December Dwindles Down NFL Elite

With only four weeks remaining in the NFL regular season, it's time for a few last-gasp efforts from some struggling pre-season favorites (don't look away Norv Turner, we're talking to you), and also to see if some of the newcomers are for real.

So, four games left and still 22 teams within two games of a playoff spot. Before you begin your rant, no, I don't really think all of these teams have a legitimate shot at the postseason (sorry, Kansas City). But, for argument's sake, I figured I'd take a look at the 22 remaining contenders - in alphabetical order - heading into the final quarter of the season.

Here we go...

Arizona Cardinals (5-7): After losing six straight, the Cardinals have won four of their last five with their only loss coming at San Francisco. Granted, Arizona beat the Rams twice to earn half those wins, but the fact that the Cardinals beat the Eagles and Cowboys with John Skelton and Kevin Kolb at quarterback makes about as much sense as San Diego St. being a member of the Big East Conference.

Atlanta Falcons (7-5): The Falcons missed a golden opportunity to take advantage of T.J. Yates' debut in Houston. Atlanta is the Kevin Spacey of the NFL. You don't expect much, but they never disappoint you either. (For anyone who hasn't seen Spacey in The Usual Suspects, stop reading now, find it online and watch it. You won't be disappointed). But with the Bears' injuries, the Lions' antics and the Falcons' easy remaining schedule, Atlanta should be a lock for a NFC wild card.

Baltimore Ravens (9-3): I've said it before, but there's no one in the NFL who needs home-field advantage more than Baltimore. They're simply two different teams at home versus on the road. Quick stats to prove my point. At home, the Ravens are 6-0 and outscoring opponents 175-89. On the road? 3-3 and only outscoring opponents 121-97. I could also show you the importance of Cam Cameron continuing to give Ray Rice the ball, but I'm done boring you with stats. The Ravens will have to prove they can perform on the road (at San Diego and Cincinnati) if they want to play at home in January.

Buffalo Bills (5-7): Poor Buffalo. It's nearly impossible not to root for these guys, but they couldn't quite bring the wagons full circle this season. Too many big injuries. The Bills head out to San Diego on a five-game losing streak with the defense showing no signs of being able to stop Philip Rivers and the Chargers offense. A loss in California and Buffalo can be written off for good. Maybe next year, Bills fans.

Chicago Bears (7-5): I had made a hobby of rooting against Jay Cutler. It was nothing against the Bears, but Cutler was nearing John Mayer territory with his douchebaggery. But this year, Cutler changed my mind. He whined a little less, and played well a little more. And with how awful his offensive line began the season, it was hard not to feel for the guy. Now, Cutler and Matt Forte are stuck on the sideline (with real injuries this time), and Caleb Hanie and Marion Barber are running the show. Losing at home to the Chiefs on a halftime-Hail Mary says it all. Chicago needs some divine inspiration if they hope to return to the playoffs this season.

Cincinnati Bengals (7-5): Still not giving up on Andy Dalton and A.J. Green. They've come back to Earth, but they've also lost the games we expected them to lose. The big test comes this Sunday. Cincinnati gets the Texans at home - still stuck with T.J. Yates and likely without Andre Johnson. Houston wins with Arian Foster and defense, but if the Bengals can contain Foster and Dalton doesn't turn the ball over, the Bengals could find themselves headed for a Week 17 showdown with the Ravens to earn the final wild-card spot.

Dallas Cowboys (7-5): Can mismanaging 20 seconds really change your entire season? Close, but it definitely gets people talking. The Cowboys' fate simply depends on how they play in their two games against the Giants. With a game advantage and holding the tiebreaker, Dallas likely only needs a split with New York to capture the NFC East.

Denver Broncos (7-5): After every football analyst spent the last month trying to figure out how the Broncos were winning, Denver finds themselves atop the AFC West. Take a bow, Denver defense, who prior to their trip to Minnesota had held their last four opponents to 15 points a game. And now it's your turn, Timmy, who proved he can throw the ball in beating the Vikings. The schedule certainly favors the Broncos the rest of the way. The only problem with finishing 10-6 and winning the AFC West? Hosting either the Ravens or the Steelers in the playoffs.

