NY is the team to beat in NFC; AFC up for grabs to whomever Jim Purcell, Staff report Posted:12/15/08
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Let’s stop messing around about who, theoretically, is showing up to the dance that is the postseason in the NFL.
The Giants are going to have home field from the NFC East, and whoever else has home field is yet to be determined. They’re the team to beat and they know it.
The NFC’s postseason world probably includes Tampa Bay, Carolina, Minnesota and, on the outside, Dallas.
Arizona clinched the NFC West, which they should celebrate a lot since it might be the last piece of good news they get in Tempe this year.
The worst of the best teams in the NFC would want to be the ones to visit the Cardinals at home during the first round.
The teams to watch, in my opinion, are the Buccaneers and the Panthers. They both have good defenses and they are dangerous to anyone they play any given Sunday.
The AFC is pretty much a stew of the good, the bad and the outright ugly. On top of the heap is a Tennessee Titan team, at 12-1, that is not made of steel. It’s beatable. It’s basically unstable. And, Kerry Collins is the quarterback. As for them beating Pittsburgh in the postseason, I’ll believe it when I see it.
The AFC East is what everyone wants to talk about: the Jets, the Pats and the Dolphins.
These three teams are all 8-5, and the Jets are probably the best of the three today. OK, the Jet D gave up 24 points in its latest outing against Mike Singletary’s 49ers. Well, for those who aren’t up on their NFL history, Singletary is a darn good coach and is a Hall-of-Fame defender. That the Jets D gave up 24 doesn’t mean they’re broken. The Jets were in it and the D kept them there.
But, at some point, NFL teams have to score touchdowns or field goals, and 14 points isn’t going to win anything. This is about the offense being more consistent and Brett Favre throwing completions and touchdowns. Hey, he’s cut down on the turnovers: it’s a start. This is how it’ll go: If Brett Favre throws completions everything will work out, and if not it’s just another season in the sun for the beleaguered Jet fan.
The once-formidable Patriot defense is pretty much broken, and a talented college team could expose the problems they’re having, which are associated with old age and arteries hardening. The Dolphins, with QB Chad Pennington…come on now. They’ve had the best season they could to this point, but bringing that offense to the postseason isn’t exactly a showstopper.
The real competition in the AFC is coming from the Steelers, Colts and Baltimore. Denver should be glad they’re at the top of a division that is a shadow of its former glory. Sans a reappearance of John Elway, Denver can’t be anyone’s favorite for going deep into the postseason.
However, the ‘terrible trio’ of Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Baltimore loom near in the distance to anything that ambles into the playoffs from the East. Good luck with all that.
While Tennessee has the best paper record, I doubt that Collins, a well-known postseason choker, is ready for what’s ahead.
