Week 12 — 29 Nov 2004
From: Jeff To: mnf@fat.doobie.com
Subject: It's Monday...
...and it's official: Our own San Francisco 49ers are the worst team in the NFL.
I hope that everyone had a good Thanksgiving, even if Thursday's games left a lot to be desired on the excitement front. As it turns out, Sunday's games made up for it. There were several close ones, a handful of weather-influenced ones, and a record setting 58-48 shootout between the Bengals and the Browns... neither one a team that's known for offense.
This week, the Philadelphia Eagles became the first team to officially make the playoffs. With 5 games to go, their 10-1 record is safe against the others in their division (the closest team to them is the 5-6 Giants).
There are 11 playoff spots left.
Here's the recap:
AFC:
In the AFC East, there are two teams still fighting: In the lead is 10-1 New England, who had no trouble beating the Baltimore Ravens 24-3 in the rain. Not that far behind is the 8-3 NY Jets, who without Chad Pennington, continue to struggle. This week the Jets beat Arizona, but lets face it, that's not much of a challenge. The Patriots have a fairly easy schedule from here out (excluding their game against the Jets on the 26th of December), so the reality is that New England will win the division. The Jets are (again) in a good position for a wild card.
The AFC North is pretty much owned by the 10-1 and still best-in-the-league Steelers. The Baltimore Ravens fell to 7-4 this week, and while they're still hanging on, if they lose again, this might be the last time they're mentioned as a contender. With upcoming games against Pittsburgh and New England, it seems unlikely that they won't lose again.
The AFC South is settling down. 8-3 Indianapolis is establishing itself as the dominant team in the division, and seems most likely to win it. The Jacksonville Jaguars, at 6-5, are no longer really in the running, unless Indianapolis self-destructs, or their offensive line starts a fight with the fans and gets suspended.
And then there's the AFC West. San Diego is currently in the lead here, with an 8-3 record. 7-4 Denver (who, amazingly enough, got beat by the 4-7 Raiders last night in a driving snowstorm) is hot on their heels. One of these teams will win the division. The other is likely to win a wild card.
And there you have the most likely 6: New England, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, San Diego, Denver, and NY Jets.
Either Baltimore or Jacksonville could be a spoiler, but at this point, it seems unlikely (though San Diego and the Jets are both known to self- destruct)
Over on the NFC side:
NFC East games are pretty much meaningless at this point. The 10-1 Philadelphia Eagles have clinched the division, and will probably be the top ranked team in the NFC this year. The 5-6 Giants are in the running for a wild card. More on that later.
In the NFC North, things are heating up. Minnesota is at 7-4, and is in the lead for the moment. Green Bay is 6-4 and playing tonight. Chances are very good that both will get in, but which one will win the division, and which will get the wild card is anybody's guess.
The NFC South is really all about 9-2 Atlanta, who had a suprisingly hard time beating the Saints this week.
The NFC West is almost embarassing. In the lead is 6-5 Seattle, but St. Louis is 5-5 and playing tonight. One of these teams will make the playoffs. Neither really belongs there.
And then there's the remaining wild card. Assuming that either Green Bay or Minnesota picks up the first one, there's one more. And there are realistically five teams in the running:
6-5 Seattle(*) 5-5 St. Louis(*) 5-6 NY Giants 4-7 Dallas 4-7 Chicago 4-7 Carolina
(*) Yeah, I know there are 6 teams here. One of them is going to win the NFC West, and thus will be ineligible for a wild card, so five of these teams are really in the running, and all of them are pretty bad.
If St. Louis wins tonight, the 4-7 teams will essentially fall off the list. Looks like it's a pretty important game, eh?
The Game:
Tonight, the 5-5 Saint Louis football Cardinals go to Lambeau Field in Green Bay to take on the 6-4 Packers, in a game that is vital to both teams playoff hopes. It will be right around freezing at kickoff, and the temperature will probably drop about 10 degrees over the course of the game. Brrr.
Lambeau field was built in 1956, initially holding about 32,000 people and cost less than one million dollars to build. It was dedicated by Richard Nixon at the beginning of the 1957 season. Thanks to a series of additions (the last completed in 2003), it now holds 72,500 fans full of leinenkugel. The natural turf is mostly Kentucky Bluegrass, and there are heating cables installed under it to keep the roots warm. Growing decent grass in Wisconsin is a challenge, and the turf is frequently replaced in the springtime.
This is also Brett Farve's 200th consecutive game, which we're likely to hear far too much about.
The Line:
The Packers are favored by SEVEN. The over/under is 51.
The smart money won last week, it's now 6-6, and is even for the first time since week 2. This week, the smart money takes the over, and takes St. Louis. There's a very good chance that the Packers will win the game, but the 7 point spread is misplaced. With all the 200-th game hype, it's no suprise.
The Bar:
The week, there is no bar. On the roof of our house, there is a 5 gallon keg of Anchor Steam, that's about half full (I'm a Redskins fan... it's half-FULL dammit). Where I come from, you don't ever return a keg that isn't empty, and I don't intend to start now.
So, you're invited (nay, encouraged) to come to our living room and help us finish the keg.
Kickoff is at 6:00. See you here?
-Jeff