The New England Patriots Won Super Bowl XLIX

Posted on February 2, 2015 by admin

The New England Patriots beat the defending champion Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in Super Bowl XLIX for their 4th Super Bowl title. The Patriots overcame a 10-point deficit, which is surprisingly the largest deficit a team has ever come back from in any of the 49 Super Bowls.

New England quarterback Tom Brady won his 3rd Super Bowl MVP in his 4 championships. Brady broke the record for most touchdown passes in Super Bowls with 13, breaking Joe Montana’s record of 11, which he did in 4 games, with no interceptions, this was Brady’s 7th Super Bowl. Brady had 4 touchdown passes in the game, to go along with 2 interceptions. He also set a Super Bowl record with 37 completions on his 50 attempts, for 328 yards.

While the Patriot offense scoring 28 points against the best defense in the NFL was impressive, it wouldn’t have meant anything, if not for a late play made by a free agent rookie. Malcolm Butler intercepted a pass thrown by Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson in the final minute, which ended the last chance for the Seahawks.

From the Patriot 1-yard line, the Seahawks attempted a slant to wide receiver Ricardo Lockette, but Butler stepped in front of him, to make the final big play of the game. New England then ran out the clock to win Super Bowl XLIX. This play occurred after another miracle catch against the Patriots, by Jermaine Kearse, that put the ball at the 5-yard line.

On first down the Seahawks handed the ball to running back Marshawn Lynch, and he gained 4 yards. The interception happened on 2nd down, which immediately started the second guessing of the play call. Why wouldn’t you hand it off to Lynch again, with a time out left?

It’s a legitimate question, considering Lynch spent much of the game pushing New England defenders back for yards after contact while rushing for 102 yards. Wilson could have audibled out of the pass, but with the luck the Seahawks had in the NFC Championship Game, why would he think the play wouldn’t work for the winning touchdown?

Early in the game, Seattle was stuck in the mud, until another unlikely player, made a big play. Wide Receiver Chris Matthews, who had no catches in the regular season, hauled in a 44-yard pass from Wilson, that set-up their first touchdown, tying the game at 7. Matthews finished the game with 109 yards on only 4 catches, and a touchdown reception.

The Seahawks have already been installed as the favorite to win Super Bowl 50 next year at 5-1 odds. Notice the NFL has decided to use standard numerals rather than the Roman numerals for the first time. I guess they didn’t like the sound of Super Bowl L. Seattle is still a young team, but Wilson, Lynch and others’ are due for big raises, with their contracts expiring, and the success of the team in the last few years. It’s unclear at this time how many of their top players they will be able to keep.

Now starts the long off season before the next NFL season. It’s a sad time indeed. 6 months from now, the preseason starts. How many more Super Bowls can Brady and head coach Bill Belichick win? They will try to be the first team to repeat as champions next year, since they did it 10 years ago. Don’t bet on it though.

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Media Day At The Super Bowl…Boring

Posted on January 28, 2015 by admin

Tuesday was Media Day at the Super Bowl, and I can’t remember a more boring Media Day than this one. I didn’t see it all, but I saw enough to think that the NFL should change the requirements for all the players to be available to answer questions.

When the biggest story of the day was Seattle Seahawk running back Marshawn Lynch answering “I’m here just so I don’t get fined” to every one of the 29 questions he was asked, that goes to show how boring the day was. Lynch was threatened with a $500,000 fine if he didn’t show up for his Media Day session, and this was his way of dealing with his 5 minutes of misery.

Lynch apparently doesn’t care that he comes off as a moron, giving the same answer to every question he is asked. This isn’t clever or original, it’s just stupid. The NFL should require a certain number of players to be made available to answer questions, not all of them, if the players don’t feel comfortable doing this.

It would have been much better if Lynch didn’t have to waste their time with his redundant answer. By this point in time, does anybody really care what he has to say about anything? He would rather express himself by grabbing his crotch after scoring a touchdown, like he did in the NFC Championship Game, for which he was fined $20,000. He performed a similar act last month, and was fined then also. He’s a Class Act.

