Everywhere I go this week people keep asking me what I think will happen this Sunday night when the New York Giants meet the Dallas Cowboys for the NFC East title and the right to go to the playoffs. The honest answer is I don't have a clue.
How can anyone be comfortable making a prediction about the outcome of this one? Let's face it, these two teams have pretty much defined "unpredictable" this season. On top of which, the reality is that neither one is Super Bowl-caliber. There is a reason why this will be the first time since the 1970 merger that the NFC East champion will have fewer than 10 victories.
As much as fans of either team probably don't want to hear it, the 2011 versions of the Cowboys and Giants are mirror images in many ways. Both teams have taken their fans on roller-coaster rides filled with spectacular highs and devastating lows. And both teams arrive at Sunday's winner-take-all meeting feeling like it should not have come to this.
It has, however. Thus, we are right back to trying to figure out what might happen from 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday to somewhere around midnight. Here are three potential, and entirely plausible, scenarios.
1. The Preferred Scenario (for Giants fans) -- In this scenario the Giants blow the Cowboys out of the building, finally playing a complete game at home for the first time this season. This is also the "everybody gets along nicely in the BBV Game Thread" scenario.
2. The Jimmy Hoffa Scenario -- The Giants bumble their way through the early part of the game and then disappear without a trace, a scenario that has been an all-too-common occurrence this season. In this scenario, The Cowboys win easily and Jerry Jones gets the last laugh. This is also the "If Ed dares to read the comments in the Game Thread there will be a record number of bannings from BBV" scenario.
3. The Nail-Biter Scenario -- For me, this is the most likely. This one comes down to the final few minutes, and could very well come down to a decisive play (good or bad) by Giants quarterback Eli Manning or Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. This is also the "there will be lots of bridge-jumping during the game in the BBV Game Thread followed by a) mocking of the Cowboys or b) calls for Tom Coughlin's firing" scenario.
So, you guys tell me. What do you think is going to happen?