I was wrong. So wrong.
I was wrong about Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Or I was wrong about Russell Wilson the Seahawks. Perhaps I was wrong about both. Rodgers played like that guy people will one day say was greater than Tom Brady and Russell Wilson played like the shortstop for the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.
The Packers are still on the outside looking in (if the playoffs started today) and will be as long as the Lions (and Vikings) keep winning. Green Bay is in danger of playing just well enough to save head coach Mike McCarthy's job which may not be in their best long-term interests. It just feels like you know what you're going to get from McCarthy and it isn't good. It's starting to look like Green Bay's success with McCarthy on the sidelines has had more to do with the rest of the NFC North being bad rather than Green Bay being good.
The Seahawks, meanwhile, continue to play terribly on the road (well, everywhere outside of New England, anyway) which does not bode well for their playoff chances after the Wild Card round.
I was wrong about the Giants. I think. The G-Men and the Cowboys played like they were allergic to football Sunday night. Or maybe this was an old school defensive struggle. Struggle being the operative word. I fully expected Black Staubach to deliver a score late to win this one 14-10 but that didn't happen. If I was a gambling man I would've taken a prop bet that Eli Manning would throw more interceptions than Dak Prescott in a heartbeat. Thankfully, that did not happen and I still can make my mortgage payment come January 1st. Clearly, the Giants are the Cowboys' pigskin kryptonite (I feel you Cowboys). Dallas will be rooting hard for whatever team hosts the NYG in the Wild Card round. I'll be rooting for Big D hosting Big Blue in the NFC Championship.
I was wrong about the Texans. Was that game played in Indianapolis or in the Upside Down? Houston wins on the road, Adam Vinatieri misses a field goal attempt and who was that guy wearing the Andrew Luck suit? At least Brock Osweiler was underwhelming. Good to know we can count on some things in this crazy world. Looks like a solid defense, a stud running back, a good punter and a reliable field goal kicker may be enough to win the AFC South. Houston doesn't need Osweiler to play well in order for them to make a little noise in the playoffs; they just need him not to suck.
I was wrong about the Broncos. Apparently, they do need to score some points to win. The Broncos still own a Wild Card spot (if the playoffs started today) and with Ryan Tannehill suffering a season-ending ACL injury on a fineable hit by Calais Campbell, I don't like the Dolphins' chances to catch them but big deal so what. It's hard to lose a game when your quarterback is 35 of 51 for 334 yards let alone score just 10 points but somehow the Broncos managed that feat Sunday while their former QB of the Post-Elway Era was 14 of 24 for 147 and score 22.
It feels like a long shot but Denver at Houston in the playoffs just feels like a narrative thread that needs to be pulled.
No comments:
Post a Comment