When it came to the New England Patriots, the focus was on so-called Deflategate, where they are accused of deflating the footballs they used on offense during their AFC Championship Game blowout of the Indianapolis Colts. Patriot owner Robert Kraft said that the players think this issue is “a bunch of hogwash”.

The NFL is conducting an investigation into Deflategate, and will determine what punishment, if any, will be dealt to the Patriots. If they did deflate the balls on purpose, they should be punished, maybe to the extent of a losing a draft pick, just because they cheated. But that isn’t why they whipped the Colts 45-7. The results of this investigation are due out in a few weeks. By the way, why does every possible impropriety have to end with – gate, since Watergate? Very imaginative.

New England quarterback Tom Brady has been asked repeatedly if he has been questioned yet by the NFL about Deflategate and his answer is still no. This is good, because that can wait until after Super Bowl XLIX. These teams, especially after Media Day is mercifully over, should be able to focus on winning the game, and not answering a slew of goofy questions.

Now let’s get down to the game at hand – Super Bowl XLIX featuring the defending champion Seattle Seahawks vs. the New England Patriots on February 1st at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

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Super Bowl XLIX – Seattle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots

Posted on January 19, 2015 by admin

Super Bowl XLIX will be between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, after their wins in the conference championship games. The Seahawks needed a miracle, and got a few of them, to beat the Green Bay Packers 28-22 in overtime, while the Patriots crushed the Indianapolis Colts 45-7.

The Packers blew a 19-7 lead with 3 minutes remaining in regulation time. Seattle score a touchdown on a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Russell Wilson, to make the score 19-14. On the ensuing onside kick, which works about 20 percent of the time, Green Bay backup tight end Brandon Bostick jumped up to catch the ball, and it went right through his hands and was recovered by the Seahawks.

Seattle then drove 50 yards in 4 plays, scoring on a 24-yard run by Marshawn Lynch, to take a 1-point lead, with 1:25 left. They chose to go for 2 points, so a field goal by Green Bay would only tie the game. Wilson was in immediate danger of getting sacked on the conversion attempt, so he tossed a up a prayer from the 18-yard line, which fell into the hands of tight end Luke Wilsson, to make the score 22-19 Seattle.

Green Bay tied the score on a 5th field goal by Mason Crosby, after going 48 yards in 7 plays, thus forcing overtime in the NFC Championship Game. The Seahawks’ lucky streak continured, as they won the all important coin toss, to determine who gets the ball first in overtime.

Seattle took the overtime kickoff and went 87 yards in 6 plays, capped by a beautiful 35-yard Wilson pass to Jermaine Kearse to end the game 3:19 into overtime. Wilson was having a terrible game up until the last few minutes of regulation and into overtime. He had 4 interceptions, plus the Seahawks also had a fumble in the first half.

While the Packers defense faltered at the end of the game, they were great for about 57 minutes. Their offense, on the other hand, turned 5 turnovers into only 6 points, yes, only 2 field goals. Green Bay’s first 2 field goals of the game were kicked from the 1 and 2-yard lines respectively. The inability of the offense to score touchdowns in the red zone would loom large in the end.

By the way, the only Seattle points scored until the last few minutes of regulation, was on a fake field goal, 19-yard pass from punter John Ryan to offensive tackle Garry Gilliam. Special teams cost the Packers dearly in this game. However, possible NFL MVP, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers was only better than Wilson, in that he threw 2 interceptions rather than 4, but Wilson’s only touchdown pass was the game winner.

In the AFC Championship Game, the Patriots beatdown the Colts…again. The last 3 meetings they have won by more than 20 points, this time it was 38. New England nearly doubled Indianapolis in total yards (397-209), and had only 1 turnover to 3 for the Colts. Patriot Head Coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady are now headed to their 6th Super Bowl together, seeking their 4th win.

Super Bowl XLIX features the top seed in each conference, and the Seahawks are striving to be the first team to repeat as champions since the Patriots did it 10 years ago. The point spread opened with Seattle as a 2 1/2-point favorite, but that has since dwindled to just about even. The Seahawks did not get through their game unscathed, especially in their secondary.

