---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AFC is not certain, but how I think it will end up: 1)Steelers 2)Raiders 3)Dolphins 4)Jets 5)Patriots 6)Ravens ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If it ends up like that, it would be: 2) Dolphins 3) Raiders
Dolphins beat the Raiders this year, so if they tie, Dolphins get the higher seed. If the Dolphins win the last week & the Pats lose, Miami gets the #2 regardless of what Oakland does.
Matthew: You would've loved it, David. A week in a foreign country, strange people, strange customs... Dave: Oh, I know what you mean. I've been to Canada.
I would agree about not playing the Pack again, 'cept for its really hard to beat a team 3 times in one year. Call me crazy, but I'd rather see them stick it to the Pack in the playoffs and shut down StL, but I'll take whatever is given.
"Those who survived the San Francisco earthquake said, 'Thank God, I'm still alive.' But, of course, those who died, their lives will never be the same again."
Much as I too would love to see the Pack lose to the Bears, they scare me so much. Here's how I see things, with a slight tinge of obvious bias
This weekend Bears, Rams, Jets, Seahawks win, Ravens lose when Randy Moss remembers it's national tv, and Raiders lose and continue to slide.
Wild card NFC: Bucs over Eagles (Alstott is big....very big) Niners over Packers (Pack looking a bit weak lately, but then so are Niners. I say Pack lose just because they're the Pack.)
Wild Card AFC: Seattle over Oakland (Alexander-Mania is running wild!) Jets over Miami
Div Playoffs NFC: Bears over Niners Rams over Bucs
Div Playoffs AFC: Pitt over Seattle Patriots over Jets
NFC Title: Bears over Rams (Urlacher contains Faulk, Mike Brown gets 2 INT's, Warner knocked out in 3rd by Ted Washington pancake hit)
AFC Title: Patriots over Steelers (Brady works one more miracle, leads team for last minute drive. Steelers get one last chance, but Kris Brown dooms them with 4th missed FG of the game)
Super Bowl: Bears over Patriots (it's Super Bowl XX revisited! Jim McMahon moons New Orleans again! The Fridge comes down and compares buffets with Mongo McMichael! Walter Payton's ghost seen all along Bourbon Street! Tony Eason hides under bed just out of instinct! Richard Dent wins MVP despite being retired for years now! Everything old is new again! Bears 32, Pats 13)
I just have this weird feeling about the Rams. I watched a lot of their games this year, and by rights no one should EVER beat that team. The problem is they play like there's nothing they can't deal with. I just see some team making the most of Warner's INT's, someone getting a decent spy on Faulk to make him just an amazing human instead of the alien from planet Touchdown that he usually is, and this Rams team looking at each other and asking "what happened?" after they lose some close game in the coming playoffs.
I definatly think a team can beat the Rams. Look at thier games this year against New Orleans, New York, and Tampa Bay. They put down a blueprint for how to beat them. Its very possible. And no, if the 9ers come to the frozen tundra, they will NOT beat the Packers. Brett Favre DREAMS about playoff games. He is NEVER cold in them, save for a few vs. Dallas early in his career. Favre turns it on against good opponents. (And the Bears..HEHEHEHEHEH)
If it's anything like the last few years, a team that has never won it before will take the title. So it's either going to be the Pats or the Bucs. But I'm a Vikings fan, so what do I know? I'm just waiting for some owner who has a really good coach to lose his mind and fire the guy. Vikes dump Green, send some lineman to have a "talk" with Moss, and we're in business for next year.
woah woah woah WOAH! What about my Seahawks. Mike Holgrem's plan of not getting them to the palyoffs will fail miserably because DILFER IS STARTING BABY! Dilfer has won 14 straight. Dilfer will carry the Hawks to a championship title. Dilfer probably won't start in the playoffs b/c Holgrem hates me.
I'd hate to see Green go in Minn. just because then there'd be no really hateable coaches in the NFC Central. The Walrus went off to Seattle and took his big plastic sheet with him. Wayne Fontes is hopefully resting comfortably in the wing of hell reserved for colossal assholes. Even my Bears went to the most milquetoast coach they could find. One of the great joys left is laughing at Dennis Green and his inability to go all the way or to manage his team.
