12/05/2006
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ALSO: Check out Anthony's midseason rankings. Got your own take on the season's first 13 weeks? Be heard at The Scores Report, the National Sports Blog.
It’s amazing to think how the NFL stretch run is already here. Before we know it, we’ll be in that dead zone when all that’s on is midseason NHL and NBA games. Yikes. Let’s all do ourselves a favor and cherish these final few weeks of NFL football before having to wait the agonizing six-plus months before the season starts up again.
With the calendar flipping to December, it’s time to start thinking about the playoffs. Below you’ll see where each team is ranked and also which one of these three categories each team fits into regarding the playoff picture: Contender, Pretender or What time does the draft start?
1-32 in the NFL after 13 weeks:
about Larry Johnson and Shaun Alexander
in your fantasy drafts this year?
1. San Diego Chargers (10-2)
Midseason Rank: #3
Contender: The only true way to judge the NFL is week to week. More weeks, more time for teams to show their true colors. With that said, Chicago and Indy fall from the top spots and San Diego climbs Mount Numero Uno. The Chargers are the most complete team in the NFL right now. Saint Diego doesn’t always look pretty in getting the job done, but the job gets done nonetheless. And now that Shawne Merriman is back wreaking havoc, I don’t see the Chargers falling anytime soon.
2. Indianapolis Colts (10-2)
Midseason Rank: #1
Contender: Playoff contenders in the AFC should all be dissecting what the Tennessee Titans did to Peyton Manning and the Colts offense this year. The Titans held Indy to 14 and 17 points, respectively, in the series split that easily could have been a Tennessee sweep. This team is flaw city, but in Manning the Colts trust.
3. New England Patriots (9-3)
Midseason Rank: #7
Contender: With no dominant No. 3 team in the NFL, I guess the Patriots get this spot by default. If the Colts are flaw city, the Patriots are flaw state. And now defensive stalwart Mike Vrabel might miss some time due to injury? Wow. If New England goes on to win a Super Bowl this season, I’ll have more respect for Bill Belichick and Tom Brady than ever before.
4. Baltimore Ravens (9-3)
Midseason Rank: #4
Contender: It’s going to be interesting to see how the Ravens respond after losing their first game under the Brian Billick play-calling system. Steve McNair hardly looks comfortable in the pocket and the entire Baltimore offense is void of true playmaking talent. However, much like the team below the Ravens, the defense and special teams can win games on their own.
5. Chicago Bears (10-2)
Midseason Rank: #2
Contender: This team is toast if it’s going to rely solely on defensive touchdowns and Devin Hester. Other teams seem to rise to the playoff challenge while the Bears stay at the same pace that got them through the regular season. Rex Grossman has four weeks to grow into a consistent quarterback or else some fifth seed full of piss and vinegar is going to knock the Bears off in Chicago’s first postseason game for the third time in five years.
6. Dallas Cowboys (8-4)
Midseason Rank: #12
Contender: Bill Parcels just looks excited again, doesn’t he? I thought he was going to kiss one of his players after the Cowboys’ win over the Giants last weekend. Tony Romo has lifted this team to another level. Talk about Captain Fourth Quarter.
7. Seattle Seahawks (8-4)
Midseason Rank: #5
Contender: It’s usually not easy for a team to get healthy and just start winning again, but that’s exactly what the Seahawks have done in getting Matt Hasselback and Shaun Alexander back. If Seattle goes far in the playoffs, hopefully the jobs Seneca Wallace and Maurice Morris did in relief of Hasselbeck and Alexander don’t go unnoticed.
TDs against the 'Niners showed just how
dangerous Bush can be.
8. New Orleans Saints (8-4)
Midseason Rank: #9
Contender: New Orleans and its No. 1 passing attack aren’t going away. The Saints are much more than the feel good story of the year. Sure, the defense has a ton of question marks, but there’s no reason this team shouldn’t be the hands-down favorite to win the NFC South. The way Sean Payton uses his offensive players to the best of their abilities is impressive. And best of all for New Orleans, the players are buying into Payton’s philosophy.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-5)
Midseason Rank: #11
Contender: Byron Leftwich is done in Jacksonville. David Garrard is the better quarterback and Jack Del Rio knows it. Now it’s just a matter of if Garrard can keep this inconsistent team, well, consistent.