Cornerback Richard Sherman and safety Earl Thomas both sustained injuries, but remained in the game. Sherman has a sprained elbow, and Thomas has a dislocated shoulder. They are both expected to play in the Super Bowl.

This should be a great game on February 1st in Glendale, Arizona. Don’t expect the Seahawks to shut down the Patriots the way they did the Broncos last year. While I think New England will win in a close game, it’s difficult to choose against the Seattle defense, especially when they can pull out a nearly hopeless game, like they did on Sunday.

I’m still going with the Patriots, because I think they can run the ball as well as throw some on the Seahawks. I don’t think Seattle will have much success throwing the ball, but they should be able to run it. Look for New England to win 27-24 in Super Bowl XLIX.

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Ohio State Wins The First College Football Playoff

Posted on January 13, 2015 by admin

The Ohio State Buckeyes who barely made it into the first college football playoff, ended up as the national champion, with a resounding 42-20 thumping of the Oregon Ducks. Ezekiel Elliott of Ohio State rushed for a career-high 246 yards on 36 carries, and 4 touchdowns, and was named the offensive MVP of the national championship game.

While a 22-point win is very impressive, the margin of victory could have been much more if not for the 4 Ohio State turnovers. Oregon’s only turnover was their last offensive play, when Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Marcus Mariota threw a desperation pass into triple coverage and it was intercepted. I doubt a team with a -3 turnover margin ever won a major college bowl game by 22 points, and was also the underdog.

The Ducks scored on their first possession, going 75 yards to take an early 7-0 lead on a 7-yard pass from Mariota to Keanon Lowe. After that, their remaining 13 points were as a result of the 4 Buckeye turnovers. That’s how dominating the Ohio State defense was against the #2 scoring offense in the nation.

Mariota did pass for 333 yards on 24 of 27 passing and 2 touchdowns, but the inability of the Oregon offense to score touchdowns in the red zone, and even convert 3rd downs was their downfall. When they settled for a field goal to cut the lead to 21-20 in the 3rd quarter, that was the last points the Ducks scored in the game.

Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones, who was the 3rd quarterback the Buckeyes used during the year, due to injuries to Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett, threw for 242 yards on 16 of 23 passing, with one touchdown and an interception, that wasn’t his fault. The ball bounced from his receiver’s hands into the hands of an Oregon linebacker.

In an amazing coaching job by Urban Meyer, the Buckeyes went from highly ranked in the preseason polls, to an injury to their front runner for the Heisman Trophy, Miller that would put him out for the year. They then turned to Barrett, who guided them to an 11-1 record, and he was injured in his last start. In comes Jones, with no previous starts, for the Big 10 Championship game against Wisconsin, which was a 59-0 beatdown by Ohio State.

That win propelled the Buckeyes into the #4 ranking, and a match-up with the top-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide, in one of the inaugural college football playoff games. Ohio State shocked the world with a 42-35 upset of Alabama, to put them in the national championship game on Monday night.

Ohio State has now won 6 national titles in the poll era, tying them with Alabama, Notre Dame, USC and Oklahoma for the most among all schools. Meyer has now won 3 titles as head coach, his first with the Buckeyes, to go along with 2 at Florida. Only he and Alabama coach Nick Saban have won titles at 2 different schools.

The quarterback competition at Ohio State should be very interesting next year, if Jones, Miller and Barrett all return. With a roster filled with freshmen and sophomores, the Buckeyes should be a powerhouse for years to come, especially with Meyer as their head coach.

This ends the first college football season with a playoff. It was a huge success although the national championship game wasn’t as good as it could have been. Hopefully soon it will be expanded to 8 teams, but not any more than that. We can’t have these college football players playing into the spring.

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Oregon Will Play Ohio State For The National Championship On January 12th

Posted on January 2, 2015 by admin

The Oregon Ducks and the Ohio State Buckeyes won their respective college football semifinal games to set up a meeting for the national championship on January 12th in Arlington, Texas. Oregon took down the defending national champion Florida State Seminoles 59-20, while Ohio State upset the top ranked Alabama Crimson Tide 42-35.

