FRESH TO DEATH
Indianapolis Colts – Does anything faze this team?
New Orleans Saints – What can we say? A totally dominant performance by Brees, Payton, Gregg Williams and the defense, the home crowd…almost perfect. John Carney kind of sucked.
Minnesota Vikings – It might be getting a little too easy for them. Hopefully the Cardinals make it interesting this weekend. A potential 2nd round playoff match-up.
WORD
New England Patriots – Cannot be happy with that performance. The loss doesn’t kill their position that much—they’re still going to win the AFC East and will still host a playoff game—but the trust factor and the lure of the Pats is definitely decreasing quickly.
San Diego Chargers – Quietly humming along. 6 wins in a row. Will be the #2 seed in the AFC.
Pittsburgh Steelers – Can’t we all just get along? Still think they win 4 of their last 5 and scare the shit out of every team in the AFC playoffs.
SOMEWHERE BETWEEN WORD AND AIGHT
Tennessee Titans – Chris Johnson said they’re gonna win 10 straight and make the playoffs. Who are we to argue? Great battle this weekend at Indy.
Philadelphia Eagles – Starting to come together just like they did last year around this time. With Reid and Donovan McNabb leading the way, we think these guys will win the East and are the ones with the best chance to knock off one of the big two in the NFC playoffs.
Arizona Cardinals – You think when Matt Leinart takes home a chick and gets her naked he looks over his shoulder to make sure Vince Young doesn’t come out of nowhere and slip it in at the last second before he does?
Green Bay Packers – Did what they should have vs. the Lions on Thanksgiving. Starting to look like a quality team. Big match-up Monday night against Baltimore.
Cincinnati Bengals – Just bullied the Browns all day, as they should.
Dallas Cowboys – Doesn’t feel like an 8-3 teams to us. Still have a lot to prove.
Denver Broncos – The Ponies (see thanksgiving day post) came to play Thursday night. The potential for implosion was there. Good to see they didn’t completely throw in the towel on the season. They control their own destiny for a wild card spot.
Baltimore Ravens – Staying alive. A little luck never hurts. Are they actually a team to fear if they make the playoffs? Or is just their name/uniform/pedigree that’s scary?
New York Giants – Just ugly. Antonio Pierce, their defensive leader, is out for the year. They have a chance to make a power move this weekend against the Cowboys, but even if they do, we don’t see them making a serious playoff run.
AIGHT
San Francisco 49ers – If this passing game keeps playing at this pace, they’re going to be a really tough match-up for any opponent the rest of the way.
Atlanta Falcons – Nice job by Redman, but with Turner hurting again and Ryan out, it looks like trouble for the dirty birds.
Jacksonville Jaguars – Glad they lost. There are a bunch of other teams we’d rather see in the playoffs.
Houston Texans – Same old story. We’re bored.
Miami Dolphins – That’s a game you just have to win, Miami. Your playoff window is closing fast.
Washington Redskins – Playing hard. Nice to see. Not an easy game for any opponent.
New York Jets – Did nothing too impressive. Jake Delhomme was their biggest asset.
Seattle Seahawks – We hope, as Seahawk fans should, that Julius Jones’ lung stays bruised for just a little bit longer.
Carolina Panthers – We’ll say it once more…run the ball, and when that fails run it again.
Buffalo Bills – Interesting.
Chicago Bears – We just want them to go away.
YOU’RE NOT GOOD
Detroit Lions – Anyone know Will Heller? We’d like to meet him.
Oakland Raiders – Sucks that they had to miss thanksgiving dinner for that.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – They come to play most weeks. Would be a real shame if they don’t give Morris at least another year here (we’ve heard rumors).
Kansas City Chiefs – Tony Gonzalez must be rolling over in his grave (if you’re not a hoops fan that’s a line Barkley always uses…we know Tony G is alive and well…we’re not that insensitive).
St. Louis Rams – Steven Jackson. That’s all.
Cleveland Browns – Nice catch Brady Quinn. He’s one of their best wide receivers.