By WILLIAM WRIGHT HEATLEY
Staff Writer
Two weeks of enjoying teams enter the gridiron for Thanksgiving, some blowouts, and snooze fests have brought the NFL world into Week 12. December is a crucial month in a football season, as it can make or break a team’s playoff hopes, seeding placement, and whether or not a season will be over. December provides the avid football fan an opportunity to see glimpses of what postseason teams will look like, as those teams at this point separate themselves from the rest of the NFL. Teams that are already in playoff contention however, cannot get complacent in their respective positions, as football matters outside an organization can affect the rest of a club as well. With all that in mind, here’s where things stand in the current NFC playoff picture, division by division.
NFC EAST
This division has been nothing more than a crap shoot all season long. As predicted at the beginning of September, Philadelphia succumbed to the Sunday morning hangover from that lucky night that was Super Bowl 52. They have underachieved massively this year, which was expected since teams traditionally inexperienced with the rigors of the postseason tend to not stay consistent the following year. See 2015 Seahawks, 2016 Broncos, and 2017 Falcons. Free agency is always going to affect a championship winning roster, and reintroducing Prince Harry, I mean, Carson Wentz, back under center, allowed Nick Foles to once again enjoy his glory days on the bench. Cheer up though Philly fans, that new Creed movie came out and looks good.
The Dallas Cowboys are an interesting bunch, because you never know which team is going to play every week. It was mystifying to see them hold Drew Brees and the Saints to just three points in the first half of last Thursday’s game. They are an outsider looking in, but could mathematically still creep into the playoffs. The acquisition of wide receiver Amari Cooper from Oakland midseason may be the secret gem that proves to pay dividends for the club. Prescott and Elliott will continue to play the same way, and the defense has showed improvement over the course of the season. Dallas’s defense held MVP contender Drew Brees to no touchdowns and the fewest yards in a quarter in his whole career last week, proving that this can be a template to build on in the coming weeks. Providing no divine intervention, Dallas could take the division, and subsequently go one and done in the playoffs this year.
The New York Giants: “Thank you, next.” Once again the G-Men fail to produce this season with an aging Eli Manning. Mediocre play, an injury ridden squad, off field drama? There’s always next year, fellas. It’s hard to see a team come into a season with such high expectations perform so poorly. If the Giants manage to land a decent quarterback in the draft next year, their record will improve significantly.
Washington at first seemed to be the team to beat this year. Adrian Peterson returned to 2012 form as his season has been productive. He’s one of the top rushers in the league at the moment and has been integral in the resurgence of Washington. Alex Smith (before getting hurt) was doing really well for his squad. Washington had as good of a chance to win the division as Dallas does. Unfortunately, karma doesn’t like the Redskins and Alex Smith had to be the literal sacrificial lamb, breaking his leg last week, and possibly ending his career (ESPN reported that he developed an infection from the result of his surgery). It’s a long road ahead for Washington, but they might galvanize themselves and get a wildcard spot.
NFC SOUTH
Shortest analysis; New Orleans and everyone else. The Saints are a genuine Super Bowl contender this year and will look for the first seed in the playoffs. Drew Brees is in the MVP conversation, and his passing attack is one of the highest ranked in points and yardage. The Saints have the potential to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl this year, which seems more likely every week. Tampa, Carolina and Atlanta have all underachieved this season, and will look to improve next year through free agency and the draft class.
NFC NORTH
The division is still up for grabs but Chicago will clinch over Minnesota this year. The addition of Khalil Mack on defense has turned the Bears into a playoff team. The Vikings however, have been up and down all year. Their 24-10 loss to New England a few weeks ago showed that their offense isn’t as potent as Kirk Cousins’s contract makes it out to be, and playing zone scheme defense against Tom Brady and his receiving core will always be disastrous. They could win the next two or three games though, so a wild card berth isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Green Bay? Another waste of a season for Aaron Rodgers, who has the distinct responsibility of carrying the team (now without HC Mike McCarthy after he was fired following last week’s loss). Blame has to be put on the Packers front office for this. Hopefully things will improve next year, or Rodgers will leave. This was another team that started the year with high expectations, only to underachieve, disappoint, and question football matters.
The Detroit Lions have performed as expected this year with first time head coach and former Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia at the helm. This season started well but has since become a roller coaster. A change in coaching philosophy will always affect play on the field and the Lions are experiencing that this year. They’ll miss out on the playoffs but will look to rebuild for 2019, where Patricia’s influence will be more present. Their record will improve next season.
NFC WEST
It’s all about the L.A. Rams. Jared Goff, Todd Gurley and co. have clinched the division for the second straight season with Sean McVay calling the plays. The Rams are trying to get the first seed but New Orleans are making it tough. These are the teams to beat in the conference right now, because they have many similarities. High offensive numbers, shut-down defense, playoff experience.
Seattle was tough to watch this year. The era of The Legion of Boom ended with Richard Sherman going to San Francisco, Earl Thomas flipping the bird after a contract holdout followed by an injury, and Kam Chancellor cut ties. Similarly, former Seahawk and Patriot Brandon Browner was just sentenced to eight years in prison for attempted murder. Quarterback Russell Wilson again had to deal with poor offensive line play and lack of a run game. They may get a wild card spot, but with their remaining schedule it seems unlikely. Next year will be a rebuild and a restructure for them.
The 49ers’ season ended when Jimmy Garoppolo went down early in the season this year. Expectations were high for Garoppolo’s backup, undrafted free agent Nick Mullens, who impressed in his debut against Oakland, but since has played average football. Next year will be an interesting one for the 49ers and their fans. I can see them making the playoffs in 2019.
Not much to say about the Arizona Cardinals this year. Another season where Larry Fitzgerald doesn’t get a ring. Like Randy Moss but with more bad luck, he might not win a championship before he retires because of a poor team, but he’ll have the franchise records and the Pro Bowl appearances. Next year, providing they get front office affairs sorted out, their season improves in 2019, looking at 7-9 or 8-8.
That’s it for the NFC analysis. There is less to be said about the AFC. Top picks are the Chiefs, Patriots, Chargers, and Titans. By the time the spring semester starts, it will either be the divisional playoff weekend or conference championship weekend, yielding whether or not predictions and analysis were correct or not.