Ohio State started slowly on the scoreboard, turning the ball over twice, which led to a 21-6 2nd quarter deficit. However, 2 late touchdown drives cut the lead to 1 point at halftime. In fact, the Buckeyes were dominating the first half, other than their 2 turnovers, nearly tripling the total yards for Alabama in the first 2 quarters.

The Buckeyes continued their momentum in the 3rd quarter, scoring 2 more touchdowns. The first was on a 47-yard pass from quarterback Cardale Jones to Devin Smith, and the other on a 41-yard interception return by Steve Miller. With the 28 straight points by Ohio State, they led 34-21, with 3:21 left in the 3rd quarter.

Alabama responded with an 84-yard drive, capped off by a 5-yard touchdown run by their quarterback Blake Sims. But they wouldn’t get any closer. An 85-yard touchdown run by Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott basically ended the game, with 3:24 remaining, giving the Buckeyes a 14-point lead, after the successful 2-point conversion.

The Crimson Tide scored a late touchdown, but Ohio State held on for the 7-point win in the Sugar Bowl. The 4th seeded Buckeyes, thought by some, including me, not to have deserved to qualify for the inaugural college football playoff, sure showed that they belonged. A possible 8th national championship for the Buckeyes is looming against Oregon on January 12th.

Oregon clobbered Florida State in the Rose Bowl, the first of the semifinal college football playoff games. The game was close in the first half, but turned ugly fast in the 3rd quarter. An 18-13 Oregon halftime lead, turned into a 45-20 lead before the 3rd quarter was over. 34 points off turnovers is a recipe for disaster, and was the recipe that Florida State followed.

The play that basically ended any chance for a Seminole comeback occurred when their quarterback, 2013 Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston, nearly did the splits while trying to evade the rush, then coughed up the ball. Tony Washington then picked it up and ran 58 yards for a touchdown, giving the Ducks a 25 point lead.

While Winston’s statistics look respectable, he was badly outplayed by the reigning Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota. Mariota threw for 338 yards on 26 of 36 passing, with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception, along with 62 yards rushing, while Winston was 29 of 45 for 338, with 1 touchdown and 1 interception, plus the fumble that was returned for a touchdown.

This loss ended a 29 game winning streak for Florida State, including winning the national championship last year. The 59 points scored by Oregon is a new Rose Bowl record, beating the previous high by 10 points. While scoring that many points against the Seminoles is a little surprising, the Oregon defense holding the Seminoles to only 20 points, not to mention forcing 5 turnovers, was a bigger surprise.

Oregon will be playing for their first national championship on January 12th. While Ohio State was impressive in their Sugar Bowl win, I don’t see them keeping up with the Ducks in the national championship game. Mariota is not Sims. The Buckeyes will be facing a much better quarterback, and a much more explosive offense, then they did with Alabama. Oregon’s defense has played a lot better as the season progressed also. It should be a great game, but looked for Oregon to beat Ohio State to win the first ever college football playoff. Now let’s change it to an 8-team playoff as soon as possible.

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Popeyes Bahamas Bowl Ends In Spectacular Fashion

Posted on December 25, 2014 by admin

The college football season is upon us, and with 10 of 39 bowl games complete, there has been some great games already. The best of which was the inaugural Popeyes Bahamas Bowl between Western Kentucky and Central Michigan on Christmas Eve. The Hilltoppers from Western Kentucky withstood a furious comeback from the Chippewas of Central Michigan to pull out a 49-48 victory.

Western Kentucky scored early and often in the first half, to build a seemingly insurmountable lead. Central Michigan tied the score at 7, just 5 minutes into the game. In the remaining 25 minutes of the first half, the Hilltoppers outscored the Chippewas 35-7, to take a 42-14 lead into halftime.

Quarterback Brandon Doughty threw for 5 touchdowns in the first 2 quarters alone, as Western Kentucky scored a touchdown on all 6 of their first half possessions. They added to their lead 6:05 into the 3rd quarter, on a 21-yard run by Anthony Wales. The lead was still at 35 points going into the 4th quarter.

Cooper Rush, the quarterback of Central Michigan then began the most incredible quarter in bowl history by any quarterback. After his 4th touchdown pass of the quarter brought his team to within 7 points at 49-42, with 1:09 remaining, you had to think this isn’t really happening is it?

The Chippewas stopped the next drive of Western Kentucky, forcing a punt, but they had 1 second left, from their own 25-yard line. Rush threw a bomb, which was caught far short of the end zone, but that was just the beginning of the play. In what resembled the last play of the 1982 California-Stanford game, without the band on the field, Central Michigan threw one lateral after another until Titus Davis was headed for the right corner of the goal line.

Davis dove for the pylon, and scored a touchdown that brought his team within 1 point, with a conversion still to come. Central Michigan head coach Dan Enos chose to go for the win with a 2-point conversion, rather than kick the extra point and go into overtime. On the conversion attempt, Rush threw for the right corner of the end zone, but it was broken up by Wonderful Terry. Yes, Wonderful is his real first name.

Rush threw for 493 yards and 7 touchdown passes, which ties a bowl record. Doughty finished with 486 yards and those 5 first half touchdown passes. Western Kentucky finished with 647 total yards, while Central Michigan only had 607. If you like an offensive shootout with a spectacular finish, then this was the game for you.

With 29 bowl games left, including the first ever college football playoff, football fans have a lot to look forward to in the next 3 weeks. I hope some of the games will be as entertaining as the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl. Don’t you love the names of some of these bowl games?

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The Cowboys Get Revenge Against The Eagles and Lead The NFC East

Posted on December 16, 2014 by admin

The second meeting since Thanksgiving Day between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles had a very different result, with a 38-27 Cowboy victory. The Eagles won big in the last meeting 33-10. This win gives the Cowboys the lead in the NFC East by a game over the Eagles.

The Cowboys opened strong, storming out to a 21-0 lead by early in the 2nd quarter. Then the Eagles scored 10 points, to cut the halftime deficit to 21-10. After 2 more touchdowns by Philadelphia, the Eagles had come all the way back to take a 24-21 lead with 5:42 left in the 3rd quarter. But while the Cowboys in the past have folded up in a situation like this in December, these Cowboys showed more resolve.

Dallas responded with a 78-yard drive to take the lead back at 28-24, on a DeMarco Murray 2-yard run in the closing minute of the 3rd quarter. 3 minutes later, the Tony Romo to Dez Bryant combination struck for the 3rd time in the game. This time a 25-yard touchdown pass to push the lead to 11. Bryant finished with 114 yards on 6 catches, and all 3 of Romo’s touchdown passes.

The Eagles kicked a field goal 2 minutes later, to get within 1 possession of Dallas, cutting the lead to 35-27. But the Dallas defense would not let them get any closer. The Cowboys added another field goal to end the scoring. There are 2 games left in the regular season, but this was an very important win for the Cowboys.

To jump out to such a big lead, then fall behind, they should a lot of guts to finish the game strong. Now the bad news for Cowboy fans. Murray broke his hand in the game, and had surgery today. He is listed as questionable for their next game, against the AFC South-winning Indianapolis Colts. The last Dallas game is on the road against the Washington Redskins, which seems like an easy win, but they already lost to them at home earlier this year.

The Eagles have 2 road games left, but they are against the 3-11 Redskins and the 5-9 New York Giants. Even with the win on Sunday night, Dallas loses a tie-breaker to Philadelphia if they end up with the same record at the end of the season. The Cowboys, who are 10-4, could even finish the season at 11-5, and miss the playoffs entirely because of the tie-breakers involved in choosing wild cards.

However, if Dallas does win their last 2 games, they will win the NFC East, and possibly even have a first round bye. A huge upgrade from their 3 straight seasons with an 8-8 record, and missing the playoffs. How bout them Cowboys!

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The First College Football Playoff Is Set

Posted on December 8, 2014 by admin

The final selections have been made for the inaugural College Football Playoff, and they include Alabama, Oregon, Florida State and Ohio State. The first 3 teams have been at or near the top of the rankings since the beginning, but Ohio State slipped into the 4th spot, with a resounding 59-0 behind-the-woodshed beatdown of Wisconsin in the Big 10 Championship Game on Saturday.

