Feeling a little heady these days, Broncos fans? Having dispatched the two-time defending Super Bowl champs, is the only thing stopping you from booking an early February supersaver fare to Detroit the midseason swoon that has afflicted your local heroes the past two years?
Well, not to worry – the NFL schedule-makers have got your back. Three of Denver’s next five games are against teams from the NFC. To be exact, the NFC East – and while that may not be quite as comforting as seeing anyone from the excretal NFC North, it’s pretty darned cozy.
If you tried to chisel a monument with the faces of Mike Tice, Jim Haslett, Dennis Green and Mike Nolan, the rock would crumble, unable to support their sagging features. Even so, only a fool would say that at this point, the Vikings, Saints, Cardinals and 49ers aren’t just a win away from re-entering the playoff picture.
Well, maybe not the Vikings.
But that’s life in the NFC these days; when people in football talk about taking the 12 best teams for the playoffs, regardless of conference affiliation, it’s because they’re shuddering at the thought of who might represent the decidedly lesser conference at Super Bowl XL.
Right now, thoughts of the NFC don’t raise fears, merely the desire to place a hand to the mouth, as if stifling happy gas.
The Philadelphia Eagles are the conference standard bearers from a year ago, but now hover just above .500 at 3-2 and are one shot to Donovan McNabb away from mediocrity. That also would be a charitable way to describe the Eagles’ running game, currently last in the NFL with an average of 64 yards per game.
The Atlanta Falcons have generated a great deal of buzz, and actually can run the football, leading the league, but they can’t throw and catch it. That’s one reason they trail Tampa Bay in the NFC South. At 5-1, the Buccaneers have the best record in the conference, but would you really take them head-to-head today over the 3-3 Chargers or even the bruised and battered Patriots, let alone the Colts or Broncos?
The best defense? That arguably resides in Chicago – no, not the White Sox’s pitching staff, but rather the Bears. Normally, their 2-3 record wouldn’t even merit postseason discussion, except that in the woeful North, the Mildcats of the Midway actually are tied for first place.
Speaking of the standings, it must be true that you can do anything you want with numbers and statistics. How else to explain the fact that there are more “winners” playing in the NFC than the AFC?
A quick glance shows eight NFC teams playing at a better than .500 clip, compared with just six from the AFC. Half of those teams come from the NFC East, but of the division’s collective eight losses, four have come to the AFC West.
The Redskins’ status as one of the league’s unbeatens ended in Denver two weeks ago and took another hit Sunday at Kansas City. That extended Washington’s losing streak to AFC teams to seven. The New York Giants, the Broncos’ opponent this weekend, have dropped four in a row to the Americans.
It took a last-second goal-line stand in the season opener against San Diego to stop the Cowboys from dropping their fourth straight game to the AFC – however, Dallas is already working on another streak, losing to Oakland three weeks later.
With numbers like that, it’s easy to see why Broncos fans would be dreaming of Michigan in February. Of course, the biggest problem with that is having to travel through Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Foxborough or – perish the thought – Indianapolis to get there.
Nick of time
Looking for a surprise contender in the AFC? How about Buffalo, which may have saved its season by inserting Kelly Holcomb at quarterback for J.P. Losman. The defense is stellar, and while victories over the Jets and Dolphins may not make the Bills Super Bowl ready, they came within the division. Now 3-3, Buffalo is tied with New England for first with an Oct. 30 showdown looming.
GAME OF THE WEEK
There are some who would argue that Cincinnati’s 5-1 record is just as bogus as Tampa Bay’s – this weekend will tell the tale as the Bengals host the Steelers. Pittsburgh has won eight of the past 10 meetings between the teams.
TRENDING
After facing the Bengals, Pittsburgh plays four consecutive games against teams with losing records. … Washington’s 28-21 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday ended a six-game stretch of games decided by three points or fewer. … Jamal Lewis of the Ravens had but 59 yards rushing for Baltimore against Cleveland. He had averaged an NFL-record 147.6 yards in eight previous meetings.
Anthony Cotton can be reached at 303-820-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com.
