Ranking the NFC contenders

by Ed Valentine on Jan 2, 2009 8:46 AM EST in News Comment 22 comments

Our New York Giants are seeded No. 1 and are favored by the oddsmakers to get back to the Super Bowl this season.

So, who are the primary roadblocks to a second straight Super Bowl appearance for the defending champs? Let's rank the NFC competition.

Carolina Panthers (12-4) -- We have seen the Panthers and we know how dangerous they are. The Giants beat Carolina, 34-28, in overtime to clinch home-field advantage, but would have lost had the wind not pushed a John Kasey field goal wide. DeAngelo Williams gashed the Giants for four touchdown runs in that game, and forms a formidable running attack along with Jonathan Stewart. Then of course there is always Steve Smith to worr about. To me, if the Panthers and Giants meet in the NFC Championship Game it's a toss-up.
Philadelphia Eagles (9-6-1) -- If the Eagles take the 44-6 season-ending beating they laid on Dallas and carry that type of play into the playoffs, they can be incredibly dangerous. With the Eagles, though, that is a big if. They are as inconsistent as any team in the playoffs. Just look at the two weeks before the Dallas game. First, a 30-10 win over Cleveland. Then, a 10-3 loss to Washington. Which Eagles' team will show up? You just never know from game-to-game, quarter-to-quarter and sometimes series-to-series.
Atlanta Falcons (11-5) -- The Falcons are a great story, with rookie quarterback Matt Ryan leading an incredible turnaround from a 4-12 season. Ex-Charger Michael Turner (1,699 yards rushing, 17 TDs) has stepped out of LaDainian Tomlinson's shadow and proven he can be a featured back. You can't go deep in the playoffs with a porous defense, though, and that is what the Falcons have. They are ranked 24th in the league defensively, and that won't get it done.
Minnesota Vikings (10-6) -- Yeah, I know the Vikings just beat the Giants a week ago. But, they only won by a point and they didn't beat the REAL Giants. In Giants Stadium with the season on the line no team with Tavaris Jackson at quarterback is beating the defending Super Bowl champs.
Arizona Cardinals (9-7) -- Yeah, nice story with Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and they high-flying passing attack. But, Arizona is going nowhere in the playoffs. They have the worst running game in the league, and that will kill them if they actually get to the Meadowlands. The Cardinals were blown out in each of the last four games they played against good teams (Giants, Eagles, Vikings, Patriots) and that tells you they are pretenders.

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The Eagles

Are the team that worries me most. They can beat and lose to just about everybdoy.

Giants fan from the womb to the tomb

by Jim Schmiedeberg on Jan 2, 2009 8:59 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I think we're overrating the Eagles

Mostly because they benefited from Dallas’ implosion and the Giants’ Jacobs-less efforts. If Dallas had showed up in that game and not melted like the prima donna crybaby wimps they are, if the score of that game had been 24-21, would we still rank them ahead of the Falcons? I’ll give them a few points for momentum, and I’ll agree with you on their wild inconsistency. But the idea that a run-committed Philly team is kryptonite to the Giants is a bit much. They’re as flawed as any team out there. I agree with you almost entirely — I’d just switch ATL to No. 2 and Philly to No.3, a very minor difference. I know that hell we could go out and lose to the Redskins if they were out there, and any division game is dangerous. But at the same time, I think UNfamiliarity with a team can be equally dangerous, and that’s what we’ve got with Atlanta. The South was the truly tough division this year, better than the East. To me this team is the sleeper. Chances are they’ll flame out on inexperience and defense, but they’re not to be underestimated, and I’d certainly pick them against the Eagles heads up.

You play to win the game!

by Simms-McConkey on Jan 2, 2009 9:10 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Philly

To me, the Eagles are the most unpredictable team. The Dallas game showed what the ‘good’ Eagles can do. But, you just never know what team you will get when the Eagles play.

by Ed Valentine on Jan 2, 2009 9:47 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with Simms-McConkey

In the season finale, did the Eagles really improve that dramatically over the team that failed to score more than a field goal against the Skins the week before? Or was it simply a case of the Eagles looking better than they really are by virtue of playing a Dallas team that was much, much worse than anyone had imagined?

My money’s on the latter. I think Dallas had already quit on their season before they ever took the field against the Eagles. Giving up those back to back 75 yard rushing TDs against the Ravens the week before ripped out what little heart the Cowboys had ever possessed. But old predjudices die hard. The chattering classes had been over-rating this Cowboy team from Day 1 of training camp and they weren’t about to stop in Week 17. Going into that game against the Eagles, we kept hearing about how the Cowboys were poised to become this year’s version of the ‘07 Giants. So once the Eagles smacked them down as badly as they did, the only “logical” inference that could be drawn was that it was now the Eagles who were really this year’s ’07 Giants.

Don’t believe the hype. I’m no Bill Simmons fan, but I think he nailed it in his column today in which he picks the Vikes to easily dispatch of the Eagles. For some perspective he points out the Eagles road record and the Vikes home record this season:

Check out [the Eagles] eight road games this year:

Dallas 41, Philly 37
Chicago 24, Philly 20
Philly 40, S.F. 26
Philly 26, Seattle 7
Cincy 13, Philly 13 (tie)
Baltimore 36, Philly 7
Philly 20, NYG 14
Washington 10, Philly 3

And check out Minnesota’s eight home games:

Indy 18, Minny 15
Minny 20, Carolina 10
Minny 12, Detroit 10
Minny 28, Houston 21
Minny 28, Green Bay 27
Minny 34, Chicago 14
Atlanta 24, Minny 17
Minny 20, NYG 19

So we have a 3-4-1 road team laying points to a 6-2 home team playing in one of the only definitive Good Home-field Advantage Arenas left in football? How does that make sense?

