Even if the weak NFC, I think we are going to see the one year wonder phenomena of the Saints. The media has fallen in love with them partly because of the great story due to Katrina, but they were a flawed team last year. Flawed teams that have a good season against a weak schedule often tank the next year, and thats what I see from NO.
That said, the Colts did look very good. I kept wondering what the game would have looked like if there was a football player in Jason Davids spot. I dont think Ive ever seen a single worse game by a corner. He wasnt' even close, and when you look at the TDs, I think those receviers could have run any route and he would have been 8 yards off of them. I have no clue what he was trying to do.
I've long disliked the Colts, primarily because their model, IMO, was preventing them from competing for Championships. Last year in the playoffs, and it continued into last night, they have decided that defense matters, and its not just about trying for one big play to stop a drive, and they seem more concerned with using the run to win football games than to let Manning accumulate stats no matter the situation.
Its a long season, and its still to be seen if that can continue (please spare me the Bob Sanders is the difference between a good D and a bad one all by himself, because that is stupid) but if the Colts can play good defense and understand that the role of the offense isnt to look pretty, but to win games, they will be a tough opponent. Keep in mind though, one game, especially the opener, rarely carries through an entire season. I think the best and most dominant the Patriots ever looked was the opener of the 2002 season when they pulverized and embarassed the Steelers (an elite team) but that was, aside from year 1, the worst year of the BB era.
This is going be a great AFC season. Right now Indy, us and the Chargers all look like SB Caliber teams, with Baltimore and perhaps Denver potentially near that level. This is beginning to look like the NFC used to in the 80s and 90s when the Gaints, Skins, 9ers, Bears, Cowboys all took turns slugging it out, with always at least a few teams that were good enough to be SB teams.
Of course, I like our chances.