The NFC Playoff Picture

Can Suh & the Lions save their season?

Now to take a look at, & make some predictions about, my favorite conference... the National Football Conference!

NFC Playoff Picture

East

Dallas 7-5     Remaining Schedule: NYG, at Tampa, Philly, at NYG

Prediction: 9-7, I like Dallas to lose twice over these last 4, to the same team. Part of this is obviously because I’m a homer, & I’ll get into another, more obscure reason below. Either way expect their games against the Giants to be close (15 of their combined 24 games have been decided by 1 possession). As for Tampa, they’ve fallen apart, & against Philly I expect Dallas to be awfully motivated to avenge the 34-7 Sunday Night beat down they experienced back in week 8.

New York Giants 6-6     Remaining Schedule: at Dallas, Washington, at NYJ, Dallas

 Prediction: 10-6, before you start yelling at me about how biased I am let me tell you a story about patterns in sports. In 2001 a National League West team won the World Series, in 02 an AL West team won, in 03 it was a NL East team, in 04 AL East, in 05 an AL Central. You know who realized that in 2006? That’s right me. So I realized that a NL Central team had to win for the pattern to complete. I than chose the Cubs (with Boston & the White Sox having just ended their droughts I thought it made sense) because I’m an idiot, as the Cardinals won the World Series (I bet against St. Louis in the World Series because I somehow forgot about the pattern, & I’m an idiot). The point is I believe in patterns, & like Mr. Eko am not a big fan of coincidence, so when the Giants lost to the undefeated Packers 38-35 just as they did 4 years ago to the undefeated Patriots I took notice. & what did the Giants do after losing to the Patriots? They won 4 straight games on their way to Super Bowl victory, so this time I’m predicting 4 straight wins to get to the playoffs. Call me crazy but that’s all the reason I need.

North

Green Bay 12-0     Remaining Schedule: Oakland, at Kansas City, Chicago, Detroit

Prediction: 16-0, obviously this depends on whether they want to go undefeated because I see them having the 1 seed wrapped up heading into week 16. I think they want it. Even if they don’t though Chicago will have trouble hanging with them without an offense & if they’re sitting at 15-0 are they really going to want those obnoxious hoodlums from Detroit to end perfection? Hell no. At this point 16-0 is the easy part, it’s winning the Super Bowl that will still be a challenge.

Chicago 7-5     Remaining Schedule: at Denver, Seattle, at Green Bay, at Minnesota

Prediction: 9-7, they may not be able to beat the two most unstoppable QBs in the NFL but the Bears elite defense & special teams should carry them over Seattle & Minnesota.

Detroit 7-5     Remaining Schedule: Minnesota, at Oakland, San Diego, at Green Bay

Prediction: 10-6, the Lions have been seemingly falling apart losing 5 of their last 7 after a 5-0 start. What’s been lost during this span is who it is that beat them: San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago, Green Bay, & New Orleans, arguably the 5 best teams in the NFC. While this tells us the Lions aren’t really all that good it also means they’ve only lost to good teams. Minnesota, Oakland, & San Diego don’t exactly qualify as good.

South

New Orleans 9-3 Remaining Schedule: at Tennessee, at Minnesota, Atlanta, Carolina

Prediction: 13-3, Tennessee is to susceptible to the pass, Minnesota stinks, & the Saints are undefeated in that dome of theirs. San Francisco had better watch out.

Atlanta 7-5     Remaining Schedule: at Carolina, Jacksonville, at New Orleans, Tampa

Prediction: 10-6, what a beautiful schedule for the Falcons. A Carolina team that can’t stop anyone, a Jaguar team that can’t score, & a young Bucs team that’s falling apart. If they don’t make the playoffs they have no one to blame but themselves.

West

San Francisco 10-2     Remaining Schedule: at AZ, Pittsburgh, at Seattle, at St. Louis

Prediction: 13-3, this won’t be easy though. Arizona & Seattle each seem to be finding themselves down the stretch and are tougher at home, & Pittsburgh is still Pittsburgh. Still, I believe in this 49er defense even more than I doubt Alex Smith.

Final NFC Playoff Standings

1.     Green Bay 16-0

2.     San Francisco 13-3, wins tiebreaker over New Orleans

3.     New Orleans 13-3

4.     New York Giants 10-6

5.     Atlanta 10-6
6.   Detroit 10-6, Dallas is really kicking themselves for blowing that Lions game.