I made the argument on Monday that with 7 of the 8 division titles being all wrapped up, there would be less excitement in the last two weeks of the season. There will, however, still be some interest in the hunt for the wild card spots. Today I'll focus on the chase in the NFC and perhaps later in the week I'll try to figure out the picture in the AFC.
Who's in the Hunt?
There are still four teams vying for the last two spots. The Giants and the Vikings hold their fate in their own hands. A couple of slip-ups though, and the surging Saints and Redskins still have a shot.
Who needs what?
New York Giants - I'm in the camp that says NY is going to blow it. They've got to go to Buffalo this week and will likely play in foul weather. Their QB is struggling and their receivers can't catch. After they lose to the Bills, they've got to face New England who will be going for history. I see the Giants finishing 9-7 and they don't hold any tiebreakers.
Minnesota Vikings - This week's game against the Skins is among the most interesting on the slate. If they win and then beat the Broncos they're in. By beating the Skins but losing to the Broncos, they will need either a Saints loss or the aforementioned collapse by the Giants to get in. Losing to the Skins wouldn't destroy them, but it would mean having to win in Denver and get help from both the Saints and the Giants.
Washington Redskins - The Skins need help from everywhere. Doing their part by beating the Vikes and Cowboys would be a good start, but they would still need either the Giants collapse or a Saints loss for them to get in.
New Orleans Saints - New Orleans just needs to win out and hope for losses from at least two of the three teams above. The only positive going for them right now is that in the case of a tie, the Saints will actually beat out all three of the teams above.
What's Going to Happen?
I predict that the Giants are going to collapse like a flan in a cupboard and finish 9-7. The Skins will beat the Vikes on Sunday but lose to the Cowboys to finish 8-8. Minnesota, after the loss to the Skins, will rely heavily on Adrian Peterson to pick up the win in Denver and finish 9-7. Finally, New Orleans will beat both the Eagles and the Bears down the stretch to also finish 9-7. That will put New Orleans and Minnesota in the 5 and 6 spots respectively to face Tampa and Seattle in the wild card round. Settle in ... at least a few of the games in the final two weeks are going to be exciting!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment