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I had a little time on my hands today and went back to see where things stood after Week 7 last season:
In the NFC, the 5--1 Saints seemed on a collision course with the 7--0 Rams...we are all reminded by Coaches Challenges every week how that ended
. Otherwise, no one was taking Da 3--3 Bears seriously after consecutive losses @Mia and vs. NEP...they would somehow end up 12--4 and still one and done. The Cowboys and Iggles were both 3--4...someone had to win the Division
In the AFC, the 5--2 Pats had beaten the 6--1 Chiefs in Week 6, but people generally had the two teams on a collision course as well...no one expected the 5--2 Chargers to go on a 7--2 run to end the season...but the Pats would put them in their place...remember all the angst before that game? Houston was 4--3, but had opened 0--3 and no one but the Pats (Homefield) was paying much attention to them. The Ravens and Indy were 4--3 and 2--5 respectively and not making any noises that suggested they could be a threat.
So, all in all, things turned out the way most expected they would at this point in the season when it came to the "Final Four." New England and KC, LAR and the Saints.
Different story this year, IMO, after Week 7.
The NFC has at least four bona fide contenders with the Packers, Saints and Seahawks (all 5--1) and SF at 5--0 coming off an impressive W @LAR. I'm also not ready to write off the 4--2 Vikings and Panthers, with the latter approaching an "interesting" situation at QB. So, no clear "collision course" there. And, as always, somebody has to win the NFC East...and we don't have to be reminded how pesky those teams can be in the Playoffs.
Different story in the AFC, characterized by a clear "leader of the pack" but a lot of unknowables on the horizon.
The Pats are 6--0, reasonably on a course to 9--0 or 8--1 before their Bye...here, I'm going to go with Bill Parcells' "you are what your record says you are," despite a few concerns about their "strength of schedule" to date...6--0 is 6--0.
But, I get the feeling that this is one of those years when any one of a number of AFC teams could catch lightning in a bottle and make real trouble in January. Don't laugh, but the Bills don't look like they're going away. Watson is having a career season in Houston. Rivers usually tosses his cookies at the end, but I'm not writing the Chargers out of the picture. I can't take the Dolts or Raiders seriously at this point...but "famous last words?" So, no Collision Course in the AFC either, but, as BB would say, "a lot of football to be played."
In the NFC, the 5--1 Saints seemed on a collision course with the 7--0 Rams...we are all reminded by Coaches Challenges every week how that ended
. Otherwise, no one was taking Da 3--3 Bears seriously after consecutive losses @Mia and vs. NEP...they would somehow end up 12--4 and still one and done. The Cowboys and Iggles were both 3--4...someone had to win the DivisionIn the AFC, the 5--2 Pats had beaten the 6--1 Chiefs in Week 6, but people generally had the two teams on a collision course as well...no one expected the 5--2 Chargers to go on a 7--2 run to end the season...but the Pats would put them in their place...remember all the angst before that game? Houston was 4--3, but had opened 0--3 and no one but the Pats (Homefield) was paying much attention to them. The Ravens and Indy were 4--3 and 2--5 respectively and not making any noises that suggested they could be a threat.
So, all in all, things turned out the way most expected they would at this point in the season when it came to the "Final Four." New England and KC, LAR and the Saints.
Different story this year, IMO, after Week 7.
The NFC has at least four bona fide contenders with the Packers, Saints and Seahawks (all 5--1) and SF at 5--0 coming off an impressive W @LAR. I'm also not ready to write off the 4--2 Vikings and Panthers, with the latter approaching an "interesting" situation at QB. So, no clear "collision course" there. And, as always, somebody has to win the NFC East...and we don't have to be reminded how pesky those teams can be in the Playoffs.
Different story in the AFC, characterized by a clear "leader of the pack" but a lot of unknowables on the horizon.
The Pats are 6--0, reasonably on a course to 9--0 or 8--1 before their Bye...here, I'm going to go with Bill Parcells' "you are what your record says you are," despite a few concerns about their "strength of schedule" to date...6--0 is 6--0.
But, I get the feeling that this is one of those years when any one of a number of AFC teams could catch lightning in a bottle and make real trouble in January. Don't laugh, but the Bills don't look like they're going away. Watson is having a career season in Houston. Rivers usually tosses his cookies at the end, but I'm not writing the Chargers out of the picture. I can't take the Dolts or Raiders seriously at this point...but "famous last words?" So, no Collision Course in the AFC either, but, as BB would say, "a lot of football to be played."
