the makings of a failure from week one. It is hard to explain how a team so good on paper can just fall apart, and thus Phillips was axed. Jason Garrett is doing just enough to likely sway Jerry Jones that he is the answer for Dallas, but I think Garrett was part of the original problem and wouldn’t shed a tear if Jones turned to Cowher or Gruden.
Playoff Status: Eliminated
NFC WEST
St. Louis Rams (5-6): If you told me before the season that the Rams would lead the division after eleven games, I may have doubted you because I had some faith in the 49ers, but seeing how teams have played in the west has frankly been painful and I think that the Rams are probably set to win the division, as long as Bradford stays upright and the rest of the west continues to lose.
Playoff Status: In-Contention
Seattle Seahawks (5-6): The hopes of the Seahawks rest on the shoulders of Hasselbeck, and unfortunately for Seattle, that may cause him injury. Hasselbeck has been fragile this season and even in the mediocre-at-best west, Clipboard Jesus cannot lead this team to the playoffs. Pete Caroll is no better than Mora in my eyes, but could walk away with a division title if the dice fall right.
Playoff Status: In-Contention
San Francisco 49ers (4-7): How sad is it that a team three games below .500 still has a shot at their division? Is it worse that the team is led by a quarterback named Smith that did not win over the coaching staff prior to the season, or that the original quarterback named Smith did? San Francisco has a chance at the playoffs if they can win at least three or four of their remaining five, and with the way this season has played out, they may.
Playoff Status: In-Contention
Arizona Cardinals (3-8): The highlight of this season for the Cards so far has been Monday’s press conference featuring Derek Andersen, and sadly, it was not even that great—the game was just so bad for Monday Night Football that the media had to blow the incident out of proportion. The season has never looked bright for Arizona, not since Warner hung up his cleats for dance shoes, yet the future looks bleak unless Hall pans out, or the Cards have success with a draft pick.
Playoff Status: Eliminated
NFC SOUTH
Atlanta Falcons (9-2): Easily the best team in the NFC, Atlanta has clinched a winning season for a third straight year and considering that last year was their first ever follow-up winning season, this franchise may have found the answer in Matty Ice. The Falcons have been resilient, losing only to two of the better teams in the league and lead perhaps the best division in football by a game. The Falcons will make the playoffs, and could easily be the number one seed.
Playoff Status: Lock
New Orleans Saints (8-3): After a rocky 4-3 start, the Saints have ripped off four straight wins versus substandard opponents. The Saints and the Bucs have only one difference in my eyes, experience, which favors the Saints who should be in place for a wild-card berth, but the Bucs have some magic in Josh Freeman, so Drew Brees will need to play at the level his is capable of in order to make another run in the playoffs.
Playoff Status: In-Contention
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-4): The Bucs are 0-4 against teams with a winning record and 7-0 against losing teams, which does not bode well for the playoffs (unless they are paired versus the NFC West). That said, the Bucs are only one game behind the Saints and have proven to be able to come back seemingly at will, so if Tampa can win one of the games remaining between them and either the Saints and Falcons, in addition to beating Detroit, Seattle, and Washington, the Bucs could be the surprise of the year.
Playoff Status: In-Contention
Carolina Panthers (1-10): “And with the first pick of the 2011 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers select…” What is the answer to this question? The Panthers are solid at halfback, cannot already be giving up on Clausen and Moore, have no truly gaping holes on defense, so where do the Panthers turn? I think the best move would be to stock pile talent and trade away the first pick, the Panthers are a bad team as a whole and need improvements across the board. Fox is likely out after this season too, and with a potential lockout ahead, I do not know if the Panthers turn it around in less than three seasons.
Playoff Status: Eliminated
NFC NORTH
Chicago Bears (8-3): What can I say, you were wrong about the Bears, I was wrong about the Bears, so let us sip the Kool-Aid of Chicago for a few weeks, and Cutler can kill the season in the Wild Card round, shall we? Solid defense and special teams have carried the team and the offense has put up just enough points to win games. This past week was their coming out party, but I don’t see too many wins once the regular season ends, if any.
Green Bay Packers (7-4): The Packers have one of the best offenses in the league and are playing enough defense to win games. Aaron Rodgers is the core of this team, but he still has not won me over completely, maybe in the playoffs he can. Stats and wins are nice, but playoff wins are the real measure of a quarterback (except for Philip Rivers, because San Diego is clearly cursed in January). The Pack may win the division yet, if they win the head-to-head versus the Bears this month, but either way I see Green Bay in the playoffs and winning more there than the Bears.
Playoff Status: Lock
Minnesota Vikings (4-7): After a disappointing first half of the season, Chilly was fired and Frazier led the team to a win, so things are looking up for the Vikings. Perhaps if the coaching change occurred earlier, or Favre actually wanted to play football, the season would have turned out differently for the Vikings. Perhaps Frazier will be the answer the Vikings need in the future to make the leap to the Super Bowl.
Detroit Lions (2-9): The Lions are a deceiving team, playing hard one moment and then flopping the next. Unfortunately for Detroit, the team chooses to regress in key situations but the Lions have shown enough, especially in the form of Suh, for fans to be optimistic of the future. Still, it is Detroit perhaps fans should wait until a clinched winning season to get their hopes up.