10. Denver Broncos (7-5)
Midseason Rank: #4
Contender: Jay Cutler was beyond unimpressive in his starting debut in Denver Sunday night against Seattle. I think he’s going to be great for the Broncos very soon, but the reality of the situation will sink and people will realize Cutler might not be the hero that rights the ship in Denver this season. Than again, it’s only one game and for God’s sake, he’s not Jake Plummer. Things don’t get any easier for the rookie next week in San Diego, though.
11. New York Jets (7-5)
Midseason Rank: #17
Contender: The Jets are surging up the power rankings ladder, and rightfully so. The whooping Eric Mangini’s club put on the Packers last week was impressive. With Buffalo, Minnesota, Miami and Oakland left on the schedule, the Jets may very well run the table and get into the playoffs as the sixth and final seed in the AFC. The two divisional games against the Bills and Dolphins will serve as true tests.
12. Cincinnati Bengals (7-5)
Midseason Rank: #18
Pretender: Sure, the Bengals are very much alive in the AFC, but the law of averages isn’t on Cincinnati’s side. The Bengal defense played lights out against Baltimore on a rain-soaked Paul Brown Stadium turf. With road games at Indianapolis and Denver still left on the schedule, who’s ready to believe that this defense performs as well as it did against the Ravens when facing the Colts and Broncos?
13. Kansas City Chiefs (7-5)
Midseason Rank: 13
Pretender: It’s sad when an AFC team like the Chiefs is listed among three NFC teams that are considered contenders, yet KC is not. However, this team just can’t win on the road. How excited are you as a fan that your team is right in the middle of a playoff race and you lose to the Cleveland Browns in December? With Derek Anderson playing quarterback. Ouch.
14. New York Giants (6-6)
Midseason Rank: #8
Contender: Welcome to the mediocrity of the NFC, where a team that has just lost four in a row is still very much alive for a playoff berth. Out of four possible teams (Giants, Falcons, Eagles, Panthers) vying for the final two playoff spots in the NFC, New York has the easiest schedule. The G-Men should beat Philly and should beat the Redskins. But then again, out of the three teams mentioned, this is also the squad that’s reeling the most at the moment.
15. Atlanta Falcons (6-6)
Midseason Rank: #15
Contender: Here’s what would worry me if I were the Panthers and Giants: the Falcons, losers of four straight, down 14-0 early in Washington, rally to put up 24 unanswered points thanks to a 256-yard rushing performance from the offense. Still, Atlanta needs to finally do what it hasn’t been able to do for a month: beat a team it’s suppose to beat in the Bucs this week. Then worry about Dallas and Carolina after that.
16. Philadelphia Eagles (6-6)
Midseason Rank: #10
Contender: New life in Philadelphia with Jeff Garcia? Probably not, but it’s interesting to watch Garcia roll up 312 yards on the Panthers along with five touchdowns without an interception in two games.
be without Steve Smith.
17. Carolina Panthers (6-6)
Midseason Rank: #16
Contender: I love watching what the Panthers do to the national media pundits. Carolina loses a game and it’s: “This team is filled with a bunch of underachievers.” If Carolina wins, it’s: “This team is hands down the best team in the free world. Nobody can touch them.” I guess after losing to the Eagles, this team is back to underachieving again.
18. Buffalo Bills (5-7)
Midseason Rank: #26
What time does the draft start?: The Bills have a lot to build on heading into next season. J.P. Losman has shown signs that he will progress and Lee Evans is quickly turning into a great receiver. With a few added pieces, this team might be a contender in ’07.
19. Miami Dolphins (5-7)
Midseason Rank: #24
What time does the draft start?: The thing that would worry me in Miami is all of this talk about Nick Saban jumping ship to go to Alabama. It seems like whenever a coach adamantly denies he’s going anywhere, that’s the exact time the coach leaves to said destination. Stay in Miami Saban; you have something building, assuming you find a healthy quarterback.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-7)
Midseason Rank: #19
What time does the draft start?: This team has 8-8 written all over it. One week good, one week bad. I guess if Ben Roethlisberger dodges whoever is playing with the life-size voodoo doll of him on Sunday, the Steelers win. If not, he’s brutally unwatchable and often carried out on a stretcher.