Face it; other than the Giants, the “greatness” of the NFC East was largely exposed as a myth this year. Remember how at the beginning of the season we kept hearing that this year’s edition of the NFC East looked to be the strongest division ever in the history of the NFL? How three out of the four teams would almost surely wind up in the playoffs? Utter crap. Washington was an 8-8 team and sure played like one. The Cowboys showed themselves to be the gutless paper tigers that many had suspected them to be. And on Sunday we’ll finally get to see the last of the NFC East pretenders revealed as the frauds they truly are.

by knickfan on Jan 2, 2009 1:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

it's still a division rival

you never want to see a division team in the playoffs period. they know you, you know them, and all bets are off. i’ll take my chances against Atlanta/Arizona/Minny any day of the week over seeing Westbrook and Philly for a third time.

by SBakerTheTouchdownMaker on Jan 2, 2009 3:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The Panthers are the team to beat

None of the other teams scare me. The game with the Panthers a few weeks ago was perhaps the best game of the year. The Giants were beat for three and a half quarters but found a way to come back. The Panthers’ D said 250 of NY’s rushing yards were their (Panther D) fault not NY’s RBs. The rematch will be the game to watch.

Beat the Eagles up in the first quarter and they’ll fold. Once they get behind, they forget how to run. Without Westbrook, they’re very average. The vikings? Our backups almost beat them. But don’t be surprised if the Vikings beat the Eagles. Philadelphians were stunned when the Eagles made the playoffs. I don’t think the Eagles are mentally prepared for a playoff run. Before the Giants game, they were cleaning out their lockers. There will be big changes in Philly next year if they’re blown out by the Vikings.

The other teams have nice back stories. They should be proud that they have made the playoffs, but they won’t go far. Then again, that’s what they said last year, too.

by TerraByte on Jan 2, 2009 10:06 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

We are in agreement

It’s the Panthers that are the threat. Everyone else will get bounced.

by potroast on Jan 2, 2009 12:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

well....

The Giants are the team to beat.

Giants fan from the womb to the tomb

by Jim Schmiedeberg on Jan 2, 2009 12:45 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Absolutely

The Panthers are the team the Giants will have to beat to get to the SB. I think we’ll be playing the Falcons next week, then Carolina.

by TerraByte on Jan 2, 2009 7:13 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Heard it here first

Cards over Falcons.

Only 2 rookies have ever won playoff games. And I think the Ravens will beat the Dolphins so I don’t see that stat doubling this year.

Falcons have awful pass defense and Arizona is the number one pass attack. I think they will put on a clinic.

by Woogie526 on Jan 2, 2009 10:59 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Jimmy the Greek sez

Arizona, 83, Atlanta 0

You play to win the game!

by Simms-McConkey on Jan 2, 2009 11:57 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

LOL

by TerraByte on Jan 2, 2009 7:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Call me crazy, but...

The Falcons are one of those teams that just seems able to hang around. If they fall behind early they can be had though, so if the Giants have to face them a slow start is not advisable.

Panthers are still the top competition though methinks.

by brisulph on Jan 2, 2009 1:42 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

How about this for a playoff scenario:

The Cardinals can be a high-scoring offense so I would give them a chance over the Falcons, esp. since the Cards are playing at home. Let’s say they win, and then go into Carolina, which is a good-weather stadium. Who’s to say their high-scoring offense cannot put away Carolina? (one issue is their horrible record in east-cost road-games…), but who knows, maybe they can trip up Carolina.

That would leave us having to beat the Eagles at home — definitely possible and should be likely to happen.

Now we would host the Cardinals at home — where the Cardinals passing game would be a non-starter! and they have no running game. We’d be into the superbowl with just a single tough game against the Eagles and away we go….

I guess this is the long way of saying that the Eagles winning this Sunday and we host them in our first playoff game could be to our advantage…

by toddp on Jan 2, 2009 2:07 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Wow

I read the above entries and my brain is reeling. Here’s my thought: I don’t know how it will all play out, except when the dust settles the Giants will beat Carolina and meet Indy in the SB. Manning vs. Manning.

by blue gonz on Jan 2, 2009 2:29 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

George has spoken

Let it be so.

by Ed Valentine on Jan 2, 2009 2:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Can you imagine the hype

I think it would make for quite a spectacle. I agree. Let it be so.

by TerraByte on Jan 2, 2009 7:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I've always found it to be a case of most compelling storylines meeting in the superbowl.

This year I think George is right. The Manning bowl is a marketer’s wet dream. What better scenario to drum up lucrative advertising dollars in a time of economic uncertainty? ;)

by NYcON on Jan 2, 2009 3:06 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Right. Eli vs. Kerry is good,

but Manning vs. Manning is better.

by blue gonz on Jan 2, 2009 3:43 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Playoff scenarios

First of all, as we all know, once a team gets into the playoffs, anything can happen.

That said, I think the three teams that belong in the playoffs this year are NY, Carolina, and Philly. Arizona, Atlanta, and Minnesota are pretenders

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by NYERinSF on Jan 2, 2009 8:41 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I have a feeling

that the Cards will win against Atlanta. These guys have been sitting around listening to everyone call them the worst team to ever make the playoffs. If that doesn’t motivate them nothing will. I wouldn’t be surprised if the total points scored in this game exceedes 80 points. As good as Ryan is, he is still a rookie going up against a former Super Bowl MVP.

by giant fan since 57 on Jan 3, 2009 6:41 AM EST reply actions 0 recs