As a summer junkie, I hate the idea that with each passing day, we’re getting closer to seeing temperatures in the minus, roads covered with ice and snow and people with 3 or more layers on to protect themselves from the cold. The forecast for the Calgary-Saskatchewan CFL West Final calls for blizzard-like conditions with a high of between -13 to -22.
Having said that, in breaking down some NFL matchups on Sportscall this morning, it hit me that we’re getting to a point in the season where we’re seeing a definite gap between the contenders and the pretenders. There aren’t too many teams in the middle bubble, but for those, the next couple of weeks could very well decide which direction they ultimately go.
Looking at the schedule for Week 11, there are plenty of matchups involving teams that can’t afford to lose without major consequences. A loss wouldn’t end either team’s season or chances at the playoffs, but it was certainly put them on a much bumpier path towards the playoff road. I wanted to breakdown a few of these matchups starting with one that we have on Team 1200 tonight.
Chicago Bears vs. Miami Dolphins
The Bears were not expected by many to be a playoff team this year. Even at 6-3, this squad doesn’t get a lot of respect for being a good football team. However, being tied with the Packers for the division lead after 9 games doesn’t mean they have a chance to take a deep breath just yet.
It’s imperative that they try and keep pace with the Packers. Even if they fail, as long as they stay within a game, a wild card spot should be theirs. As for the Dolphins, they don’t have enough to battle the Patriots or Jets, so the only thing they can count on is a wild card spot. If they lose tonight, their chances at that spot could be lost as well.
Oakland Raiders vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Raiders are a part of a large group of teams that have played extremely well and surpassed expected season win totals at the halfway point. The Steelers were always expected to be good once they got Ben Roethlisberger back in the fold, but still find themselves in a fight for the AFC North with the Baltimore Ravens.
The Raiders need to win in order to keep the lead in the AFC West and to avoid the Chargers catching them. I think once San Diego catches both the Chiefs and the Raiders, the Bolts will take the division. The Steelers need to win more to show the rest of the league that their numerous injuries will not stop them from winning football games.
Seattle Seahawks vs. New Orleans Saints
The NFC West is always bad and the Seahawks seem to always take advantage of three teams that can’t get their act together. But with the Rams within striking distance, the Seahawks can’t allow the Rams to get back into the race by losing a game and combining that with a Rams win.
The Saints have a couple of reasons as to why they need to win. First and foremost, they’re one game behind the Falcons in the NFC South. Secondly, with the NFC so strong this year, a team cannot sit back and think that 10 wins means an automatic entry to the playoffs via the wild card.
Atlanta Falcons vs. St. Louis Rams
We just talked about these two teams in the previous breakdown. The Falcons have the division lead right now, but with a loss against St. Louis, they would drop to 7-3 and would most likely find themselves in a three-way tie for the division lead as both New Orleans and Tampa have very winnable games.
The Rams can’t rely on winning a wild card spot because their record is so bad, but being only one game behind the Seahawks allows for them to get into the dance by winning a weak division. A loss to the Falcons combined with a Seahawks win vs. the Saints would be death and would just about ruin any chances of a magical season.
New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Both teams are 6-3 and on top of the NFC East. With 7 teams in the NFC right now with 6 or more win and only 6 playoff spots per conference, one of these 7 teams just cannot rely on a wild-card spot to help them make the playoffs.
A win by either Philly or New York will go a long way to creating the separation necessary to win the division and maybe even more importantly, avoiding the logjam that is bound to happen for the two NFC wild-card positions.
Wait…what’s that? You want me to give you a winner for all these games. Wasn’t it enough just to break them down? Alright, I’ll give you a quick thought on who’s going to win these games.
I think Chicago gets past Miami based on the strength of their defense vs. a Tyler Thigpen led Miami offence. Thigpen got it done for one afternoon, but to ask a thrd-stringer to lead you to victory back-to-back weeks is probably asking too much.
Pittsburgh beats Oakland soundly. The Raiders have had a nice season so far, but still don’t have enough talent to match up well against the Steelers. Look at the Raiders schedule and you’ll see that they haven’t really faced a bonafide Super Bowl contender yet. They’ll be exposed this week.
The Saints show the Seahawks why no one ever takes the NFC West division champ seriously by putting a good whooping on them. Reggie Bush comes back to the offence and I think Drew Brees and the rest of that group find themselves again in thumping Seattle.
Atlanta takes care of an under-talented Rams team. It’s a minor miracle that Sam Bradford has been able to lead this team to 4 wins, but at some point, injuries and a lack of talent will come back to bite you.
Finally, I think the magic from Monday night continues and the Eagles get past the Giants. Michael Vick was always able to run the football effectively, but the knock was that he couldn’t throw the football on a consistent basis. Now that he seems to have that facet of the game down as well, the question is: How do you stop this guy?