NFC: 1. St. Louis 2. Chicago 3. Philadelphia 4. Green Bay 5. San Francisco 6. Tampa Bay
AFC: 1. Pittsburgh 2. New England 3. Oakland 4. Miami 5. Baltimore 6. New York
As far as I'm concerned, there's almost no way New England CAN'T win the AFC East...they're playing friggin' Carolina. I see Oakland losing to the Jets, enabling Gang Green to win a playoff birth (it's not December anymore, so they might actually show up), and Baltimore ought to roll over the Vikings. I'd like to pick the Pack to win the NFC Central, but the Bears are playing a Jacksonville team with nothing to play for; not a playoff birth, not their coach who is probably going to get fired, nothing. I think the Pack are a better team than the Bears, though. Here's how I see the wild card round shaping up.
NFC: Tampa Bay upsets the Eagles Green Bay over San Francisco
AFC: Oakland over New York Baltimore over Miami
The Tampa Bay game is a hope more than anything...I'm going to the game and I'll be silently rooting against the Eagles (since I don't want to get put in the hospital by the unruly thugs that call themselves Eagles fans). San Francisco is still a young team and Green Bay is led by a guy who's been in the trenches, so I see them winning that game fairly easily. Over in the AFC, I don't think Baltimore is done at all, and I think they're going to thrash Miami. And while Oakland has stunk lately, I think they're just too talented not to at least make the second round of the playoffs. In the conference semifinals...
NFC: St Louis rolls over Tampa Bay Green Bay over Chicago
AFC: Baltimore over Pittsburgh Oakland over New England
Frankly, I don't see how anybody can stop the Rams. The Bucs' defense is not as good as it has been in years past, and the Rams' defense has improved to where I don't see how the Bucs will put enough to make up for what the Rams' O puts up. Green Bay has had the Bears' number all season, and again, in the playoffs you go with the veterans over the younger team. This might be the Pack's last run, so go with them over the Bears. The same logic applies to the AFC games...Baltimore wins over the younger Pittsburgh team, and Oakland gets it together long enough to take out the Pats. Conference title games...
NFC: St. Louis over Green Bay
AFC: Baltimore over Oakland
The Rams are just too good to lose. Faulk may run for 200 against the Pack. Over in the AFC, the tough Baltimore defense gives them the edge over the Raiders again. That leaves us with the Super Bowl, with the last two teams to win the big game playing each other...
Super Bowl St. Louis over Baltimore
The irresistable force meets the immovable object (thanks, Gorilla). Go with the irresistable force on the carpet in New Orleans.
NE beats up on Seattle at home Baltimore beats Miami (and I am a Dolfan!!!) ... then ... Pittsburgh beats Baltimore (Ravens will be lucky to score) Oakland beats NE (Gannon lights up Pats) ... then ... Pittsburgh beats Oakland (Bettis rumbles for 200+)
+++++ NFC +++++
Bears will beat Jacksonville and the Pack will beat the Giants so....
1. St Louis 2. Chicago 3. Philadelphia 4. Green Bay 5. San Fran 6. Tampa
Green Bay beats SF on the tundra Philly beats TB (Just can't see this Tampa team winning this game) ... then ... St Louis wins the track meet against the Packers Philly upsets the Bears (they are young, they'll be back) ... then ... Classic rematch from Week 1 when the Rams won 20-17. This time they win again, a little easier...
That leaves
St Louis vs Pittsburgh
The Rams have looked like a different team since they lost to Tampa at the end of November. Putting up 35,27,34,38 and 42 points....
Just don't see them losing this year!!!! Warners thumb is better and Faulk is all healed now.
I just want to see a Packers V StL matchup. It would be so great. Teams play differently against different teams and levals of competition, I think it woudl be a LOT closer that you guys think. Or it could be a blowout, but it would be fun to watch.