There are two weeks left to the season and two divisions have yet to be decided; The AFC North and the NFC East. We are in for a treat with some of the upcoming games that lie ahead! Let's start with the NFC East.
What a turn-around in big D! Just a month and a half ago, Jason Garrett's job security was no guarantee, but kudos to him for turning that ship around! I hear a lot of peeps saying it's because of Dez Bryant's coming of age!! Well that is one of the keys, no doubt. But the return of RB DeMarco Murray helps, while Tony Romo's play since November has been good, surprising since we all know his awful ways in December. But the emergence of LB/pass rushing specialist Anthony Spencer gave that defense the boost it desperately needed!! Spencer has seven sacks in his last six games!! This turn-around is quite nice for Cowboys fans, but will they make the playoffs? I personally think no! The task at hand is a difficult one. Dallas has to win both remaining games versus the Saints and at Washington! Sorry Dallas, but better luck next time!
Staying in the division, the Redskins seem like the favorite to win the division!! The key win was that Monday night game versus the Giants! Now Washington controls its own fate, but has to go through divisional teams: the Eagles and the Cowboys! I just have this gut feeling that the Skins will get it done. As for the Giants, well, what we saw last Sunday is typical New York Giants football! They always make things difficult for themselves! Lucky for the Giants they play a downward Ravens team!! The Ravens and Giants are in similar positions, but I prefer what I see from the Giants than the Ravens. Every time the Giants lay an egg, they bounce back the following Sunday. Last year they were in the same predicament, when they had to win their remaining two games and they did, and the rest is history!! I'm not saying the Giants will win the Super Bowl this year, but they should find their way to the second season. However, they need the good Eli, not the Eli from last Sunday versus the Falcons!!
Speaking of the Falcons, wideout Harry Douglas and free safety Chris Hope showed the nation how little class they have! Harry Douglas was seen making fun of Victor Cruz's salsa on the sidelines and Hope blatantly lunged at Cruz and hit him with a helmet-to-helmet hit. The ball was uncatchable, therefore it made Hope's hit look like the intent was to injure. Maybe the NFL should look into this. Oh Sorry, only the Saints apparently do such things! Well I'm hoping the Falcons get the one-and-done treatment again this year in the playoffs! This team is all finesse, and not physical enough to ball with the big boys in January!!
Looking at the AFC North, that picture is more puzzling! The Ravens are in big trouble, but if they win their last game against the Bengals, all can be saved. But how can this team fix their problems! We all know how awful their D has been. Now they have issues on the offensive side! They don't run the ball anymore, their offensive line has struggled as of late and Joe Flacco just doesn't look like a quarterback who can get the job done! Logically, the Ravens will still get in because of their record, but might not finish in first place! The Bengals versus the Steelers game on Sunday has a lot of weight to it!! The Steelers need to win or it's goodnight! My feeling tells me the Bengals will shock the world and win the division! Their defense is one of the most underrated defenses in the league! When will defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer get a shot at a head coaching job?? Every year he gets the best out of his defense!!
What has happened to the Tampa Bay Bucs?? They were looking good at 6-4! Granted their O-Line has been decimated, but Josh Freeman looks like a QB who can't handle the pressure too well when it's on! It's still early to give him such a tag, but next year will be a huge one for Freeman and the Bucs! Even though they suffered a season swoon, the future is still bright in the Bay area! All they need to do is fix their secondary!
We witnessed last Sunday a Seahawks team that posted back-to-back 50 burgers! Yes they played bad teams in Buffalo and Arizona, but to post 50 points in back-to-back games is impressive! Seattle still hasn't clinched a spot in the playoffs but when they do, which could happen on the last Sunday since they play the Niners on Sunday night, they could be that one team that will turn the tables on everybody! They have the defense, the special teams and finally the offense thanks to rookie QB Russell Wilson. He was the first QB to run for 3 touchdowns last Sunday since Bobby Douglas in 1968!!
Call me crazy, I like Luck and Griffin and Wilson for so many reasons, but my vote for rookie-of-the-year so far goes to Russell Wilson!!
This Sunday is one of the most entertaining ones of the season .. It's that time of year when teams are fighting for playoffs spots, when some players are actually playing for their jobs, when it will be championship Sunday in fantasy football head-to-head formats (good luck to all who made it this far). But most of all, it will be when certain teams will make that drastic decision to clean house!! On that face-lift list are the Chiefs, the Browns, the Chargers and most likely the Eagles. Two Sundays from now we might add to that list the Jets (at least I hope), the Cards (I strongly disagree with this move if the Cards axe coach Whisenhunt), the Bills, the Panthers, the Raiders, the Titans and the Lions! A lot of vacant coaches will jump at the opportunity to coach the Lions.... They already a young QB in place to go with the best wide receiver in the game!!
Happy Holidays to all!
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