Dave’s Football Blog

Who beat this conference with the ugly stick?

1. Philadelphia (10-1)
2. Atlanta (9-2)
3. Green Bay (7-4)
4. Seattle (6-5)
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5. Minnesota (7-4)
6. St. Louis (5-6)
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7. N.Y. Giants (5-6)
8. 7 teams tied at (4-7)

Green Bay edged Minnesota in a Week 10 matchup at Lambeau field, so they tenuously hold the NFC North tiebreaker. St. Louis has the tiebreaker over the Giants by virtue of a better conference record. Philadelphia has already clinched the NFC East title and only has to hold off Atlanta for home field advantage. Atlanta could clinch the NFC South title Sunday with a win against the Buccaneers in Tampa.

The Packers’ thrashing of the Rams last night in Green Bay, however, has put the last Wild Card spot up for grabs, and nine, count ‘em, nine teams with sub-.500 records have a shot at this. The Rams and Giants are 5-6. Arizona, Carolina, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, New Orleans and Tampa Bay are 4-7.

Yes, you read that right — the Carolina Panthers started the season 1-7 and are down to their fifth option at running back, but three straight wins have put them back in the hunt for a playoff berth.

Man, the NFC just sucks, doesn’t it? You can almost hear people in Houston cursing under their breath about being stuck in the better conference…

The real lynchpin here is the NFC West, or as I like to call it, the Division of Oz. Last night’s loss put St. Louis a game behind, but because they beat Seattle twice this season, they hold the division tiebreaker. If both teams finish 8-8, St. Louis wins the division, and Seattle is left hoping. The only bright side for the Seahawks is that they have tiebreakers on the Giants and every 4-7 team in the NFC South.

Confused yet? You will be. Next Sunday is starting to look like “Moving Day” for these sub.-500 teams. Let’s take a look at some NFC matchups for Week 13.

1.) Green Bay at Philadelphia, (Sun, 4:15PM, FOX)

This will be the one everybody wants to watch, as it will pit the Super Bowl favorite against a team that declared that this season is Super Bowl or bust. Whoever wants the Super Bowl has to go through the Illadelph to get it. Much will depend on the health of Packers RB Ahman Green and the ability of the Green Bay secondary to cover Terrell Owens.

2.) Minnesota at Chicago. (Sun, 1:00 PM, FOX)

The Vikings are 2-3 on the road, but they see a big opportunity to snatch the NFC North lead away from the Packers with a win against a team with no quarterback. Jeff George? Are you kidding me? Was Frank Reich busy? Should we start the Tim Couch suicide watch now? The Bears may be alive in the playoff hunt, but they’re much deeper in the hole than a lot of other 4-7 teams.

3.) Atlanta at Tampa Bay. (Sun, 1:00 PM, FOX)
4.) Carolina at New Orleans. (Sun, 1:00 PM, FOX)

These two games will determine the fate of the NFC South. Not only could the Falcons clinch the division on Sunday, but they could knock Tampa Bay out of the running for the last Wild Card spot. Should the Bucs pull off the upset, though, they would be back in the hunt, fumbling running back and all.

Meanwhile, Carolina and New Orleans both find themselves in a must-win game. The Panthers defense is starting to show some glimpses of last year’s squad, while New Orleans still has one of the worst defenses in the league. I don’t think that team is listening to Jim Haslett anymore. If Nick Goings has a 100-yard day and the Panther D forces Aaron Brooks into another memorable blooper, Haslett may get his pink slip by next Tuesday.

5.) Dallas at Seattle, (Mon, 9:00 PM, ABC)

Here’s another must-win game for both teams. St. Louis gets to stay home and face the San Francisco Lollipop Guild. The Seahawks, who have less mental toughness than any Mike Holmgren-coached team I’ve ever seen, has to win to stay a game ahead. They face a Dallas team that can make or break their season with this game. If Seattle loses, they face the possibility that Dallas could hold a Wild Card tiebreaker on them.

Cowboys’ rookie RB Julius Jones put up 150 against the Bears on Thanksgiving. Think he’ll be a factor here?

6.) N.Y. Giants at Washington. (Sun, 4:15 PM, FOX)

So what exactly made the New York Football Giants look at Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger and think they had the best of both worlds in Eli Manning? This team was 5-2 four weeks ago. Now they’ve benched a former Super Bowl MVP in favor of a rookie who is clearly proving he was not the best QB in the 2004 draft. On top of that, both their defensive ends, including All-Pro deoderant pitchman Michael Strahan, are injured and out for the season.

The Reskins may stink this year, but they have a decent defense and a good running back, making them just the sort of team that could pick the Giants off right now. With the Ravens and Steelers looming on the horizon, the Giants could be deeper in the hole than most people think.

7.) Arizona at Detroit. (Sun, 1:00 PM, FOX)

Really, are either of these teams good enough to make the playoffs? One of them will stay in the hunt with a win, but I don’t think either will finish the season better than 7-9.

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