Detroit Lions (7-5): Have we found the new villains of the NFL? Given their talent, it was painful to watch Detroit throw that game away in New Orleans. Matthew Stafford looked healthy again, but the Lions defense has allowed at least 27 points in their last four games (read: that's very bad). Detroit has to win at home versus the Vikings before they begin a harsh three-game stretch to end the season (at Oakland, home for San Diego, at Green Bay). The Packers' record going into the final week of the regular season (and who they decide to play), could determine whether or not the Lions make the playoffs.

Green Bay Packers (12-0): The Giants gave the Packers their first game that came down to the very end since Week 1, and Aaron Rodgers just laughed. Watching Rodgers throw a perfect 30-yard, back-shoulder pass to Jordy Nelson to ease into field goal range with time to spare should've taken any hope away from the other 31 teams. It's just not fair. Not even The Rock could take that championship belt from Aaron Rodgers right now.

Houston Texans (9-3): The Texans carry a six-game winning streak into Cincinnati this weekend. And even if they lose, Houston comes back to games with the Panthers and the Colts. The AFC South is likely theirs, and if T.J. Yates can put it together in four weeks, the Texans could go a long way behind that defense. Houston hasn't allowed an opponent to score more than 14 points since Week 6 (read: that's very good).

Kansas City Chiefs (5-7): Now that their prayer has been answered, it's time for the Chiefs to return to reality. An injured Kyle Orton means Tyler Palko is still their quarterback. Kansas City's easiest remaining game? Home for the Raiders. Chiefs fans might want to stay home for that one. A 5-11 finish appears probable.

New England Patriots (9-3): Just another season for the Patriots. New England has to keep winning though if they want to at least earn a first-round bye. With the Ravens, Steelers and Texans all at 9-3 as well, Bill Belichick would hate to have to play the Jets again just because his team slacked off at home against the Dolphins. The real intrigue left in the Patriots remaining regular season: a Week 15 trip to Denver for Tom Brady vs. Tim Tebow.

New Orleans Saints (9-3): The Saints are easily the Packers' biggest challengers in the NFC. As long as Drew Brees stays healthy, New Orleans will win another NFC South crown. The Saints' future could be determined by how many turnovers its defense forces in the playoffs. (And the same goes for the Packers and Patriots. It's a little scary how similar those three teams are. They're like the Baldwin brothers...except they don't get kicked off planes).

New York Giants (6-6): So let me get this straight. The Giants have lost four straight, but somehow they're the ones riding momentum into the opening clash with the Cowboys. Ahmad Bradshaw returning should make New York a little less one dimensional on offense (and maybe cut down on a costly Eli turnover or two), but the main problem is still with the defense. The Giants' NFC-East hopes rely on Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul and Osi Umenyiora putting pressure on Tony Romo.

New York Jets (7-5): Welcome back, Shonn Greene. His return was much needed, because the Jets defense has lost a step. They're like an actor who can no longer pull off all their old, cool stunts so they end up having to CGI every action scene. Yes, that makes the New York offense the CGI. And like CGI, it may not always look smooth, but it gets the job done if used properly. As long as Mark Sanchez doesn't have to win the game, the Jets always have a chance. If they can take down their East Rutherford partner, the Jets will likely find themselves in the postseason yet again.

Oakland Raiders (7-5): It's amazing how quickly Oakland went from Super Bowl contenders to fighting for a division with the Broncos. Apparently, that's what playing the Dolphins does to a team these days. The Raiders need a healthy Darren McFadden starting this week if they're going to outscore their opponents (Packers, Lions, Chargers) down the stretch.

Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3): Let's start with what we know. The Steelers are 9-3. Three of their next four games are against the Browns and Rams. The Steelers will win at least 12 games this season. The real game in the middle of the cupcakes? A trip to San Francisco. It's crazy to think Pittsburgh could go 13-3 and still be stuck with a wild-card spot (if the Ravens don't lose). However, if there's any team with enough playoff experience to win three on the road in the playoffs (like they did six years ago), it's the Steelers.

San Diego Chargers (5-7): It's gonna take more than a blowout win over a helpless Jaguars team to convince anyone the Chargers have it in them to win out and make the AFC West a three-team race. But if Rivers really has solved his turnover problem, San Diego can outscore anyone. Unfortunately, it's likely too little, too late for a team with pre-season Super Bowl expectations. It's like M. Night Shyamalan putting out a really cool trailer, convincing you this script doesn't have 73 unnecessary plot twists, and then wasting nearly three hours of your life you will never get back.

San Francisco 49ers (10-2): Still not convinced. The 49ers' last four games can convince me though. San Fran plays the Steelers at home and goes on the road to their three NFC-West rivals. If the 49ers win three of the four, that'll be enough to lock up a first-round bye, and more importantly, likely avoid having to travel to New Orleans if they play the Saints.

Seattle Seahawks (5-7): Let me preface what I'm about to say with this: Tarvaris Jackson is a horrendous quarterback, who lost his best receiver, and is fully capable of losing every game for the Seahawks. Now that that's out of the way, I believe Seattle could run the table and challenge for the last wild-card spot in the NFC. Please, stop laughing at me for a second to hear me out. The Seahawks' next two games are at home for the Rams and at Chicago to play a Bears team that just scored three points at home against the Chiefs. Seattle's next one is the game that matters most - a home date with the 49ers. Neither team should be able to run the ball so whoever turns the ball over least will probably win. It's a coin flip between Jackson and Alex Smith so I'll take the Seahawks at Qwest Field. Seattle finishes with a trip to Arizona, but that's not an impossible slate to prevent Marshawn Lynch from a little deja vu with the Saints in the first round.

Tennessee Titans (7-5): The wounds are still raw, Chris Johnson, so please tread lightly on every fantasy football team you destroyed this season. Fortunately for the Titans, CJ2K finally found his stride. Although not many people expect the Titans to upset the Saints this week, their next three games are very winnable. The Colts and Jaguars will both be drafting in the top five, and Houston will likely be locked into the No. 3 seed heading into Tennessee's visit come Week 17. Three straight to end the season will put the Titans right there with the Bengals and Jets in the race for that final AFC wild-card spot.




I'm not superstitious. I'm only a little stitious.

10 Things We Learned This NFL Weekend

Every week, we look back at the NFL games and are left scratching our heads at something. Like a Patrick Peterson 99-yard punt return for a touchdown and the Dolphins became an offensive juggernaut. Whether you're an excited Ravens fan or a disappointed Eagles fan, we should all remember that Week 9 just ended and nearly every team has half their schedule still remaining. But that being said, here's what to take away from NFL Week 9.


1. Joe Flacco and the Ravens finally figured out the Steelers defense.
After engineering a nice comeback win the previous weekend against the Cardinals, Flacco and the offense rode that momentum to an impressive win over the Steelers in Pittsburgh. The divisional and playoff implications are obvious, but more importantly, has Joe Flacco found his confidence?

I'll be the first to admit I wasn't expecting a 92-yard, game-winning drive from Flacco in Pittsburgh. But even after Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin both developed a case of the "Roy Williams" during the final drive, Flacco remained calm and poised, ultimately delivering a perfect ball to Smith for the touchdown.

Going forward, the confidence boost should do wonders in making Flacco a more consistent week-to-week quarterback (which is what the Ravens are going to need if they hope to hold on to their division lead). As huge as the win against the Steelers was for Baltimore, Flacco and the Ravens can't afford a letdown on the road as they travel to noisy Qwest Field in Seattle (far from an easy place to win). Another post-Steelers egg (see Week 2 at Tennessee) would nullify a great start to 2011 for the Ravens.