In the previous week’s rankings, TCU was at #3, Florida State was at #4, Ohio State was at #5, and Baylor was at #6. I don’t really know why TCU was ranked so high, especially since they played Baylor on October 11th and lost 61-58. Baylor lost the next week to West Virginia 41-27, but the best way to figure out which team is better, is who won when they played.

However, since the College Football Playoff Committee had TCU at #3 last week, how can they drop them to #6 after TCU beat Iowa State 55-3 on Saturday? I’ve never seen a team drop 3 spots in the rankings with a 52-point win. As I pointed out earlier, I would have chosen Baylor over TCU.

So now the discussion is between Ohio State and Baylor for the 4th and final spot in the College Football Playoff. Ohio State had a fine season, considering they lost their quarterback and Heisman Trophy hopeful Braxton Banks early in the season. Freshman J.T. Barrett did a great job filling-in, until he was injured in their 42-28 win over Michigan a week ago. 3rd string Cardale Jones even threw for 3 touchdowns in their win over Wisconsin.

Their early 41-27 loss to 6-6 Virginia Tech looms large in the debate over who should get the last playoff spot. Ohio State did finish with wins over 3 ranked opponents, including #8 Michigan State and #25 Minnesota, in addition to #13 Wisconsin.

Now let’s look at Baylor‘s schedule this season. While their loss to 7-5 West Virginia doesn’t look very good, their wins over ranked teams were also more impressive than the those of Ohio State. In addition to the win over TCU, they also beat #9 Kansas State and #15 Oklahoma. So their wins were better, and their loss was less embarrassing.

This isn’t an exact science, but that’s what I would look at to decide which teams belong in the College Football Playoff. I’m fine with Alabama, Oregon and Florida State, but I would have put Baylor in instead of Ohio State. Maybe the committee punished the Big 12 for not having a championship game.

Florida State kept moving down in the rankings after close wins, but they are the only undefeated team remaining. They outlasted Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship Game 37-35. Oregon avenged their only loss, with a resounding 51-13 win over Arizona in the Pac 12 Championship Game. Alabama seemed to keep getting stronger as the season went on, easily beating Missouri in the SEC Championship Game 42-13. The solution is in a post I made back in June 2012, an 8 team college football playoff.

On New Year’s Day 2015, the first ever College Football Playoff will begin with the Rose Bowl in Pasadena between #2 Oregon and #3 Florida State. Following that game will be the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans between #1 Alabama and #4 Ohio State. Look for Alabama to take down Ohio State, and for newly crowned Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Marcus Mariota and Oregon to end the Florida State winning streak at 29 games. This will set-up a final on January 12th in North Texas between Alabama and Oregon for the Championship.

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The Packers End The Patriots’ 7 Game Winning Streak

Posted on December 1, 2014 by admin

Two of the hottest teams in the NFL met on Sunday, and the Green Bay Packers came out victorious, with a 26-21 win over the New England Patriots. This ended the Patriots’ 7-game winning streak, after a 2-2 start to the season.

Two of the top quarterbacks in the league were featured in this game, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. Both had good games, but Rodgers had 368 yards passing to 245 for Brady. They both had 2 touchdowns with no interceptions. In an amazing stat, Rodgers now has 20 touchdown passes, without an interception at home this year, with 2 games remaining. He hasn’t thrown an interception at home since December 2, 2012.

The Packers led the whole way in this game, jumping out to an early 13-0 lead. Then they scored a touchdown with 14 seconds left in the 2nd quarter on a 45-yard catch and run by Jordy Nelson, to push their halftime lead to 23-14. Green Bay held off a late Patriot charge to preserve the win.

The defense for the Packers has been improving since they started moving around linebacker Clay Matthews. Normally an outside linebacker, he was moved to the inside to help against the run in their 55-14 beatdown of the Chicago Bears 3 weeks ago. He has been moving around in the defense ever since then. Their rushing defense has improved dramatically since the change. The Patriots only rushed for 84 yards in the game, while the Packers had 130.

