Trying to find the biggest story in the NFL through the first eight weeks is pretty difficult. Do you go with the Indianapolis Colts who are 0-8? Or do you go with the Lions, Bills, Bengals, and 49ers all above .500? Or how about the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers demolishing opponents?
For me, the biggest story is the San Francisco 49ers and their 6-1 record. There can’t be anybody out there who predicted they would be this good. You could make the argument they play in a weak division, so that’s why their record is so good, but they have only played one divisional opponent so far. In my opinion, all this success falls right onto the shoulders of new head coach Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh came from Stanford and had never coached a NFL team before now. Somehow he has turned much maligned quarterback Alex Smith into a winner and leader, which deserves even more praise. The 49ers defense is also playing at a high level as they have held all their opponents to an average of 15 points per game.
- I’ll have a full report on the Colts next week during their bye week.
Here’s a breakdown of each division so far
NFC East
Standings: New York Giants (5-2), Philadelphia Eagles (3-4), Dallas Cowboys (3-4), Washington Redskins (3-4)
This division is just a hot mess. Coming into the season the Eagles were expected to dominate, but up to now they have been far less than spectacular. The Redskins started the season 3-0 but since then have lost four straight and don’t show any signs of improving. You never know what you’re gonna get with the Cowboys, but I wouldn’t jump ship yet Dallas fans. Excluding last week’s loss to the Eagles the Cowboys have only lost by an average of 3.5 points. So the Giants, who everybody disregards each year, are the ones in first place. It seems like this happens every year. The Cowboys and Eagles are chose as the best teams in the division, but they crumble under all the expectations and the Giants come storming up from nowhere.
I think the Redskins are out of the playoff picture. The Cowboys and Eagles are both close to kissing their chances goodbye too unless they start winning. I didn’t buy into all the Eagles’ preseason hype and I still don’t. Giants will win this division and the Cowboys finish second.
NFC North
Standings: Green Bay Packers (7-0), Detroit Lions (6-2), Chicago Bears (4-3), Minnesota Vikings (2-6)
In my opinion, the Packers are the best team in the NFL. They returned almost all their starters from last year’s Super Bowl team and are playing better than they did last season. What makes the biggest impact for this team is the presence of quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Nobody has had any kind of answer to stop Rodgers this season, and it’s mesmerizing to watch him play. He is definitely in the same class as Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees.
The Lions were the sexy underdog pick (even though it was a pick made by everybody) to make the playoffs and they are on track to do just that. The Lions started off 5-0 and have lost two straight, but they are too talented a team to not keep on winning and make it into the playoffs as a wild card. The Chicago Bears on the other hand don’t seem to have enough talent to be better than the Packers or Lions. But if the Lions keep struggling that would let the Bears slip into a possible wild card position.
NFC South
Standings: New Orleans (5-3), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3), Atlanta Falcons (4-3), Carolina Panthers (2-5)
The top three teams all came in with high expectations but all have been pretty lackluster so far. Sure they all have winning records, but none of have played with a sense of dominance. The Falcons finished 14-2 last year but got beat in their first game of the playoffs. They were hoping to at least match that record this year, but so far they have struggled. The Saints finished second in the division last year and also got beat in their first game of the playoffs. It seemed like the Saints had finally gotten their mojo back after the whooping they put on the Colts, but last week they lost to the previously undefeated St. Louis Rams. The Buccaneers showed a lot of promise last year even though they didn’t make the playoffs. This was a popular dark horse pick to win the division, but they have struggled just to be consistently good. The biggest news in Carolina is their rookie quarterback Cam Newton. Newton has so far been an absolute monster racking up huge passing numbers. I had no idea if Newton would succeed in the NFL, but it seems like he will and become an elite quarterback.
This division is wide-open and the top three teams could all make a run at winning the division. My money is on the Saints though. They have the most experienced coach and quarterback of all the teams.
NFC West
Standings: San Francisco (6-1), Seattle Seahawks (2-5), Arizona Cardinals (1-6), St. Louis Rams (1-6)
Last year this was the worst division in the NFL. This year it continues to relish that title. The 49ers are the lone exception as they are a great team. The Seahawks won this division last year but have not played at the same level this year. The Cardinals were expected to be better with a new quarterback but they have struggled. The Rams were expected to be the best team in this division with second-year quarterback Sam Bradford, but so far they have not done anything right.
AFC East
Standings: Buffalo Bills (5-2), New England (5-2), New York Jets (4-3), Miami Dolphins (0-7)
Nobody, and I mean nobody, could have predicted the Bills on top of this division so late into the season. This is the Bills! A team that has 10 wins over the past two seasons is on pace to get 10 this year. The Bills’ two losses were by three points both times and they have a win over the Patriots. This team is legit. As for the Patriots, what is there to say? Tom Brady keeps on doing his thing and they are a contender like always. The Jets are a decent team, but they play in a tough division. I don’t see them making it to the playoffs this year; there are just too many other good teams. The Dolphins are the Colts biggest opponent in the race to get the number one pick in the NFL 2012 Draft. Both teams are shooting for 0-16, and both should get there. My question is what decides a tiebreaker in that situation?
AFC North
Standings: Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2), Cincinnati Bengals (5-2), Baltimore Ravens (5-2), Cleveland Browns (3-4)
In my opinion, this is currently the best division in the NFL. All teams are still in contention to at least finish second in the division and possibly earn a wild card berth into the playoffs. After the Steelers victory over the Patriots last week, everybody in the media is ready to crown them the “best team in the AFC”. They are a good team, but should I remind everybody that the Ravens beat them 35-7 in week 1? As for the Ravens, their biggest struggle is coming on the offense, in particular Joe Flacco. Flacco has been a solid quarterback the past three seasons for Baltimore, but this season he is really struggling.
This is the year of surprise teams. Just like the 49ers, Bills, and Lions, the Bengals are above .500 and are proving they deserve to be considered a playoff contender. The Bengals have a win against the Bills and only losses came by a combined seven points. Staying in Ohio, the Browns are having a better –than- usual season and are giving people in Cleveland something to cheer for. How awesome would it be to see those two teams in the playoffs over the Ravens and Steelers? I doubt that will happen, but you never know.
AFC South
Standings: Houston Texans (5-3), Tennessee Titans (4-3), Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6), Indianapolis Colts (0-8)
Thank god for the Houston Texans, because without them this division would be abysmal. The Texans are playing well on offense and defense, but have stumbled in winnable games against the Saints, Raiders, and Ravens. Their second-half schedule is not bad at all so they should get to at least 10 wins and represent this division in the playoffs. The Titans are puttering along and could sneak into the playoffs but it will take a lot of other teams to lose games. The Jaguars are starting a rookie quarterback and seem to be preparing for the future. It will be interesting to see how long their head coach, Jack Del Rio, lasts before he gets fired. The Colts. Blah. I’ll have a more in-depth story on them next week.
AFC West
Standings: Kansas City Chiefs (4-3), San Diego Chargers (4-3), Oakland Raiders (4-3), Denver Broncos (2-5)
Where did the Chiefs come from?? This was a team that was left for dead after three straight losses, but they have come thundering back and cemented their place on top of the division with a win over the Chargers last Monday night. The Chargers on the other hand, seem to be the polar opposites of the Chiefs as they are on a two-game losing streak and a tough matchup against the Packers is looming. The Raiders were doing great and sitting at 4-2 when their starting quarterback got injured. This lead to the team trading for former Bengals’ quarterbacks Carson Palmer. Palmer was pretty disappointing in his first start, but the Raiders are coming off a bye week and hope to bounce back against the Denver Broncos. As for the Broncos, the only news coming from Denver is some that is divine. The miracle man Tim Tebow finally earned the spot of starting quarterback. So far though, Tebow has been god-awful. Tebow has completed only 46% of his passes in two starts, and has been sacked 13 times. Many experts are saying Tebow is done and will never be a quality NFL quarterback. I hate to do it, but I agree with that. Tebow is an excellent man and an excellent football player, but it will take a lot of practice and time to get him to the level he needs to be at.
Here were my predictions for the playoffs before the season started:
NFC
-teams are in order of seeding
Packers, Eagles, Falcons, Rams, Giants, Lions
New playoff prediction: Packers, 49ers, Saints, Giants, Lions, Cowboys
For the new prediction I removed three teams that have yet to live up to preseason expectations, the Eagles, Falcons, and Rams. For the new predictions I’m banking on the Cowboys being better than the Eagles and take second place in their division (That’s going out on a huge limb). I’m also counting on the Lions to be better than the Bears.
AFC
Patriots, Ravens, Chargers, Texans, Steelers, Colts
New playoff prediction: Ravens, Patriots, Texans, Chiefs, Bills, Steelers
For this prediction I swapped out the Chargers for the Chiefs and the Bills for the Colts. When was the last time somebody switched the Bills for the Colts in a playoff prediction? It’s been at least ten years. The biggest hurdle for the Ravens comes this weekend against the Steelers. If the Ravens win that game they should have no problem getting the number one seed.
UPDATE 11/6/2011 at 11:56 p.m.- The Ravens beat the Steelers 23-20. The Ravens are now 6-2 and, in my opinion, the best team in the AFC Conference. Although now the Ravens have to prove that position again next week against the surprisingly good Cincinnati Bengals. In the NFC, the Packers beat the Chargers and are now 8-0. If you remember, I picked these two teams to meet in the Super Bowl.
UPDATE 11/6/2011 at 11:56 p.m.- The Ravens beat the Steelers 23-20. The Ravens are now 6-2 and, in my opinion, the best team in the AFC Conference. Although now the Ravens have to prove that position again next week against the surprisingly good Cincinnati Bengals. In the NFC, the Packers beat the Chargers and are now 8-0. If you remember, I picked these two teams to meet in the Super Bowl.
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