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We’re getting to that point in the season when the pretenders to throne of NFL greatness start be called out. It’s still early in the season but let’s break down a few of the results and maybe see what’s going on here:
- Jacksonville might not be as terrible as they seem by their 0-5 record and the Steelers seem as though they might be worse than NFL prognosticators are saying. Both factors come together to produce a 17-9 Steelers win.
- Cleveland and Hoyer started the season hot but haven’t didn’t have good run against the Titans. The Browns are better than the Titans, that much became apparent in the last half of the 4th quarter but last minute single point wins won’t go their way through an entire season. 29-28 Browns win, if I were a Browns fan I might be a little worried but I might also be ecstatic that this is the best team they’ve fielded in 2 decades.
- Baltimore is being touted as a playoff and even a Super Bowl contender. They’re not. Andrew Luck and the Colts made the case, and the Colts are very much for real. 20-13 Indy.
- New York is always a strange mix of terrible and fantastic, but we can’t deny Eli and the G-Men their Super Bowl rings. Atlanta is not nearly as good as everyone is making them out to be, it’s a similar story every year. With a 30-20 Giants win, the Giants are the real deal and the Falcons chances of making the playoffs look grim in a tough NFC South division.
- St.Louis isn’t nearly as bad as they look most of the time. Once they pull things together, and they will, they could have a good season. Good, not great. The Eagles on the other hand are a highly over-rated team on many levels. I’m looking for them to collapse, implode, explode and do all things unhappy. A 34-28 Eagles win doesn’t make them a real contender this season
- Buffalo and Detroit tie for the under-whelming unwatchable game of the week. Congratulations to the cities of Buffalo and Detroit. We’re sorry for you on so many levels. 17-14 Buffalo win.
- Chicago and Carolina are both very real teams, both very real playoff contenders. Super Bowl contenders? Maybe but today’s throat punching game shows that both these teams are scrappy and ready for solid seasons. 31-24 Carolina win.
- Tampa Bay is real. Really bad on a lot of levels. The good thing for them is the Saints are even more terrible on the defensive and offensive line side of the game. Until the Saints decide to get a new defensive co-ordinator, or sell off the entire defensive unit and start from scratch neither the Saints nor the Bucs are real. 37-31 Saints win.
- Houston always seems like they might be real but then *poof* they’re not real. Actually I think I’ll revise that statement, the Texans kind of slowly fade away rather than even going poof. Dallas? Could be real but Tony Romo will ensure that a collapse is imminent. Don’t let their 20-17 win fool you. Dallas isn’t real. 20-17 Dallas win.
- For the first time in years the Chargers are entirely the real deal. If Philip Rivers can keep his composure through the season then the Chargers will be looking very strong going into the post season. The J-E-T-S JetsJetsJets? Hapless. Two quarterbacks neither of whom are effective and likely won’t become effective anytime soon. The Jets have so many issues right now and the majority of them are Rex Ryan. A 31-0 destruction of New York by the Chargers says it all. This one’s easy, Chargers are real. The Jets are…well…the Jets.
- Denver invited the Cardinals to their stadium today and Peyton Manning was Peyton Manning. Denver is as real this season as they were last season and stronger in many ways. The Cardinals don’t have the depth to stand up through this entire season, the Cardinals look like they’re about as real as the Vegas Strip. 41-20 Denver win.
- San Francisco sneaks by the Chiefs. The 49ers have taken a beating so far this season, most of it justified. If the Niners can keep the majority of their team out of jail through the season, their post-season changes look strong. Are they Super Bowl ready? Nope. Post-season yup. The Chiefs are also very real, they just seem to be missing something to make it all click. When they figure that out then the Chiefs will make a strong run right through the post season. 22-17 San Fran win.
That’s the wrap on the first round of games. Give me your feedback on my post season prognosticating and opinions in the comments below.
Update @ 9:37PM EST: The Patriots are looking really strong mid-way through the second quarter. I’ll come out right now and say that Cincinnati has the only perfect record in the NFL because they’ve had an easy schedule. That’s going to end tonight, and no I won’t edit this later if I’m wrong.
Easy, this was SO easy…
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