On Monday Night Football, the Seattle Seahawks narrowly escaped defeat from the St. Louis Rams 14-9. The Rams had a 4th and goal at the Seattle 1 yard line, with 4 seconds remaining, but couldn’t connect on a pass from back-up quarterback Kellen Clemens, to upset the 7-1 Seahawks. The Rams are now 3-5. Other than 2 interceptions thrown by Clemens, and a 80-yard touchdown pass from Seahawks’ quarterback Russell Wilson to wide receiver Golden Tate, who waved at a defender for about the last 30 yards, earning an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, the Rams dominated this game.
The Rams outgained the Seahawks 339-135 in total yards. The Rams rushed for 200 yards against one of the best defenses in the National Football League (NFL), and held the Seahawks to 44 yards rushing. Rookie Zac Stacy rushed for a career-high 134 yards. But they Rams still couldn’t finish off the Seahawks, when they had the chance. Wilson was sacked 7 times in the game, 3 times each by Robert Quinn and Chris Long. This was a win by the Seahawks, but not impressive in the least.
After 8 weeks in the NFL, 9 teams have 2 losses or less. The Kansas City Chiefs are the only undefeated team at 8-0, but their schedule is much tougher in the second half of the season, including 2 games against the 7-1 Denver Broncos. The only other 1-loss teams, are the Seahawks and the New Orleans Saints, who are 6-1, since they already had their bye week. The Chiefs and Broncos are in the American Football Conference (AFC), and the Seahawks and Saints are in the National Football Conference (NFC). The winners of each conference of course meet in the Super Bowl.
In the AFC, the New England Patriots and the Cincinnati Bengals are both 6-2, while the Indianapolis Colts are 5-2, already having their bye. The Colts have been impressive, with wins over the Broncos, Seahawks and the 6-2 San Francisco 49ers. Joining the 49ers as the only other 2-loss team in the NFC is the Green Bay Packers, who are 5-2. All 9 of these teams with records of 5-2 or better, have the inside track to the playoffs, where 6 teams from each conference qualify, 4 division winners and 2 wild cards.
The Detroit Lions have the next best record at 5-3, and are followed closely behind by 10 teams that are either 4-3. 4-4 or 3-4. As always, there will be a mad scramble for the remaining playoff spots. In the AFC, the final playoff spot will go to either the San Diego Chargers who are 4-3, if they can withstand 2 games each against the Chiefs and Broncos, or the defending Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens, who are at 3-4 now. The Lions should grab the last wild card in the NFC, and the Dallas Cowboys who are 4-4 now, will probably win the NFC East.
I don’t really anticipate any other team having a chance to make it to the playoffs, other than the teams I’ve mentioned. We’ll see what happens by the end of the season. Injuries, especially to quarterbacks, can always change things quickly, but with almost half of the season over (the season is 16 games for each team in 17 weeks), that is how I anticipate the playoffs looking in January. I won’t make any playoff predictions until late December. In the meantime, enjoy the games, and let’s see how things end up in the 2013 NFL regular season.
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Sports With Frank Thomas
