How’s it going makakas? Sorry I missed you yesterday. But you know the rules, I miss a day, that means you get two divisions instead of one. Today, I’ve got notes for you from the North, AFC and NFC.
But first, let’s do our weekly feature “If The Playoffs Started Today”. If the playoffs started today, here’s who would be in.
AFC
1. Colts 8-0
2. Broncos 6-2
3. Ravens 6-2
4. Patriots 6-2
5. Chargers 6-2
6. Jaguars 5-3
1st Round
Jags at Ravens
Chargers at Patriots
Bye: Colts, Broncos
An interesting note here, is that the Chiefs, who are 5-3, have a 1-3 record against the AFC. That’s an important Wild Card tiebreaker, and puts the Chiefs at a disadvantage if they hope to make the playoffs.
NFC
1. Bears 7-1
2. Giants 6-2
3. Saints 6-2
4. Seahawks 5-3
5. Falcons 5-3
6. Vikings 4-4
1st Round
Vikings at Saints
Falcons at Seahawks
Bye: Bears, Giants
NFC NORTH NOTES
The Chicago Sun Times pointed out this week that Rex Grossman and Eli Manning, who meet up this Sunday Night in the Bears/Giants tilt, met on the collegiate pitch once too. That was in 2002, when Grossman’s Florida Gators traveled to Oxford to take on Eli’s Ole Miss team. The Gators lost that game thanks to 4 Grossman interceptions. Much better now though. Or not.
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The Vikings have gone from forcing turnovers in bulk, to committing them at the same rate. They’ve given it up 7 times combined in back to back losses to New England and San Francisco. The Vikings have scored 10 points in 8 quarters since their 31-13 win over Seattle, and speculation has surfaced about a possible switch from Brad Johnson to Brooks Bollinger under center.
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Minnesota faces a team this weekend that knows a thing or two about turning it over as well. The Packers lost in Buffalo last week because even fielding a snap successfully became a challenge for them. You can’t run the ball on the Vikings, so that means Brett Favre is going to have to hoist it up often, which probably means lots of completions to both teams.
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The Lions may be 2-6, but their next three games are against the Niners, Cardinals, and Dolphins. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that they could be 5-6 heading into December, and in the NFC that could be good enough to be in the running for a wild card spot.
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AFC NORTH NOTES
Steve McNair goes back to Nashville this week for the first time since his messy divorce from the Titans last spring. In reality though, his move to the Ravens worked out best for all parties. The Titans get to give Vince Young on the job training and McNair gets to play for a contender.
Regardless, I find it remarkable that somebody with a head as small as McNair’s has succeeded in life to the degree that he has. When I see him, I always feel like he’s been left in one of those 1930’s steam cases they had gymnasiums next to the fat jiggling belt too long.
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Now that the Steelers’ 2006 season has been cremated, we can now begin the Bengals death watch. At 4-4, they are a full game behind 2 teams for the final wild card spot in the AFC, and 2 games behind the Ravens for first place in the AFC North. This week, they have the Chargers, and next week they’ve got the Saints. They could have 6 losses after those 2 tilts, and in the AFC, having 6 losses means you are finito.
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Browns’ QB Charlie Frye kind of received notice this week that time may be running out for him to prove he can be the Browns’ QB for the rest of this decade. Romeo Crennel told the Cleveland Plain Dealer this week. “We need to give him a little bit more time to finally make a valid assessment.” Frye may be struggling to fill the shoes of the long lineage of great Browns V2 quarterbacks. How do you follow Tim Couch, Kelly Holcomb, and Jeff Garcia?
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Here’s Willie Parker’s explanation for the Steelers 2-6 start:
“Last year, we were getting the job done, we just seemed hungrier. This year, it seems like we’ve already got what we want, what’s the use? What’s the use of going out there and selling out?”
I’ll tell you what the use is Willie. You’re a vital part of my fantasy team. If you tank it in the second half, daddy can’t get no steak with his beans and rice capisce? I want TDs, Fast William. Now run, run like the wind.
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