2. Maybe it's time to worry for Patriots fans.

A lot happened in Week 9 I didn't expect, but nothing was more confusing than the Giants' win in New England. Just like "Now That's What I Call Music!" shouldn't still be selling millions of copies (I checked, Now has four of the top 30 selling albums this year. Ridiculous.), Eli Manning shouldn't beat Tom Brady in Gillette Stadium.

After Eli threw that late, red-zone interception, there's no way I was the only person thinking, "Typical Eli and the Giants with their mid-season collapse." But watching Manning lead his late comeback made me reconsider both the Giants and the Patriots.

I still think the Cowboys will edge out the Giants for the NFC East crown, but New York will not roll over for Dallas. As for the Patriots, they have issues on both sides of the ball. New England's secondary is more fluid than the Republican presidential candidate. On offense, a lack of a deep threat is congesting the Patriots' running and short-passing game. Belichick will right the ship, but if New England loses to the Jets this Sunday night, the Patriots could very likely find themselves fighting for a wild-card spot against the Bills on New Year's Day.

Random side note. New Year's Day is supposed to be about college football and nursing a hangover, not the NFL. Having it fall on a Sunday both takes away an extra day to watch football and an extra day for everyone's liver to recover. Lame on both counts.

3. The Eagles are going to need a minor miracle to make the playoffs.
After a dominant performance versus the Cowboys following a bye week, the Eagles appeared to be headed in the right direction. Then Philadelphia blew another fourth-quarter lead to fall three games behind the surging Giants.

While I don't think the Eagles are officially out of the playoff race, they are out of the wild-card race. Too many tiebreakers to overcome and too many teams need to fall apart there.

On the other hand, a long shot still is possible within the division - it just got that much harder Monday night. Given the Giants' remaining schedule and the Cowboys' injury concerns, both teams could start to stumble in the coming weeks. If the Eagles have any chance whatsoever, they will have to win seven of eight and beat both the Giants and the Cowboys on the road - far from an easy task.

4. San Diego could win the AFC West with a 9-7 record this season.
While the AFC West isn't quite as bad as last year's NFC West, it's not that much better either. For anyone who read my fantasy football articles before the season started, you know how much I thought of Philip Rivers (who is now on pace for something close to 73 interceptions. Sorry to everyone who drafted him in your league). But somehow the Chargers once again survived their traditional early-season struggles to remain tied for first in the division at 4-4.

After the Raiders and Chiefs both suffered disheartening losses at home, San Diego is set to recapture the division. The Chargers showed resilience against the Packers. They've been here before, and San Diego knows what it takes to win when it counts.

The Chargers don't have many easy games left on the schedule (Oakland twice, at Chicago, Denver, at Jacksonville, Buffalo, Baltimore, at Detroit). But in a division where even Tim Tebow and the Broncos have a chance to win, my money's on Rivers and the Chargers. I'd say it's about as safe a bet as Tom Cruise continuing to make Mission Impossible movies no one cares about. Just look at that picture. Yummy.

5. While on the AFC West, the Colts owe the Chiefs a Thank You card.
We should've known the hangover from last Monday night's win over the Chargers would lead to a nosedive for the Chiefs. Kansas City didn't just lose to the Dolphins. The Chiefs were thoroughly dominated by...(wait for it)...Matt Moore and Reggie Bush. Yikes!

The Dolphins are playing more inspired every week, while the Colts sunk to a new low as Matt Ryan and Julio Jones torched Indianapolis at home. The Colts have home games remaining against the Jaguars, Panthers and Titans, but it's looking more and more like Indianapolis will be Andrew Luck's new home unless Peyton Manning makes a rapid recovery.

6. The AFC East race got a little clearer with a three-way tie.
We've already touched on the Patriots loss, but the Jets went into Buffalo and earned an impressive victory over the Bills. With all three teams at 5-3 and tiebreakers split among all of them, every team has something to prove heading into the stretch run.

