NFC Playoffs

[Tepshen73]

So who else thinks without Owens that Atlantas shot of making the Super Bowl is about even with Phillys now?

[Mad Genius]

I think the NFC playoffs are wide-open now. Atlanta should have a decent chance with a terrific triple-threat running game as well as a good passing game and a tough D. All the essentials to make a deep run. If Vick stays hot and the defense can create some TOs I don't see why they shouldn't get past an Owen-less Philly. Without Owen, 80% of their deep-pass plays are gone, Todd freaking Pinkston becomes the focal point of the secondary, and the running game isn't going to be nearly as effective without the deep threat.

Meanwhile, if the Redskins can squeeze into the playoffs, I really think they have the ingredients to make the Super Bowl. This ain't a joke. They are 5-9 but have the tiebreaker over virtually every other team in the hunt for #6 seed due to the fact that they beat Detroit Chicago TB and are 0-4 against AFC teams. That gives them the best nonconference record, and if they can win their last two winnable games, they go 7-9 and go into the playoffs as long as Philly beats the Rams, and Carolina and NO each loses 1 game. Sounds farfetched, but as a lifelong Skins fan I can dream can't I?

[iceman5]

The Skins? The Redskins? The Washington Redskins? The SuperBowl?

I'll say this about the Skins. On paper they look like one of the best teams in the NFC (not that that is saying much though). I mean they have a decent QB, great RB, great WRs, pretty good offensive line, great defense. Why the hell cant they win?


By the way Atlanta has allowed almost as many points as theyve scored. They may be the worst 11-3 team in quite a while. But yeah, they may take the NFC now.

[Mad Genius]

I was half kidding, but seriously, I have watched every minute of every game this year and they could very easily be 9-5 right now. They've gotten REALLY close in several games but have managed to f--- it up one way or another. On MNF against the Cowboys, they were down 3 or so and had the potential to win it, but they burned all the timeouts in the 3rd quarter and early 4th quarter. They got down to Dallas' 20 yard line but time expired as they couldn't stop the clock. How's that for clock management? They also had the game against Philly last week in hand but down 3, they decided to air it out on 1st down at Philly's 20 instead of running the ball and ended up turning it over. Against GB they were down 6 in the 4th and Portis made a 50-yard TD run that got incorrectly called back by the official. Against the Browns and Giants they turned it over several times and lost each game by one score.

Really, the only game that they got badly outplayed on was against the Bengals. And if they made the QB switch from Brunnell (who was just TERRIBLE) to Ramsey earlier, they would most likely be in the playoff hunt. Their D, at the very least, is an absolute monster. And they just got Arrington back from injury, so they should be even better. I'm not saying SuperBowl or anything, but the playoffs still aren't out of the question provided they win out, and once they make the playoffs, anything can happen right?

[Tepshen73]

I have to agree with you Mad Genius about the Redskins. The more Ramsey plays and the more comfortable he gets with that offence the better they are. With Owens out just about every NFC playoff team can single cover the Eagles remaining WR's witch means Phillys average running game is going to be that much more ineffective. Look what they did against the Steelers running the ball and they had Owens then. There are some very good D's in the NFC depending on who makes the playoffs.

[TexasKowboy]

I like the Falcons but if you stop Vick you win. The Eagles staff are idiots playing Owen when they had home field already. you never know what Viking's team is going to show up. You can never count Favre out. As for the rest of the 6 and 9 teams, who knows it's a new season once the playoffs start.