Forecast: Who in the NFC will get a 'Super' beating?
Ralph Malbrough / "The Forecast"
Everyone in the NFL has played at least half their schedule, and with the Patriots rampaging towards 16-0, there’s only one question to ask heading into the regular season homestretch: Which team from the NFC will be New England’s piñatas for the Super Bowl?
Don’t kid yourself, NFC faithful; Bill Belichick will resume the beatings as soon the Patriots are rested up from their week of cheating. And if you think he won’t run up the score in the world’s biggest sporting event just so he can give everyone the one finger salute, then you haven’t been paying attention.
So who will it be? Might the Saints have a shot? Let’s break this thing down.
Green Bay Packers: Odds 3-1
They face only two teams with winning records the second half, including two games against Detroit. If they get home field advantage or a bye, you might as well pencil them into the NFC title game. But that means Peter King will get to write that 9,000 word love letter to Brett Favre he’s been dreaming of.
They still have absolutely no running game, despite one nice game Ryan Grant had. Their defense is nasty, but Brett Favre can be beaten at home in the playoffs, as Michael Vick will tell you. He wouldn’t tell you that now of course, because his lawyer wouldn’t want his client making any public statements, but still.
Dallas Cowboys: Odds 4-1
Have a great shot at a bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The downside is they face five teams in the second half with winning records, Tony Romo has no big game experience and if they hit even a bump in the road, ESPN will cover it like CNN covers Hilary Clinton sneezing. Plus, can you really imagine Wade Philips coaching in the Super Bowl?
Detroit Lions: Odds 15-1
The Lions can score, their defense creates turnovers and their quarterback—Jon Kitna—can look into your eyes and make you want to do the Lord’s work, but can they really go deep into the playoffs? If they got a bye and the Saints faced them in the second round, I’d be doing back flips and searching Orbitz for flights to Dallas for the NFC Championship.
Washington Redskins: Odds 20-1
No way is Jason Campbell leading the Redskins to the Super Bowl. Is Joe Gibbs even alive?
Tampa Bay Bucs: Odds 25-1
They have one of the softest second-half schedules of all the NFC contenders, but every week they are usually in a battle no matter who they play. They will be in a battle with the Saints for the division crown, but a team with even a mediocre defense can keep their offense under wraps.
New Orleans Saints: Odds 8-1
The Saints second half schedule is ridiculously easy. They will likely only face two teams with winning records (Tampa and Carolina) plus they get Arizona, Philadelphia and St. Louis at home. If the Saints were a college football team, a schedule like that would be argument enough to keep them out of a BCS Bowl.
The Saints also have the best quarterback in the NFC. Drew Brees is playing great and unlike Tony Romo or Eli Manning, has actually won a playoff game.
The Saints do have two huge problems: a terrible secondary and the defense cannot create turnovers. Neither can likely be fixed, but more blitzing has helped during the winning streak and why not play Usama Young more?
Sure, he’ll get burned a lot just like Jason David, but at least with Young it’s okay because he’s a rookie and by playing him you’d expect to see improvement. And I’m tired of yelling at Jason David and want someone else to blame.
The Saints are still a long shot because winning three games to get to the Super Bowl is difficult, but since the Super Bowl is on Mardi Gras weekend, New Orleans would already be in full party mode, so getting crushed by New England 55-10 would only sadden us briefly until we opened another beer and caught more beads.
New York Giants: Odds 2-1
My pick for the Super Bowl. Their only real weakness is a bad secondary, but they cover it with an incredible pass rush. Eli takes a lot of crap from the press and public, but he’s been to the playoffs the last two years and if they beat the Cowboys this Sunday then we’ll get a week of “Eli Manning has arrived!” stories. The Giants do face a brutal second half schedule and their final three games (Washington, at Buffalo and New England) are tough.
On to this weeks games:
Last Week: 4-1
Season: 20-25
St. Louis (+11.5) at New Orleans: This game scares me to death. The Rams will have all their skill players back and if you don’t think Marc Bulgar will light up the Saints secondary, you’re either delusional or haven’t watched the games this year.
The Saints will move the ball up and down the field, too, but I have a feeling this is the bump in the road game for the Saints. Don’t panic, things will be okay; after this week you won’t have to worry about Olindo Mare anymore. Rams 31-28
Cleveland (+9) at Pittsburgh: The Browns can score points, so if they don’t turn it over the game should be close. Let’s not go crazy over the Steelers just because they beat the corpse formerly known as the Baltimore Ravens. Steelers 35-34
Carolina (-4) vs. Atlanta: Vegas thinks so little of the Panthers quarterback situation that Carolina is just a four point favorite over the Falcons. The then 1-4 Saints were a touchdown favorite over these same bad birds. Still, the Panthers will run the ball and Mr. Mittens (David Carr) between sacks will throw a touchdown to Steve Smith. Panthers 20-10
Indianapolis (-3.5) at San Diego: If I were a Charger fan, I’d want GM A.J. Smith’s head on a stick. The Chargers should have the pathetic AFC West clinched by now. The Colts get back on track as Norv Turner looks as clueless as ever. Colts 27-17
New York Giants (-1) vs. Dallas: I think the Giants are for real and don’t see a second half collapse like 2006. Plus, I’m not completely on the Tony Romo bandwagon. Giants 23-21
Everyone in the NFL has played at least half their schedule, and with the Patriots rampaging towards 16-0, there’s only one question to ask heading into the regular season homestretch: Which team from the NFC will be New England’s piñatas for the Super Bowl?
Don’t kid yourself, NFC faithful; Bill Belichick will resume the beatings as soon the Patriots are rested up from their week of cheating. And if you think he won’t run up the score in the world’s biggest sporting event just so he can give everyone the one finger salute, then you haven’t been paying attention.
So who will it be? Might the Saints have a shot? Let’s break this thing down.
Green Bay Packers: Odds 3-1
They face only two teams with winning records the second half, including two games against Detroit. If they get home field advantage or a bye, you might as well pencil them into the NFC title game. But that means Peter King will get to write that 9,000 word love letter to Brett Favre he’s been dreaming of.
They still have absolutely no running game, despite one nice game Ryan Grant had. Their defense is nasty, but Brett Favre can be beaten at home in the playoffs, as Michael Vick will tell you. He wouldn’t tell you that now of course, because his lawyer wouldn’t want his client making any public statements, but still.
Dallas Cowboys: Odds 4-1
Have a great shot at a bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The downside is they face five teams in the second half with winning records, Tony Romo has no big game experience and if they hit even a bump in the road, ESPN will cover it like CNN covers Hilary Clinton sneezing. Plus, can you really imagine Wade Philips coaching in the Super Bowl?
Detroit Lions: Odds 15-1
The Lions can score, their defense creates turnovers and their quarterback—Jon Kitna—can look into your eyes and make you want to do the Lord’s work, but can they really go deep into the playoffs? If they got a bye and the Saints faced them in the second round, I’d be doing back flips and searching Orbitz for flights to Dallas for the NFC Championship.
Washington Redskins: Odds 20-1
No way is Jason Campbell leading the Redskins to the Super Bowl. Is Joe Gibbs even alive?
Tampa Bay Bucs: Odds 25-1
They have one of the softest second-half schedules of all the NFC contenders, but every week they are usually in a battle no matter who they play. They will be in a battle with the Saints for the division crown, but a team with even a mediocre defense can keep their offense under wraps.
New Orleans Saints: Odds 8-1
The Saints second half schedule is ridiculously easy. They will likely only face two teams with winning records (Tampa and Carolina) plus they get Arizona, Philadelphia and St. Louis at home. If the Saints were a college football team, a schedule like that would be argument enough to keep them out of a BCS Bowl.
The Saints also have the best quarterback in the NFC. Drew Brees is playing great and unlike Tony Romo or Eli Manning, has actually won a playoff game.
The Saints do have two huge problems: a terrible secondary and the defense cannot create turnovers. Neither can likely be fixed, but more blitzing has helped during the winning streak and why not play Usama Young more?
Sure, he’ll get burned a lot just like Jason David, but at least with Young it’s okay because he’s a rookie and by playing him you’d expect to see improvement. And I’m tired of yelling at Jason David and want someone else to blame.
The Saints are still a long shot because winning three games to get to the Super Bowl is difficult, but since the Super Bowl is on Mardi Gras weekend, New Orleans would already be in full party mode, so getting crushed by New England 55-10 would only sadden us briefly until we opened another beer and caught more beads.
New York Giants: Odds 2-1
My pick for the Super Bowl. Their only real weakness is a bad secondary, but they cover it with an incredible pass rush. Eli takes a lot of crap from the press and public, but he’s been to the playoffs the last two years and if they beat the Cowboys this Sunday then we’ll get a week of “Eli Manning has arrived!” stories. The Giants do face a brutal second half schedule and their final three games (Washington, at Buffalo and New England) are tough.
On to this weeks games:
Last Week: 4-1
Season: 20-25
St. Louis (+11.5) at New Orleans: This game scares me to death. The Rams will have all their skill players back and if you don’t think Marc Bulgar will light up the Saints secondary, you’re either delusional or haven’t watched the games this year.
The Saints will move the ball up and down the field, too, but I have a feeling this is the bump in the road game for the Saints. Don’t panic, things will be okay; after this week you won’t have to worry about Olindo Mare anymore. Rams 31-28
Cleveland (+9) at Pittsburgh: The Browns can score points, so if they don’t turn it over the game should be close. Let’s not go crazy over the Steelers just because they beat the corpse formerly known as the Baltimore Ravens. Steelers 35-34
Carolina (-4) vs. Atlanta: Vegas thinks so little of the Panthers quarterback situation that Carolina is just a four point favorite over the Falcons. The then 1-4 Saints were a touchdown favorite over these same bad birds. Still, the Panthers will run the ball and Mr. Mittens (David Carr) between sacks will throw a touchdown to Steve Smith. Panthers 20-10
Indianapolis (-3.5) at San Diego: If I were a Charger fan, I’d want GM A.J. Smith’s head on a stick. The Chargers should have the pathetic AFC West clinched by now. The Colts get back on track as Norv Turner looks as clueless as ever. Colts 27-17
New York Giants (-1) vs. Dallas: I think the Giants are for real and don’t see a second half collapse like 2006. Plus, I’m not completely on the Tony Romo bandwagon. Giants 23-21
posted by The Gryphon at 1:44 PM
<< Home