After Buffalo warmed everyone's hearts to start the season, the Bills have lost two of their last three and are backpedaling at the wrong time. The Buffalo defense has been below average all season, but Ryan Fitzpatrick's recent slump needs to end now. The Bills get a rematch with the Jets in a couple weeks, in what may be a must-win game for Buffalo.

As for New York and New England, their game Sunday night may come close to giving us a division winner in early November. Both teams have similarly easy remaining schedules (both play the Bills at home and the Eagles as their toughest games). If the Patriots find a way to rebound from their two-game losing streak and stop the Jets in New York, a season-sweep will give New England a two-game stranglehold on the Jets and the division.

7. Andy Dalton and the Bengals remain red hot (couldn't resist).

You had a better chance of earning a date with Olivia Wilde than predicting this type of start for the Bengals. Granted, the Bengals schedule has worked in their favor, but 6-2 is still tied for the best record in the AFC. If the Cincinnati defense stays solid, it's not impossible to see the Bengals in the playoff race come Week 17 as they take on the Ravens at home.

Bear with me.

Four of the eight remaining games for the Bengals are against the Steelers and Ravens, but let's say Cincy steals just one (perhaps in that last week at home  when the Ravens may have nothing to play for). That puts the Bengals at 7-5. If Cincinnati can manage to win their other four games (Cleveland, Houston, at St. Louis, and Arizona), could the Bengals really sneak into the playoffs at 11-5? Beating the Texans will be tough, but let's not count out the red-headed wonder and A.J. Green just yet.

8. The Buccaneers have taken a big step backward from last season.
While losing in New Orleans is nothing to get too worried about, it's more the way Tampa Bay played that's concerning. Coming into the season, the Buccaneers thought they had the young pieces in place at the skill positions to challenge for the NFC South title for years to come. But Josh Freeman, LeGarrette Blount and Mike Williams have all been huge disappointments in 2011.

Freeman has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns, Blount is coming back from a knee injury that caused him to miss two games and Williams hasn't caught a touchdown since Week 1. After defensive stud Gerald McCoy's season ended Sunday, the defense will continue to give up too many points for Tampa to keep pace. By the end of the season, the Buccaneers will be lucky to finish at .500.

9. 2010 Sam Bradford is ancient history.
This is a shame. When Bradford came into the draft, everyone's biggest concern was his ability to stay healthy. And although he missed a few games this season with ankle issues, he's been able to survive an atrocious offensive line for the past year and a half. Unfortunately, after Bradford's superb rookie campaign, the sophomore slump has crippled Bradford and the Rams this season.

Arizona gave Bradford every opportunity to steal a win on the road, and although he finished with 23 completions, Bradford only recorded 255 yards and no touchdowns (again showcasing his struggles to stretch the field this season). After completing 60 percent of his passes while throwing for more than 3,500 yards in 2010, Bradford has as many picks as touchdowns and a completion percentage under 55 this season. Hopefully Brandon Lloyd helps the Rams offense turn things around before Bradford becomes a question mark heading into 2012. No one wants to declare Bradford a one-hit wonder (leaving him with the likes of Sir Mix-a-Lot and Chumbawamba).

10. The Packers are going to make Thanksgiving dinner obsolete.
After holding off a late Chargers comeback in San Diego, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers improved to 8-0. With only home games against the Vikings and the Buccaneers standing between Green Bay and Thanksgiving, Mike McCarthy & Co. are hardly shaking in their boots.

As for the Lions, the schedule is a little less friendly before Turkey Day. Jim Schwartz's bunch has a tough test in Chicago before returning home to battle with Cam Newton and the Panthers. Even if the Lions are 7-3 heading into an undefeated showdown with the Lambeau Leapers, it'll still be the first meaningful Thanksgiving game in Detroit in my lifetime.



I've decided to shun Andy Bernard for the next three years. It's an Amish technique. It's like slapping someone with silence. I was shunned from the age of four until my sixth birthday for not saving the excess oil from a can of tuna.