Playoff Status: Eliminated
NFC EAST
Philadelphia Eagles (7-4): Now that Vick has returned to earth with his first interception of the season versus the bears, the Eagles have a challenge ahead of them in holding off the Giants. Philly is perhaps the most explosive team in the league with Vick, Jackson, Maclin, and the rest of the offense, but the road ahead is not easy. I see only one team making it out of the east though, and the Eagles control their destiny.
Playoff Status: In-Contention
New York Giants (7-4): Did you know that Eli Manning is second in the league in interceptions, behind only Favre, and tied for the league lead in fumbles lost, with Favre and the Giants lead back Ahmad Bradshaw? Turnovers could kill this team’s hopes eventually, yet the Giants have played well enough to overcome them so far. The Giants have already lost to the Eagles, and have a worse division record, so the week 15 matchup at home versus Philly could decide this division.
Playoff Status: In-Contention
Washington Redskins (5-6): McNabb and Shanahan have yet to prove to be the saviors of the Redskins, and the front office is a mess, yet still Washington has already exceeded last year’s win total (4) so the season has not been a complete waste (unless you do not like the drama of the team). The Redskins have pieces of the puzzle, and perhaps Shanahan can work some magic in the coming seasons and finish the turn around, but this team is staying home come January.
Playoff Status: Eliminated
Dallas Cowboys (3-8): The season ended for the Cowboys as soon as Romo went down, but it had the makings of a failure from week one. It is hard to explain how a team so good on paper can just fall apart, and thus Phillips was axed. Jason Garrett is doing just enough to likely sway Jerry Jones that he is the answer for Dallas, but I think Garrett was part of the original problem and wouldn’t shed a tear if Jones turned to Cowher or Gruden.
Playoff Status: Eliminated
NFC WEST
St. Louis Rams (5-6): If you told me before the season that the Rams would lead the division after eleven games, I may have doubted you because I had some faith in the 49ers, but seeing how teams have played in the west has frankly been painful and I think that the Rams are probably set to win the division, as long as Bradford stays upright and the rest of the west continues to lose.
Playoff Status: In-Contention
Seattle Seahawks (5-6): The hopes of the Seahawks rest on the shoulders of Hasselbeck, and unfortunately for Seattle, that may cause him injury. Hasselbeck has been fragile this season and even in the mediocre-at-best west, Clipboard Jesus cannot lead this team to the playoffs. Pete Caroll is no better than Mora in my eyes, but could walk away with a division title if the dice fall right.
Playoff Status: In-Contention
San Francisco 49ers (4-7): How sad is it that a team three games below .500 still has a shot at their division? Is it worse that the team is led by a quarterback named Smith that did not win over the coaching staff prior to the season, or that the original quarterback named Smith did? San Francisco has a chance at the playoffs if they can win at least three or four of their remaining five, and with the way this season has played out, they may.
Playoff Status: In-Contention
Arizona Cardinals (3-8): The highlight of this season for the Cards so far has been Monday’s press conference featuring Derek Andersen, and sadly, it was not even that great—the game was just so bad for Monday Night Football that the media had to blow the incident out of proportion. The season has never looked bright for Arizona, not since Warner hung up his cleats for dance shoes, yet the future looks bleak unless Hall pans out, or the Cards have success with a draft pick.
Playoff Status: Eliminated
NFC SOUTH
Atlanta Falcons (9-2): Easily the best team in the NFC, Atlanta has clinched a winning season for a third straight year and considering that last year was their first ever follow-up winning season, this franchise may have found the answer in Matty Ice. The Falcons have been resilient, losing only to two of the better teams in the league and lead perhaps the best division in football by a game. The Falcons will make the playoffs, and could easily be the number one seed.
Playoff Status: Lock
New Orleans Saints (8-3): After a rocky 4-3 start, the Saints have ripped off four straight wins versus substandard opponents. The Saints and the Bucs have only one difference in my eyes, experience, which favors the Saints who should be in place for a wild-card berth, but the Bucs have some magic in Josh Freeman, so Drew Brees will need to play at the level his is capable of in order to make another run in the playoffs.
Playoff Status: In-Contention
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-4): The Bucs are 0-4 against teams with a winning record and 7-0 against losing teams, which does not bode well for the playoffs (unless they are paired versus the NFC West). That said, the Bucs are only one game behind the Saints and have proven to be able to come back seemingly at will, so if Tampa can win one of the games remaining between them and either the Saints and Falcons, in addition to beating Detroit, Seattle, and Washington, the Bucs could be the surprise of the year.
Playoff Status: In-Contention
Carolina Panthers (1-10): “And with the first pick of the 2011 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers select…” What is the answer to this question? The Panthers are solid at halfback, cannot already be giving up on Clausen and Moore, have no truly gaping holes on defense, so where do the Panthers turn? I think the best move would be to stock pile talent and trade away the first pick, the Panthers are a bad team as a whole and need improvements across the board. Fox is likely out after this season too, and with a potential lockout ahead, I do not know if the Panthers turn it around in less than three seasons.
Playoff Status: Eliminated
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