I wanted to be a bit more expansive in my thoughts this week, so the GPR gets a full blown Grandstander post today. Here you go....
- Chiefs
- Packers
- Bills
- Titans
Knocking on the door.....Browns, Bucs, Colts, Dolphins, Rams, Ravens, Saints, Steelers, Washington.
Okay. Some may be asking: "11-2 Steelers and Saints out of the top four?" "6-8 Washington knocking on the door?" "Buffalo at #3?"
All I can tell you is that I am basing my selections based on how teams are playing NOW, and not necessarily how they performed in September and October.
STEELERS - From 11-0 to 11-2 shouldn't be that precipitous a drop, but if you see how the Steelers have played in the last four weeks, you get it. The dropped passes, the complete lack of a running game, and Ben's seeming inability to throw a ball beyond twenty yards are all alarming to the denizens of Steelers Nation. Then there are the injuries. Against the Bills on Sunday, four of their top five linebackers (Bush, Dupree, Williams, and Spillane) were unavailable due to injury or illness. As Chris Collinsworth said on the telecast, good teams can survive injuries, but it's hard to survive multiple injuries at the same position. They play the Bengals on Sunday, which should be an antidote for what's been ailing them, but games against the Colts and Browns after that are no sure things. On to Cincinnati!
BILLS - I watched Josh Allen and the Bills earlier in the season and was not that impressed. I was very impressed with them after the beating they put on the Steelers on Sunday night. They are a "for real" good team, and I think that Josh Allen is on the way, he's not there yet, to becoming a Top Ten QB in the NFL. Also, the way they took the air out of the football in the fourth quarter by running the ball and eating up the clock made the Steelers inability to run all the more apparent.
WFT - Yes, I do believe that the Washington Football Team has become a fairly good team in the recent weeks. That defense is really good. Now, they have problems in that Alex Smith will not be available at QB this coming week, and that the Giants, a team also improving but who trails the FT by a game, owns the tie-breaker over them.
AFC NORTH - Well, how about that 47-42 Ravens win over the Browns last night? Three lead changes in the last two minutes. That was a fun game. As much as it would have killed me, had the Browns won that one, they would have been in the Top Four this week, so the Ravens did both the Steelers and me a big favor last night. That win also signified that the Ravens ain't dead yet, but it also showed that the Browns are for real (ugh!). It also showed that both teams have some trouble defensively. I think that the Ravens are on the outside of the Playoff picture as of now, but they have a schedule where they should be favored in each game. It also appears that the final game of the season between the Steelers and Browns will be of enormous import in the hot AFC North kitchen.
NFC - Who advances in the NFC? The Packers seem to be a sure thing for the Conference title game, but against whom? The Saints seemed like the choice as of two weeks ago, but how do you explain that loss to the Eagles? The Seahawks seemed a sure bet back in October, but they've shown weaknesses on defense. As of right now, the Rams seem to be behind Green Bay for that title game, but they have shown tendencies to throw up a clinker on Sunday afternoons.
AFC - The Chiefs seem destined to play in the title game once again. There are a lot of good teams in the AFC, moreso than in the NFC. Anyone of the other six AFC teams that will make the playoffs would be capable of making it to the title game.
EARLY FINAL FOUR PREDICTIONS - Packers vs Rams and Chiefs vs Steelers. And yes, my selection of the Steelers is made on purely sentimental and selfish rooting interests. However, if it won't be the Steelers....How about the Buff Bills? These predictions are, at this point, in the "watch, but don't bet" category. No coin of the realm is being placed on them.
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