NFL 2007 Week 6: NFC Edition

NFC EAST: While no longer undefeated, the Cowboys are still the best team in the conference. New England badly exploited their defense, showing flaws in their armor that other teams will take advantage of, but their offense performed better than most have showed that, if the offense can be neutralized, the defense is vulnerable. What really killed Dallas in the end were penalties, though. There were a number of first downs stolen by mistakes, and all of this could be corrected. What it comes down to is that teams are going to have to play perfect football to contend with New England, and Dallas made just enough mistakes to beat themselves. The Giants are nipping at Dallas’ heels, though. After horrible showings in their first two games, they have steadily come on and now contend very closely for second in the conference. I’ve never been an Eli Manning supporter, but he’s done a very good job managing what seems, at least on the surface, to be a pretty lackluster offense. They’re making it work, but their schedule doesn’t hurt. They get San Francisco this week and should have no trouble taking the game. If Dallas fails, which we all hope they do, they’ll tie the division up. The inconsistent Eagles barely beat Jets, and this is really showing the character of this Philadelphia team. Outside of one outing, they’ve done only just enough to win if their opponent fails to show up but, if they do, the Eagles can’t take the heat. It seems more and more likely that McNabb will not be with the organization come ’08. It was a very good game, but the Redskins couldn’t pull the victory out from the Packers. Jason Campbell is really coming into his own, showing himself as both a passing threat and a scrambler. Chris Cooley, in spite of his blatant anti-Asian name, is definitely the best player that nobody’s heard of. He made tough catches, ran hard and blocked well, and has been getting better every time out.

NFC NORTH: The Packers defense saved Favre on Sunday or, more specifically, Charles Woodson saved Favre on Sunday. He turned what was otherwise a very poor game for the Packers and turned it into a win. 1 of 3 in the Red Zone? 56 yards rushing? These are not the statistics of a 5-1 team and, indeed, they have no business in the position. If the rest of the division wasn’t so bad, I’d say they were in trouble, but they’ll make their way to the playoffs by the sheer bad play of their division opponents. The Vikings played well and, I think, are coming around. They really aren’t going anywhere with Tavarius Jackson, who looked about as poor coming back as he did before the injury. Adrian Peterson, on the other hand, is looking like the second coming of Eric Dickerson so far. Nothing has been able to stop him except for Brad Childress, who still insists on running Chester Taylor more than Peterson. Any concern about injury has to be addressed when Peterson gets injured because, right now, they need to think about winning games. With over 600 yards so far this season (playing half time), he is the winning edge that Taylor is not. Devin Hester added another return touchdown to his record and the Bears added another loss to theirs. The Bears actually played really well and it became a true shootout in a points-ridden fourth quarter. It was a good game where the defending NFC champs just couldn’t pull it out against a mediocre team. The Lions get Calvin Johnson back this week, which should spur on an already high-powered offense that had better be on point. The Buccaneers’ defense has come on very strong and will be a good test for their Jesus fueled opponents. It won’t take a lot of prayer to overcome Tampa’s offense, though.

NFC SOUTH: While it’s impressive that Jeff Garcia hasn’t thrown an interception, the mere five touchdowns isn’t so much. The Bucs can’t score and, if their defense can’t defy heaven above, they will be handing the Lions another win. With the entrance of washout Michael Bennett, that side of the ball isn’t looking up. The defense is keeping them in the game, though, and I predict that they’ll take Detroit, based on the Lions’ general crappiness. Vinnie and the Pants? It doesn’t have the same ring to it as Vinnie and the Jets, nor does it reflect Elton John so well, but it’ll have to do. At his age, to even be able to read the playbook is impressive, let alone win an NFL game. Good for him, and good for the AARP, although I think he might lose some of his benefits for being back in the game. I can’t imagine that he’ll continue to see the same kind of success, but he’s a funny novelty for a team that will quickly be on the decline. I can’t believe that Joey Harrington has been benched for Byron Leftwich. Leftwich has proven absolutely nothing in his career, and Harrington has played some of the best football of his own in these last few weeks. Last week, the Falcons lost because of crucial dropped passes, something Harrington has no control over. He throws a better pass than Leftwich and I can’t imagine that the receivers will have an easier time now. They are a failure, and their confusion about what to do with their team without Vick is ridiculous and amateurish. The organization should be ashamed. Hey! The Saints won! How special. Actually, Brees finally looked like his old self, but this isn’t saying a lot given how the Seahawks are playing right now. Reggie Bush actually had a decent game and it’ll be funny to see if the media starts crowning Bush again, despite the talk of his “disappointment.” No, media, you’re right, Reggie Bush sucks.

NFC WEST: It’s hard to say if this western division is worse than its AFC counterpart, but it’s pretty close either way. The Seahawks are on a serious decline. Alexander is playing poorly, Hasselbeck isn’t where he’s been in recent years and the receivers are as ineffectual as ever. They lost to the winless Saints last Sunday, can they manage to do it again against the Rams? Their fate is in their own hands. When Arizona is looking like the class of the West, you know you have problems. A lot of it is in their schedule but, much like Carolina, their quarterback rotation is screwed up and any strides they’ve made will be negated. Tim Rattay and Matt Hasselbeck’s loser brother Tim is not what anybody would call a star tandem. Edgerrin James is nearing the end of his career and won’t be able to carry the load. Arizona is finished. Speaking of finished, there isn’t a team playing worse football right now that San Francisco. They are horrible in every aspect of the word. The Giants will slaughter them and their three game losing streak will extend to four. The Rams actually has a chance against Seattle this week but, without Steven Jackson, they are incredibly hamstrung. If Bulger ever comes on and they don’t force all the load onto Brian Leonard, who isn’t very good, they’ll be able to score. The Rams will be my big upset pick of the week. They’re primed for the win.