| Playoff Picture Crystal Clear..Or is it? | ||||
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This is the time of the year that everything looks clear as to who will be in the Superbowl, everyone seems to have it pegged as a New Orleans - Indianapolis Superbowl, and hey, who would really argue with them? One thing everybody is forgetting though, there is always a quiet team that makes some noise that nobody looks out for. Last year it was the 9-7 Cardinals who just lit on fire when playoff time came, as they suddenly established a run game and Fitzgerald and Warner took them to the top. In '07 it was the Giants, coming in as a Wildcard and handling all their opponents on the way to beat the 16-0 New England Patriots. The point I'm trying to make is that the playoffs aren't always as clear as we think they are, you have to watch out for the darkhorse. In the AFC, I think that darkhorse will be the Bengals. Yeah, sure, everybody is acknowledging them as a legit team, but who really expects them to get to the AFC Championship game? 6-0 in their division, sweeping the Ravens and the Steelers. When has that ever happened? The Bengals as we stand right now have the sixth ranked total defense, and 17th ranked total offense, and are the number two seed in the AFC, but as I said, who expects them to go all the way? Nobody. With that defense playing like it is, and Cedric Benson being as explosive as he is this year(205 CAR 859 YDS(4.2 AVG) 6 TD in 9 Games), that team is going to be hard to stop when December and January rolls around. The one team I believe will make noise in the NFC would be the Eagles. They are extremely inconsistent in the regular season so far, thrashing the Giants 40-17 one week, and losing to the Cowboys the next. But this team, with all the weapons they have, such as DeSean Jackson(44 REC 769 YDS 6 TD), Brent Celek(54 REC 601 YDS 5 TD); with McNabb running the ship, this team is going to be dangerous. Very dangerous. While I'm hoping for a New Orleans Superbowl, I know it is entirely possible, and likely; that a true contender will emerge as we get closer and closer to the playoffs. One team is going to make a name for themselves, and I certainly hope that the NFL is ready for it. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |