We’ve got 10 games to go and 11 weeks before playoff time and other than the fact that every current undefeated team (and there are five of them) is going to playoffs and probably winning their divisions, the rest is all up for grabs.
The Detroit Lions aren’t even out of it yet. How did that happen?
Here’s what else we’ve learned.
The NFC West is there for the taking
Ignore the fact that the Arizona Cardinals are 4-2 and that the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers are both 2-4. That division is wide open and there for the team that decides they want it over the next five weeks or so. The Cardinals’ bad loss to a shorthanded Pittsburgh Steelers team on its third quarterback served notice that they were nothing but a pretend power. The Seahawks can’t protect Russell Wilson and the 49ers have a major home field advantage because their home field is just so terrible. They literally beat the Ravens Sunday because of footing problems.
Then there’s the Rams, who can and probably will beat all the other NFC West teams head-to-head but seem to struggle to play with any team outside the division. There was a notion that maybe three teams in the NFC West would make the playoffs this year, but that’s probably out the window. Instead, somebody is going to have to win it and no one right now can say who that will be.
If the Playoffs started today…
This is always interesting to look at every month or so. In the AFC you have the Cincinnati Bengals with the No. 1 seed, the Denver Broncos as the No. 2, the New England Patriots as the No. 3 and the Indianapolis Colts as the No. 4. Your wild card teams are the New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers. What are the chances it plays out just like that at season’s end? Pretty damn good, I’d say.
In the NFC the Green Bay Packers are the No. 1 seed, the Carolina Panthers are the No. 2, the Cardinals are the No. 3 and the Philadelphia Eagles are the No. 4. Your wild cards are the Atlanta Falcons and the Minnesota Vikings. What are the chances that holds up until the final week of the season? Not good. Not good at all.
The Giants are trying their best to stooge away their season
And what I mean by that is simple. The Giants, as of today, should be 6-0. They are not. And they are not simply because of their own screw ups, mistakes and foibles. Bad clock management, dumb turnovers and complete confusion have been the story of New York’s 3-3 start and if ever there was a team that needed a bye week, it’s them. Unfortunately, they don’t have one this week. Instead, they have the Dallas Cowboys coming to Met Life Stadium.
As long as Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. are there, you can’t count the Giants out, but this has been a frustrating team to watch in six games this season. How badly can a team stumble with its head firmly planted in its own ass? The Giants want to show us.
Don’t listen to anyone’s crap. It’s not 2007
Yes, the Patriots are still undefeated, but this is not some juggernaut team that is tearing through the AFC. Of their five wins, only two have bean walks and they were over the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Romo and Dez-less Cowboys. The other three victories were by seven, eight and seven points and any play could have flipped those results. In fact, it was a fast start against the Steelers and Bills that won those games. Late, the Patriots slipped and let all three back in.
Of course, it’s easy to take over a game late when you the other team calls the worst play in NFL history.
Wait, that wasn’t it. This was it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrtzpdH_uPM
The Jets won’t be so gracious this week.
