East: Can the G-Men Survive Tough 2nd Half of Season?
It’s been a surprise for many fans to see Eli and his Giants atop the NFC East through the first half of the season. All the offseason talk regarding the “Dream Team” Eagles didn’t bother the Giants as they quietly took control of the division and currently hold the NFC’s third seed. The next five games for the Giants will decide the season. The ‘9ers, Saints, and Packers will certainly be tough opponents and their divisional games against the Cowboys and Eagles will certainly test the Giants’ stamina.
North: Will Anyone Prevent a Pack-fect Season?
The Green Bay Packers are certainly the best team in the NFL right now, but can the Pack become the first team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins to finish the season undefeated? How many NFL teams have finished the season undefeated? That’s right, one. The Packers are a great team, but if the 4-5 Chargers could hang with the Pack for most of Sunday’s game, a much better team can prevent their perfect season. As talented and deep as the Packers are, expect a slip-up or two towards the end of the season. A 14-2 or 15-1 Green Bay team will still be a loaded team heading into January.
South: Ryan’s Birds or Brees’ Saints?
Another Great Battle between the Birds and Saints from the Good Ole NFC South! For the second consecutive season, the Division Title is on the line and it’ll be as bloody as ever. Their late season match-up on Monday Night Football should certainly determine the division champion as it did in 2010. The chase for the division will come down to the wire, but look to the Saints to hang on for their third division championship since 2006.
West: The ‘9ers Easy Road to First Round Bye
Can Arizona, Seattle and St. Louis, who are a combined 5-19 through the first half of the season, make San Francisco’s ride to the playoffs any easier? The only thing the cellar teams are competing for are draft positions. It helps that the ‘9ers are currently the league’s second best team, but who would have thought that Alex Smith would be playing the best ball of his career. My preseason pick for the teams to battle for the division championship were the Rams and Cardinals, so Smith and his San Francisco teammates were certainly a surprise. This year’s team is probably the best 49ers team since the Jeff Garcia days.
Wild Card Story: The Cowboys’ Identity Crisis
Who really knows who this season’s Dallas Cowboys are? Through Week 3, the Cowboys were playing as good ball as anyone and no one could blame Romo for his toughness, but an unexpected change came a week later against the Lions. Romo and the Cowboys blew their 27-3 lead in the second half and never recovered in October, finishing with a 1-3 record in the month, and getting embarrassed on national television by division rival-Philadelphia to conclude the month. Now a 4-4 team, the Cowboys could be the most questionable 4-4 team in NFL history. Is this team on the rise and headed to the playoffs, or should Cowboys’ fans expect a second consecutive losing season? Expect the Cowboys to put up a fight towards the end of the season for a playoff spot, but don’t expect a division title this season.
Wild Card Story 2: Dead Dream Team?
Vince Young might have cursed the Eagles’ 2011 Season when he called his team a “Dream Team” during the offseason. The team has three victories through the first half of the season and continues to struggle. They have also held a 4th quarter lead in four of the five games they’ve lost. Expect the team to win up to four more games to end the season, but it’ll take Hell to Freeze over for the Eagles to clinch a playoff spot for the fourth consecutive season.
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