21. Tennessee Titans (5-7)
Midseason Rank: #30
What time does the draft start?: In the preseason, I wrote about how this Titans team wasn’t that bad. At midseason, I was avoiding looking at myself in the mirror for such horrid comments. But now that the Titans are winners of three straight, I’m slowly starting to feel good about life again. Much like Tennessee fans should feel about their team’s future.
22. San Francisco 49ers (5-7)
Midseason Rank: #22
Pretenders: Technically, the 49ers are still in the playoff hunt in the NFC. However, trips to Seattle and Denver in the next four weeks should shoot down any hopes for a miracle in San Fran. A few more pieces on defense, though, and we may be talking about a legitimate 49er playoff run within the next two years.
23. St. Louis Rams (5-7)
Midseason Rank: #14
Pretenders: According to Marc Bulger, some of his St. Louis teammates have stopped trying. The quarterback didn’t name names, but reports have surfaced that guard Richie Incognito and tackle Alex Barron are two players on Bulger’s shit list. Maybe the Rams should go after Randy Moss this offseason to build the league’s most indifferent offense.
24. Minnesota Vikings (5-7)
Midseason Rank: #21
Pretenders: Wake me up when Minnesota does anything -- I mean anything -- on offense. Watching this team has to be like watching bread grow mold. When the opposition kicks a field goal to go up 3-0 in the first quarter, the Minnesota faithful must already assume the game is over. This team has no spark on offense.
25. Green Bay Packers (4-8)
Midseason Rank: #20
What time does the draft start?: I thought a few weeks ago that the Packers had a shot -- a slim shot, but a shot nonetheless -- at making the playoffs. Then after watching the Jets score on every single one of their first-half possessions last week at Lambeau, reality quickly kicked in and reminded me that I’m an idiot.
26. Cleveland Browns (4-8)
Midseason Rank: #23
What time does the draft start?: The Browns have an interesting quarterback situation now that Derek Anderson played so well in a win over the Chiefs. If Charlie Frye is going to miss some time over the remaining few weeks, Cleveland can see what they have in Anderson without causing a stir in the locker room. If Anderson looks good, Romeo Crennel could have a quarterback battle next year. But if Anderson gets waxed for three interceptions a week, than hey, no harm done.
27. Washington Redskins (4-8)
Midseason Rank: #25
What time does the draft start?: After watching Jason Campbell play last Sunday against the Falcons, I question Joe Gibbs now more than ever on why he waited on this kid. Campbell wasn’t great, but he’s got a live arm and makes good reads. His decision-making is a work in progress, but he should have been starting all season.
this point, but Mario over Bush? C'mon....
28. Houston Texans (4-8)
Midseason Rank: #27
What time does the draft start?: As the season draws to a close, I wonder if we’ll start hearing all the hoopla about Houston’s decision to draft Mario Williams over Reggie Bush again. Either way, last weekend didn’t help Texans fans forget about the team’s decision to pass on Bush. Williams has 4.5 sacks this season while Bush scored four touchdowns last week alone.
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-9)
Midseason Rank: #28
What time does the draft start?: I don’t know how you could be excited if you were a Tampa Bay fan, even with a high draft pick. The defense was old two years ago, the quarterback situation is in flux and Cadillac Williams gave the Bucs nothing this season.
30. Arizona Cardinals (3-9)
Midseason Rank: #32
What time does the draft start?: I keep hearing that Mike Martz is heading to Arizona to replace Denny Green. You heard it hear first: Martz won’t go to the Cardinals. Unless there are a couple of huge openings (maybe Miami or New York?) he’ll finish out his two-year contract with Detroit and then have his pick of jobs in 2008.
31. Detroit Lions (2-10)
Midseason Rank: #29
What time does the draft start?: Matt Millen owes it to the city of Detroit and to the Lions organization to just step down. He won’t get fired; the Fords don’t fire anybody. If he continues, we may never hear about the Detroit Lions ever again. The team will just fall off the face of the earth into unrelenting darkness, and very few people will even notice.
32. Oakland Raiders (2-10)
Midseason Rank: #31
What time does the draft start?: I almost feel bad for the Raiders defense. Those players must get to the sideline after a big stop and just turn around with their helmets still on ready to go back in. The offense is either going to go three and out or turn the ball over, so they might as well be ready at all times.
Questions or comments on the upcoming season? Send them to astalter@bullz-eye.com.