Week 8 is in the book and I thought instead of writing a recap of what happened during the week we’d take a look back at my crazy preseason predictions for the different divisions and see how I am doing for the year. I’ll be grading myself based on accuracy of the predictions in general. Also, the season isn’t over yet so I could have totally different grades at the end of the year.
NFC North – This division is highly competitive and even the Lions are not realistically out of it yet, having wormed their way back into the edge of the playoff picture. The Bears sit at the top while and an early season slump has Green Bay tied with Minnesota for second. I must admit to whiffing on the Vikings but who would have thought Adrian Peterson would come back from an ACL tear and look like he hasn’t lost a step? The Bears look absolutely ferocious on defense, kind of like the Ravens used to. This is a team to be feared around playoff time. Overall Grade – B+
NFC East – Predictably the Cowboys are stinking up the place, or more precisely Tony Romo is dropping dog turds all over the field. I whiffed completely on the Eagles but who would have expected Michael Vick to regress so much. The Eagles should officially be declared a national disaster, and Andy Reid should be sent back to live among his walrus brethren. The Giants look unstoppable and will most likely walk away with the best record in the NFC East. The Redskins are having trouble finishing games because of defensive issues, but man does RGIII look freakin’ sweet. The other teams in the division must be considering investing in Tylenol because of the headaches he will give them for years to come. That is, as long as he learns to slide. Overall Grade – C+
NFC South – With the exception of the Panthers pretty much sucking, I nailed this division. The Saints are a train wreck without Sean Payton coaching them and the defense is even worse than it was last year. I guess none of them feel like playing very hard without bounties being handed out. The Falcons remain the only undefeated team in the NFL and it looks like the road to the Super Bowl for the NFC will be traveling through Atlanta. The Bucs have a complete jackass for a coach and it’s showing in the final result. Overall Grade – A
NFC West – They had some early season promise, as the entire division was at or above .500 at one point. Now, the Niners are ahead and the other three teams have begun to fade. The Cardinals have reeled off a 4 game losing streak to go with their 4 game winning streak start. The Rams are fading fast but they are a team that could easily win on any given Sunday, they just don’t. The Seahawks still show some promise but there are rumblings of a quarterback switch in the future. Wilson needs to start winning games again or he will be riding the pine. The Niners are one of the best teams in the NFC and the only real question is how deep into the playoffs will they make it? I missed Wilson starting but other than that I pretty much nailed this division. Overall Grade – B+
AFC East– Well isn’t this division fun? The Jets are pretty much the disaster I predicted, although I did miss on when Tebow would be starting. I think the Jets just traded for him to sell tickets because they sure aren’t using him much. The Dolphins are a nice surprise and a genuine threat to the Patriots who are still sitting atop the division, although not by much. The Patriots are weak in the secondary and just don’t have the skills on the defensive side of the ball to make a deep playoff run. Brady has lost a step and he just can’t carry this team like he used to. Meanwhile the Bills are being the Bills. Fans are probably longing for the halcyon days of “Fumbling” Thurman Thomas and Jim Kelly. Overall Grade – B-
AFC South – The Texans are dominating the division and there is a very good chance they could snag home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Jacksonville and Tennessee are terrible teams, both of which desperately need a franchise quarterback. The Colts are a nice surprise at 4-3. I think that speaks to just how talented Luck is. Houston is probably sour on the fact they managed to get Manning out of the division but Manning 2.0 got drafted by the same damn team. Overall Grade – A
AFC West – To the surprise of everyone but me, Peyton Manning has returned, injury-free and despite some early bumps with the offense getting used to each other they are crushing the competition. I think we may look back on that Monday night comeback against the Chargers are the moment that the Broncos truly became a playoff contender. The Broncos are one of the best second half teams in the NFL and the rest of their schedule is relatively easy. The Raiders and the Chiefs are disappointments, as I expected them to at least be competitive and instead they are just looking for answers. The Chargers predictably were over-hyped and are starting their traditional slide right out of the playoff picture, capped with a 7-6 loss to the lowly Browns. Overall Grade – B
AFC North – The Ravens are sitting on top of the division but their defense has been ravaged by injuries and Father Time. The Steelers are nipping at their heels even though they are looking pretty average this year. The Bengals are a disappointment, as I expected more out of Dalton and Green. Quarterback might be the least of the Browns’ worries. If I were their GM I would stick with Wheeden and draft some more skilled players to play around him. Overall Grade – C
Overall Summary – With a couple glaring exceptions (Eagles, Bengals, Vikings) my predictions do a good job of holding water. The playoff picture for about half of the divisions is coming into focus while the other half are clearly toss ups. Overall Prediction Grade – 3.08 A Solid B
Weekly Picks (Home Team in Caps)
Bye Week – Rams, Patriots, Jets, Niners
Mr Ross’s Picks
CHARGERS over Chiefs, Broncos over BENGALS, Ravens over BROWNS, PACKERS over Cardinals, Bears over TITANS, Dolphins over COLTS, REDSKINS over Panthers, Lions over JAGUARS, TEXANS over Bills, SEAHAWKS over Vikings, RAIDERS over Bucs, GIANTS over Steelers, FALCONS over Cowboys, Eagles over SAINTS
Last week 7-7
Total 64-62
Mrs Ross’s Picks
Chargers, Broncos, Browns, Packers, Titans, Dolphins, Panthers, Lions, Texans, Vikings, Raiders, Steelers, Falcons, Eagles
Last week 8-6
Total 64-62