Even after the loss, New England is still the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs, because they have the tie-breaker over the other 3 division leaders, since they beat them all head-to-head. The Packers are the #2 seed in the NFC now, tied with the Arizona Cardinals but with a worse conference record. The Cardinals have lost 2 games in a row though, losing 29-18 on Sunday to the 5-7 Atlanta Falcons.

So now the best record in the NFL is 9-3, with 5 teams having that record. In addition to the Packers, Cardinals, and Patriots, the Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos are also 9-3. Obviously nothing has been decided yet, with 4 games to go. The largest lead in any division is the AFC South, where the 8-4 Indianapolis Colts lead the 6-6 Tennessee Titans by only 2 games.

Right now, the division leaders in the NFC are the Cardinals, Packers, Eagles, and the Falcons, with the Seattle Seahawks and the Detroit Lions earning the 2 wild card spots. The Dallas Cowboys are tied with the Seahawks and Lions at 8-4, but have a worse conference record, so they are presently on the outside looking in.

In the AFC, the Patriots, Broncos, 8-3-1 Cincinnati Bengals, and the Colts are division leaders, with the 8-4 San Diego Chargers and the 7-5 Kansas City Chiefs currently holding down the wild cards. The Chiefs hold an edge in the complicated tie breaker between them and 4 other teams.

On Sunday the game between the Packers and Patriots was billed as a Super Bowl Preview, and that might end up being correct. In fact, I think they will meet again in Super Bowl XLIX. The Packers are 8-1 since a 1-2 start, and the Patriots just lost for the first time in 8 games. Barring major injuries, these 2 teams will be in the Super Bowl.

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In The NFL, The Entire NFC South Stinks

Posted on November 25, 2014 by admin

All the teams in the NFL have played 11 games now, and one thing sticks out as far as the divisions are concerned – the entire NFC South Stinks! Right now, the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints are tied at the top of the division with a 4-7 record. Yes that’s right, 4 wins and 7 losses.

This marks the first time in NFL history that a division leader is 3 games below .500. None of the teams even have a winning record at home. The Saints, who are normally almost unbeatable at home, since Drew Brees has been their quarterback, are 3-3, which means they only have 2 more home games remaining.

Last year’s division winner, the Carolina Panthers have taken a big step backward to 3-7-1, because their defense isn’t even close to as good as it was last year. Those of you who think Cam Newton is a great quarterback, think again. Without the great defense, Newton has proven to be a weak leader, and a mediocre passer, but he is a good running quarterback, for what that’s worth. Ask Robert Griffin III of the Washington Redskins how long you stay healthy running the ball a lot at quarterback.

The last place team in the NFC South, which is really saying something in this division, is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which some including Sports Illustrated, picked to win the division, surprisingly. The Buccaneers are at 2-9, but are just 2 games out of first place, with 5 games to go.

While the Saints are 3rd in passing offense, and 2nd in total offense in the NFL, they are 27th in total defense. This is the short-coming of the whole division. The best total defense in the NFC South belongs to the Buccaneers at 22nd, out of 32 teams. The Panthers are at 25th, and the Falcons are dead last.

One thing that Atlanta does have going for them, is their 4-0 record in the division, which is the first tie-breaker should they end up tied with any of these other bad teams at the end of the season. Because of head-to-head match-ups in remaining games, the Falcons or Saints might actually make it to 7 wins by the end of the season. Each team plays division foes at least twice the rest of the way. Somebody has to win when they play each other, unless they tie, like the Panthers have already done once this season.

With 8 divisions in the NFL, sometimes this disparity in divisions occur, but never has it to this extent before. In the 2010 season, the Seattle Seahawks won their division at a 7-9 record, and actually upset the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints in the first round of the playoffs. The Seahawks had home-field advantage because they were a division winner, while the Saints were a wild-card, with a much better record.

It’s too bad that a few good teams will probably miss the playoffs in the NFC, while the best of the worst division in football, with a losing record, will host a first-round home game, but that looks like what will happen. When there was 6 divisions, a losing record never won a division title, but those days are gone.

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