The Cardinals defend with ease. The Cardinals should be 12-4 against the opponents they have. We'll see how they actually do. I'll give them 11-5. The Seahawks make a small bit of noise, but fail to make the playoffs at 9-7. The 9-7 final will be a consequence of weak competition. The 49ers and Rams bring up the rear. If the Cards go 11-5, they will have the unfortunate 4th seed.
NFC East
The Giants defend their division title with 12-4 score. They should have the #2 seed. The Cowboys make some noise, and take the first Wildcard slot with an 11-5. The Skins and the Eagles finish out of the playoffs. Yep, that's right the Eagles finish out of the playoffs. With Jim Johnson dead and Dawkins in Denver, the formerly #3 ranked defense is non-mission capable this year. The Eagles will score about 30 per game and over 500 points for the year, but they will allow a lot of points. Expect lots of problems and drama in the Eagle locker room.
NFC North
Packers take it by a landslide. They should be 13-3 and have #1 seed in the tournament. Their defense--the only thing holding them back in 2008--is going to be downright vicious this year. They will take the #3 defensive ranking the Eagles will vacate this year. Everybody else finishes out of the playoffs. Chicago and Minnesota out of the playoffs? Yep.
NFC South
Saints hold off the Falcons in the toughest head-on collision in the league. Saints go 11-5. Falcons go 11-5. The Saint take it on the tie breaker. The Saints get the #3 seed in the tourney based on strength of schedule. The Falcons get the unfortunate #6 seed.
Precautions
The Giants are a bit vulnerable. With no clear cut #1 receiver for Eli to throw to, they could experience a break down in the passing game. With Spagnuolo in St. Louis, they could experience a few defensive breakdowns along the way. Based on their stellar defensive line I am going to give them the #2 seed, however, it could well be the Saints.
For me--personally--there are only two issues in the NFC.
- Can the Cardinals bust the Super Bowl looser's jinx and get back into the Super Bowl. Further, can they win. No team has done this since the undefeated Miami Dolphins of 1972. Only two teams in history have won the Super Bowl immediately after loosing the Super Bowl. One was the Cowboys of 1971. The other was the aforementioned Dolphins. I really, really, really want to see them do this. This Cardinal football team is far too talented and brilliant to finish without a Lombardi Trophy.
- Can the Rams get off the carpet? I suspect the defense will take to Spagnuolo's system like baby ducks taking to the water. It appears to me that they believe in Spagnuolo and have bought into his system. The is absolutely crucial. I don't think they ever believed in Jim Haslett's gambling schemes. The problem is the offense. I don't think we have upped our offensive line enough yet, and I think we are virtually without a quarterback.
